Chapter 574: The Veteran Strikes
As Ian shouted, the Marine soldiers opposite him not only failed to charge forward but instinctively took a step back.
Marine soldiers were human too, and they also felt fear, especially when facing someone like Ian, who had dominated the entire battlefield with a single "Sunshine" the moment he appeared.
The bodies of soldiers beaten like fishnets were still lying there, and they didn't want to die yet...
Not to mention the Marine soldiers; even the Marine officers were trembling inside. The lineup of the Dragon Hunter Pirates was simply too shocking, giving the impression that another Emperor Crew had emerged.
Many people felt this way, so in the face of Ian's provocation, no one on the Marine side dared to act rashly.
Compared to the Marines' fear, the pirates wore excited smiles on their faces. They licked their blades and stared intently at the opposing Marines, especially the prisoners who had escaped from Impel Down—their hatred for the Marines was the greatest.
Among the pirates under the Whitebeard Pirates, aside from the main crew, not many had seen Ian before, but they knew he was an unofficial division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, highly valued by the Old Man. Naturally, they looked to Ian as their leader, waiting for his command to charge at the Marines together.
The morale of both sides instantly reversed—this was the impact of a powerful reinforcement.
But just then, a path gradually opened up at the rear of the Marine formation. Sengoku, leading Garp and Tsuru, walked over. The Marine soldiers, upon seeing them, first froze, then quickly saluted and made way.
Sengoku had arrived. He could feel the fear among the Marine soldiers and knew he had to step in.
If Ian was now the backbone of the pirate side, then Sengoku, as the Fleet Admiral, was the backbone of the Marine side.
As he walked forward, Sengoku shouted loudly, "Look at yourselves, soldiers! Do you want to retreat?"
Sengoku scanned left and right, but the soldiers on both sides lowered their heads, gripping their weapons, afraid to meet his eyes.
"Do you want to be cowards!?" Sengoku stopped and roared. "Have you forgotten the beliefs you held when you joined the Marines!?"
He grabbed a Marine soldier on his right by the collar, pulling him close, and demanded, "Answer me, soldier! What is the Marine's creed!?"
The soldier Sengoku grabbed was initially flustered, but under Sengoku's glare, he closed his eyes and saluted, shouting, "In... in the name of justice!!"
"Exactly!" Sengoku released him, looking around at the soldiers one by one, and roared, "The enemy is right in front of you! No matter how strong they are, pirates are still pirates! Striking down evil and protecting the weak is our duty and creed as Marines!"
Amid Sengoku's roar, the Marine soldiers gradually straightened their backs.
Undeniably, many Marine soldiers had joined because they had suffered under pirates. Sengoku's words not only awakened their beliefs but also stirred their memories.
"Lift your spirits, grip your weapons tightly! Justice will prevail!"
"Ooh!!!"
With Sengoku's shout, the Marine soldiers finally rallied, letting out a collective roar, raising their rifles, and glaring fiercely at the pirate side.
Sengoku, accompanied by Garp and Tsuru, walked forward to the front line, standing before the three Admirals, facing Ian directly.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku..." Ian looked at Sengoku with a complex expression. He hadn't expected Sengoku's few words to rekindle the Marines' fighting spirit. This Marshal's authority within the Marines was truly extraordinary.
"Ian!" Sengoku said sternly, looking at Ian. "The first time I learned your name, you were still a pirate hunter, but even then, I had a vague premonition that you would be the one to give me the most headaches. Now, that premonition has come true. If I had known, even if everyone opposed it, I shouldn't have let you become a Warlord. If I had killed you back then, maybe I wouldn't have so much trouble now!"
However, Ian smiled at him and said, "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, forgive me for speaking bluntly, but at least before the Mary Geoise incident, I never intended to be an enemy of the Marines. But you, for the sake of the Celestial Dragons, kept sending troops to hunt me down. From that moment on, our feud was set. Also, don't make the Marines sound so noble. If you Marines truly stood for justice, protecting the weak and striking down evil, then why turn a blind eye to the Celestial Dragons' atrocities? On Sabaody Archipelago, the Celestial Dragons kill people at will—you can't claim ignorance. Why have I never seen you seek justice for those oppressed victims!?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the Dragon Hunter Pirates behind Ian roared in agreement, "Exactly! Where were the Marines when we were locked up like animals!?"
The foundation of the Dragon Hunter Pirates was these escaped slaves from Mary Geoise. Ian's words struck the most painful and vulnerable part of their hearts.
Jinbe also sighed and spoke up, "Marshal, on this point, we Fish-Men are equally outraged. The racial discrimination Fish-Men have suffered for centuries is too numerous to list..."
Sengoku was left speechless by Ian's rebuttal. He was well aware of the Celestial Dragons' deeds, but as Fleet Admiral, he was also constrained by the World Government. Even he was powerless to intervene in these matters, no matter how much he wanted to.
Seeing Sengoku's silence, Ian snorted and said, "The Marines and the Celestial Dragons wanted me dead back then, so we are enemies. The Whitebeard Pirates helped me, so I stand with them. Repay kindness with kindness, repay enmity with enmity. Don't drag justice and evil into this—no one can claim to represent true justice!"
"Fufufufufu!" Doflamingo heard Ian's words and licked his lips with a sinister grin, muttering to Moria beside him, "As much as I want to kill him, I have to admit he's right. Why does justice always prevail? Because only the victor has the right to declare themselves just!"
"Sharp-tongued brat!" Akainu was extremely displeased with Ian's words, as they clashed too much with his own beliefs.
To Akainu, he firmly believed that the Marines he served were the side of justice. Anyone who opposed the Marines, regardless of their reasons, was evil. In short, everything the Marines did was correct in his eyes. He was convinced he had always walked the path of justice!
Boom! Akainu's arms erupted into thick smoke, transforming into dark red magma. He didn't want to listen to the conversation between Sengoku and Ian. Any obstacle in the path of justice just needed to be eliminated by any means necessary!
The next second, his arm turned into a massive magma fist and punched straight at Ian!
Akainu's move was the signal to start the battle. As he threw the punch, Aokiji and Kizaru also moved, charging at Ian simultaneously.
Fujitora and Enel stepped forward immediately, blocking Aokiji and Kizaru respectively, while Marco swooped in from the side, his body transforming into a phoenix, kicking toward Akainu's fist to intercept it for Ian.
The pirates roared loudly and charged at the opposing Marines, while the Marines opened fire, bullets raining down on the pirates like a storm.
"Let's begin!" Sengoku, seeing this, said no more to Garp and Tsuru beside him. His entire body began to transform.
His body swelled rapidly, soon becoming as tall as a Giant, and his skin turned a gleaming gold.
A round mole appeared on Sengoku's forehead, and his hair became an afro-like explosion of round particles.
Some Marine officers in the know couldn't help but shout excitedly, "There it is! The Marshal's Buddha-Buddha Fruit!"
The Zoan-type Human-Human Fruit, Model: Great Buddha! This was Sengoku's Devil Fruit ability. Since becoming Fleet Admiral, he rarely fought personally, so only the older Marine officers had seen his Devil Fruit form. The younger ones stared wide-eyed at Sengoku's transformation.
Ian also watched Sengoku nervously. As a transmigrator, he knew about Sengoku's abilities, but this was the first time he had seen them.
In Ian's estimation, Sengoku's true strength might even surpass that of a Marine Admiral!
Why? Because Sengoku was a contemporary of Pirate King Roger! Ian had never seen how powerful Roger was, but he could compare him to someone else: the Dark King Rayleigh!
Ian didn't know if Rayleigh had ever fought Sengoku, but he suspected they had. Who won or lost was unknown, but they were definitely on the same level.
After completing his transformation, Sengoku immediately raised his fist and slammed it down at Ian's position!
Given his status, attacking a young man was somewhat disgraceful, but he no longer cared about that. He just wanted to take Ian down as quickly as possible.
Because of his Great Buddha form, Sengoku's body had grown massive, and his fist was equally enormous. As it came crashing down, Ian felt as if the sky above him had been covered. He didn't dare to take it head-on and immediately leaped away to dodge!
Boom! The ground trembled as Sengoku's fist struck the earth, creating a massive crater where Ian had stood. Countless cracks spread outward like a spiderweb.
Leaping into the air, Ian crossed his arms in front of his face to block the flying rocks and ice chunks, which, propelled by the immense impact, flew like bullets.
Before he could descend, a black shadow suddenly appeared beside him, punching at Ian mid-air!
It was Vice Admiral Garp! Iron Fist Garp!
Ian hadn't expected these two legendary veterans to attack him together. Caught off guard, Garp's fist slammed into his face, sending his entire body crashing down from the air like a cannonball...