After that, Luffy and Whitebeard had a conversation.
When Whitebeard saw the straw hat Luffy was wearing, he immediately thought of Red-Haired, one of the Four Emperors.
After thinking it over, he finally understood what Red-Haired had meant when he said those words.
"I bet this arm on the new age."
After confirming Luffy's resolve, Whitebeard seemed to finally acknowledge him.
Without a moment's hesitation, Luffy leaped straight off the damaged warship and soared toward the Execution Platform, charging ahead.
Buggy, meanwhile, was in an incredibly awkward position.
How had he ended up in the middle of a battlefield filled with so many powerful people? Everywhere he looked, he saw either Marines or famous figures among their ranks.
The vicious pirates who had escaped from Impel Down saw that Buggy hadn't moved. Awkwardly lingering on the outskirts of the battlefield, they suddenly found themselves unsure what to do.
"Captain Buggy, what should we do? Should we follow Straw Hat Boy and charge in?"
Being asked that only made Buggy even more terrified. His body had already split into several pieces in midair without him realizing it, and he said to himself, "Ahahaha! I think a strategic wait-and-see approach is our best bet."
At that moment, Whitebeard looked over at Buggy and said teasingly, "No wonder you looked familiar. You're that kid from Roger's ship."
"What are you doing with all those pirates who escaped from Impel Down? Did you come to take my head?"
At those words, the escaped pirates immediately thought Buggy must be an incredibly important figure. Even Whitebeard had spoken to him like that.
Buggy was practically numb with terror. How could he possibly take the head of Whitebeard, one of the Four Emperors? But facing all these pirates who worshipped him so fervently, his vanity once again won out over his fear, even as his legs trembled.
He forced his separated body back together, planted his hands on his hips, and laughed loudly. "Shahaha! I have no interest in taking your head. I'm here to put an end to this war!"
"Marines, prepare to tremble before my legendary name!"
At that, the pirates following him let out a roar like a crashing wave.
As expected of Captain Buggy! He actually dared to talk to Whitebeard, one of the Four Emperors, like that!
Buggy swept out an arm and, now getting a little carried away himself, shouted, "You lot! Show these pirates what we can do!"
"Stop him!" the Marine officers roared.
A formidable force had gathered around Luffy.
Crocodile might have had ulterior motives, but for now, their goals aligned. Though he pretended otherwise, he sent a sweeping blade of sand through the Marines, clearing a path in an instant.
Jinbe was in his element. His Fish-Man Karate sent towering waves crashing up, opening a path for Queen Ivankov and Luffy.
Ivankov also used Death Wink countless times to help Luffy clear away the grunts.
What caught Queen Ivankov's attention, however, was that Du Yang—the man who had always seemed so mysterious to him—had joined their charge, moving right along with them.
Ivankov was very curious about just how strong this guy was, and what his ultimate goal might be.
Du Yang, meanwhile, remained perfectly calm.
As long as he kept following Luffy, that bastard Akainu would show up sooner or later.
"Gurararara, men!" Whitebeard slammed his bisento onto the deck, his voice booming like a bell. "Back up Straw Hat Boy and attack with everything you've got!"
Beneath the ship, the Whitebeard Pirates seemed to erupt in cheers.
The Whitebeard Pirates' morale reached its peak.
Marco transformed into a phoenix, blue flames trailing a brilliant streak behind him as he flew straight toward the Execution Platform. But Kizaru's Eight-foot Jade Sacred Jewel forced him to retreat for the moment.
Diamond Jozu let out a roar and tore off a huge slab of ice, hurling it at the Marine ranks like a cannonball and throwing them into chaos.
Vista the Flower Sword and the other commanders also showed off their skills, clashing fiercely with the Marine Vice Admirals.
Meanwhile, the Shichibukai weren't idle either.
Luffy also ran into several Shichibukai who blocked his path, costing him some time.
The Empress was merely putting on a show, while Ivankov kept Kuma occupied.
As for the remaining Shichibukai, Luffy either didn't encounter them or they were locked in battle on other parts of the battlefield.
In the end, Luffy faced a true obstacle: Dracule Mihawk, the World's Greatest Swordsman.
He wielded the Supreme Grade Sword Yoru. One casual slash from him unleashed a massive blade of sword energy that seemed capable of cutting through anything, ripping up the earth and sending countless pirates flying.
Mihawk's presence filled countless pirates with dread.
And now Luffy had come face-to-face with this swordsman.
In fact, it didn't matter how far Luffy was from Mihawk; he was still within range of his slashes.
His powerful strikes could hardly even be called slashes anymore. They were pure, overwhelming shock waves.
Mihawk noticed Luffy and immediately sent a powerful green slash hurtling toward him.
By the time Luffy noticed, the green sword energy was already sweeping toward him at tremendous speed.
"Gum-Gum Jet Pistol!"
Luffy tried to meet it head-on, but the sword energy easily overpowered him and slammed him into a wall, injuring him.
At that moment, after being repeatedly blocked by powerful Marines and Shichibukai and caught up in countless clashes, only Knight of the Sea Jinbe and Du Yang remained at Luffy's side.
Jinbe stepped forward to face Mihawk, the world's greatest swordsman.
He glanced back at Du Yang and said with utmost seriousness, "I'm counting on you. From here on, Luffy is in your hands."
Just like Ivankov and Crocodile, how could people who had weathered so many storms fail to notice that something was different about Du Yang?
Du Yang raised his head slightly.
Normally, Luffy's life or death shouldn't have been his concern.
Luffy had the protagonist's plot armor, after all. He wasn't going to die.
But since Jinbe had asked so sincerely, Du Yang could at least repay him for saving him from the sea earlier.
So he gave a slight nod.
Still, Luffy could get past Mihawk on his own. Du Yang didn't need to step in yet.
After Luffy had struggled with Mihawk for a while, with a farce starring Buggy the Clown playing out in the middle, Vista finally arrived to help.
For a moment, Mihawk found himself unable to move freely.
Luffy didn't have time to think about any of that. He could only keep charging toward the Execution Platform.
Du Yang continued following silently.
As Du Yang passed right by Mihawk, the world's greatest swordsman looked at him.
For some reason, the instant that man passed by, Mihawk felt a flash of brilliance, much as he did when facing Red-Haired.
As the world's greatest swordsman, Mihawk's awareness of his surroundings had reached a superhuman level.
Even though Du Yang kept his strength in check, Mihawk could still keenly sense a trace of power.
Before you continue