Crack!
Crack!
Boom!
The two ice sculptures shattered, and ice fragments scattered across the ground, revealing Diamond Jozu and Vista.
"Where's Aokiji?!"
They hurriedly looked around and immediately spotted Aokiji closing in on Luffy and the others!
"Ace and Izo have joined up!"
Seeing what was happening in the distance, Vista's face lit up. Even his mustache twitched as he dashed forward urgently. "Let's go cover them!"
"We're retreating, Pops!"
Jozu hurriedly called out to Whitebeard, then followed Vista, charging through the Marines.
"You go on ahead! I'll be right there!"
Whitebeard shouted without looking back. He spun Murakumogiri in his hand, then swung it in a wide horizontal slash at Garp.
"Keep dreaming, Whitebeard!"
Boom!!
Garp raised his pitch-black arms to block, then curled his fingers around the blade and held it fast. He laughed grimly. "You think you can come and go from Marineford as you please?"
"You don't know shit, Garp."
Whitebeard let go of his weapon and drew back his arm. A sphere of trembling force enveloped his fist as he drove it down!
Boom!
His punch sent Garp staggering back. Whitebeard reached up and caught Murakumogiri as it spun through the air, grinning.
"If I told my sons to their faces that I wasn't coming back, those adorable idiots would risk their lives to stay behind."
Scrape—!
"So you really are staying behind to hold them off."
Garp's feet slid across the ground for more than ten meters before he steadied himself.
He looked up, his expression turning reflective. "You never planned to make it out of Marineford alive, did you?"
"Gurarara! What's with that look, Garp?"
Boom!
Whitebeard threw his head back and laughed, then planted his weapon on the ground. "The new era belongs to the young. We're old now."
"If my life