Whitebeard saw Sengoku make his decision and stopped pressing forward.
He hoisted Murakumogiri onto his shoulder and turned, striding toward the flagship of the Rocks Pirates.
He and Sengoku were evenly matched. Though Whitebeard had a slight advantage, settling their fight would be no easy matter.
If they kept fighting, both sides would only suffer heavy losses, and that would not serve the interests of the Rocks Pirates.
At the same time, Rocks struck with another slash, forcing Garp back before gliding away like a ghost.
It wasn't Geppo or Soru, but some even stranger way of moving, as though the distance beneath his feet had shrunk.
Garp pursued him furiously with Geppo, roaring like thunder:
"Rocks!! Get your ass back here!!"
"Give back the Heavenly Tribute!!!"
But Rocks merely glanced back at him, a mocking curve at the corner of his mouth.
Then he raised a hand and pressed it toward Garp—
Against empty space.
Vmmm—
Supreme King's Haki crashed down like a mountain weighing tens of thousands of tons!
Garp's charging figure abruptly stalled, as if he had run into a mass of solidified glue.
He roared and unleashed his Haki, trying to break free, but in that brief moment of hesitation, Rocks had already returned to the flagship's deck.
"Set sail."
He gave the order calmly.
More than a dozen pirate ships raised their sails, turned, and picked up speed, shooting toward the direction where the sun was sinking like arrows loosed from a bow.
Garp finally broke free, but Rocks' ship had already sailed far away.
He tried to continue the pursuit with Geppo, but then heard Sengoku roar from behind:
"Garp! Get back here!!"
"That's an order!!"
Sengoku bellowed, but Garp's figure shot into the distance like an arrow loosed from a bow, deaf to the shouts behind him.
Sengoku was just as furious, but there was no point in pursuing the Rocks Pirates now.
Even if they caught up, victory was far from certain.
The Marines' top fighters had been badly drained in the battle.
Zephyr was seriously injured, Tsuru was unconscious with severe injuries, and Sengoku had less than thirty percent of his stamina left after his fierce fight with Whitebeard. The soldiers had suffered heavy casualties as well.
By contrast, the Rocks Pirates were in far better shape. Whitebeard had fought Sengoku to a standstill, but still seemed to have plenty left in the tank.
Golden Lion Shiki had taken one of Garp's Iron Fist blows, but could still fight.
Rocks himself was unfathomably powerful. And then there was that Luo Tian...
At the thought of the young man, a shadow crossed Sengoku's eyes.
He had thought that with Tsuru backing up Zephyr, no matter how strong Luo Tian was, he wouldn't escape the two of them working together.
Tsuru's Wash-Wash Fruit was the bane of most Paramecia users, while Zephyr's martial arts and Haki were among the best in the Marines.
Working together, the two could even force a powerhouse like Golden Lion to keep his distance.
But Luo Tian's strength had far exceeded expectations.
Not only had he used his strange Devil Fruit ability and superb swordsmanship to put Zephyr in a tough fight, but with Tsuru's help, he had found an opening and dealt her a devastating blow.
The Marines' top fighters had been weakened as a result, giving Golden Lion Shiki the chance to steal the Heavenly Tribute without anyone getting in his way.
Every twist in the battle had stemmed from that young man named Luo Tian.
"All Marines—follow Garp!"
Watching Garp's resolute figure race ahead, Sengoku finally gritted his teeth and gave the order, though his voice could not hide his deep helplessness.
That bastard was impulsive and reckless, and he kept disobeying orders, but...
Meanwhile, Garp's figure shot forward like a rocket, rings of white ripples spreading through the air beneath his feet.
They were sonic-boom clouds, formed by combining Soru and Geppo to perfection.
His eyes were fixed on the fleet growing smaller in the distance, and fury boiled in his chest like molten lava.
The sight of Tsuru unconscious with severe injuries flashed through his mind again and again.
"Rocks... Luo Tian..."
Garp clenched his teeth, veins bulging at his temples.
"I'll... never forgive you!"
Far away, the Rocks Pirates were heading back.
"Gurararara... That guy Garp actually came after us?!"
Whitebeard looked up at the figure shooting toward them like a cannonball and laughed heartily.
"Jiehehehe... Once he runs out of stamina, he'll give up on his own!"
By then, Shiki had also returned to the ship.
The transport ship carrying the Heavenly Tribute was being pulled along by his Float-Float Fruit ability, hovering a thousand meters above the sea as it sped toward Beehive Island.
In Shiki's eyes, Garp's pursuit was just a fit of impotent rage.
No matter how strong a man was, he couldn't take on the entire Rocks Pirates alone.
Once Garp ran out of Haki and stamina, he would realize it was hopeless and turn back.
Captain Rocks stood on the stern deck with his arms folded, his black cloak perfectly still.
He glanced at Garp close behind them but said nothing.
He knew Garp was acting on a burst of anger. Once he ran out of strength, he would leave on his own.
"Hm? Looks like someone's missing..."
Whitebeard looked around, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Where'd that kid Luo Tian go?"
The moment he said it, the deck fell silent.
It was true. They hadn't seen Luo Tian since they started retreating.
"That's right! I thought something was off, too. I haven't seen Luo Tian at all! Could it be... the kid got captured by the Marines?!"
Whitebeard shot back, irritated:
"Shiki, shut your crow's mouth!"
While Whitebeard and Shiki argued, Rocks tilted his head toward the sky, his expression as calm as a still well.
Rocks knew exactly where Luo Tian was.
From the start of the battle until their retreat, his formidable Observation Haki had covered the entire sea.
After driving Zephyr back, Luo Tian hadn't returned to the ship right away. He circled in the air for a few seconds, as if waiting for something.
Then the kid flew off in a certain direction—not toward the ship, but...
Toward the flank of Garp's pursuit route.
The corner of Rocks' mouth lifted in an almost imperceptible smile.
He had always thought highly of this newcomer, not only for Luo Tian's strength and potential, but also for his composure, unusual for his age.
From the moment Luo Tian volunteered to hold off Zephyr, creating an opening for Shiki to steal the Heavenly Tribute, Rocks had seen it—
The kid wasn't just a battle maniac.
"Look!"
Suddenly, a pirate aboard the ship cried out in alarm.
The clouds a hundred meters above Garp, who had been relentlessly pursuing them, abruptly split apart.
A pitch-black slash plunged down from the sky, cutting toward him at blinding speed!
"No way! That kid Luo Tian... is actually trying to stop Garp?!"
Shiki froze, his face full of shock.
The punch Garp had landed on him was still fresh in his memory.
"Gurararara... That kid Luo Tian never fails to surprise!"
Even Newgate was stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter.
At the same time, Garp's Observation Haki warned him of danger.
He immediately combined Geppo with Soru, shifting thirty meters to the right like a flickering shadow.
The instant he moved—
Shhk—!!!
The space where he had been was ripped open by a ferocious slash.
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