One Piece: Transmigrated as Crocodile

Chapter 378 - CHAPTER 378 - Ace Rescued, Akainu Surrounded

"Ace has been saved!" From within the crowd, a pirate's excited voice rang out. The execution platform had fallen, Sengoku's previous attack had been blocked by Rosen and the others, and he was now wary of the entire pirate crew before him.

Moreover, he was worried by Rosen's warning about Blackbeard lurking in the shadows. In that instant, the severely wounded Sabo, Luffy, and the others had managed to rescue Fire Fist Ace.

However, the situation was dire. They were immediately surrounded by numerous Marines and Rufus. Even Aokiji, after freezing Diamond Jozu for a moment, was now rushing towards them over an ice path.

"Leave quickly." Rosen sensed the danger. With Kizaru behind, Aokiji closing in from the side, and Fleet Admiral Sengoku directly ahead, if they got caught in that, escape would be extremely difficult. They'd be lucky to get out without severe losses.

"Thank you," Sabo said to Rosen.

"Good luck," Rosen replied dismissively. It had been a simple gesture, and it was still uncertain if they could break out of such an encirclement.

"Kizaru, Aokiji, ignore Crocodile for now. Capture the Fire Fist Ace group first, then immediately support Akainu." Sengoku did not attack again. Whitebeard had just been successfully ambushed by Akainu. Now was the perfect time to press the advantage and finish off Whitebeard.

Even if the Dawn Pirates had caused many casualties with their rampage, there was no other choice now. Even if it meant sacrificing ordinary soldiers, it was a necessary cost.

"But…" Kizaru was unwilling. He desperately wanted to tell Fleet Admiral Sengoku that they absolutely must not let this pirate crew escape. This crew could potentially replace one of the new Yonko. They were too dangerous.

Missing such a good opportunity would make eliminating them much harder later.

But before he could finish, Fleet Admiral Sengoku coldly interrupted, "The Whitebeard Pirates are the top priority right now. Furthermore, Blackbeard may be lying in ambush. Their objective is still unknown. Deal with the Whitebeard Pirates first!"

"Understood." Aokiji and the others nodded. Since Ace's identity had been exposed, not eliminating him could easily cause massive upheaval.

And they were currently right here, within reach.

"Two Admirals... no, three!" Sabo looked at Kizaru, Aokiji, and Luforse, feeling despair for the first time.

All of them combined, including Luffy and Jinbe, could at most hold their own against one Admiral. Adding Ace, they might handle one and a half at best. With three Admiral-level combatants rushing them at once, it was nearly impossible to withstand.

Sabo was already severely wounded, and Ace and Luffy were not in good condition either.

"All Whitebeard Pirates, hear my order! Do not let the Marines succeed! Cover Ace and the others' retreat!" Whitebeard gasped for breath, but his voice remained thunderous, echoing across the entire battlefield.

"Kizaru! Our fight isn't over yet!" Marco dove through the air, targeting Kizaru first. Following Whitebeard's order, many pirates began gathering here, commanders included.

Fortunately for them, otherwise Luffy, Sabo, and the others might have been finished right there.

A fierce battle erupted.

Sengoku was unhurried. A moment ago, he had nearly let the battle spiral out of control, but fortunately, he had regained command in time. This also meant Whitebeard had reached his end.

"Hah… hah…" Whitebeard panted, watching Ace and the others fight while retreating. Although the situation wasn't optimistic, his Whitebeard Pirates were no pushovers. Even with three Admiral-level combatants, it was impossible to defeat Marco and the others quickly.

Sabo, Marco, Jinbe, Ace, Luffy—none were weak. Any one of them was more than qualified to be a Warlord. If they focused on escaping, there was a chance.

"You should die now, Whitebeard." Akainu was also panting, covered in wounds. The magma couldn't conceal the blood oozing from his face and body. As a Marine, his contribution in this war was immense.

He glared at Whitebeard, unleashing a "Great Eruption," a large-scale magma bombardment. Whitebeard struggled to stand.

Two holes in his chest would have killed an ordinary man outright. But even now, Whitebeard had the strength to stand. Unsteady, on the verge of collapse and death, he forcibly overcame his body's limits through sheer, astonishing willpower.

He couldn't fall yet. He had to hold on a little longer. If he fell now, no one would hold back Garp and Akainu. Ace, Marco, and the others would find it hard to escape this island.

"Full retreat!" Whitebeard stabbed Murakumogiri into the ground. His entire body, overloaded, began to glow red, steaming faintly, looking like a terrifying demon.

Raaah! Whitebeard punched towards the sky, shattering all the giant magma fists with one blow, scattering them everywhere. Then he looked towards Marine Headquarters.

"Fall back." Garp's expression was grave. Whitebeard's posture indicated he intended to unleash his Tremor-Tremor Fruit power without restraint. All along, Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit was too powerful, so he had used it with some control, as it was an attack that couldn't distinguish friend from foe.

But if everyone began retreating, he could unleash his Tremor-Tremor Fruit's full power against the Marines. That would be truly terrifying.

Hearing Garp, Akainu didn't act arrogantly either. Both quickly retreated. Immediately after, Whitebeard punched towards the area near Marine Headquarters where the Marines were most densely packed. A tremor shockwave blasted through the air, exploding instantly. Thousands of Marines were sent flying, severely wounded. The Marine Headquarters building cracked and began to collapse. The ground split open with ghastly fissures…

"You damn monster." Akainu's face was ugly. Whitebeard was in this state. Twice Akainu thought he was surely dead, yet not only did he survive, but it seemed he was about to completely destroy Marine Headquarters.

If this wasn't a monster, what was?!

"Thud!" As soon as Akainu finished speaking, a pale, slender leg kicked towards him, imbued with powerful Haki. Akainu reacted, raising his arm to block, but was still kicked back hundreds of meters.

"One after another, never-ending pests! I'll melt every last one of you criminals to nothing!" Akainu was enraged too, charging at Hathaway.

"The one who dies today is you." Boom! A shocking bolt of lightning split the sky. Akainu's attack had to stop abruptly. He looked around, his expression extremely ugly, even humiliated.

Because he, a Marine Headquarters Admiral, one of the very top fighters, was surrounded.

Rosen. Robin. Daz Bones. Enel. Miss Valentine. Mr. 5.

"Valentine, Mr. 5, Daz Bones, hold off the nearby Marines. Everyone else, attack with everything you have. Take down Akainu in the shortest time possible!" Right now, there was no better opportunity.

Rosen and Hathaway—two Admiral-level combatants. Though each was slightly weaker than Akainu individually, the gap wasn't large. Together, they would be even more fearsome. Add Enel and the newly empowered Robin.

And Akainu was currently severely wounded. Rosen was confident they could kill Akainu, not even letting him escape.

"Trying to kill me? With just you people? You're nothing but filthy pirates. Don't get cocky! Meteor Volcano!" Akainu launched a ferocious assault. He had eliminated countless pirates. His life in the Marines was legendary. Being killed by a group of pirates who weren't even Yonko would be the ultimate irony.

Boom... The sky rained magma fist meteors. Each one was powerful enough to sink a warship. Now, hundreds fell with terrifying force.

"Black Prison Desolation Bullet."

"Demon Prison Slash."

"Ten Million Volt Vari!"

"Demonic Shockwave!"...

An intense battle erupted.

Garp saw Akainu surrounded by pirates but wasn't overly concerned. In fact, no one on the entire battlefield was particularly worried. Akainu's previously displayed power was immensely strong, enough to inspire confidence in anyone.

Seizing a moment after Whitebeard's attack, Garp suddenly launched a fierce assault of his own, punching again and again. His fists were extraordinarily powerful; even missing the target, the sheer force of his punches could shatter massive rocks from a distance.

His Haki mastery was terrifyingly high. His Haki, projected through the air, could instantly pulverize anything.

(End of Chapter)

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