But Sengoku paid Garp no attention at all. Instead, his eyes widened in fury as he roared toward the rear:
"Everyone below Admiral level except Garp, fall back immediately!"
"This is not a battlefield for the likes of you!"
"Go help the Marines!"
"Oh my, oh my."
A streak of golden light reflected off Borsalino's sunglasses. Just as well—he had no desire to go up there anyway.
"Hmph!"
That old fossil!
Sakazuki snorted inwardly, deeply dissatisfied. This was clearly the perfect chance to unleash righteous group violence.
The blade of ice in Kuzan's hand melted into liquid and dripped onto the ground. He silently pulled his sleep mask back down, clearly intent on not seeing, not caring.
"Give it everything you've got, old friend."
Throwing out those words, the golden Buddha slowly stepped upward into the sky using Moonwalk.
Facing the meteors descending from above, Sengoku showed not the slightest fear.
His expression remained calm.
As though those devastating falling rocks were nothing more than dust in his eyes.
Boom!
The meteors tore through the sky trailing blazing fire and destruction, crashing down toward Marineford.
"Shiki, you've grown old as well."
The great Buddha did not retreat. He slowly raised both arms, palms upward, as if he intended to hold up the entire sky itself.
As power gathered into his hands, even more brilliant golden light burst from Sengoku's body!
That was Buddha-light—the power of the Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Daibutsu Form!
And it was also the result of his many years of discipline.
The dazzling brilliance lit up the surrounding storm clouds, illuminating the entire battlefield and bringing a ray of hope to the Marines awakening from the shock of Conqueror's Haki amid the ruins below.
"It's the Admiral!"
"Admiral Sengoku!"
"The Admiral's here—Marineford is saved!"
That old man's still showing off at his age!
Seeing the giant Buddha in the sky, Garp spat inwardly in disdain, but the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth could not be hidden.
"Great Buddha Shockwave!"
At the instant the meteors descended close enough to threaten him, Sengoku suddenly accelerated. His palms slammed forward.
A vast golden blast of force erupted from his hands, colliding head-on with the falling meteors.
Invisible waves surged upward through the sky like a tsunami!
"BOOOOM!"
A deafening roar shook the heavens, golden light spreading across the entire sky!
Every one of the falling rocks was disintegrated under that radiance.
At last, just above and not far from the great Buddha, they were all reduced to ash.
At the same time—
Mo Wu, bathed in the Buddha-light below, felt his heart jolt.
That was Conqueror's Haki!
If his guess was right, Sengoku had woven his Conqueror's Haki into the Buddha-light. Mo Wu could clearly feel that while he stood in its glow, the suppressive force of Shiki's Conqueror's Haki weakened significantly.
So this is the power of the top-tier greats of Roger's era?
Truly terrifying!
"Hey, Sengoku!"
It seemed Shiki had regained some clarity from his frenzy. His voice dropped lower, more controlled.
"Where… is Roger going to be executed?"
"Hm?"
Sengoku clearly hadn't expected that question. His brow furrowed, but he still chose to answer honestly.
After all…
At this point, he and Garp had already made up their minds to leave this man here for good.
"East Blue. Loguetown."
"Hey, Garp."
Shiki's expression seemed to tilt toward madness again, but this time he aimed the question at Garp.
"What?"
Picking his nose and casually wiping it on his trousers, Garp answered with complete indifference.
"What Sengoku said… is it true?!"
"He chose the place himself. What do you think?"
"What kind of joke is this?! That's the weakest sea! Roger—the man who beat me—is going to die there?!"
"You bastards actually dare insult Roger and me like this?!"
With a sharp metallic hiss, Shiki crossed his arms and drew Oto and Kogarashi from his waist.
Pitch-black Haki slowly flowed from his hands and coiled around the two famed blades.
Shiki flung both swords outward. The very air around them seemed to distort, and the next instant, black-red lightning burst forth, swirling obediently around the blades.
Sengoku and Garp both grew even grimmer.
Conqueror's coating?
"Lion's Majesty: Imperial Earth Coil!"
His blades pointed at Marine Headquarters. Endless seawater surged upward, spiraling around Shiki's body, then transformed into a giant lion-headed wave crackling with black-red lightning as it roared toward the supposedly impregnable Marineford!
"Shiki! No one is going to interfere with this execution!"
Roaring back, Sengoku gathered golden Buddha-light into his palms. He still did not retreat. A boundless shockwave burst forth from his hands and clashed with the lion-headed tidal wave sweeping toward him.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
At the center of the battlefield, thunder roared without end. The collision between Conqueror's Haki was violently intense.
"Garp!"
"Got it."
The two had fought together for years. With a single glance from Sengoku, Garp instantly understood! His figure flashed—and vanished from where he stood.
"Sengoku! Bring Roger out here!"
Standing atop the raging sea, towering above the giant Buddha resisting him below, Shiki roared in fury.
He wanted to ask that man why he was ending his ambition here.
Pirates were the embodiment of freedom!
They were meant to seize everything in this world!
"Even if he dies, I'll personally kill—"
The furious shout was cut short before it could finish.
Even his Observation Haki failed to catch it in time.
A pitch-black iron fist smashed brutally into Shiki's back.
At that moment, the very air around them twisted and collapsed under the force!
"Fist of Love: Impact!!!"
Garp's voice boomed like thunder itself. Even Shiki was stunned into helplessness for an instant.
"Get down there, you blond bastard!"
In the blink of an eye, the towering tidal wave scattered apart. Like a pendulum struck by a giant hammer, the lion was hurled violently forward.
His body rolled through the air, golden hair whipping madly from the force of the blow.
The Float-Float Fruit!
Damn it!
Shiki redirected the tremendous force and rose back into the air once more.
"Garp, that really hurt!"
But Garp had no intention of stopping there.
His powerful body attacked again in an instant, descending from the sky with overwhelming momentum, flames igniting around him from the friction of his incredible speed.
The Armament Haki around both fists did not merely coat them—
No, it had already begun dripping like ink, transforming into black petals that spiraled around Garp's iron fists.
This was Armament Haki at its highest stage—Ryuo!
"Fist of Love: Impact!!!"
Without the slightest trace of fear in his eyes, Golden Lion adjusted his posture, gripping Oto and Kogarashi tightly in both hands. The black-red lightning wrapped around the two blades flared once more.
"Lion: Thousand Slice Valley!"
Golden sword-light, carrying black-red lightning, collided through the air with Garp's flame-wreathed Ryuo fist!
Boom!
A vast shockwave exploded outward.
And yet, this was only the aftershock of their clash—but already the sea below had been driven into waves over a hundred meters high!
It wasn't over.
Another colossal golden shockwave blasted upward from below and slammed into Golden Lion's body.
THUD!
Caught by Sengoku's sneak attack, Shiki coughed blood, and his strength faltered for the briefest instant.
Boom!
The pitch-black iron fist tore straight through the two famous swords and smashed directly into the lion's face, driving him down into the ruins below!
"Lucky shot."
Landing on the ground, Garp stared at the human-shaped crater ahead, spat to the side, and blew at the white smoke curling off his fists, feeling nothing but regret.
Why didn't I knock that bastard into the sea?
"He won't go down that easily."
Sengoku walked over from the other side and said in a deep voice.
A great pirate was never so easy to defeat.
"Tch."
"He's coming."
Both men settled back into fighting stances, glaring at the crater with obvious annoyance.
"Garp! Sengoku!"
"Give me an answer!!!"
A deranged roar erupted from the pit as Shiki rose floating back into the air, his savage eyes locked viciously onto the two men.
"In the name of justice, I can't allow you to interfere with the execution."
Garp loosened the tie around his neck and clenched his fists.
"That was only the warm-up, wasn't it, you blond bastard!"
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