Chapter 375: Red Dog: Why Is It Different From What Was Agreed?

The voice landed, and silence fell around Gao Wen; nearby, Hawk Eyes' pupils contracted sharply.

This was solely because he knew that Whitebeard speaking these words meant he regarded Gao Wen as an opponent of equal standing.

Even though Hawk Eyes had long speculated about Gao Wen's combat power, and even vaguely perceived that in this era where Whitebeard was gradually declining, Gao Wen, who had risen by stepping on his shoulders, now possessed the qualification to contend for the title of the World's Strongest.

Yet truly witnessing this scene, he could not suppress the astonishment in his heart, instinctively tightening his grip on the black blade in his hand.

Hum—!

The black blade vibrated with a hum, voicing its unwillingness.

Hawk Eyes felt the same even more so.

After all, Whitebeard's earth-shattering strike just moments ago had directly altered the terrain structure within a radius of dozens of nautical miles around Marineford!

Even after this battle concluded, the Marine Headquarters would inevitably have to relocate!

Such was the price of clashing with the World's Strongest Man!

Even though Whitebeard had grown old, his prime long gone, plagued by severe illness, his strength gradually dissipating, he remained invincible.

He was a monster who had dominated an era, surpassing everything!

Yet such a monster, after merely a single exchange, regarded Gao Wen as an opponent of equal caliber?!

This fellow's growth extends far beyond what I anticipated; his back is already invisible to us.

Just as Hawk Eyes sighed in amazement.

Gao Wen's hand had already rested upon the long sword at his waist.

What he grasped was not Guanshi Zhengzong, which had already been tempered into a black blade, but rather the Shi Zhongjian, newly acquired and still being broken in.

As a national treasure inherited from the Britannias era, the Shi Zhongjian naturally possessed superior quality, losing nothing in comparison to Guanshi Zhengzong.

It simply required sufficient combat now to harmonize with its wielder.

An opportunity like before, when awakening as a Grandmaster, seizing it in an instant to refine Guanshi Zhengzong into a black blade, existed only once.

Zing—!

The sword in his hand left its sheath, yet no overwhelming aura spilled forth; instead, Gao Wen himself appeared exceptionally tranquil.

Even the air surrounding him was filled with a stabilizing force, as if so long as this man stood here, nothing would be a problem!

A crowd of pirates looked confusedly at Gao Wen standing atop the high platform.

This was solely because the scene they anticipated did not appear; what fell upon their eyes was merely a man drawing the long sword at his waist, looking down from above, overlooking the entire battlefield!

Beyond that, there were no other astonishing spectacles.

Everything could only be described in one word: ordinary!

However, the powerhouses nearby who sensed something amiss had already subconsciously moved away from the area surrounding Gao Wen!

Puff! Puff! Puff—!

Hancock raised her hand to release the Slave Sword, instantly petrifying all the marine soldiers and pirates in the vicinity.

She turned her head to look at Gao Wen, curiosity unmistakable in her eyes.

"The aura surrounding that man is very peaceful; it even makes one feel that being by his side is not like being in a battlefield, but rather vacationing in some place."

"It makes people feel relaxed, leisurely."

"But this is a battlefield! Since the opening of the Great Pirate Era, this is the largest war, its scale even far exceeding the Battle of Water Seven two years ago!"

"For such a peaceful aura to appear within such a battlefield is itself abnormal!"

"He is using his own presence to suppress everything around him!"

Those who realized this same point included the various powerhouses within the battlefield; countless pairs of eyes simultaneously watched the two confronting each other, harboring a vague sense of anticipation.

After all, this was a battle between a monster bred by the New Era and the World's Strongest of the Old Era!

In an instant.

Even many marines and pirates still engaged in combat within the battlefield stopped their actions, looking toward the two figures confronting each other in the distance.

"Is the opponent that Lionheart King?!"

Marco kicked Onigumo away with one foot; the latter crashed heavily onto the ice surface, remaining unresponsive for a long time.

Only then did he turn his head to look at Gao Wen in the distance, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

If this were half a month ago, facing an opponent like Gao Wen, he might still have felt worried for Whitebeard, but now there remained only confidence.

"Old Man he!"

"Is invincible!"

Izou, captain of the 16th Division, held dual pistols, forcing back an attacking marine vice admiral, standing back-to-back with Marco.

His hands skillfully reloaded, and in the next instant he plunged into the distant battlefield; from start to finish, he never paid attention to the battlefield where Whitebeard was located.

All members of the Whitebeard Pirates who knew of Whitebeard's changes were the same.

They had experienced Whitebeard's era and knew just how powerful that man had been in his youth!

"Of course!"

The corners of Marco's mouth lifted; he flapped his wings and soared high, engaging Kizaru who was attacking from afar!

Whoosh—!

A wild wind howled through the battlefield.

Gao Wen's gaze fell upon Whitebeard, a look of keen interest emerging in his eyes:

"Recovered the power of your prime through some means, did you?! You now hold a bit of interest for me."

"But if you fight me here... Hmm?!"

Halfway through his sentence, Gao Wen narrowed his eyes slightly, slowly sheathing the Shi Zhongjian, and said while gazing at Whitebeard in the distance:

"It seems you have other troubles."

Whitebeard turned his head to look toward the execution platform in the distance.

Akainu, who had been sitting on the throne like a ballast stone stabilizing the Navy faction, could no longer contain himself and rose to his feet, his gaze burning intensely as he fixed it on Whitebeard in the distance!

"Whitebeard!"

"Your opponent is me!"

Boom—!

Crimson magma erupted from Akainu's body, surging like a volcanic flow, intending to melt everything in the surroundings!

Glaciers melted, seawater evaporated, and pure white steam rose, spreading across the entire battlefield in an instant under the sweeping gale!

Everyone's vision was completely obscured, yet some still perceived that crimson figure leaping up from the throne.

"It's Akainu!"

"The Navy Headquarters' supreme combat power, one of the Three Admirals!"

"There are even rumors that this monster might be the strongest among the Three Admirals, and in this era where Fleet Admiral Sengoku has retired behind the scenes and Garp gradually ceased concerning himself with internal Navy affairs, he is the strongest marine!"

"Perhaps... after Fleet Admiral Sengoku retires, he will become the next Fleet Admiral!"

Accompanied by a startled cry, Akainu, propelled by endless magma, leaped high into the air and crashed down toward the distant Moby Dick like a meteor!

Crashing down upon the World's Strongest standing on the deck!

Times were turbulent and the Navy was changing; legends of the past either perished in the sea like Golden Lion or, like Whitebeard before them, gradually aged, their peak glory gone.

Fleet Admiral Sengoku was no different.

In fact, ever since Zephyr's schism within the Navy, the Five Elders had already harbored thoughts of making Sengoku step down.

It was just that at that time, the Navy had already suffered a massive upheaval, and replacing the Fleet Admiral was not an opportune moment.

But once the execution of Portgas D. Ace concluded, Sengoku's abdication was no longer a secret within the Navy.

Kizaru had no interest in the position of Fleet Admiral, and the Five Elders trusted Garp even less; the only truly suitable candidates with the ambition to contend for the Fleet Admiral's seat were Akainu and Aokiji!

Following the incident involving T-Bone in Water Seven, although the two, Akainu and Aokiji, were no longer as incompatible as water and fire as they once were, they yielded not an inch regarding the position of Fleet Admiral.

If one could directly crush the former World's Strongest on the battlefield of the Summit War, it would undoubtedly add significant weight to their own subsequent ascent to the position of Fleet Admiral.

On the execution platform.

Sengoku watched this scene, his eyes narrowing slightly: