Chapter 380: The Final Dance!

Though he couldn't help but complain inwardly, Sengoku could neither speak nor dare to speak harsher words.

After Zephyr's departure, Garp's prestige within the Marines was in a league of its own.

Once Garp also encountered problems, the Marines would collapse from within without needing any external enemy.

"Facing us simultaneously leaves you no room to divide your attention!"

"Axe Heaven Music!"

Gabu surged forward, his twin axes imbued with Conqueror's Haki, slashing toward Sengoku!

Even the current Fleet Admiral felt his heart leap in terror at such a fierce aura; though greatly anxious, entangled by these two, no one could break free!

Sengoku could only abandon his plan to pursue the Straw Hat and raise his fist to meet the slashes of the opponents before him.

For a moment.

Below the execution platform, three figures clashed; the Buddha's impacts and the blade qi of swords and axes scattered everywhere, churning the battlefield into even greater chaos!

Matters had developed to this point, completely beyond Sengoku's control.

Sengoku had long secretly sent requests for aid to Mary Geoise, yet received no response, making the unease already in his heart grow even stronger.

Yet he could not shake off his current opponents and could only fight with all his might!

But at this moment, those watching the battle had fallen into a prolonged silence, followed by an outbreak of unrest!

"Fire Fist has broken free!"

"Not just Whitebeard, but the remnants of the Luo Jie Pirates have also interfered in the execution of Luo Jie's son?!"

"Even the full strength of the Marines cannot stop the continuation of this sinful bloodline; is this world destined to walk toward destruction?!"

"Damn pirates!"

"Who said only the pirates are damned!"

"Are you mad? Some words, once spoken, cannot be taken back; if you want to die, don't drag me down with you!"

"Am I wrong to say it? I..."

Marineford.

Gao Wen glanced at everything happening below the execution platform, then turned his head to see Whitebeard, who had lost all fighting spirit.

Only then did he realize that Whitebeard might not have intended to block him here in the first place.

After all, if others on the battlefield attacked, the Whitebeard Pirates' division commanders joining forces might still offer some resistance, but if Gao Wen made a move, Marco and the other small fries on the battlefield would be no different.

"Boring."

Gao Wen pursed his lips, sheathed his sword, and no longer had any intention of tangling with Whitebeard.

He had little interest in whether Whitebeard and his crew could succeed in raiding the execution ground.

But if the Whitebeard Pirates could continue to exist, it might not be a bad thing for either him or this vast sea.

Unlike tyrants like Big Mom and Kaido, or hands-off captains like Shanks and the Straw Hat.

The common people under Whitebeard's rule could still barely make a living; aside from his formidable power, this man, compared to other pirates of this era, still retained some benevolence and conscience in his heart.

This could be seen from the fact that he used all his money to build his hometown, Sphinx, to the extent that he could only mooch wine off Marco.

"Gurararararara~!"

"Though it's a pity I couldn't let you enjoy yourself, I have more important matters to attend to now."

"How anticipating~"

"Just how wonderful will an era with a monster like you in it be? It's just a pity I probably won't be around to see it."

Seeing this, Whitebeard curled the corners of his mouth, his eyes filled with a determination that left no retreat.

"I am a remnant of the old world; there is no ship in the new era that can carry me!"

Having said that.

Whitebeard turned around and charged toward the distant Marines, clearing them out with a single punch, blasting open a path to life for the Whitebeard Pirates!

"Full retreat!"

Gazing at Whitebeard's back, Gao Wen instantly understood what this man intended to do, and couldn't help but feel a surge of respect in his heart.

Regardless of the strength of his power, speaking solely of spirit, Whitebeard truly deserved the title of the World's Strongest.

What allowed this man to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Pirate King Luo Jie was not just his power.

His strategy, vision, and spirit were all top-tier in the world!

"Hm?!"

A familiar yet strange aura appeared in the corner of Gao Wen's vision.

He turned his head, and in his line of sight, a golden light rushed over, carrying killing intent that made no attempt to hide!

"Saxi doesn't care~"

"Knight Gao Wen!"

A low, hoarse voice exploded beside Gao Wen's ear; he subconsciously drew his sword to block the attacker's strike, only to see a familiar face appear before his eyes!

"Crocodile?!"

Standing before Gao Wen was none other than Crocodile, who had been defeated by him two years ago and imprisoned in Impel Down by Kizaru.

This part was hardly different from the original timeline, but what truly surprised Gao Wen was the unbridled spirit emanating from Crocodile!

"Conqueror's Haki?!"

"Ah."

Crocodile struck and immediately retreated, responding with a lukewarm tone.

His eyes carried a hint of pride and an unprecedented arrogance!

"I have you to thank for this."

"If not for that crushing defeat, I would never have realized that I had long been on the wrong path."

"External power is ultimately false; only one's own strength is eternal!"

"This power was thus guided forth!"

Looking at Xiang Keluo before him, radiating domineering aura and whose combat power had already touched the threshold of the Emperor level, Gao Wen finally realized that because of his arrival, this great sea had changed in many ways.

The original crew of the Straw Hat had been almost completely poached by him; familiar faces remained only in Usopp and Brook, while the rest were all strangers.

More importantly, people like Xiang Keluo had already embarked on a completely different path.

With a brief sweep of his gaze, Gao Wen saw the group of Impel Down Level Six prisoners standing behind Xiang Keluo, among whom were even crew members who, in the original timeline, had belonged to Blackbeard.

"They've formed an alliance?!"

Gao Wen felt somewhat surprised, yet also found it reasonable.

Clearly.

He was not the only one poaching people; that fellow Xiang Keluo was no good bird either, having directly pulled together a batch of people from Impel Down, including this very group of Blackbeard's former crew!

In the original timeline, although Xiang Keluo was also imprisoned in Impel Down,

firstly, the time was too short—only a few months—fundamentally insufficient for him to lay out any plans, and secondly, although his own strength had improved, it was clearly not enough to hold sway on the sixth level of Impel Down.

Thus, he could not achieve any vertical or horizontal alliances.

But this life was obviously different; Xiang Keluo, having touched the Emperor level, was already sufficient to suppress these heavy criminals, and coupled with his innate talent for stirring up trouble...

it was hard to say what kind of mischief would emerge later.

Gao Wen revealed an expression of keen interest, holding his blade in one hand as he faced off against the crowd from afar:

"Then let me see just how much substance you truly possess!"

"You will see!"

Accompanying the voice,

yellow sand soared into the sky across the arena, like countless tiny blades, instantly eroding the surrounding glaciers to nothing, and carrying a terrifying momentum, it swallowed Gao Wen in the distance!

Clearly, during these two years, Xiang Keluo had grown not only in Haki but also in the development and application of his own abilities, reaching a new level!

This was not a change in intensity, but a difference in operational thinking!

"Did it succeed?!"