Sentomaru's shout instantly made all the pirates feel an even stronger sense of doom.
Except for Luffy~~~
Because right now, he actually seemed to be enjoying himself. Compared to fighting the Pacifista earlier, he was having way more fun taking down the small fry.
"Hmm~~~"
"How scary~ Are all the rookies this strong nowadays?"
…
"Who… Who's coming?"
"What's going on?"
…
The voice alone made both the pirates and Marines pause their fight. Everyone could feel a powerful pressure weighing down on them!
"Damn old man, you're finally here! Hurry up and help me take down these pirates!" Sentomaru shouted toward the bubble tree above.
Following Sentomaru's shout, everyone looked up toward the top of the bubble tree, even Luffy, who usually didn't think too much about things.
They could just barely make out a figure.
"No need to rush, Sentomaru. I was just giving you more time to test out the new weapons…"
As soon as he finished speaking, Kizaru leaped down from above.
The impact of his landing caused a massive explosion, sending shockwaves through the ground.
As the dust settled, everyone strained to see the figure standing in the middle of the destruction.
And then, the dust finally cleared.
A hunched old man, over three meters tall, wearing a yellow-striped suit and draped in a Marine "Justice" cloak, appeared before everyone.
"Admiral K-Kizaru!!!"
The moment they recognized him, the Marines on site gasped in shock.
A Marine Admiral had arrived!
Other than Luffy, every pirate present felt their hearts tremble. None of them had expected a Marine Admiral to show up this quickly!
"Marine Admiral?" Luffy looked confused. He didn't even know what that meant.
He had yet to experience true despair.
"So this was all planned…?"
"With so many high-bounty pirate crews gathering at Sabaody Archipelago at the same time, there's no way the Marines wouldn't react."
"At first, I was wondering why security here seemed so weak. Turns out, they wanted us to let our guard down…" Law said, his expression serious as he looked at Kizaru.
"Oh?"
"Trafalgar Law…"
"Well then… let's start with you—"
*Bang!*
Before Kizaru could finish his sentence, a bullet suddenly shot toward him!
"Hahaha!"
"We got him!!!"
On a rooftop above, a sniper lying in position was beyond excited.
But what happened next left everyone stunned—eyes wide, jaws dropping.
The bullet passed straight through Kizaru's head, yet he remained completely unharmed.
"H-How is that possible? I hit him! What's going on?!"
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
The sniper, unable to believe what he had just witnessed, panicked and fired several more shots at Kizaru.
But every bullet simply passed through his body…
"No… no way!" The sniper was in complete disbelief. Just as he turned to run, Kizaru's figure vanished.
"Shooting at people for no reason… that's not a very good habit, you know…"
The sniper spun around, only to find Kizaru already standing in front of him.
The sheer terror in his heart made his pupils shrink to pinpoints.
"S-So fast…"
"Shige na… How did he do that?"
"Gulp—"
…
The pirates below watched in horror, struggling to swallow as they tried to calm their fear.
Kizaru wasn't too happy right now.
What was this, a performance for the pirates?
And that Straw Hat kid… why wasn't he running yet?!
Kizaru sighed—this was going to be a pain.
The sniper, realizing he had no escape, gritted his teeth and fired wildly at Kizaru once more!
"Hmm…"
"I told you not to go around shooting people, but you just wouldn't listen…"
With his left hand still in his pocket, Kizaru calmly raised his right hand and pointed his index finger at the pirate.
A dazzling light flickered at his fingertip.
*Zzzmm—*
"Aaagh!!"
*Boom!!!*
A laser beam shot straight through the sniper's chest. After a final scream, the beam continued downward, exploding violently as it struck the ground.
The massive explosion snapped Sentomaru out of his thoughts.
"All Marines, keep attacking! Don't let a single pirate escape!!!" Sentomaru's cold and ruthless voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Yes, sir!" the Marine soldiers responded in unison.
"Kill them!!!"
With a battle cry, all the Marines raised their weapons and charged toward the fleeing pirates without hesitation.
At the same time, three newly summoned Pacifistas arrived on the battlefield.
The appearance of these three Pacifistas made the already desperate pirates feel even more hopeless.
"Damn Marines!"
"Everyone! Split up and break through! Don't hold back anymore!"
"Charge!!!"
Several pirate captains, including Luffy, realized things were looking bad and immediately rushed in different directions to fight their way out.
"Boom!! Bang! Bang! Bang!!"
Explosions and gunfire rang out as the Marines and pirates clashed in an intense battle.
The Marines attacked the pirates mercilessly with bullets, swords, and various other weapons.
Although the pirates fought back with everything they had, their defenses were gradually breaking under the combined assault of the Marines and Pacifistas.
"Ahhh!!!"
Painful screams filled the battlefield.
Many pirates fell, lying in pools of blood, while others were gripped by panic and chaos.
But the Marines didn't stop. They were determined to take down every last pirate.
With the help of five Pacifistas, the Marines once again managed to surround the pirates trying to escape.
On a rooftop, Kizaru watched calmly.
Even without him stepping in, the pirates were being wiped out.
If Luffy couldn't escape, that wasn't Kizaru's problem. After all, he was already holding back by not interfering.
"Three Hundred Sixty Pound Phoenix!!"
Suddenly, several slashes flew through the air.
The Marines, too focused on the front, didn't notice their backline being attacked, creating an opening in the encirclement!
"Zoro! Sanji!"
Seeing who had arrived, Luffy's face lit up with excitement.
"Luffy, run this way!" Sanji shouted.
"Got it!"
Luffy knocked away several Marines in his path, then immediately took a deep breath.
"Gum-Gum Giant Battle Axe!!"
"Boom!"
His massive attack smashed down, clearing a path toward Zoro and Sanji.
"Ahhh!!!"
Screams echoed through the battlefield!
Countless Marines were sent flying by Luffy's attack, and even a Pacifista was knocked down.
After unleashing his powerful move, Luffy's body rapidly shrank, deflating like a popped balloon as he flew toward Zoro and Sanji.
"Damn it!!"
"We can't let Straw Hat escape!" Sentomaru yelled in frustration.
"Kill him!!!"
The Marines quickly reacted, charging after Luffy in full force!
Completely drained of energy, Luffy crashed onto the ground, his chest heaving as he gasped for air.
Seeing this, Sanji grabbed Luffy and bolted away.
Zoro unleashed one last attack at the pursuing Marines before immediately following after Sanji.
"Ohhh~"
"How impressive… They still managed to escape…" Kizaru's eyes lit up as he watched Luffy get away.
"Well then, let's deal with the rest of the pirates…"
---
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