Luffy's Desperate Fight

Afterward, Luffy and Whitebeard engaged in a brief conversation.

Whitebeard caught sight of the straw hat Luffy wore, and memories of the Yonko Red-Haired immediately surfaced.

After some back and forth, he finally understood the meaning behind what Red-Haired had said back then.

"I bet this arm on a new era."

Having further confirmed Luffy's resolve, Whitebeard seemed to finally acknowledge him.

Without a moment's hesitation, Luffy leaped from the damaged warship, flying toward the execution platform and launching his charge.

As for Buggy, he found himself in an exceptionally awkward position.

He had no idea how he had ended up in the middle of a battlefield filled with so many powerhouses; everywhere he looked, he saw either Marines or legendary figures among them.

The vicious pirates who had escaped from Impel Down saw that Buggy wasn't moving and was awkwardly lingering on the outskirts of the battlefield, and they began to grow uncertain.

"Captain Buggy, what should we do? Are we going to follow the Straw Hat kid and charge in?"

When asked this, Buggy was scared out of his wits and felt incredibly guilty. His body had already instinctively split into several pieces in mid-air as he muttered to himself, "Ahahaha, this Great One believes that a strategic observation is the best policy."

At this moment, Whitebeard looked toward Buggy and said jokingly, "No wonder I felt he looked familiar; it's that brat from Roger's ship."

"What are you planning to do with all these pirates you brought from Impel Down? Are you here to take my head?"

Once these words were spoken, the escaped pirates immediately assumed that Buggy must be some incredible big shot, given that even Whitebeard had addressed him.

Buggy was practically numb. He wouldn't dare try to take the head of the Yonko Whitebeard, but facing so many pirates who worshipped him fanatically, his vanity once again overcame everything, even though his legs were weak with fear.

He forcibly pieced his split body back together, put his hands on his hips, and laughed, "Shuhahahaha! I have no interest in your head; I'm just here to end this war."

"Marines, prepare to tremble under the might of this Great One!"

As soon as he said this, the pirates following him let out a roar like a crashing mountain or a surging sea.

As expected of Captain Buggy, to think he would speak to the Yonko Whitebeard like that.

Buggy waved his hand grandly, and feeling a bit carried away, he added, "Little ones, let these pirates see what we're made of!"

"Stop him!" the Marine officers roared.

A force not to be underestimated had gathered around Luffy.

Although Crocodile had ulterior motives, their goals were temporarily aligned. Speaking one way while thinking another, he unleashed a sandstorm that instantly cleared a path through the Marines.

Jinbe was in his element, his Fish-Man Karate creating massive waves to carve a path for the Okama King Ivankov and Luffy.

Ivankov also used Death Wink countless times to help Luffy clear out the fodder.

However, what caught the attention of the Okama King Ivankov was that Du Yang, the man who had always felt mysterious to him, was also following their rhythm and launching a charge alongside them.

What interested Ivankov was exactly what level this guy's strength was at and what his ultimate goal was.

Du Yang, for his part, remained extremely calm.

As long as he stayed with Luffy, that guy Akainu would show up sooner or later.

"Gurararara, my sons!" Whitebeard slammed his naginata heavily onto the deck, his voice booming like a bell, "Support the Straw Hat kid, full-scale attack!"

Beneath the ship, the members of the Whitebeard Pirates seemed to be cheering.

The morale of the Whitebeard Pirates reached its peak.

Marco transformed into a phoenix, his blue flames trailing a brilliant tail of light as he charged straight for the execution platform, only to be temporarily pushed back by Admiral Kizaru's Yasakani no Magatama.

Diamond Jozu let out a roar, snapping off a massive chunk of the ice field and hurling it like a cannonball toward the Marine ranks, causing widespread chaos.

Vista the Flower Sword and the other commanders also displayed their unique skills, engaging in fierce combat with the Marine Vice Admirals.

Meanwhile, the Shichibukai were not idle either.

Luffy also encountered interference from several Shichibukai, which delayed him for some time.

The Empress was, of course, just going through the motions, and Kuma was being held back by Ivankov.

The remaining Shichibukai were either not encountered by Luffy or were locked in fierce battles on other parts of the field.

In any case, Luffy encountered a true obstacle: Mihawk, the world's greatest swordsman.

In his hand, he held the supreme grade blade Yoru. With a sudden swing, he unleashed a massive slash that seemed capable of cutting through everything, tearing up the earth and overturning a large number of pirates.

The presence of Mihawk made countless pirates feel immense dread.

And now, Luffy was facing such a swordsman head-on.

Or rather, no matter how far Luffy was from Mihawk, he was still within the range of his slashes.

His powerful slashes could no longer be called mere strikes; they were pure, overwhelming shockwaves.

Mihawk happened to notice Luffy and, without hesitation, sent a powerful green slash flying toward him.

By the time Luffy noticed, the green sword energy was already sweeping toward him with incredible speed.

"Gum-Gum... JET Pistol!"

Luffy attempted to meet the attack head-on, but he was easily suppressed by the sword aura, which slammed him directly into the wall and left him injured.

At this very moment, due to the successive interceptions by the many powerhouses of the Navy and the Shichibukai, along with the entanglement of countless others, the only ones left following behind Luffy were Jinbe and Du Yang.

Jinbe stepped forward directly, facing the world's greatest swordsman, Mihawk.

He looked back at Du Yang and said with great sincerity, "I leave it to you. From here on out, Luffy is in your hands."

Like Ivankov and Crocodile, people like them who had weathered great storms could naturally see that there was something unusual about Du Yang.

Du Yang lifted his head slightly.

Strictly speaking, Luffy's life or death was none of his concern.

The boy had the protagonist's halo, so he wouldn't die anyway.

But since Jinbe had asked so earnestly, he at least owed him for the favor of being rescued from the sea earlier.

Thus, he gave a slight nod.

However, Luffy was still capable of overcoming the hurdle of Mihawk on his own; he didn't need him to intervene yet.

So, after Luffy had tangled with Mihawk for a while—and after a farce involving Buggy the Clown—Vista finally arrived to provide support.

For a moment, Mihawk found himself unable to break free.

Luffy didn't have the time to dwell on it; he could only continue charging toward the execution platform.

Du Yang continued to follow silently.

As he brushed past Mihawk, the world's greatest swordsman took a look at Du Yang.

For some reason, the moment that person passed by, Mihawk felt a sense of astonishment, as if he were facing Red-Haired.

As the world's greatest swordsman, Mihawk's sensitivity to his surroundings had reached a superhuman level.

Even though Du Yang was concealing his strength, it was still enough for Mihawk to keenly perceive a trace of power.