Chapter 378: From Beginning to End

"What kind of monster he is, you should know better than I do."

Akainu replied indifferently, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly as the periphery of his vision swept over Gao Wen, who was easily suppressing Whitebeard's attacks in the distance.

If one were to say who among those present felt Whitebeard's fists most deeply, Akainu would undoubtedly rank first.

During these years of battling across the seas, he had also crossed blades with countless powerhouses.

From minor tyrants breaking into the New World, like Jinbe, to the Four Emperors ruling over the New World: Kaido, Big Mom, and Shanks.

Akainu was confident that even if he could not achieve a swift victory, he would absolutely not lose.

Only Whitebeard!

Only Whitebeard!

The might of that fist was like a mountain collapsing and the earth crumbling; even Akainu's temper-forged physique and Armament Haki were shattered in an instant.

Two encounters, two exchanges, both ruthlessly crushed by Whitebeard.

This man, hailed as the World's Strongest, had created a gap of at least one full tier between himself and the other overlords of the sea during his prime.

At least among the old-era powerhouses known to Akainu after Luo Jie, unless two joined forces, almost no one could fight Whitebeard.

And yet, such a man was now being casually suppressed by Gao Wen until he could not lift his head.

"It is not that I am weak; it is that Whitebeard is too strong!"

"It is not that Whitebeard is weak; it is that Gao Wen... is even stronger!"

Having spoken these words, Akainu lingered no longer, leaping forward to slaughter the Whitebeard Pirates members in the distance.

He was by nature a pragmatic man; now that the most troublesome Whitebeard was blocked by Gao Wen, Akainu's combat power was freed up.

Though his heart was unwilling, he knew better than anyone that the big picture took precedence.

The Navy's plan for this battle was originally to crush the Whitebeard Pirates with the force of thunder, terrifying the entire sea!

"Meteor Volcano!"

Akainu extended both hands, shooting countless streams of magma into the sky, then reversing their trajectory so they fell back down like meteors descending from the heavens, smashing into the fleet led by Whitebeard!

Boom, boom, boom—!

A rain of fire descended from the sky, piercing through the pirate ships, while countless pirates wailed as they were burned to ash!

Under the horrified gazes of the crowd, Akainu slaughtered his way into the throng, unstoppable; even the commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates were no match for him, falling in a single clash!

As a Navy Admiral, and very likely the strongest among the Navy Admirals, Akainu demonstrated at this moment the level of strength he ought to possess.

While everyone was horrified, they also understood more clearly that it was not Akainu who was weak; on the contrary, Akainu was incredibly strong—it was Whitebeard at his near-peak who was too inhuman!

And Gao Wen...

He was already a monster of another dimension, impossible to measure by common sense!

"Yare yare~"

"Such excessive enthusiasm!"

Aokiji scratched his scalp with his finger, yet his movements were not slow in the least; he likewise leaped forward, coordinating with Akainu to slaughter his way into the crowd!

Chilling freezing air and surging magma ran rampant across the entire battlefield!

Even though Marco struggled fiercely, relying on his immortal body to tie down Kizaru, he had already reached his limit and was powerless to support the others.

Moreover, Marco could also sense one thing: Kizaru might not yet be using his full strength.

Facing the combined assault of two Admirals, the group of Whitebeard commanders was pressed back step by step, suffering countless casualties.

Though their hearts were unwilling, and some even used their lives to block the assaults of the Red and Blue duo, it was ultimately like moths flying into a flame, utterly meaningless.

In just a few short minutes, the distance to the execution platform had been stretched even further!

"Damn it!"

Diamond Jozu leaped to block Aokiji's Ice Saber, but in the next instant, he was scalded by Akainu's magma; had Vista not rescued him in time, he probably would not have been able to save his life!

"The gap in combat power is still too great!"

"Even though Pops, with that man's help, has regained the power of his prime, yet..."

Vista looked up toward the area below the execution platform.

Besides Gao Wen, who was blocking Whitebeard, Empress Boa Hancock, Hawk-Eye, Doflamingo, Katakuri, and others were eyeing them predatorily.

To speak honestly.

Even without the Red and Blue duo joining forces to intercept, reaching the vicinity of the execution platform was already their limit.

Let alone the two legends currently standing atop the execution platform, each capable of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Whitebeard!

He suddenly understood why, before this battle began, Whitebeard had already vaguely harbored thoughts of entrusting his final affairs.

The true overlords of this sea were never the Four Emperors of the New World, but rather the Navy, which took all the world's pirates as its enemy.

Three Admirals and two legends, all supreme powerhouses comparable to the Four Emperors, not to mention the Seven Warlords of the Sea under their command who cooperated with the World Government.

"We..."

Vista turned his head to look at Diamond Jozu beside him, seeing in the latter's eyes only a determination to advance with no retreat:

"We have no room to retreat; if we let Ace die here, Pops' flag will fall apart!"

With a firm gaze, Diamond Jozu stepped forward, positioning himself before the others to face the pressing advance of the Red and Blue Admirals from afar.

Although nominally Ace was the commander of the 2nd Division and, by order of succession, should be the third-in-command under Whitebeard.

The reason for this was that Kouzuki Oden, originally the second-in-command of the Whitebeard Pirates, had gone and never returned; the position of 2nd Division commander remained vacant, and Ace happened to be available, thus ranking above Diamond Jozu.

In terms of debating combat power, Jozu was undoubtedly the stronger one!

He was also one of the crew members who had followed Whitebeard the longest; his combat power was not far from Marco's, both possessing the ability to briefly contend with the level of an Admiral or Emperor.

At this moment, having unleashed his ferocity, both his eyes were burning red!

"If you have the ability, then try accepting this!"

Bang!

Diamond Jozu bent down, plunged his hands into the ice, and with terrifying strength beyond imagination, lifted a massive iceberg nearly a hundred meters in diameter, hurling it with all his might at the approaching Akainu!

Yet it failed to even hinder their steps, evaporating instantly under Akainu's magma giant fist!

Pure white steam engulfed the entire battlefield!

In this clash of brute force, the Navy's advantages in troop numbers and combat power gradually became apparent.

Even though most of the Seven Warlords stood by and watched, Gao Wen stepping in to block Whitebeard had already completely turned the tide of battle!

"Jozu!"

Ace, kneeling on the execution platform, widened his eyes at the scene, his teeth clenched tight.

For the first time, he began to regret why he had impulsively left the ship to chase Blackbeard; if he had stayed with the Whitebeard Pirates, none of this would have happened...

"I..."

Garp sat silently aside, saying nothing, yet his lowered eyes still spoke of his inner turmoil.

Seeing this, Sengoku reached into his robe, pulled out a pocket watch, checked the time, and his expression suddenly turned solemn:

"It is almost time."

"Garp."

The words landed.

Garp's breath halted abruptly, his body trembling uncontrollably; he naturally knew what Sengoku's words meant.

But he knew even more clearly that there was nothing he could do now.

Instead, the expression on Ace's face relaxed, filled with a strange sense of relief.

At least if I die here, everyone will have no reason to continue fighting.

Sengoku glanced at Ace, taking in his expression, but could not help shaking his head.

Naive!

Garp failed to teach his own grandson properly, and he also failed to teach Luo Jie's child; if they had been under my command, even knowing the blood of Luo Jie flowed in their veins, matters would not have developed to this point...

The face of Rosinante floated before Sengoku's eyes, so he stopped thinking further.

It was only at this moment that he realized he and Garp were actually no different.

A person has only one heart and limited energy; once one decides to dedicate oneself to justice, the space left for family naturally becomes even smaller.

Sengoku opened his mouth, but what came out was:

"Do you have anything else you wish to say?!"

"..."

Garp opened his eyes and parted his lips, but not a single word came out.

Seeing this, Sengoku sighed silently in his heart and spoke no more; he waved his hand.

Two middle-aged executioners stepped forward with swords, one on the left and one on the right, placing their blades against Ace's neck.

Only at this moment did Garp barely manage to control himself, yet when he looked up and clearly saw the faces of the two executioners, his breath caught in his throat once more.

For these two men were precisely the executioners who had been responsible for executing Luo Jie back then!

"Must it truly come to this?!"

Garp's voice was hoarse.

Sengoku nodded; concerning the justice in his heart and the situation of the seas, there was no room for retreat, yet even so, seeing his old friend's crimson eyes, he felt a pang of reluctance in his heart and said:

"This is the order of those Five; let us say... this counts as having a proper beginning and end."