"Shiki, you bastard!" Garp threw a punch, shattering a stone lion as massive as a Sea King.
"Gyahahaha! Garp, don't be so naive! Isn't some casualties in war perfectly normal?" Shiki laughed, his twin swords flashing, embodying a villain's aura perfectly.
"Lion's Severing Valley!"
Several sword slashes flew towards Garp. Because other Marines were behind him, he couldn't dodge and had to passively endure the attack.
"Damn it, how despicable!"
"Is this what a legendary great pirate amounts to?"
"Because he's no match for Vice Admiral Garp, he resorts to such underhanded tactics!"
The Marine soldiers behind him spoke angrily, expressing outrage at Shiki's despicable fighting style, hoping to attract Shiki's attention and relieve pressure on Garp.
"Garp, if we're talking despicable, shouldn't it be you Marines?" Shiki took a deep breath, the scent of his cigar filling his lungs.
Shiki's eyes were wide with rage as he released his Conqueror's Haki, making him look like a Shura from hell.
"How could a man like Roger be captured by you? He's an opponent I acknowledge!"
Garp ignored Shiki and instead told the Marine soldiers to retreat quickly. Due to Roger, the defenses here were weak, and most of the high-ranking combatants had gone to suppress the opportunistic pirates.
But no one retreated. Those who remained were the elite of the Marine. Marineford, as the Marine's headquarters, being attacked by pirates was already a disgrace.
If anyone were to flee now, exposing the 'Justice' on their backs to the enemy, that would be truly unacceptable to them.
"A bunch of idiots!" Garp cursed, but didn't tell them to retreat again. Instead, his gaze towards Shiki sharpened a few degrees.
Besides his anger, Shiki also felt an underlying unease. The fact of Roger's capture felt like the end of an era.
He shouldn't have been so impulsive. The man who once had the greatest potential to overthrow the World Government was Rocks, who, with his immense strength and power, had almost no rivals.
But he was defeated, at the hands of Roger and Garp.
Later, Roger reached the Final Island, surpassing himself. The sudden tsunami also made Shiki feel that Roger possessed some special quality, truly the man who could overthrow the World Government.
So, after that, he had been accumulating strength, secretly waiting for the right moment, both to overthrow the World Government and to defeat Roger and avenge his humiliation.
But what happened? He didn't receive Roger's call; instead, he received news of his arrest by the Marine.
The huge disparity made Shiki lose his reason, so he came to this place. He needed an explanation; he wanted to know why Roger did this!
"How could a mere Marine capture Roger???" Shiki roared, activating his Devil Fruit ability.
"Lion's Threat: Earth Scroll!"
"Deep Sea Drop!"
The battle between the two entered a heated phase. With the Marine's interference, Shiki quickly fell into a disadvantage.
There was no time to worry about Marine casualties; resolving the battle as quickly as possible was the optimal solution now.
After a day and a night, the battle finally saw a turning point. Shiki had a moment of distraction due to the ship's rudder stuck in his head.
Garp didn't miss this opportunity. Risking a sword slash to his body, he landed a powerful punch that sent Shiki crashing down from the sky.
"Galaxy Impact!"
Without a moment's rest, Garp's fist immediately became imbued with unparalleled Haki. Like a meteor in the sky, he pursued Shiki, slamming his body into the ground.
"Sea Stone handcuffs!"
Garp shouted, taking high-purity Sea Stone handcuffs from a Marine officer, preparing to arrest Shiki.
Although the previous punch was powerful, it wasn't quite enough to take down Shiki, but it was sufficient to weaken him.
Not to mention, because of the rudder on his head, Shiki's strength was no longer at its peak.
Otherwise, let alone one day and one night, even three days and three nights, trying to take down the Golden Lion would be a fool's dream.
However, just then, a figure struck. The speed was so great that Garp barely managed to block before being sent flying.
When he stopped sliding on the ground, he realized that the one who hit him was Sengoku?
"Hey! Sengoku, are you alright?"
Garp looked at Sengoku, whose eyes were rolled back and who was clearly unconscious. He grabbed his shoulder and shook him vigorously, but it was still no use. There was a deep, bone-exposing claw mark on his chest.
From the smoke, a figure slowly emerged: crimson horns like jade, ferocious and sharp limbs, and a long dragon tail swaying freely behind her.
Nero, holding the Primal Fire, stepped out. Compared to the unconscious Sengoku, she only looked a bit disheveled.
Crimson blood still dripped from her sharp claws, and Nero's crimson eyes had turned into vertical slits, adding to her intimidation.
"Hmm, rest assured! I held back. With these wounds, he won't die for a while, but it's hard to say after a bit longer."
Nero's voice was unusually cold. Compared to her usual lively demeanor, she exuded an evil aura even in her words.
"You should understand my resolve. If you want me to leave, release Roger! Otherwise, Marineford will completely vanish from the map today. Do not doubt my determination."
"Nero!" Garp supported Sengoku, his face grim, his body trembling slightly, making his eyes unreadable.
"Gyahahaha! Things are getting interesting, Garp! Let me see your choice, will you?"
Golden Lion Shiki also flew out of the pit. Among the three, he was the most disheveled, but compared to the unconscious Sengoku, his condition was still much better.
"Shiki!" Garp's body stopped trembling. He slowly placed Sengoku on the ground, taking two steps forward to shield Sengoku behind him.
He instructed a Marine Rear Admiral: "Take Sengoku for treatment first!"
"Vice Admiral Garp! Then you..." The young Marine Rear Admiral originally wanted to ask Garp what he would do, but then he suddenly saw Garp's eyes and didn't ask further.
Those were the eyes of a man who had made a certain resolve. Seeing such eyes, he knew that no matter what he asked, Garp's decision would not change.
So he silently carried Sengoku on his back, and turning his back to Garp, he said: "Vice Admiral Garp, I wish you good fortune in battle!"
"Ah!" Garp's face once again wore a smile, his large white teeth gleaming: "Nero and Shiki, come at me together! This old man chooses to beat you all down right here!!"
A visible golden aura rose. Although Garp didn't possess Haoshoku, the spirit he exuded was in no way inferior to any Haoshoku user.
Then, two terrifying and unparalleled Conqueror's Haki clashed instantly. Both Nero and Shiki had dark expressions.
"You bastard! Who are you looking down on?" x2
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