Garp had lost.
The shock of it went far beyond Akainu's defeat.
At this moment, every Marine stood frozen in disbelief.
Many of them even stopped paying attention to the battle in front of them, and as a result, quite a few were cut down by the Whitebeard allied forces.
"Impossible!"
"I don't believe it… this has to be a dream!"
Even with the truth right in front of their eyes, the Marines refused to accept it.
After all, Garp was one of the Navy's final trump cards. He was their hero, their symbol, the very backbone of their morale.
And yet…
He still lost.
Worse, he didn't even last as long as Akainu.
"YES!!"
In stark contrast, the Whitebeard allied fleet and the Impel Down prisoners erupted in excitement.
If they had truly fought the Marines head on, they would have all died at Marineford.
But their goal had always been simple.
Rescue Portgas D. Ace.
And now…
After Renji defeated Monkey D. Garp, only one step remained between them and Ace.
Which meant this was no longer just a dream.
It was about to become reality.
"Renji! Renji! Renji!"
"Renji! Renji! Renji!"
The entire battlefield echoed with his name.
"Damn it!"
On the execution platform, Sengoku stared at Garp's fallen body, his face filled with frustration.
No one understood Garp's strength better than Sengoku.
They were comrades.
Brothers in arms.
Renji was strong.
But there was no way he should be able to defeat Garp like that.
Not in just a few exchanges.
Not to the point of knocking him unconscious so quickly.
Even Rocks D. Xebec had never displayed that level of overwhelming dominance.
And Renji was just a man in his twenties.
"That kind of person shouldn't even exist in this world…"
"You bastard…!"
"If you didn't want to watch Ace die, then you should have refused me!"
Sengoku clenched his teeth in anger.
If it came down to it, he could have even requested reinforcements from Kong, pulling elites from the World Government's other forces.
But this?
This was outright holding back.
"Garp, you idiot!"
"Gurararara!"
Aboard the Moby Dick, Edward Newgate, who was resting and recovering, let out a loud, hearty laugh.
There were two reasons.
First, Renji had given him an enormous surprise.
This level of strength and ability made him a perfect successor.
Second…
He was laughing at Garp's inner conflict.
"After all… Ace is your grandson."
As he said that, Whitebeard suddenly paused.
His face twisted into a strange expression.
"Hah, you brat… you're taking advantage of me, aren't you?"
Ace called Whitebeard "Old Man" and called Garp "Grandpa."
That meant, without realizing it, his old rival had become a generation above him.
Still, Whitebeard didn't dwell on it.
Instead, he thought about Garp's situation.
A son.
An adopted grandson.
A biological grandson.
For a moment, even Whitebeard showed a hint of sympathy.
"Forget it."
"You've had a hard life too, old man."
"I'm not losing anything anyway."
On the execution platform, Portgas D. Ace stared at Renji, who was steadily approaching.
His face was filled with shock.
He had never imagined Renji would become this strong.
It had only been a little over two months since they last saw each other.
What exactly happened in that time?
Did Renji discover some special training method?
Or had he been hiding his strength all along?
Ace shook his head.
No.
That wasn't it.
He understood now.
Renji had simply never had a stage to show his true strength.
Even in the New World, Whitebeard's presence caused true powerhouses to avoid them.
No matter how strong Renji was, he never had the chance to fully unleash it.
"…You're unbelievable."
A smile finally appeared on Ace's face.
"I didn't expect you to be this strong."
He paused briefly, recalling their past sparring matches.
Every single time…
They had ended in a draw.
"Looks like when I get out of here, I'll have to settle that score with you properly."
At this point, Ace had no doubt left about his survival.
Renji was advancing like an unstoppable force.
Even the Marines had begun to waver.
"…Sengoku, huh?"
As time passed, Renji had already reached the edge of the execution platform.
Facing the final line of defense he showed no sign of relaxing.
Because the man before him was one of the previous generation's monsters. In terms of strength, he stood alongside Edward Newgate and Monkey D. Garp.
And unlike Garp…
He had no emotional ties to Ace.
There would be no mercy.
Which meant everything Renji had left would be used here.
Looking at Sengoku, Renji spoke calmly.
"The old man always talks about his battles with you… the stories, the rivalry."
"I didn't expect our first meeting to be like this."
As he spoke.
An overwhelming aura surged from Renji's body.
Even stronger than when he faced Garp.
Twice as strong.
"That old Whitebeard still talks about me in front of you?"
Sengoku narrowed his eyes.
Feeling Renji's power, he became even more certain of one thing.
Renji had held back earlier.
Or rather Garp never forced him to go all out.
That realization only made Sengoku angrier.
It proved just how much Garp had held back.
His body began to change.
It grew larger.
Golden light spread across his form.
His presence became solemn, almost divine.
A faint glow like a Buddha radiated outward.
This was his Devil Fruit power.
Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Buddha Form.
"Of course."
Renji nodded.
His right hand gathered power.
The fusion of quake energy and light.
Cracks spread through the air while golden radiance flickered around his fist.
This was his strongest state.
He wasn't much of a swordsman.
His fists were his true weapon.
"The old man respects you greatly."
"Hahaha!"
Sengoku threw his head back and laughed.
Then his massive golden fist came crashing down toward Renji's head.
If that strike landed Renji would be crushed into nothing.
Even Armament Haki wouldn't save him.
"Then let me show you my power."
"Good."
Renji smiled.
And threw his own punch forward.
His fist slammed directly into Sengoku's Buddha-transformed right hand.
"Boom!"
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