One Piece: Transmigrated as Crocodile

Chapter 384 - CHAPTER 385 - CP0 Commander's Ability, Red-Hair Approaches

"The World Government and Marine Headquarters are different. You don't understand. We are the final order on the seas." Garp shook his head, but his attacks didn't weaken, suppressing Rosen again and making counterattacks difficult.

"I know that. But no matter how Marine Headquarters clings to its so-called justice, you cannot escape the World Government's interference. You know the world's truth yet still stand with the Marines. You have your reasons. But there is no 'final order,' no 'eternal nation.' The old order will be shattered sooner or later. What will you do then? Still defend the rot?" Rosen held some respect for Garp.

"You've merely glimpsed a corner of the world and think you understand the whole picture. Even if many Celestial Dragons are trash, that's not all of them. The World Nobles haven't maintained their throne solely on their predecessors' merits. Only under such a dominant structure do we have the chance to enact our own justice."

"Cold-bloodedness reigns in matters of grand strategy. If even a corner of the world cannot be properly maintained, collapse is only a matter of time." Rosen felt a chill. From Garp's words, he glimpsed another aspect of the World Government, or rather, had it confirmed.

The World Government truly didn't rely solely on Marine Headquarters as its super trump card. It concealed power sufficient to shake the world. But why was Garp telling him this?

He was his enemy.

"Ever since you left Alabasta, I've investigated everything about you. I don't know what you aim to do, but I hope that whatever you do, you understand the essence of things before acting."

"Are you urging me towards good?" Rosen felt somewhat annoyed. He hadn't expected Garp to lecture him like this.

"No, I'm urging you not to embrace evil."

"Then will you let me go?"

"That won't do. I am, after all, a Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters. And you shouldn't have killed Akainu. Even I don't like that guy, but he was still a Marine Admiral. A volcano looming over the heads of pirates on the sea. Now you've removed that volcano. Crime rates worldwide will skyrocket. That's the consequence of your actions." As he spoke, Garp threw several more punches.

Rosen blocked the first few. The last one, he couldn't quite handle. Blood surged up into his mouth.

"Has Marine Headquarters never lost an Admiral before?" Rosen sneered. What nonsense. Were they supposed to bear the consequences of killing an enemy? That was absurd.

If I sell you a kitchen knife, and you kill someone with it, is that my fault? Such indirect consequences, right and wrong are hard to define. But Rosen firmly believed he had only done what he needed to do.

Garp was momentarily taken aback. That wasn't the case. Over Marine Headquarters' long history, Admirals had died, Admirals had defected. There were many.

"If your order requires a high-pressure volcano to suppress it, that only indicates one thing: Marine Headquarters' own inaction. If governance were truly good, there would be no need to rely on iron-fisted measures to suppress all crime." Rosen fought while retreating.

Garp fell silent. He hadn't expected this pirate before him to have such a penetrating view of Marine Headquarters and the World Government's order. Perhaps not penetrating, but rather a unique understanding.

An understanding that even Garp was momentarily at a loss for how to respond to.

"Vice Admiral Garp, that's a bit unfair. After all, I contributed to saving Ace. If Akainu hadn't died, do you think someone of his temperament would have spared the Pirate King's bloodline? Given the situation earlier, if he had been free to act, the outcome might have been very different..."

Seeing Garp silent, Rosen pressed on. Garp wasn't unreasonable; his love for Ace and Luffy was not insignificant.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have nearly lost it when Akainu killed Ace originally.

"Shut up, you brat!" Garp's stern expression immediately changed as he shouted. His attacks unconsciously weakened a bit, because a terrifying possibility suddenly occurred to him.

If, by some chance, Ace had really been killed by Akainu... what would he have done?

Hmm? Rosen felt Garp's attacks weaken. He was slightly relieved. He wouldn't be relentlessly bombarded by Garp's monstrous iron fists, oppressed and unable to mount a full counterattack.

And at that moment, a roar filled with frenzied, berserk rage erupted: "Crocodile! I'll kill you!!"

It was Blackbeard's voice.

From that utterly furious, frantic roar, Rosen knew Blackbeard's attempt to seize the Tremor-Tremor Fruit had failed. That was good.

But the current situation was turning rather bad.

Boom! Blackbeard charged over with immense force, black mist erupting wildly. The nearby area seemed to instantly lose all light, shrouded in darkness on the ground.

The black mist coiled around Blackbeard's body, making him appear extremely powerful. Then he threw a punch.

Rosen's expression changed slightly. He had just taken a punch from Garp, his energy was in turmoil, and he couldn't easily muster his strength.

Even if Garp's killing intent wasn't strong, his power was simply too great! Rosen could somewhat resist, but it wasn't easy.

Now, with Blackbeard joining the fray, it would be truly dangerous.

"Earth Tremor, Sky-Piercing Sand Spikes!" Rosen abruptly retreated, slamming his palm on the ground. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! In an instant, sharp yellow sand spikes erupted like mountain peaks, over a hundred meters high, directly launching the charging Blackbeard into the air.

But Garp's fist also landed solidly on Rosen's head at that moment, sending him flying over a thousand meters. Rosen's head spun.

"Good. The gamble paid off. Garp didn't immediately go for the kill. If I had defended against Garp's attack, Blackbeard would definitely have gone for the kill. By defending against Blackbeard and taking Garp's attack, it's much safer. But it really hurts." Rosen tumbled several times on the ground before grabbing the earth to stabilize himself.

Faced with both attacks, he could only choose to defend against one and take the other.

"Damn, hit him too lightly." Garp saw Rosen stand up. Then a massive sandstorm swirled, sand waves rolling, nearly enveloping the entire Marine Headquarters.

"What's going on? A sandstorm?"

And Rosen's figure began to vanish into the sandstorm.

"Don't think of escaping!" Blackbeard roared. But this natural disaster of a sandstorm, though insufficient to kill him or Garp, was still an obstacle requiring time to clear.

"Let's cooperate again another time." Rosen left these words, preparing to flee.

"Hmph. Next time, I'll definitely take your life." Hathaway looked at Kizaru, left these words, and also vanished. Kizaru didn't give up, pursuing, but was forced back by a sword beam.

"No one is leaving! Use your ability. Solidify the entire island. How long can you hold?" Fleet Admiral Kong looked at the CP0 Commander.

They had arrived at the battlefield.

"Five to ten minutes, depending on their attack frequency and intensity. If multiple powerful pirates attack jointly, no more than two minutes. Also, while maintaining the solidification ability, I cannot take action myself."

"Then we'll finish this quickly! The target is Blackbeard first." Fleet Admiral Kong gazed coldly at the entire battlefield. Even if they didn't want a quick resolution, it probably wasn't possible now. They had deployed so much force from outside Marine Headquarters.

The New World and the defensive forces of various nations were left vulnerable. This time, a dozen or more countries might undergo massive changes. Even with over 170 affiliated nations, such losses were still very significant.

"Understood." The CP0 Commander replied. Wearing a mask and the department's distinctive uniform, he spread his hands. Suddenly, the sky darkened.

"Solidify!" As his voice fell, the air around Marine Headquarters seemed to stop flowing. The entire Marine Headquarters was enveloped within a giant air bubble.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Cannonballs fired by the fleet outside Marine Headquarters towards the island all struck this transparent barrier and exploded.

Many retreating pirates also collided with this air barrier as if hitting a solid wall, instantly bruised and battered.

"What is this?! We're trapped?!" A pirate stared blankly for a moment, feeling the air barrier before him, then looked up. The entire Marine Headquarters was enclosed.

"They've finally arrived." Fleet Admiral Sengoku murmured to himself. He didn't know if this was good or bad, but the escalation of the war was beyond his control.

"What in the world is this?" Jinbe, Luffy, Sabo, and the others were also fighting at the edge. Marco insisted on leading the Whitebeard Pirates' retreat. Though losses were heavy, Marine Headquarters wasn't faring much better.

"Dragon Claw Fist!" Sabo unleashed a full-power strike, energy scattering, but it couldn't break through.

"Gomu Gomu no Rocket!"

"Fire Fist!"

Boom! The bubble barrier shook violently but still didn't break.

Not far away, at sea.

The pirate ship of the Yonko, the Red-Hair Pirates, suddenly appeared.

Red-Haired Shanks looked gravely at Marine Headquarters in the distance. "Get to Marine Headquarters as fast as possible. The situation has likely escalated. The World Government actually sent even him out. Aren't they afraid all their bases in the New World will be wiped out?"

(End of Chapter)

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