At this moment.
On the transparent light screen,
the video segment continued to flicker, and the ranking was still going—
After that.
Having left Impel Down,
with Luffy as the core, and the Okama King, Inazuma, Jinbe, and "Crocodile" and other powerhouses as support!
This huge, massive jailbreak group, with its large number of members, seized a warship, then headed straight for Marine Headquarters!
And right then,
the Summit War was happening!
This unprecedented, colossal war had flames spreading across all of Marineford, and the scene was utterly chaotic!
However…
Even though powerhouses were everywhere—
Marines and pirates, the four "fierce forces" tearing into each other—
with Ivankov's help, Luffy received tremendous support. Several times he got through lethal danger without suffering serious injuries!
And as time went on,
Luffy, dragging his exhausted body, gradually ran out of stamina, and just as he was about to collapse—
Once again!
At his pleading!
The Okama King, right in front of the camera, agreed to inject another shot of "stimulant hormones" into Luffy's body!
Only then did
Luffy manage to push through again.
The crushing fatigue vanished, and he could proudly continue fighting!!!
But.
Because they had inserted themselves into the war,
even though the Okama King's strength wasn't weak—he was at a Seven Warlords level—
still…
in a war like this,
among so many monsters, it really wasn't enough to stand out!
So,
his screen time, and the help he could give Luffy, was ultimately limited.
And it stopped there!
As the screen darkened, the segment came to an end!!!
"Tch…"
"And that's it?"
In the world of the Soul Reapers.
Inside the First Division.
Kenpachi Zaraki bared his teeth, clearly not satisfied, as he said, "Overall, that Okama King's strength isn't like the previous two—Dragon and 'Tyrant' Kuma—those two had the kind of pressure that could outright crush the enemy and help the Straw Hat brat!"
"But… considering that he relied on his Devil Fruit ability several times to keep him alive!"
"The Okama King as the third 'background figure' is fair enough!!!"
Kenpachi Zaraki gave an objectively balanced evaluation.
To be honest, with his standards, he looked down on the Okama King a bit.
In his view, that guy's combat power…
maybe in the pirate world, he could barely be called a powerhouse.
But…
put him in the Soul Reaper world,
and he was completely unimpressive—he wouldn't even qualify to be a captain, only fit to be a high-level seated officer!
"Yeah…" "…"
Beneath his straw hat, Shunsui Kyōraku nodded and shared his own opinion as well: "Actually, so-called 'background' doesn't have to be limited to raw combat power alone! If it weren't for those few saves from the Okama King, Straw Hat Luffy would've dropped halfway through!"
As far as this part went,
Shunsui Kyōraku personally approved.
He felt the Okama King's presence on screen was completely reasonable—no issues at all.
It was just that,
since they were already on the battlefield,
then afterward—if there really was going to be a fourth background powerhouse—
then…
in an environment this deadly,
to keep sheltering Straw Hat Luffy and protecting his life,
you'd need absolute strength—at the very least, enough standing and authority on that battlefield to speak and be obeyed, wouldn't you?
"Heh heh…"
"Someone like that, on the pirate side, would only be what they call a 'Four Emperor,' right?"
In the formation on the right,
Mayuri Kurotsuchi let out a cold laugh and said dismissively, "Would a world's top-tier powerhouse really step in for some ordinary pirate whenever they feel like it? Just thinking about it makes it sound impossible."
His words were icy,
filled with the intent to refute.
It wasn't that Mayuri was deliberately looking down on Luffy, or underestimating the protagonist's luck, connections, and "background."
But in reality,
after watching everything so far,
and now seeing the chaotic clashes between the various monsters on the Summit War battlefield,
Mayuri had already realized that although Luffy had been labeled a "Supernova" in the first half of the Grand Line—
and looked promising, and counted as a famous pirate—
still,
once you compared him,
it wasn't like that at all.
Compared to the countless pirates in the New World on the second half of the Grand Line, Luffy's strength really wasn't that strong!
So,
based on that.
And added to the fact that earlier it had been revealed that Luffy and the Straw Hat crew had "revived from the brink" again and again while breaking into the New World!
Therefore,
Mayuri didn't believe
that next, some brand-new big shot would appear as Luffy's backer and keep the story going.
But the facts proved otherwise.
The ranking video didn't cut off.
And when the follow-up plot and subtitles continued appearing,
it was obvious the situation had been overturned!
On the Summit War battlefield,
Luffy really did have an overwhelmingly powerful backer!!!
At this moment.
The ranking subtitles surfaced.
The new content appeared—and instantly detonated the entire crowd—
[Fourth Background]
[Grandpa, Monkey D. Garp]
Just a few words.
And in the first instant, the pirate world erupted into an uproar.
In particular, the name "Garp" was like a nuclear bomb—immediately triggering a massive storm!
The pirate world's viewers—
whether pirates, Marines, black-market traffickers, or ordinary citizens—
almost everyone,
unanimously felt shock!
No one expected that not only was there truly a fourth background—
but that it would be a heavyweight figure!
"WTF?!"
"Th-this… what the hell is going on… Garp, you…"
"You might actually help the Straw Hat brat on the battlefield? Wouldn't that mean you're basically a traitor?"
Among them,
the person with the biggest reaction
was naturally the Fleet Admiral, Sengoku.
At first, the moment he saw those subtitles, his first reaction was to freeze.
For a short while, his mind didn't even process it.
But only a few seconds later, Sengoku instantly exploded—especially when he imagined the terrifying consequences.
He was so angry his mustache practically bristled upward!
He immediately twisted his head toward Garp and loudly accused him!!!
And as Sengoku's shout rang out,
inside the office, the other high-ranking figures—including the three Admirals—
also shifted their gazes at once, locking their eyes on Garp, eating popcorn and waiting for the show!!!
"…(damn it)"
Speechless.
With a rice cracker only half-bitten, the motion froze midair.
Let alone Sengoku—Garp himself was completely stunned too.
He hadn't expected it at all.
That next, there would actually be a segment featuring him!!!
"Heh heh…"
"So I'm the next 'background backer' for Luffy?"
Scratching his head, Monkey D. Garp quickly pulled himself together and laughed in agreement, "Honestly, there's nothing wrong with that… I'm his real grandpa!!!"
Even so,
Garp understood perfectly well
how important the Summit War was, and how much of a threat it was to the Marines!
If things went wrong, after this war,
Marineford—the mighty stronghold that had stood for so many years—
could be completely blasted apart, turning the entire island into a sky-deep ruin!
But…
family was family.
With Garp's famously protective personality, there was no way he could truly watch and do nothing—
no way he could just stand there
and watch Luffy get killed on the spot in the chaos.
(End of Chapter)
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