Just as Diarmuid and the others were filled with doubt, Bullet suddenly burst into laughter.
"Kahahahahaha! Don't overthink it. I'm the one who led that bastard Whitebeard here! There's no other reason than I just wanted to see if he'd go crazy!" Bullet roared with laughter.
"What a lunatic!" Gion swore angrily.
Diarmuid sighed. "He's always been a lunatic..."
The moment he said that, his Den Den Mushi started ringing. He took it out; it was Vice Admiral Jonathan.
"Vice Admiral Jonathan?" Diarmuid answered.
"It's Whitebeard! Whitebeard's fleet! I don't know how they did it, but they slipped into the first half of the Grand Line without a trace. You felt that power, right?" Jonathan's voice was filled with urgency.
"I did. It's an incredible power. Even though I was unprepared, I was injured without even seeing him or knowing how far away he was," Diarmuid admitted honestly.
For some reason, he suddenly recalled the question he had asked Borsalino on Hogley Island in the New World. He had asked what would have happened if Whitebeard had come instead of Charlotte Linlin. Borsalino's answer had been that if it were Whitebeard, there would be no safe place to retreat to, even if they ran to the ends of the world.
At the time, Diarmuid had only been impressed, but today, he finally understood what Borsalino meant.
While Diarmuid was lost in thought, Vice Admiral Jonathan spoke again. "The outer fleet is already collapsing. The Buster Call fleet is almost completely wiped out. I'm taking men to help. I hope we can buy you some time, but I have no confidence against an opponent like Newgate. Diarmuid, have you finished up on the island yet?"
"No, I haven't even seen Crocodile yet... Hold on." At this, Diarmuid looked at Gion. "What's the situation with Crocodile?"
"I pulled out as soon as I found Marco. I didn't get caught up in a fight with him, but he should still be on the island!" Gion said quickly.
Diarmuid nodded, then spoke into the Den Den Mushi. "Crocodile hasn't been captured yet, but Douglas Bullet can be at any time."
"He's the main target. Listen to me, Diarmuid. Get out of there with Bullet now. At least our main objective will have been completed," Jonathan urged.
But before Diarmuid could speak, another powerful shockwave, identical to the last, erupted from all directions.
Space shattered, and the sea boiled, as if it were trying to tear the sky apart.
Luckily, Diarmuid was prepared this time. He released a burst of gravitational force from his body to counteract the shockwave.
However, a loud static noise came from the Den Den Mushi, along with the sounds of cannons and other chaotic noises: shouting, roaring, and cries for help.
"Vice Admiral Jonathan? Jonathan-senpai?" Diarmuid called out into the Den Den Mushi. But there was no reply.
"Damn it." Diarmuid swore and hung up.
At that moment, Sakazuki's Den Den Mushi started to ring. He answered without hesitation. "Admiral Sengoku!?"
"Sakazuki, is Diarmuid with you?" Sengoku asked, his voice equally urgent.
Without a word, Sakazuki handed the Den Den Mushi to Diarmuid. Diarmuid took it. "I'm here, Admiral!"
"Have you clashed with the Whitebeard Pirates yet?" Sengoku asked quickly.
"Not me, but Vice Admiral Jonathan and the others have. I've lost contact with Vice Admiral Jonathan, and I can confirm that the Buster Call fleet has been defeated!" Diarmuid quickly reported the situation.
As for how Sengoku knew Whitebeard was here, if he hadn't received the news by now, he would be unfit for his position! So Diarmuid didn't bother to ask.
"Damn it!" Sengoku swore. "I've already sent reinforcements. Tsuru is leading a team toward St. Poplar. I'll depart from Marineford soon to rendezvous with you..."
"Rendezvous?" Diarmuid was taken aback.
"That's right, rendezvous. I'm giving you an order as an Admiral, Diarmuid. Take the Marines in the sea around St. Poplar and retreat!" Sengoku said without any room for negotiation. After a brief pause, his tone softened. "Garp is in the East Blue. Zephyr is in the New World with his students on a training exercise. Kuzan and Borsalino are in the New World, and I'm in Marineford. You have no one there who can stand against Whitebeard. You haven't fought that bastard; you have no idea how terrifying he is when he's enraged. In your current state, you can't win in a direct fight against his fleet!"
"So if we can't win, we don't fight?" This wasn't Diarmuid's voice, but Sakazuki's, who couldn't help but question him.
"Shut up!" Sengoku yelled, then said in a deep voice, "Diarmuid, Sakazuki, Gion, you all represent the future of the Marines! Do you understand me?!"
After Sengoku's words, Diarmuid, Gion, and Sakazuki all fell silent.
They understood what he meant.
The Whitebeard Pirates seemed to have sent a fleet, but the Marines didn't have any solid information on how many people came or how many powerful captains were there. However, it was confirmed that Whitebeard himself was there.
With the current forces, fighting the Whitebeard Pirates here would sound heroic, but if they thought about it, the three of them would just be throwing their lives away!
The truth was a bitter pill to swallow, and even Sakazuki couldn't refute it.
Sengoku's message was clear: he wanted them to preserve their valuable lives so they could grow stronger and take on Whitebeard in the future. There was no need to die here for a momentary outburst of anger.
"An order is an order. Carry it out immediately!" Sengoku commanded again.
Diarmuid had no choice but to say, "Understood! For Justice!"
After hanging up, Diarmuid looked at Sakazuki and Gion. "Get ready to retreat."
With that, he reached out his hand and used his power to create a void of gravity around Bullet, making him float toward Diarmuid.
Sakazuki and Gion weren't going to hold back. They were still fuming, and they used Bullet as a punching bag. A blast of magma from Sakazuki and a bolt of lightning from Gion hit Bullet from both sides, leaving him completely unable to resist.
Bullet was already in bad shape, and after the combined attack from Gion and Sakazuki, he completely lost the will to fight.
Sakazuki grabbed Bullet's neck, and magma surged in his hand, but he just scoffed and held back, deciding not to kill Bullet on the spot.
Diarmuid had no intention of killing Bullet, either. He had regretted killing Shiki. As for Bullet, he'd just lock him up for now. Maybe he could be of use in the future. As for Crocodile and Marco, it was clear that Diarmuid and his group didn't have time to deal with either of them.
The trio made their way through the ruins. They hadn't gone far when Diarmuid's Den Den Mushi rang again. He took it out, relieved, and quickly answered. "Jonathan-senpai?"
"Diarmuid, go southwest. My ship is waiting for you there. Newgate has already wiped out our fleet and is on the island!" Jonathan's voice was deadly serious.
"What about Dalmatian?" Sakazuki asked.
"He's been picked up. It's just you three left now," Jonathan said again.
"I understand. We're on our way!" Diarmuid responded quickly.
After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Diarmuid and the others quickly changed direction and headed southwest. They hadn't gone far with Bullet when they saw a blue figure with flapping wings flying past them in the sky.
It was probably Marco, who had escaped his prison. He seemed to have spotted them as he flew in circles for a while before disappearing from their sight.
Diarmuid and the others remained silent, continuing on their way to the rendezvous point. But then, a powerful tremor suddenly erupted from the ruins in the distance.
"Damn it!" Diarmuid swore, pushing Gion and Sakazuki aside. "You two go on ahead. I'll cover you!"
With that, Diarmuid drew Kokorowatari. It carried a thick, cursed aura and a powerful gust of wind, along with an invisible layer of gravity. He unleashed a slash at the approaching shockwave.
The two immense forces collided, and St. Poplar, which was already split in half, shattered again, turning into four distinct pieces.
Sakazuki and Gion weren't the type to hesitate. When Diarmuid stepped up to block the shockwave, they didn't waste any time with a tearful goodbye. They turned and ran as fast as they could.
'I can't believe they just left me! I was just offering!' Diarmuid grumbled to himself. Of course, he was just kidding.
He kept the gravity flowing. After about thirty seconds, the clash between the two invisible forces finally ended. What remained was complete destruction. The ground was in a state of chaos. There was no flat ground left. The houses and forests on the island, though abandoned, had at least been standing. Now, they were all in ruins, and the trees had been uprooted and scattered everywhere.
Diarmuid sheathed Kokorowatari and looked in the direction the shockwave came from, but he didn't see anyone. However, if he used his Observation Haki, he would sense a large group of people heading toward him. And their presence was incredibly powerful. The one leading them didn't feel human at all!
"Shit!" Diarmuid put away his Haki and turned to run without a second thought. It was clear that an entire crew was coming, and he wasn't about to fight them all alone. But he was a man of his word, and he chose to run in the opposite direction of Sakazuki and the others.
He had only run a few steps when he heard a boisterous voice from the distance.
"Gurarararararara! The 'Ferocious Tiger' of Marine Headquarters, you're not even going to show your face to me?" Newgate's loud voice boomed.
Diarmuid stopped and turned to look at the tall figure slowly emerging from the ruins in the distance, followed by a motley crew of pirates.
The tall figure was none other than Whitebeard himself. Beside him were Marco, Jozu, Vista, and Izo, among others. There were also many other pirates, both known and unknown. It was clear that Whitebeard had brought his whole family on a vacation.
Diarmuid couldn't help but sigh. "What a miserable day..."
"Gurarararara, Diarmuid... that's your name, right? You're a bit younger than I expected," Newgate said, sounding like he was in a good mood. It was as if he hadn't just nearly wiped out the island a few moments ago.
Diarmuid looked at the golden-haired, heroic-looking Newgate and smiled. "To be honest, you're a lot younger than I expected, too..."
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