Five Elder "Churchill" barely managed to hold back Blue Pheasant, Fujitora, and Sengoku with the might of his Iron Curtain, but the other four Five Elders' path of attack was nowhere near as smooth as he had hoped.
There was no helping it. There were simply too many enemies.
The entire Marine Headquarters was filled with Garen's people.
Though those four Five Elders were clearly the villains, they had no choice but to act like protagonists, fighting their way through an ocean of enemy forces before they could earn the chance to face the final boss.
They had only just broken through the blockade set by Marine commanders like Garp and Sengoku when they inevitably encountered the next formidable obstacle:
"Shanks."
At the sight of that red-haired, one-armed man, the four Five Elders all stopped in their tracks.
It was not just Shanks blocking their path. Beckman, Yasopp, and a whole group of his brothers stood at his side, and none of them were easy opponents.
The four Five Elders all knew that this would not be an easy hurdle to cross.
The two sides stared at one another, but no one spoke.
Although the Red Hair Pirates had always maintained secret contact with the Five Elders and had compromised with them, even cooperated with them, in many matters, that did not make them friends.
Pirates and the World Government could never be friends.
And since Shanks had led his crew to Marineford, his position was already clear.
There could only be a battle between them. Any further words would be useless.
"Let me handle this."
One of the Five Elders stepped forward and said with a resolute expression:
"With my ability, I should be able to hold them back."
This Five Elder was lean and gaunt, bald and beardless.