Renji alone stood against the entire elite force of the Marines.
This was an achievement that could truly be called unprecedented and unmatched in history, and it was happening right before everyone's eyes.
Moreover, because the Transponder Snails were broadcasting the war live to the entire world, there was absolutely no way to twist or alter what people were seeing.
"Terrifying combat power."
"An invincible existence."
Those two simple phrases perfectly represented everyone's opinion of Renji.
That included both the pirates and the Marines alike.
In their eyes, Whitebeard had truly found someone capable of inheriting his position, someone who could dominate the seas.
"White! Beard!!"
From the rear of Marineford, Sengoku looked toward the Moby Dick.
Coincidentally, Edward Newgate was also looking toward Sengoku.
Their eyes met.
A hearty smile appeared on Whitebeard's face, almost as if he were showing off.
"Very good."
Sengoku slowly closed his eyes for a few seconds.
When he opened them again, his expression had become calmer.
As the commander overseeing this war and the Fleet Admiral of the Marines, there was no way he could personally chase after them.
If he did, the Marines would lose too much face.
Now, all he could do was wait and see whether the others could still do something about Renji.
If they could still capture him.
No.
Even killing Renji on the spot would at least preserve some dignity for the Marines and prevent the outside world from mocking them too badly.
"Renji!"
At that moment, more than a dozen elite Vice Admirals had already reached Renji.
More than a dozen weapons of varying shapes, all mixed with Armament Haki and powerful slashes, came crashing toward him at once.
"A group attack?"
Renji's gaze swept calmly across the battlefield.
Cracks spread outward around his body.
"I think I already told you this from the very beginning."
"Group tactics are completely useless against me."
As he spoke, the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit exploded instantly.
The dozen incoming slashes were shattered apart on the spot.
But that was not the end.
The seemingly endless cracks continued spreading outward.
They reached all the way to the elite Vice Admirals themselves.
"Fall back!"
Akainu immediately rushed forward after seeing the situation.
Akainu directly used his massive magma to block the power of Renji's Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
Aokiji and Kizaru also stepped forward.
After thinking for a moment, Marshall D. Teach moved into the final position.
The four of them occupied the east, south, west, and north directions, each unleashing their own Devil Fruit powers.
Only then did they barely manage to block Renji's large-scale attack.
"This is no longer a battlefield you can stay in."
Akainu quickly came to a conclusion.
Even elite Vice Admirals were no longer suitable for surrounding Renji.
"Fall back!"
The dozen elite Vice Admirals looked at one another, their eyes filled with unwillingness.
However, they also understood that if they stayed, not only would they fail to help Akainu and the others, they would actually become a burden.
Without saying anything, they quickly retreated from the area.
"Attack together!"
The heavily injured Akainu took command once more.
Looking at Renji, he had no choice but to admit that a single Admiral was completely incapable of handling him now.
But.
They currently had four top-tier fighters on their side.
No matter how strong Renji was, there was absolutely no way he could win!
"Magma…"
"Ice…"
"Light…"
"Darkness…"
The others gave no response.
Aokiji, Kizaru, and Blackbeard all understood how terrifying Renji was.
Each of them began gathering the power of their Devil Fruits.
Moreover, they positioned themselves around Renji from all four directions, front, back, left, and right.
There was no blind spot.
Renji was completely trapped in the center.
"Tremor-Tremor…"
Renji slowly closed his eyes.
At that moment, he condensed as much Tremor-Tremor Fruit energy as possible throughout his body.
The power of vibration rapidly gathered.
The countless cracks spreading through the air almost looked as though they were about to dye the sky black.
"Hurry! Ace is already back! There's no need to keep fighting!"
Elsewhere, Marco looked worriedly toward Renji in the sky.
Right now, the most important thing was not helping Renji.
It was recalling the Whitebeard Alliance Fleet and the Impel Down prisoners Renji had brought with him.
Only then could they safely retreat.
Fortunately, because of the punch exchanged between Renji and Sengoku earlier, the Marines, the Whitebeard Alliance Fleet, and the Impel Down prisoners had already been forced apart.
Under the command of Marco, Jozu, and the other high-ranking members of the Whitebeard Alliance, more than half of their forces had already retreated back onto the Moby Dick and the other ships.
While directing the Whitebeard Alliance Fleet and the Impel Down prisoners, Marco looked toward Renji, who was battling Akainu, Aokiji, Kizaru, and Marshall D. Teach in the sky.
He gritted his teeth.
"Brother, hold on a little longer!"
"We'll be able to leave soon!"
"Flame-Flame… Great Flame Blast!"
Meanwhile, the Whitebeard Pirates' division commanders, the allied pirate captains following Whitebeard, and the powerful fighters from islands, nations, and territories under Whitebeard's protection all chose to remain behind and cover the retreat.
"Glint-Glint… Star-Shattering Fist!"
"You annoying Marines, just die already!"
The sounds of battle rose and fell endlessly.
Originally, because the Marines had moved most of their top fighters away to surround Renji, escaping had become much easier for the Whitebeard side.
But now, with more than a dozen elite Vice Admirals rejoining the battlefield, the retreat once again became difficult.
Furthermore, because the Whitebeard Alliance Fleet and the Impel Down prisoners were clearly attempting to flee, the Marines had begun fighting at any cost in order to keep Whitebeard's forces trapped here.
The battle became even more brutal.
"Communications Division, listen carefully."
At that moment, even though the war had become increasingly intense, Sengoku knew that if things continued like this, the Whitebeard Alliance Fleet and the Impel Down prisoners would eventually escape.
At most, they would only be able to increase the number of enemies left behind at Marineford.
That outcome was clearly not what Sengoku wanted.
His gaze swept across the battlefield.
Marineford had already become a ruined island after Whitebeard and Renji repeatedly unleashed the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's destructive power.
Even the Marine Headquarters building had collapsed.
The casualties among the Marine elites had not yet been fully counted, but visually there were already at least twenty thousand dead or injured.
Marine Headquarters had been destroyed.
More than a dozen Giant Vice Admirals had been killed.
Nearly a hundred Rear Admirals had fallen, along with dozens of Vice Admirals.
Even elite Vice Admirals had suffered casualties.
If Whitebeard still escaped after paying such a massive price.
Then Sengoku would become a sinner in the eyes of the entire Navy.
"Sir!"
The Communications Division immediately responded.
"What are your orders, Fleet Admiral?"
Orders?
At this point, all he could do was try his best to salvage the situation.
Sengoku took a deep breath before speaking again.
"Immediately arrange for the Gates of Justice to be closed."
"I will fight Whitebeard to the bitter end!"
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