BOOM!
The ground in front of Arthur was instantly leveled. Everything nearby shattered under the force.
"Hahaha."
Arthur chuckled softly, muttering to himself, "The gap between and these monsters is still obvious. But there's no rush. They've got nearly twenty years on . Give so more ti…"
He paused, then frowned.
"…Wait, why does that sound like a side character's line?"
That whole "just give ti" thing—wasn't that exactly how the second lead always talked?
"For Absolute Justice!"
"Defeat the enemy before us!"
"Arthur Pendragon—seize him!"
The Marines gave him no chance to keep rambling. Countless soldiers surged into the battlefield.
"They're here, huh?"
"Hamr of the Wind King!"
Arthur dove straight back into the fight. He'd already clashed with Gion, then gone three-on-one against the Vice Admirals. The exhaustion was real—but Arthur Pendragon, inheritor of the Red Dragon bloodline, was practically a walking bug. As long as he had ti, his body would recover.
anwhile—
Another figure stood out: an Afro-haired Marine in Vice Admiral attire, his sharp eyes fixed on Arthur.
The "Monster Vice Admiral," candidate for Admiral promotion—Sengoku the Buddha.
Like Zephyr, Sengoku was considered a "monster Vice Admiral." Despite the rank, his power rivaled any full Admiral.
Sengoku studied Arthur, his gaze grave. "What terrifying physical strength… And that other one—"
His eyes shifted to Kaido, who was hamring away at Gaji. If not for Gaji's Logia abilities, he'd already be in the sa shape as Gion.
Arthur Pendragon.
Kaido.
In this single recruitnt drive, the Rocks Pirates had brought in two monsters as apprentice crewn.
"Gurarararara~~~"
A thunderous laugh shook the battlefield. Edward Newgate strode forward, step by step, as though walking on air itself, bellowing, "Sengoku! To lose focus against —you've grown careless!"
"Murakumogiri: Air Blade!"
From above, Edward swung down his greatblade Murakumogiri—one of the Supre Grade 12 Blades.
At just thirty-five years old, Whitebeard's body was at its absolute peak. He had mastered all three colors of Haki, honed his Devil Fruit, and trained his swordsmanship and physique to terrifying levels. His slash was so powerful the very air split and shattered before it.
"Hmph."
Boom—
Golden light flared from Sengoku's body. In the next instant, a massive golden Buddha manifested.
"Buddha's Shockwave!"
The golden shockwave t Edward's slash head-on.
BOOM!
Another mushroom cloud blood on the battlefield as the two clashed, glaring at one another.
"Gurarararara~~~"
Whitebeard laughed heartily. "Wang Zhi was right—you Marines really did prepare an inescapable net. But why only you two? Where's that bastard Garp? And what about the Admirals?"
In this era, the Navy boasted Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr—three Monster Vice Admirals and Admiral candidates. On top of that, they had three active Admirals and the Fleet Admiral himself. At minimum, the Marines had seven Admiral-level combatants.
Their strength was undeniable.
Even in the so-called "New Era" to co, the Navy was arguably weaker. Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr would step down or retire, while Gion and Gaji would eventually be promoted to Admiral but remain more independent in spirit. The later lineup—Sakazuki, Kizaru, Fujitora, Ryokugyu—was powerful, but the paper strength of the Marines had arguably peaked during the Marineford era.
At Marineford, they had Sengoku, Garp, Zephyr, Sakazuki, Kuzan, and Borsalino—six true Admiral-level fighters—plus Gion and Gaji, making eight in total.
On paper, that was the strongest the Marines had ever been.
Swish!
"Hamr of the Wind King."
Arthur smashed through another wave of Marines, then glanced at Whitebeard with a playful grin. "Edward, you really should've ntioned how dangerous this mission would be. If we're risking our lives like this, I'll have to tell Captain Rocks—ti to raise the pay!"
"Gurarararara~~~"
Whitebeard roared with laughter. "Arthur, you greedy bastard! No—that's wrong. You're just obsessed with Devil Fruits. Fine then! Captain Rocks already said your reward this ti will be doubled. And if you manage to destroy G-1 Headquarters, it'll double again!"
"Oh?"
Arthur's eyes lit up imdiately.
Double the reward? He didn't even know what the base reward was, but with Rocks' extravagant nature, it had to be sothing outrageous.
"Edward, I'm starting to wonder—just how many Devil Fruits does Captain Rocks actually have?"
"No idea. His treasure hoard is too vast to asure."
"That," Arthur said with a grin, "makes things very interesting indeed."
Their conversation didn't go unheard. Sengoku's voice was cold as he declared: "The Marines' Absolute Justice is not sothing petty pirates like you can break!"
Whitebeard grinned confidently. "Whether we can break it—that's for us to prove. Whether you can hold it—that's for you to find out."
"Quake Shock!"
"Buddha's Shockwave!"
The two titans clashed again, shaking heaven and earth.
anwhile, Arthur turned toward the Marines pouring in behind Sengoku. A smile curved on his lips.
"Sorry," he said lightly, "but Captain Rocks pays far too well. That ans I can't afford to hold back."
CRACK!
Stomping the ground, Arthur's grin faded into cold focus as he charged into the Marine ranks once more.
Reviews
All reviews (0)