Chapter 365: Fierce Battle! Advancing on Impel Down!

"Less than twenty-four hours remain until the execution of Fire Fist Ace!"

"At a time like this, did that fellow leave out of fear of Whitebeard's power, or is he plotting something?!"

Sengoku frowned tightly, instinctively sensing a hint of trouble in his heart.

Currently, nearly all of the Navy's forces were concentrated at Marineford, preparing for the impending war, leaving no spare capacity to concern themselves with other matters.

After all, their opponent was Whitebeard!

Moreover, just a few days ago, Sengoku had already received intelligence that the Whitebeard Pirates, along with their more than forty subordinate pirate crews, had fully assembled and were rushing toward Navy Headquarters at high speed.

Even Sengoku had to treat such a massive force with solemn caution, yet whenever he recalled the unmasked ambition in Blackbeard's eyes...

Suddenly.

A flash of lightning streaked through Sengoku's mind:

"The Gates of Justice?!"

"Could that fellow be using the Calm Belt to directly attack Impel Down or Enies Lobby?!"

Sengoku's heart immediately tightened.

Enies Lobby, Marineford, and Impel Down were located at the three corners of a vast whirlpool sea region.

Within this triangle flowed a permanently rotating current; anyone riding it could reach any of the three corners with unimaginable speed.

Outside the triangle lay an unstable sea region covering hundreds of nautical miles, teeming with ferocious Sea Kings, making passage utterly impossible.

Therefore, to reach these three sea regions, one had to pass through the Gates of Justice.

This was also the reason why, for hundreds of years, once a pirate was brought through the Gates of Justice, escape was nearly impossible; the main reason Shiki, that anomaly, managed to break free was that he could fly.

Thinking of this, Sengoku immediately picked up the Den Den Mushi and learned from the Vice Admiral guarding the Gates of Justice that there was no report of them being opened, upon which he immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as there were no signs of the Gates of Justice being opened, it meant Blackbeard could not have passed through them to reach Impel Down or Enies Lobby.

Whether it was Impel Down, which imprisoned the most ferocious criminals on the seas, or Enies Lobby, which represented the face of the World Government, neither could be allowed to suffer any loss.

In that case, even if Blackbeard caused chaos elsewhere, they could deal with him after the execution of Fire Fist Ace.

However.

For some reason, the unease in Sengoku's heart did not subside; after a brief hesitation, he picked up the Den Den Mushi beside him and dialed.

A moment later.

A puzzled female voice came through the receiver:

"Mr. Sengoku?!"

"Gion, put aside the mission you are currently handling; I have a new task for you."

Sengoku's tone was Solemn:

"That fellow Blackbeard has disappeared before the execution; he is absolutely not someone who stays quiet, and he is likely plotting something in the shadows."

"You and Kaku will lead a team and depart immediately to track that fellow's whereabouts; once you find him..."

"Alive or dead, it does not matter!"

Gion paused in surprise:

"If I remember correctly, that fellow is one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea authorized by the World Government?!"

"That's correct."

Sengoku replied, stating unequivocally:

"But you should also be clear about that fellow's danger; after all, Fire Fist Ace was precisely the bargaining chip he used to obtain the position of Seven Warlord of the Sea, so it is hard to say he isn't calculating something behind the scenes!"

"I understand."

"Immediately tally your forces and depart!"

"Yes, sir!"

Outside Impel Down.

The surging currents were completely irregular, as if one were immersed in countless whirlpools; even a warship hundreds of meters long would capsize in an instant.

In such sea regions, even the top-tier navigators could only look on and retreat.

But for certain special creatures, it could be treated as nothing!

Screech—!

A piercing cry came from high in the sky.

On a warship outside Impel Down, Navy Vice Admiral Yamakaji looked up, saw a giant eagle flying across the sky, and paid it no further attention.

He turned back to glance apprehensively at the ship's cabin, then turned around to command the warship to follow the current beneath the whirlpool inside the Gates of Justice, returning to Navy Headquarters.

The seawater rushed violently, as if countless heavy hammers were striking the bottom of the warship, yet this also brought exaggerated power.

In merely a few breaths, the warship vanished at the horizon of the sea, its speed so great that even the giant eagle speeding through the sky could not catch up.

On the giant eagle's back, Gabu glanced back in the direction where the warship had disappeared, frowned slightly, and was just about to speak when Luffy, beside him, acted first!

"Ace, I'm coming to save you!"

Luffy's roar echoed through the clouds, his eyes already filled with the confidence to accomplish anything.

Garp's nearly absurd special training over more than a decade had already laid a solid foundation for him.

Now, with the careful guidance of Mr. Lei Li and Gabu, in just seven days he had already been transformed.

Proficient in both types of Haki, he had even begun attempting to master the Conqueror's Haki infusion that symbolized the qualifications of a king; apart from Gear Fourth not yet being developed, his combat strength had already approached that of the Fish-Man Island period in the original timeline.

Such talent, such a growth speed, left even Mr. Lei Li and Gabu marveling endlessly; even when they themselves had reached Luffy's current level, it had taken them nearly thirty years.

In a certain sense, Luffy had not made great progress in cultivation, but had finally learned to correctly use the power he already possessed.

Armament Haki, Observation Haki, and Conqueror's Haki were all the same.

"Gear Third!"

Luffy bit his finger, blowing a massive amount of air into his body; his arm swelled like a balloon, growing to the size of a house within a few breaths.

Jet-black Armament Haki coiled around it, while invisible Conqueror's Haki diffused outward; the guards at the entrance of Impel Down had just looked up when their entire field of vision was filled by Luffy's pitch-black fist!

"Giant Spear!"

The giant fist, powered by Gear Third, shattered the gate of Impel Down completely with a single strike.

Several warships guarding nearby finally reacted at this moment, setting out to engage the enemy, only to find two figures descending from the sky at the same instant.

A long blade and double axes joined forces, unleashing a tremendous impact capable of tearing apart the firmament, completely crushing the several warships on the sea surface in the blink of an eye!

Towering waves surged, wild winds howled, the sky was torn asunder, and heaven and earth changed color in this instant!

"These two are..."

"Dark King Lei Li and Mountain-Eater Garp!"

A Marine Vice Admiral, who had barely dodged the pair's slashes and was now floating in the sky using Moon Walk, was terrified to the point of his liver and gallbladder splitting apart, simply because the reputations of these two needed no words to describe.