It seemed that Akainu had chosen precisely this moment to leave and suppress Whitebeard's attack.
The Straw Hat Pirates appeared out of thin air near the execution platform.
Aside from Maud and Fujitora, no one present had any idea how the Straw Hat Pirates had approached the execution platform without making a sound.
This turn of events had caught everyone off guard. Even the seasoned Sengoku could not hide his astonishment.
"Luffy, what are you doing here!!!"
Garp, who was suppressing Marco, could hardly believe his eyes when Luffy suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
"That boy is..."
Marco seized the opportunity, spread his wings, and shot into the sky, hoping to break through Garp's defenses and fly toward the execution platform.
But Garp's combat experience was extraordinarily rich. Even though Luffy's appearance had distracted him, he quickly recovered and, with a late-but-gaining momentum, slammed Marco into the ground with another punch.
"Damn it."
Marco quickly got to his feet, flapped his blue-flamed wings, and glared at Garp through clenched teeth. Garp stood there like a gate guardian.
On the execution platform.
"Luffy, you...!"
Ace's reaction, unusually, matched Garp's. He stared at Luffy in utter astonishment.
Sengoku quickly hid his surprise and said in a deep voice, "How exactly did you 'get here'...?"
Under Ace and Sengoku's watchful gazes, Luffy, propelled by Sanji's kicking technique, rose straight into the air until he reached the space above the execution platform.
"Gear Third!"
Looking down at Ace and Sengoku on the execution platform, Luffy took a deep breath. He then bit down hard on his right thumb, blowing a massive amount of air into the gaps between his bones.
Whoosh—!
His right fist, and even his entire right arm, suddenly grew huge.
"Gomu Gomu no Gigant Pistol!"
Using the recoil force of rubber,