The natural system started off strong, but the navy finally reached its peak!

Everyone's expression was extremely solemn!

Because they could clearly feel that the surging Conqueror's Haki within the man beneath them was still raging wildly!

The explosive power and threatening level displayed by that punch that just defeated Akainu

It was no less powerful than Whitebeard's sky-shaking strike at his peak, or Shiki's all-consuming lion's might at his peak!

This is no longer the carefree naval hero he used to be!

Garp was pinned to the ground by the three men, his face pressed against the cold, rough gravel, the immense force making it impossible for him to move an inch.

But, unexpectedly, he did not struggle.

Because if he really wanted to break free, these three people really couldn't control him.

But instead, uncontrollable tears streamed down her face.

His body trembled violently and uncontrollably from the despair and grief.

Garp was pinned to the ground, his eyes fixed, unblinking, glued to the distance.

The nail was driven into Ace's body, which lay in a pool of blood, its chest pierced through, lifeless and now cold.

That child... the one he brought back to Windmill Village when he was little, the one he raised with his "iron fist of love".

That child who always rebelliously called out "old man," and who would cry and recount his past on the sea cliff during his vacation...

That... his grandson whom he treated like his own son...

The last words spoken in life...

It wasn't resentment towards the world, nor was it calling out for his biological parents, or even for the white-bearded man who treated him like a son...

Instead, with her last ounce of strength, filled with endless despair and pleading, she uttered that cry...

"grandfather!!!!!!!"

That shout, at this moment, was like the sharpest blade, repeatedly cutting into Garp's heart.

He promised Rouge he would protect the child...

He raised this child under immense pressure...

He watched helplessly as he embarked on the path of pirates, powerless to stop him...

In the end... he still couldn't protect him...

At the end of his life, his grandfather couldn't even give him a response, a hug...

Immense guilt, endless grief, and a heart-wrenching sense of powerlessness completely consumed this naval hero.

He stopped roaring, stopped struggling, and was pressed to the cold ground, letting out suppressed sobs that sounded like wailing, letting his tears flow freely.

All his domineering aura and power had dissipated, leaving only an ordinary old man heartbroken at the loss of his beloved grandson.

“Garp…”

Looking at his old friend, who was pinned to the ground, no longer struggling, only letting out desperate cries.

A complex and indescribable emotion flashed across Zhan Guo's face.

At this moment, what does the duty of a naval admiral matter, what does maintaining the stability of the overall battlefield situation matter, what does punishing out-of-control behavior matter...

All these heavy considerations pale in comparison to the purest, most intense grief of losing a loved one.

Sengoku subconsciously pursed his lips.

He recalled his adopted son from many years ago, whom he treated as his own...

So, he... knows that feeling.

Sengoku then gradually loosened his grip on Garp's head with his hands, eventually removing them completely.

As marshal, he had to maintain order.

But as a man who had also lost a "son"

At this moment, he chose to grant his old friend the right to grieve without interference.

.......

Meanwhile, on the supply island on the edge of Marineford, which suffered an undeserved disaster.

Covered in blood and on the verge of death, Sakazuki miraculously managed to stand up from the crater in the mountainside, thanks to his monstrous physique and indomitable will.

He first wiped the blood from his eyes, his gaze fixed on the distant battlefield, his fists clenched, lava dripping uncontrollably, scorching the ground.

"I never expected that a dignified naval hero..." His voice was hoarse and broken, filled with anger and sarcasm at being betrayed.

"They will also...abandon justice..."

Driven by intense killing intent and an obsessive pursuit of "absolute justice," Akainu disregarded his own severe injuries, and magma once again coalesced on his fist.

"In that case, then I will..."

Just as he was about to take action, even if it meant dragging his crippled body back to "correct" what he considered an unforgivable betrayal...

An extremely cold aura instantly froze the island and the surrounding sea, completely sealing off the supply island!

Aokiji arrived sometime earlier.

He stood before Akainu, radiating a chilling aura, his eyes no longer displaying their usual laziness.

"Fire Fist Ace is dead."

"The navy won this war."

"Get out of my way, Kuzan!!" Akainu roared, his killing intent undisguised.

In his view, Aokiji's obstruction at this moment was also a form of betrayal.

Faced with Akainu's murderous intent, Aokiji did not back down.

Instead, he suddenly took a step forward, his voice rising abruptly as he shouted.

"Sakazuki!!"

The rebuke, carrying a chilling intent that seemed to freeze everything, brought a moment of stillness to the surrounding, restless air.

Aokiji stared directly into Akainu's violent eyes and uttered each word clearly and forcefully.

"The person who just hit you wasn't the naval hero Monkey D. Garp!!"

"He was just... a grandfather who lost his grandson!!!"

"No matter how absolute your sense of justice is..."

"There should be a limit!!"

"You bastard!!!"

Ice and fire, two naval admirals with vastly different ideologies, formed a brief standoff on this shattered island.

Aokiji, in his own way and with his own sense of justice, drew a line.

There are some areas that even "absolute justice" should not tread.

"Kuzan, do you really want to end up killing your own contemporaries?"

"Sakazuki, I can stop you now, don't force me."

Seeing the ice crystals spreading under Aokiji's feet, Akainu almost ground his back teeth to dust!

This feud, this grudge, has now been completely formed between the two!

Chapter 479 Are you sure? Red Hair

Meanwhile, in Marineford, the main battlefield.

Aokiji's ability to spare time to stop Akainu sent a clear signal.

The blockade formed by Admirals Aokiji and Kizaru on the outer perimeter has been lifted!

However, as if to confirm this, a calm and powerful aura of Conqueror's Haki slowly swept across the entire battlefield.

Immediately afterwards, a group of figures appeared at the broken entrance to the harbor.

The leader, clad in a black cloak, with three claw marks around his left eye and the famous sword "Griffin" hanging at his waist, was none other than Red-Haired Shanks!

He led the elite members of the Red-Haired Pirates, including Ben Beckman, Yasopp, Lulu, and Hongo.

Standing tall before the rest of the navy, it formed a new standoff with the remaining navy.

Shanks' gaze first swept over the ravaged battlefield, then passed over the remains of Whitebeard and Shiki.

Finally, his gaze lingered briefly on Ace's body lying in a pool of blood, a barely perceptible hint of heaviness flashing deep within his eyes.

That was Captain Roger's...only son.

But then he withdrew his gaze, raised his head, looked directly at the Warring States period, and his voice, clear and powerful, resounded throughout the surrounding area.

"The Warring States period should end this war!"

"It's pointless to continue!"

The redhead's words carried an undeniable weight.

Behind him were the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates and other surviving pirates who were quickly boarding the ship to evacuate. Straw Hat Luffy had already been taken away by Jinbe and others in the chaos.

The Red-Haired Pirates arrived not to fight, but to bring an end to this brutal war.

"Red hair..."

Sengoku looked at the scene before him, then glanced at Garp beside him, who was still immersed in great grief and was being helped up by Zephyr. He gritted his teeth, feeling equally exhausted.

The cost of war has already been heavy enough; continuing to fight might indeed, as Shanks said, render all meaningless.

However, just as the balance of power within the Warring States period was tipping and preparations were underway to declare the war over...

"Is it over or not...?"

A familiar voice suddenly rang out, shattering the last serenity of the battlefield.

"It's not up to you, a mere pirate, to decide!"

All the naval soldiers were taken aback upon hearing this voice.

Immediately, their faces erupted with uncontrollable excitement, as if they had found their pillar of support, and they raised their arms in unison, shouting...

"General Gern!!!!!"

Under the spotlight, Gern, wearing a slightly tattered but still impeccably tailored Justice Coat with Garp's Justice Coat slung over his arm, strolled out.

Behind them, Ribo, Enel, and Tesoro followed closely, exuding an imposing aura.

Meanwhile, the Seven Warlords of the Sea, who were originally either loafing around or observing from the sidelines,

Doflamingo, Moria, and Hancock, whose return is unknown.

They had already stopped fighting and stood silently to the side, making their stance clear that someone had taken the opportunity to beat them up.

The fate of Marineford was already sealed.

But how it will end, and who will define the direction of this ending, is something Gern, through his powerful return and words, has declared.

The initiative still rests with the navy, and with "Tianzhen"!

As Redhead watched Gern relentlessly pursue him, his gaze suddenly turned cold, a sharp glint flashing beneath his signature composure as if his bottom line had been crossed.

So he took a deep breath, preparing to speak, using that "righteous" approach of maintaining balance and avoiding greater casualties to respond.

“Gern, you know what will happen if this continues…”

"Stop pretending, Redhead!" Gern interrupted bluntly.

"Actually, you could have withdrawn from the battlefield when Kaido left... right?"

Shanks' pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

Gern pointed out the subtle time difference in his actions.

It wasn't that he was incapable of intervening earlier, but rather that he chose this most crucial juncture.

“But you still chose…to land at this time,” Gern continued, his tone mocking, his gaze falling on Ace’s remains.

Then he strolled over and covered Garp with the Justice Coat that Garp had taken off at the beginning.