Chapter 581: Luffy Must Die
In the intelligence observations of the World Government and the Marines, Whitebeard's physical condition had always been a key focus. So Sengoku was well aware that as Whitebeard's illness gradually worsened and his body weakened, he had rarely taken direct action himself. Most of the time, when faced with attacks aimed at him, it was his sons by his side who stepped in to shield him.
But this time, facing simultaneous attacks from two Warlords, Crocodile and Hawk-Eye, Whitebeard chose to personally intervene!
What did this mean? It meant that Whitebeard was now brimming with fierce fighting spirit, and his physical condition could support him in doing so!
For the Marines, this was a rather ominous piece of information...
Having casually clashed with Hawk-Eye, Whitebeard wore an inexplicable smile on his face. However, one person was not pleased.
The slashing strike Whitebeard had unleashed earlier flew horizontally, and as luck would have it, it passed right through Buggy's body mid-flight, slicing him cleanly in two. If it weren't for the special nature of the Chop-Chop Fruit, Buggy would likely have been killed on the spot!
So when he came to his senses, Buggy broke out in a cold sweat from sheer terror. Turning around, his upper half flew directly in front of Whitebeard, and he screamed hysterically at him: "Whitebeard! You did that on purpose, didn't you!? Definitely on purpose!"
In truth, Buggy, who had been desperately trying to flee the battlefield, only grew more frightened after Whitebeard appeared.
As a former crew member of Pirate King Roger's ship, Buggy naturally knew Whitebeard. Back in the day, he and Red-Haired Shanks had even crossed swords with Whitebeard. So he was terrified that Whitebeard might recognize him. He thought that if Whitebeard spotted him, he might kill him—after all, the Roger Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates had once been enemies.
But the world works in strange ways. The more you try to hide, the more you can't escape. Buggy was unlucky enough that even while cowering low on the battlefield, he got caught in the blast of Whitebeard's slashing attack.
In his fear, Buggy assumed Whitebeard had sharp eyes and had already spotted him. Shaken, he threw caution to the wind, emerged, and started yelling at Whitebeard.
However, this scene took on a completely different meaning in the eyes of the prisoners who had escaped from Impel Down.
Whitebeard's reputation thundered across the world. In the propaganda of the World Government and the Marines, he was the most terrifying monster alive. For those who had never seen him before, the first glance would inevitably strike fear into their hearts.
One phrase could sum up their feelings: That's Whitebeard, after all...
But Buggy dared to speak to Whitebeard in such a tone? Wasn't he afraid of being killed?
Not just them—even the people watching this scene through the live broadcast found it utterly unbelievable. They could tell Buggy seemed to be cursing and yelling at Whitebeard, and they had already guessed his likely fate.
Yet, to everyone's astonishment, Whitebeard, upon seeing Buggy, paused for a moment, then broke into a smile and said: "So it's you, the red-nosed brat!"
"Who are you calling red-nosed!? Who's the red-nosed one!?" Buggy was furious at the nickname and couldn't help shouting at Whitebeard again.
Buggy, that guy, sometimes really seemed foolish and guileless. But Whitebeard was in a good mood and didn't bother with him. Chuckling, he said: "You've come too. Are you also after my head!?"
However, Buggy finally snapped back to reality, remembering just what kind of person he was facing. He had no choice but to steel himself and say: "Th-That's right! Prepare to die!"
Whitebeard knew full well that Crocodile, Buggy, and the others were people Ian had rescued from Impel Down. But what these pirate overlords were really thinking wasn't something Ian could control. So he didn't mind Crocodile and Buggy's disrespectful words. He said: "Taking my head is simple enough, but with all those Marines around, can you handle them? How about this: join us in driving back the Marines first, and then we'll settle things between us!"
Everyone present—whether prisoners from Impel Down, pirates, or Marines—was shocked by this statement.
Whitebeard was actually seeking an alliance with Buggy the Clown!?
As the realization dawned, the crowd gasped in unison.
So that's it! Buggy the Clown really was, like Black Dragon Ian, a hidden master pulling the strings from behind the scenes, a top-tier boss-level figure... The Marines were right to label him as one of the masterminds behind the Impel Down riot!
Meeting an old acquaintance, Whitebeard couldn't help but tease Buggy a bit. Little did he know, this exchange would catapult Buggy to legendary status!
Ian watched this scene, stroking his chin with a grin as he pondered. This situation was somewhat similar to what he remembered, but it perfectly aligned with his expectations. This public exchange between Whitebeard and Buggy would greatly elevate the Marines' threat assessment of Buggy. After the war ended, they might send him an invitation to become a Warlord, just as they had done with Ian.
If Buggy could smoothly ascend to the position of Warlord, then Ian's plan would be complete. So Ian just watched with a smile, pleased with how things were turning out.
After Whitebeard had dealt with Buggy and Crocodile, the rebellious elements among the pirates were temporarily pacified. Whitebeard then swung his naginata, pointing its tip at Sengoku and Garp, and said: "Sengoku! Do you still want to fight now!?"
"Whoooah!!" With the Old Man's words, the pirate side let out a roar, their morale soaring.
"...!!" Sengoku gritted his teeth, staring at Whitebeard. He had now reverted to his normal human form, his Marine admiral's uniform long since torn apart by his transformation, leaving his lean, muscular upper body bare, marked with several old soldier's scars.
He exchanged a glance with Garp beside him. Garp smiled faintly, clenched his fists, and said: "Let's go. Consider it the final performance for us old-timers..."
With that, Sengoku let out a mighty roar and transformed once again into his Great Buddha form. Garp crouched down, his muscles bulging violently, tearing his clothes apart. His fists were coated in a deep, pitch-black Armament Haki!
Vice Admiral Tsuru sighed beside them and said: "Men, huh..."
Though they didn't answer Whitebeard's question, Sengoku and Garp made their stance clear through their actions!
The war had reached this point. The Marines couldn't give up, nor could they retreat just because Whitebeard had shown up.
Watching Sengoku and Garp charge headlong toward Whitebeard, the Marines gritted their teeth and roared as they surged back toward the pirates. The battlefield, which had become clearly divided after Whitebeard's appearance, once again became a chaotic melee.
Both sides instinctively rushed toward their previous opponents. Enel sent a lightning dragon, fangs bared, flying at Kizaru. Aokiji used his powers to conjure an ice saber and swung it at Fujitora.
But Akainu didn't go after Marco. Instead, he scanned the crowd, then leaped in another direction.
"Damn it! Not good!" Ace saw where Akainu was heading and shouted: "Luffy! Watch out!" as he charged that way too.
Ian also spotted Akainu's target and cursed under his breath, following Ace as he dashed out.
Akainu's target was none other than the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, Straw Hat Luffy, who was mixed in with the crowd!
Whitebeard had returned like a king, and his condition was incredibly strong. Akainu could see that too. He didn't know how this war would ultimately end, but after so much sacrifice, if they still failed, the Marines' reputation for justice would take a massive hit. So Akainu thought it over: no matter the outcome, he would at least collect some interest for the Marines!
And that interest was the son of Revolutionary Dragon, Monkey D. Luffy!
Akainu's lower body turned into flowing magma, propelling him toward Luffy. His massive fist, wreathed in thick smoke, hurtled toward Luffy.
But Luffy was still foolishly raising both fists, ready to meet Akainu's attack!
He didn't know how dangerous Akainu was, but Ace did! Flying in, Ace had no time to think. He kicked Luffy square in the face, sending him tumbling to the side.
Akainu's fist missed, but it scorched Ace's calf. To hit Luffy, Ace hadn't used his elemental form, so he was injured. He cried out in pain and fell from midair.
Ace was also one of Akainu's primary targets. Without hesitation, Akainu didn't retract his missed punch. Instead, his other fist transformed into a fierce magma hound, jaws wide, lunging at Ace on the ground.
But just then, Ian arrived. Grabbing Ace by the back of the neck, he flung him backward. At the same time, he spun around and kicked the magma dog head with his foot wreathed in black flames!
Boom! Dark red magma and black flames scattered everywhere. Akainu's attack was deflected. Ian landed, pointed behind him without looking back, and said to Luffy: "Get to the rear. You're no match for him!"
"No!" Luffy, seeing Ace injured for his sake, was fired up. He shouted: "I'm going to knock him away!"
"Shut up! He's a Marine Admiral!" Ian said coldly, staring at him. "Can't you see? He wants to kill you! Get out of here! This isn't the time for you to be stubborn!"
"That's right, Luffy!" Ace stood up too, placing his hat behind his neck, and said: "You're no match for him. Let us handle it!"
"Oh... oh!" Seeing the serious expressions on Ian and Ace's faces, Luffy finally caught on. Though he was thick-headed, he wasn't completely clueless. He immediately turned and ran.
But Akainu shouted loudly at that moment: "Stop him! Straw Hat Luffy is the son of Revolutionary Dragon! He must die!"