"Ah, okay." Ace came back to his senses and quickly pulled Luffy. "Let's go."
The three of them turned their backs on the Three Admirals and calmly walked towards the coast, with a torrential storm of attacks raging behind them.
The immense contrast made it hard to believe any of this was real.
Those were the Three Admirals, the Navy's absolute peak fighting force!
Furthermore, some people even noticed that the shield, far from being weakened, was actually getting stronger.
What was originally a two-meter safe distance had now become three meters.
"Heavens… does this person still have energy to spare?"
"Too terrifying. Is this really the power of a Devil Fruit? I can hardly believe it."
"I doubt it's a Devil Fruit. What kind of fruit could resist the Three Admirals so effortlessly?"
"That's right! The man hasn't even broken a sweat."
The distant Three Admirals heard the comment about him not sweating and subconsciously looked over at Zhongli. Sure enough, there was not a single drop of sweat on his body. He looked as if he were merely out for a stroll.
This scene deeply provoked Kizaru and Aokiji.
Originally, it was only Akainu who was burning with rage. Now, these two Admirals couldn't take it anymore either.
What kind of monumental humiliation was this?
Aokiji moved in front of Zhongli, grinding his teeth. "Are our attacks not even worthy of making you sweat? Ice Age!"
A massive waterfall of ice transformed into a torrential ice dragon and crashed towards Zhongli. He was thinking he had to at least stop the man's advance.
Kizaru was not to be outdone. Countless bullets of light continued to cover the area below.
The entire battlefield had shifted from the Whitebeard Pirates vs. the Navy to the Three Admirals besieging a strange man.
And at that very moment, a massive stream of magma erupted from beneath the ground.
"Volcanic Eruption!"
Akainu's entire body turned to magma as he flew out from underground. The entire sub-surface had been melted by him, and rolling magma was everywhere. The surrounding area had become a dual-heaven of ice and fire.
Even if they couldn't break his defense, they had to keep this man here! They could not let him proceed.
From a distance, the marines, following Sengoku's command, launched a volley of cannon fire.
The live broadcast Transponder Snails transmitted this scene to the entire world.
The people were shocked by the man's strength, and at the same time, terrified by the full power of the Marine Admirals.
This was the peak fighting strength of the Navy. If you wanted to be a pirate, you had to have the confidence to face such pressure. If you didn't even have that much confidence, then you should just give up.
However, although the Three Admirals' assault was impressive, it still could not stop Zhongli's advance.
Luffy looked at the magma under his feet and couldn't help but exclaim, "Ace, we can actually walk on magma! This is so interesting!"
"Idiot! Shut up!" Ace threw a punch, directly silencing his brother. But their exchange sent a clear signal: they were still completely unharmed.
Just then, the iceberg created by Aokiji suddenly shattered for some unknown reason. The figures of the three of them appeared once more.
Zhongli walked forward slowly, as if he had done nothing at all. But Ace had seen it very clearly. Just now, the man had extended a finger and tapped. Just that simple tap had shattered the massive, several-hundred-meter-tall iceberg.
What kind of power was this? Even his old man couldn't have done it so easily.
High in the air, Aokiji watched as even his ice couldn't stop the other's footsteps and frowned. "Is this still not enough?"
He had already used his full strength. The frost couldn't freeze him, and the iceberg couldn't stop him. How could there be such a difficult opponent?
And at that moment, Garp and Sengoku descended.
"This is Marine Headquarters! Don't even think about stopping the execution!"
"Let us be your opponent."
The legends of the Navy had entered the fray. Seeing Garp and Sengoku make their move, the entire Navy erupted.
"Heavens, it's Garp the Hero!"
"Even Fleet Admiral Sengoku can't hold back anymore?"
"This time, we'll definitely defeat that arrogant guy! Go, Vice Admiral Garp!"
"Let him understand the power of our Navy!"
Listening to the thunderous cheers, Zhongli stopped in his tracks and looked the two men before him up and down.
It had to be said, judging just from the aura they exuded, the one without glasses was quite a bit stronger than the Three Admirals.
A faint smile appeared on Zhongli's face. "Although your bodies have aged, your strength is greater. I can see that in your youth, you were stronger than those three."
"Who are you? For someone so young and powerful, why has the entire sea never heard of your legend?" Sengoku did not attack, but instead tried to probe for information.
Someone this strong couldn't have just appeared out of nowhere. At the same time, he also wanted to let the Three Admirals recover their Haki.
Garp looked at his two grandsons, who were just within reach, his expression incredibly complex. He was the one suffering the most, but as a marine, he had to stand up.
Hearing Sengoku's words, Zhongli shook his head. "Young? That word is not suitable for me, because I have already lived for a very, very long time. Several thousand years, more or less."
The scene fell into a dead silence.
Even the Whitebeard Pirates were shocked. What had they just heard? A person who had lived for several thousand years? What kind of joke was that? The World Government was only eight hundred years old! You say you've lived for several thousand years? Are you even human?
No, wait. He doesn't seem to be human.
Not only were his eyes unusual, but his entire being seemed to carry a certain ancient weight. He looked young, but you could feel an indescribable trace of ages on him.
Sengoku and Garp were both taken aback. They recalled his earlier comment to Akainu: "For a mortal…"
Could the person before them be a deity?!
When the thought arose, everyone's gaze towards Zhongli turned to one of terror.
How were mortals supposed to defeat a deity? And from the beginning until now, he hadn't even attacked once.
Sengoku was Sengoku, after all. He quickly recovered and ground his teeth. "So what if you're a deity? So what if we're human? You absolutely will not be allowed to take away the bloodline of Gol D. Roger! Garp!"
"Here I come!" Garp the Hero roared, erupting with an endless battle intent. So what if he was a deity? He was Garp!
Black lightning crackled, and the clouds above began to roll. This was the Infusion of Conqueror's Haki that only a king at their peak could command, a power even more terrifying than Armament Haki. Ordinary people didn't even have the right to stand in its presence.
That terrifying display made countless people understand for the first time why, at the God Valley incident, Garp was able to crush the Rocks Pirates. This was his true strength.
No flash, no flair. Garp arrived before Zhongli and threw a direct punch.
BOOM!
Black lightning flashed. Although it was still some distance from the shield, it directly caused damage. Black lightning even sparked and crackled inside the shield.
Luffy was completely shocked. This is grandpa's true power? It didn't even touch the shield, so why did it cause damage? What is that black lightning? The boy, who did not yet know of Haki, did not understand the terror of infused Conqueror's Haki.
And on the left, Sengoku also followed up with an attack. He transformed into a giant golden Buddha, and a terrifying shockwave descended directly. Its presence might not have been as great as Garp's, but its combat power was by no means weaker! It was as if his earlier fight on the execution platform had just been child's play.
Zhongli looked at the black lightning before him and understood. This must be the infused Conqueror's Haki that Su Han spoke of. Interesting.
"Galaxy Impact!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Even his basic attacks were infused with Conqueror's Haki. Garp's combat power was on full display. This was true peak-level strength!
In less than three seconds, over a hundred punches landed. The golden-patterned shield was covered in rippling waves, but Luffy and Ace inside were completely unaffected.
Sengoku also continued to launch his shockwaves.
At that moment, the crater below them, due to the continuous fighting, had already filled with seawater.
"Make your move! Garp!"
"Here it comes! Hehehehe! Galaxy Meteor! Have a taste of the sea, old timer! As a Devil Fruit user, once you touch the sea, you're finished, right? Sengoku, your brain is as useful as ever, hahaha!"
With a final punch, the stone path beneath Zhongli instantly shattered.
Endless seawater surged upwards. It was common knowledge that all Devil Fruit users were weak to the sea. As long as they had nowhere to stand, even the most invincible of them would become a weakling.
Ace's face changed dramatically. "Not good! The battle just now has already turned the area into a ruin!"
Large amounts of seawater rushed in. Because Aokiji had not frozen it, the seawater surged in violently, and in an instant, it had submerged the three of them.
Whitebeard, seeing this, roared in anger, "Sengoku, you dishonorable dog! My sons, charge!"
He had thought that Sengoku would fight the man with strength, but instead, he had come up with a plan to use the sea. It was simply too despicable.
The ground beneath them had already been riddled with holes from Akainu's attacks. All it took was a trigger to let the sea pour in.
Garp's and his ferocious assault was just a bluff, a feint to hold Zhongli in place and achieve their goal of flooding the area!
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