Chapter 7: Chapter Seven: The Rescue Operation

Don't let this guy get near Old Man!

The Whitebeard Pirates now retreated to surround Crocodile the Crocodile.

"So this is Ace's brother? Not bad for a kid," chuckled the ship's doctor, Phoenix Marco.

That hat.

Whitebeard recalled the words he'd exchanged with Red-Haired Shanks over drinks.

I've bet this arm on the new era.

New era?

"Hey, kid," Whitebeard looked down at Luffy: "That hat looks just like the one Red-Haired Shanks used to wear."

"Shanks entrusted it to me."

"Old Man, look, this is my brother."

Whitebeard stared at Luffy's back, recalling the scene where Ace had proudly waved a bounty poster in front of him.

A faint smile crept onto his lips.

So that's it—the new era.

"You're here to save your brother, aren't you?"

"Do you even know who your enemy is? You'll get yourself killed like this!"

Whitebeard's words and demeanor carried a crushing pressure; his great sword thudded onto the ground, and a storm erupted from him.

Ivankov, Buggy, and others gaped in stunned silence; even from this distance, Whitebeard's Conqueror's Haki still pressed down with overwhelming force.

"This is so annoying, old man," Luffy grabbed his straw hat with his right hand and placed it on his head. "No matter how many times you say it, my answer won't change."

Boom—

"The Pirate King will be me!"

A crimson storm erupted from the Straw Hat kid, Monkey D. Luffy, instantly engulfing all of Marineford. At the moment the two storms collided, countless marines and pirates collapsed, eyes rolling back.

"Conqueror's Haki?!"

"Who?!"

"That Whitebeard and the straw hat guy…"

The two astonishing auras clashed and ground against each other—the physical manifestation of conqueror's will.

"Conqueror's Haki?! You bastard, Karp!" Admiral Akainu bit his teeth, grabbing Karp's collar and shaking him violently: "When did your grandson learn Haki—and why is it Conqueror's Haki?! Did you turn him into a pirate?!"

"You let a grandson with this kind of talent become a pirate?! You bastard!"

Karp himself was stunned, unsure how to answer Akainu—until the next moment:

"Hell yeah!!!"

"That's my grandson, hahahaha…"

Akainu's temple veins bulged, nearly driven mad with rage:

"Karp—!"

Akainu shook Karp's collar even harder, his head blurring from the force: "If you weren't the Navy's hero, I'd make you bear the responsibility of your entire bloodline!"

This man is the Navy's hero, yet his family upbringing is a complete mess.

"Conqueror's… Haki?"

"Ace's brother!"

"That's the mark of a monarch's talent—one in a million…"

"His Haki is just like Old Man's…"

"That straw hat kid?!"

Both Whitebeard Pirates and prisoners from Impel Down stared in shock toward Luffy.

Due to the release of this Conqueror's Haki, fighting and conflict across the battlefield paused briefly.

Even the Navy side was stunned.

"Straw Hat kid…" Smoker, cigarette dangling from his mouth, casually knocked over a pirate attempting to ambush him, staring in disbelief: "I should've captured him back then. I left a dangerous loose end."

"Luffy, as expected, you're the one I adore—you've already mastered Conqueror's Haki."

"Ah~, what an astonishing speed."

Boa Hancock, cheeks flushed crimson, gazed at Luffy, her heart swelling with joy—her beloved man was this extraordinary.

"How terrifying~," Yellow Emperor drawled in his usual lazy tone, his meaning unclear.

"Grandson of the hero Karp, son of the revolutionary Dragon," Akainu resolved to erase the Straw Hat kid as a threat right here in Marineford.

Aokiji remained silent, fighting quietly.

"The clash of Conqueror's Haki!!!"

"It's just like when Red-Haired Shanks came!"

Whitebeard Pirates recalled the commotion from Shanks' last visit.

Whitebeard raised an eyebrow in surprise; his coat flapped with a rustling sound from the air currents Luffy had unleashed: "Interesting!"

The aura emanating from the Straw Hat kid was—

The smell of a monster.

Yet, after only a few brief seconds, both men retracted their Haki.

"Hmph, do as you please, kid," Whitebeard chuckled. "Just don't die on this battlefield."

"Heh, I'll be the one to rescue Ace."

Luffy pulled his hat low and turned toward the execution platform:

"Wait for me, Ace!"

Sengoku, the way things are unfolding now is beyond your control.

Let me see this so-called new era of yours, Red-Hair.

Whitebeard found it somewhat interesting.

"Everyone! Cover Ace's brother!"

The pirates' side was instantly invigorated.

"Nicely done, Ace's brother!"

"I underestimated you, Straw Hat!"

Their side had gained a new member who could use Kuangdao Bawang, and the recent clash of Kuangdao Bawang had taken out quite a few Marines.

As for the Whitebeard Pirates, even if there were losses, they weren't many and would recover quickly—everyone was long accustomed to being intimidated by Kuangdao Bawang.

After all, sometimes during banquets, when Pops got happy or drunk, he'd let one loose every now and then.

And among the Impel Down escapees, quite a few had not fallen—those with solid mettle.

"Stop him!"

The Marines began gathering personnel and redeploying; the highest threat now was Straw Hat.

As for Su Lin's side—

"Mr. Su Lin, please stay near me in a moment."

Su Lin heard someone calling him, turned his head, and saw it was Jinbe.

"Don't you need to go help your captain?"

"Our captain is already very strong now. Even though facing so many high-level Marine combatants at once would be taxing even for an Emperor, I believe in him." Jinbe shook his head in denial: "Besides, I promised you that your safety is my top priority right now."

Noticing Su Lin looked a bit tense, Jinbe offered some persuasion:

"How about you go to the rear and rest for a while, Mr. Su Lin?"

Before coming, Jinbe had already figured it out—Su Lin had no combat experience, no signs of training on his body, and might not have even done any physical labor (physical labor in the pirate world's sense); his constitution might not even match an ordinary person's.

As a seasoned veteran, Jinbe could tell this man who knew Luffy and had suddenly appeared had no ill intentions; at his core, he was a good person.

Recalling that Su Lin's Devil Fruit ability was copying, Jinbe guessed that his main purpose in coming to Marineford during the Summit War was probably to gather abilities.

But even so, Jinbe was deeply grateful to the man before him.

"It's fine." Su Lin waved his hand: "Jinbe, go help Luffy. I'm okay on my side."

"Are you sure?" Jinbe hesitated; before coming, he had promised to keep Su Lin safe.

"It's fine now." Su Lin pointed ahead.

A figure was shining in midair over there—it was Kizaru.

Before Su Lin's words had even finished falling, his body had already transformed into particles of light and reappeared on Jinbe's other side.

"In that case, I'll be going. Please be careful, Mr. Su Lin."

This ability is just absurd.

Cold sweat streamed down Jinbe's head.