Chapter 370: Is This Guy a Monster?
Sakazuki's relentless assault—one had to admit—was producing some effect.
Under his unrestrained, cost-be-damned bombardment, Uchiha Dali's clone in the sky was being forced back little by little.
To the onlookers, this seemed to be a sign that he could no longer withstand the damage. It gave the entire Navy the illusion that victory was within reach—and made Sakazuki believe he could truly defeat his opponent.
Everyone's eyes remained fixed on the continuous explosions in the sky.
None of them noticed that, down on the ground, the pirate Monkey D. Luffy had already reached the edge of the execution platform.
"Ace!!"
Luffy shouted up toward the platform, "I'm here to save you!!"
If only he'd kept his mouth shut.
The instant his voice rang out, countless eyes snapped toward him from every direction around the execution platform.
Sengoku's face darkened—he suddenly remembered that the Navy was facing more than just the mysterious man in the sky.
"As long as I'm here, I won't let you take a single step closer!"
Facing the charging Luffy, Sengoku's tone was grave and commanding.
Beside him, Garp's gaze was fixed solely on Luffy.
"Stop right there, Luffy!!"
There was no doubt—Garp's heart was in turmoil.
His own grandson had become a pirate, while he himself was the Navy's legendary hero, Vice Admiral Garp.
Now fate had arranged for them to face each other here on the battlefield.
He had no choice but to make an agonizing decision.
His fists clenched tightly.
"Grandpa! Don't stop me! I'm taking Ace away!!"
Luffy shouted as he sprinted up the stone-pillar path his comrades had created for him, racing toward the execution platform.
Ace, who had been watching Sakazuki's battle with the mysterious man in fascination, finally snapped back to reality.
Emotion welled up inside him—seeing his little brother rushing closer, tears filled his eyes. "Luffy!"
"Ace!!"
Their eyes met. Luffy, fired up as if injected with pure adrenaline, charged forward even faster.
At that moment, Garp could no longer hold back. With a roar, he leapt high into the air, his fist cocked back. "That's enough, Luffy!!"
"If you want to pass—you'll have to defeat me first!"
With that shout, Garp struck downward.
A heavy boom echoed—Luffy was sent flying, crashing hard to the ground, blood trickling from his cheek.
But he refused to give up. Gritting his teeth, he got back up, shouting, "Grandpa! Please don't stand in my way!"
Roaring, he rushed at Garp again—and threw a punch straight at his face.
No one could explain what happened next.
Garp—Vice Admiral of the Navy, a man of overwhelming strength, who had once cornered the Pirate King Roger multiple times—somehow couldn't block this seemingly ordinary blow from rookie Luffy.
He didn't even dodge it.
With a bang, Luffy's punch landed squarely. Garp was struck head-on, sent flying backward, blood spilling from his mouth and his head bleeding from the impact.
Luffy's blow had knocked him out cold.
Without hesitation, Luffy dashed toward the execution platform once more.
High above, watching Garp's fall, Uchiha Dali and Ōtsutsuki Kyōshiki exchanged dull, indifferent glances.
Kyōshiki scoffed coldly, "How tedious. Such meaningless human sentiment."
"This is probably why inferior life forms can never evolve into higher beings."
Uchiha Dali said nothing in response.
He was focused on his own clone.
After enduring Sakazuki's Meteor Volcano for the third time, his clone had been pushed back about a meter—but its aura had grown at least a third stronger than before.
From Dali's perspective, he could clearly see that the ice-shield armor and Armament Haki coating his clone hadn't been broken at all.
Even the outermost defensive layer alone was enough to absorb most of Sakazuki's damage.
However, to those who didn't understand what was happening, it looked as though Uchiha Dali's clone had been completely swallowed by the explosion's shockwaves—facing certain death, with no chance of survival.
Sakazuki cherished every remaining minute.
Though continuously using his ultimate moves placed a huge strain on him, he didn't dare let up for even a second.
As long as the feedback from his attacks told him the target was still there, he would not stop.
Another round of furious bombardment followed.
Time passed—minute by minute—in the storm of destruction.
Soon, the eight-minute countdown ended.
Across the entire Marineford battlefield, everyone instinctively held their breath, eyes fixed on the black smoke and fiery glow in the sky.
Meanwhile, on the Sabaody Archipelago, the nobles waited anxiously for the outcome.
Even the Five Elders atop the Holy Land of Mariejois (Mary Geoise) appeared uneasy.
Countless eyes across the world were locked on the live broadcast.
Time itself seemed to freeze.
Not a single person even paid attention to Luffy successfully rescuing Ace from the platform.
Sengoku, Vice Admiral Tsuru, and every other top Navy officer—all of them stared unblinking at the explosion zone above.
Sakazuki calmly lit a cigar and clamped it between his teeth.
Then he glanced toward the execution platform.
Luffy had indeed freed Ace, but the latter was still shackled with seastone chains—he couldn't possibly escape.
"This battle's over," Sakazuki said confidently.
Anyone who had taken his attacks head-on for ten full minutes—every strike a full-force assault—couldn't possibly have survived.
Not even the so-called "world's strongest man," nor any "creature stronger than sea, land, or air."
No one could endure that and remain alive.
The molten ash and smoke began to clear from the sky.
Gradually, the silhouette within the flames came back into view.
Every transponder snail across Marineford focused on that point in the sky.
Suddenly, someone caught a glimpse of a faint shape amid the haze.
"Gulp… H-he's… still alive!!"
That single, trembling shout sent shockwaves through Marineford—pirates and marines alike were stunned.
More and more people saw it too—the unmistakable form of Uchiha Dali's clone emerging from the fading smoke.
"He's alive! He's really still alive!!"
"Is this guy… a monster?! How can he be completely unharmed?! That was Admiral Sakazuki's attack!!"
"You've got to be kidding me—he actually survived that?!"
"…"
As the smoke fully dispersed, more and more onlookers could see him clearly—Uchiha Dali's clone, standing unscathed amid the dying embers.