HTP: Ch. 61

The Marine's execution blade had yet to fall. But with the declaration of Sengoku, the execution blade of Squard truly did.

Saint Charlos awoke from the nightmare of the Sharingan, remembered what he had done, and nearly wet his pants. He hadn't even had the chance to cry out before a long blade had already cut him down.

Crack! Crack!

Countless camera flashes lit up.

The pirates' cheers surged across the battlefield like a tsunami, and the atmosphere reached a fever pitch. This was no longer a war, it was a celebration.

"Well done!"

"That's a real man!"

Shockingly, even within the Marine's ranks, there were scattered cheers. A young Marine soldier suddenly smashed his saber, fell to his knees on the ice, and wept bitterly. "What exactly are we protecting?"

A voice of justice cried out through tears. "Stop! Stop fighting! Enough already! You're throwing lives away!"

"Every soldier has a family waiting for them at home!"

More and more lower-ranked Marines began throwing down their weapons and fleeing. Even officers at the commander and colonel level began to fight with sloppy swordplay, suffocated under the weight of the "Justice" on their backs. In a world where willpower defines everything, losing one's fighting spirit is truly terrifying.

The global live broadcast erupted in an uproar, Squard really killed Saint Charlos!

A Celestial Dragon, just like that?

Squard held up the severed head of Charlos and shouted, "Saint Charlos! Has been slain by me, Squard!"

Video Den Den Mushi across the world flashed wildly, faithfully transmitting this scene to every corner of the globe. From this day forward, he would be known as the ballsiest man in the world. And the ballsiest man alive, Squard, roared toward the three Admirals in the distance. "Akainu! I'm going to kill you!"

Then he turned to Itachi beside him and said, "I owe you one! If I make it out alive, I'll repay it!"

Clearly, under the guidance of Itachi, acting as a temporary strategist for the Whitebeard Pirates, Squard had seen through Akainu's treacherous schemes.

He leaped down from the execution platform, blade in hand, entering the battlefield with the intent to atone. His sword moves were wild and unrestrained, no one could withstand even a single clash.

Itachi again felt the raw spirit of this battlefield.

"Itachi, come with me, just like last time!"

Marco extended the invitation.

Itachi hesitated slightly. "My mission is…"

"Screw the mission!" Marco laughed and cut him off. "Forget that, Ace might've hired you, but I'm the one paying you!"

"Alright," Itachi agreed after a brief pause.

"But a ninja's way of fighting is different from yours. I might only get one shot to take down a high-value target. I need to pick the right time and the right person."

Marco raised an eyebrow. "You didn't use it on Kizaru?"

"No."

---

Boom.

From the distant execution platform, Kizaru turned into golden light and launched an attack on Whitebeard. He had said yesterday he wanted to duel Whitebeard, and today, he meant it.

Which made sense. If no Admiral stopped Whitebeard, he alone could reach the execution platform.

Following closely behind was Aokiji, shouting "I'll help you!"

He tangled with Whitebeard right as Ace had just broken free of his chains, a very precise moment to act.

But with Akainu also present, no one could say anything outright.

"I'm going down to support Pops, I'll be back to get you!"

Marco transformed into a blue phoenix and flew toward Kizaru at high speed.

On the battlefield, Itachi's Sharingan scanned the chaos, searching for the perfect opportunity to strike.

---

If you asked who the number one Water Release user in the shinobi world was, it might spark debate. But in the pirate world, the number one Water Release user was undoubtedly Whitebeard.

The kilometer-high tidal wave frozen over the Marineford base truly made one marvel at the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.

If not for Aokiji, perhaps this war would have ended in that single tsunami.

This was likely why Sengoku was so deeply wary of Whitebeard. In this world of oceans, Whitebeard's Devil Fruit power was even more dangerous than the man himself.

As for the attitude of Aokiji on the opposing side, it was just as ambiguous as intelligence reports had suggested. On one hand, he stopped Whitebeard's doomsday tsunami; on the other, he created a "land" that made it much easier for Whitebeard's fleet to advance.

The battlefield at Marineford had effectively split into three zones:

The outermost area was the frontline, where the various pirate crews under Whitebeard clashed with the Marine's outer forces. These pirates were now converging toward Whitebeard's main ship. With the Marine's morale currently plummeting, it was doing well if even half its original strength could be maintained, so the pirates were advancing rapidly.

The middle area consisted of Whitebeard's main fleet, the commanders of his division and their elite units, far stronger than the outer pirate crews. They were facing off against Vice-Admirals and the Seven Warlords. Given the Marine's current morale, the Warlords were now carrying nearly half the burden. Among them, the greatest pressure came from Mihawk, but the valiant Vista held him off with his rose-style swordsmanship.

The innermost area was the execution platform where Ace was held. On the platform stood Sengoku; below it was Akainu.

At this moment, Aokiji and Kizaru were entangled in a lukewarm battle with Whitebeard and Marco. The fighting was intense but not at a level that looked like it would be resolved anytime soon.

And now, Garp had taken his place beside Sengoku.

Ace, in a full burst of Conqueror's Haki, knocked out the surrounding executioners. He broke free of his seastone shackles and flung them aside.

Sengoku's forehead bulged with veins, he was about to transform into the Golden Buddha and take matters into his own hands.

Then, a quiet voice called out: "Sengoku!"

Garp suddenly sat cross-legged, resting his iron fists on his knees. "Keep an eye on me… don't let me do anything foolish."

With that, he closed his eyes and said no more.

Garp!

He wanted to curse aloud. His fists clenched, bones creaking. But in the end, he slumped down beside Garp, things had gone this far, and he couldn't very well smash the Marine's reputation with his own hands.

He shouted into the Den Den Mushi in frustration and resignation. "Akainu! Carry out the execution!"

Near the execution platform, an old man in Marine uniform wasn't watching the distant battlefield, his eyes were locked onto the platform. Seeing Sengoku sit down, he let out a small sigh of relief, but as soon as he heard the command to proceed with the execution, his expression turned serious once again.

Tsuru gave him a sidelong glance and sneered, "Rayleigh, you're here too, huh."

Realizing he'd been exposed, Rayleigh tore off his disguise and laughed heartily, "Well, I couldn't just sit this one out. If I didn't know, fine, but Whitebeard even sent someone to inform me personally. How could I not show up?"

"Don't cause trouble, Rayleigh." Kizaru was forced to appear just in time, drawing his sword of light.