Rescue Operation

"Don't let this guy get near Pops!"

The members of the Whitebeard Pirates moved to defend him, surrounding Sand Crocodile, Crocodile.

"So this is Ace's little brother? He's pretty capable." The ship doctor, Phoenix Marco, smiled.

That hat.

Whitebeard recalled the conversation he'd had while drinking with Red-Hair.

I bet this arm on the new era.

The new era?

"Hey, kid." Whitebeard looked down at Luffy. "That hat looks a lot like the one Red-Hair used to wear."

"Shanks asked me to look after it."

"Pops, look! This is my little brother."

Whitebeard stared at Luffy's back, recalling the scene of Ace proudly showing him a wanted poster.

A faint smile unconsciously appeared at the corner of his mouth.

So that was it. The new era, huh?

"Are you here to save your brother?"

"Do you know who your enemy is? Going in like this will get you killed!"

There was a hint of oppression in both Whitebeard's words and demeanor. His naginata slammed into the ground with a boom, and a storm erupted outward with Whitebeard at its center.

Ivankov, Buggy, and the others stared with their jaws hanging open, too frightened to speak. Even from so far away, Whitebeard's Conqueror's Haki was overwhelmingly oppressive.

"You're such a pain, old man." Luffy grabbed his Straw Hat with his right hand and put it on. "No matter how many times you ask, my answer will stay the same."

Rumble—

"The one who'll become the Pirate King is me!"

A crimson storm abruptly spread out from the Straw Hat Kid, Monkey D. Luffy, instantly sweeping across all of Marineford. The moment they came into contact with those two storms, countless Marines and Pirates rolled their eyes back and collapsed!

"Conqueror's Haki?!"

"Who was that?!"

"That Whitebeard and the one wearing the Straw Hat!"

Two astonishing auras collided and ground against each other, a manifestation of the will of conquerors.

"Conqueror's Haki? Garp, you bastard!" Sengoku gritted his teeth, grabbed Garp by the collar, and shook him violently. "When did your grandson learn Haki? And it's Conqueror's Haki at that! You let him join the Pirates?!"

"You let a grandson with that kind of talent join the Pirates! You bastard!"

Garp was completely stunned too, unable to think of how to answer Sengoku. But the next moment—

"Good!!!"

"Just as expected of my grandson! Hahahaha..."

The veins on Sengoku's forehead bulged. He was practically about to explode with rage.

"Gar—p!"

Sengoku shook Garp's collar even harder, making Garp's head blur with afterimages. "If you weren't a Marine hero, I'd definitely make you, bastard, take responsibility for your whole family's mess!"

This guy was a Marine hero, yet his family upbringing was an absolute disaster.

"Conqueror's... Haki?"

"Ace's little brother!"

"That's proof of the qualities of a king, something only one person in a million possesses."

"The same Haki as Pops."

"That Straw Hat Kid?!"

Whether they were members of the Whitebeard Pirates or prisoners from Impel Down, everyone looked toward Luffy in shock.

With the release of that Conqueror's Haki, the slaughter and conflict across the battlefield temporarily came to a halt.

Even the Marines were utterly astonished.

"Straw Hat Kid..." Smoker had a cigar in his mouth as he casually knocked down a member of the Pirates trying to ambush him. He looked over in disbelief. "So letting him get away back then really did leave behind a threat."

"Luffy, as expected of the man I love. You've already mastered Conqueror's Haki."

"Ah~, what an astonishing development."

Boa Hancock held her flushed face as she gazed at Luffy, her heart brimming with delight. The man she loved was actually this outstanding.

"How terrifying~, Straw Hat Kid." Kizaru still spoke in that lazy tone, though it was impossible to tell what he meant.

"The grandson of Hero Garp, the son of the revolutionary Dragon." Akainu made up his mind to erase the threat known as Straw Hat Kid from Marineford.

Aokiji remained silent and simply continued fighting.

"A clash of Conqueror's Haki!!!"

"Isn't this just like what happened with Red-Hair last time?!"

The Whitebeard Pirates recalled the commotion caused by Red-Hair's previous visit.

Whitebeard raised an eyebrow in surprise. The coat behind him rustled in the airflow stirred up by Luffy. "Interesting!"

What came from the Straw Hat Kid was—

The scent of a monster.

However, after only a few brief seconds, both of them withdrew their Haki.

"Hmph, do whatever you want, kid." Whitebeard smiled. "Just don't die on the battlefield."

"Heh, Ace, I'll be the one to save you."

Luffy lowered the brim of his hat, turned, and charged toward the execution platform.

"Wait for me, Ace!"

Sengoku, the situation was no longer something you could control.

Let me see this new era you've been talking about, Red-Hair...

Whitebeard found it rather interesting.

"Everyone! Cover Ace's little brother!"

The Pirates immediately became energized.

"Nice one, Ace's little brother!"

"I underestimated you, Straw Hat Kid!"

Their side had gained another member capable of using Conqueror's Haki, and that clash had just taken down quite a few Marine soldiers.

As for the Whitebeard Pirates, even if they had suffered losses, there were not many, and they would wake up soon enough. Everyone was already used to living under the intimidation of Conqueror's Haki.

After all, whenever they held a banquet, if Pops was happy or drank too much, he would occasionally unleash it.

Quite a few of the prisoners who had escaped from Impel Down had not fallen either. They were all people with fairly strong constitutions.

"Stop him!"

The Marines began gathering forces and redeploying. The Straw Hat Kid was now the greater threat.

And over on Su Lin's side—

"Your Excellency Su Lin, please stay near me for a while."

Su Lin heard someone calling him and turned to see Jinbe.

"Don't you need to help your captain?"

"Our captain has become very strong. Even one of the Four Emperors would struggle against so many high-level Marine fighters at once, but I believe in him." Jinbe shook his head. "Besides, I promised you that your safety would be my top priority right now."

Noticing that Su Lin looked somewhat nervous, Jinbe tried to persuade him.

"How about you go rest in the rear for a while, Your Excellency Su Lin?"

Jinbe had already noticed before coming here that Su Lin had no experience in combat. There were no signs that he had trained his body, and he might not have even done much physical labor—at least not by the standards of the pirate world. His physique might not even compare to that of some ordinary people.

As an old hand, Jinbe could tell that this man who knew Luffy and had suddenly appeared did not harbor any ill intentions. Fundamentally, he was a good person.

Remembering that Su Lin's Devil Fruit ability was copying, Jinbe guessed that Su Lin's main purpose in coming to the time of the Summit War at Marineford was likely to collect abilities.

Even so, Jinbe was extremely grateful to the man before him.

"It's fine." Su Lin waved his hand. "Jinbe, go help Luffy. I'll be fine here."

"Are you sure?" Jinbe hesitated. Before coming here, he had promised to protect Su Lin.

"It's no longer a problem now." Su Lin pointed ahead.

A figure was shining in midair over there. It was Kizaru.

Before Su Lin had even finished speaking, he had already turned into particles of light and appeared on Jinbe's other side.

"In that case, I'm going, Your Excellency Su Lin. Please be careful."

That ability was completely absurd.

Cold sweat streamed down Jinbe's forehead.

(End of Chapter)