Chapter 254

"What are you doing?!"

Warlord Garp snapped out of his shock, furious, and raised his massive Buddha palm to smash down on the Tyrant Bear.

The Tyrant Bear also slammed out its bear paw.

"Xiong Zhang Impact."

Their attacks collided, two powerful shockwaves violently clashing, the air twisting and bursting, the ice-frozen execution platform below shattered outright.

This sudden turn of events left everyone stunned.

"Impossible!"

Zao Wan, lying wounded in a crater, stared at the bear that had struck, his face filled with disbelief.

"His self-awareness should have been completely erased and rewritten—how could he betray the Marines?!"

A chilling thought flashed through Zao Wan's mind.

"Could it be that Vegapunk betrayed us?!"

"Ace?!"

Sabo and the others stared at Ace, now standing before them, his limbs bound in Seastone shackles, momentarily unable to react.

Ace himself, prepared for death, was utterly bewildered.

What the hell happened?!

"What the hell happened?!"

Akainu couldn't help roaring: "Why did Bartholomew Kuma, one of the Seven Warlords, suddenly betray us? Wasn't he modified?!"

"Guraguragura, it seems the Marines aren't as united as you think."

Whitebeard laughed his guraguragura laugh and punched Akainu with all his might. "Boys, cover Ace and the Revolutionaries' retreat!"

"Understood!"

Ma Erke let out a loud laugh, hardened his Armament Haki, and kicked hard against Fujitora's staff-sword, sending Fujitora retreating over ten meters.

"Charge!!!"

"Get Ace back!"

Goush and the other Whitebeard Pirates surged forward with renewed morale, breaking through the Marines' blockade.

"Stop them!"

Garp, having shoved back the Tyrant Bear, his face dark and grim, roared at all the Marines: "Don't let them get near 'Fire Fist' Ace! Greenbull, Momonga—kill Ace and the Revolutionaries!"

"That's the Admiral's order!"

Momonga narrowed her eyes, hand gripping her sword hilt; the crushing pressure of a great swordsman's stance radiated from her, enveloping Sabo, Jinbe, and the others, making their hairs stand on end.

Her cold gaze locked onto them: "You won't take Fire Fist Ace away."

"No choice."

Greenbull scratched his head. "I guess I'll have to get serious."

He bent down, one hand touching the ground.

Instantly.

His long green curls shot straight up, his entire body glowing with fluorescent green light, his aura surging.

Sabo, watching Greenbull at this moment, couldn't help but narrow his eyes, his expression grim beyond measure.

He felt overwhelming danger radiating from Greenbull—stronger than before by several times!

"Touching the ground boosts his power—what kind of ability is this?!"

Ivankov broke into cold sweat, stunned and alarmed.

"Forget that—Sabo, help me break these shackles first."

Ace pleaded urgently.

"Got it."

Sabo hardened his arms with Armament Haki and tore open the Seastone shackles binding Ace.

The instant the shackles broke.

Momonga slashed out, a crimson flying slash cutting mercilessly toward them all.

"Fire Fist!"

Amid the Whitebeard Pirates' excited gazes.

A furious Fire Fist erupted from Ace's hand, slamming hard into the flying slash!

Watching the blazing Fire Fist Ace,

many of the Whitebeard Pirates had tears in their eyes, staring at Ace in overwhelming emotion.

"Great! 'Fire Fist' Ace is alive!"

"Idiot, Ace never died!"

"He's back—he's finally back—our captain… 'Fire Fist' Ace!"

Ma Erke and Goush were equally thrilled.

The Marines, however, were filled with grim silence.

Many Marine officers had grim, troubled faces.

"Who would've thought Bartholomew Kuma—the one least likely to betray us—would turn against the Marines? What the hell happened?!"

"Fire Fist Ace was rescued, and now there's another Logia user—this is going to be a nightmare."

"Damn it! These damned pirates!"

A Marine officer gritted his teeth.

Facing the pirates whose morale was boiling over, the Marines' spirits sank.

Sengoku, who had transformed into a golden Great Buddha, glared through gritted teeth at the tyrant Bartholomew ahead: "You've already completed the modification—you shouldn't be able to regain self-awareness. Could it really be that Vegapunk has betrayed the World Government?"

"The modification was thorough; I did indeed lose my self-awareness, but…"

Bartholomew stared at Sengoku and spoke: "That person used his power to wake me up, and then I made a decision."

Sengoku's eyes instantly narrowed: "That person? A decision?"

Bartholomew said no more.

He raised his paw and slapped it toward Sengoku, who had transformed into a golden Great Buddha.

"Pressure Cannon of Repulsion."

220, Blackbeard, and Red-Haired Shanks take the stage one after another!

Facing Sengoku—who possesses the Human-Human Fruit, the Great Buddha form, and can unleash super-powerful shockwaves—even a Logia user would likely gain no advantage.

But as the wielder of the Paw-Paw Fruit, which can absorb shockwaves with his paws and rebound them back at his opponent, Bartholomew—even if he is not Sengoku's equal in raw strength—can still use his Devil Fruit ability to handle him quite well.

With even Fleet Admiral Sengoku entering the fray, the Marines have gone all-out.

After Jozu shattered an ice pillar launched by Aokiji with a brilliant collision, Garp appeared before him and sent Jozu flying a hundred meters away with a single punch wrapped in invisible Armament Haki.

"Don't get too cocky."

Garp stood there like a steel colossus, cutting off Jozu and the rest of the Whitebeard Pirates from Ace, Sabo, and the others.

Even with Sabo and Ace joining forces, they are no match for Green Bull.

Jinbe can barely cope with Tsuru's slashes, but Zoro and Sanji struggle to withstand the attacks of Momonga and Onigumo. Ivankov has no choice but to set aside Luffy's treatment and come assist the two; the five of them huddle together, defending as best they can.

"Whitebeard, what's wrong? Are you already at your limit?"

Akainu stared at the ailing Whitebeard and said coldly.

Whitebeard swallowed the fresh blood welling up in his throat.

"I won't die before I rescue Ace."

"A fool's dream."

Akainu raised both hands and slammed them heavily into the ground; fissures spewing magma surged toward Whitebeard.

Whitebeard raised his left fist, muscles bulging, as the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit gathered in his fist.

He threw a punch.

The air fractured like glass into countless cracks; the magma-spouting fissures halted before him. Magma and tremors collided violently, and the resulting shockwave stripped away the ground beneath them layer by layer.

Akainu, leaping high into the air, hurled a massive magma fist down at Whitebeard—its power even greater than before.

Whitebeard raised the naginata Murakumogiri in his right hand, just as he was about to slash at him, his face suddenly changed, a flash of pain crossing his eyes, and his body tilted forward.

The rapidly deteriorating condition inside his body caused his movement to lag for an instant.

Akainu's cold, stern eyes narrowed; seizing the moment, he unleashed his full-power strike!