Chapter 378: Immediately Dispatch the God Knights
Uchiha Dali's replica clone made an unprecedented move—he directly attacked the Marines at Marineford.
In just the blink of an eye, tens of thousands of Marine officers and soldiers were killed or injured.
One must know that, in order to confront the Whitebeard Pirates in this war, Marine Headquarters had gathered only about a hundred thousand elite Marines from around the world.
Such massive casualties left Fleet Admiral Sengoku utterly stunned.
At that moment, not only did Sengoku himself take the field to try to stop Uchiha Dali's replica clone, but even Garp—who had been slacking off until now—had no choice but to join the fight personally.
Seeing the two old legends make their move, the three Marine Admirals—Borsalino, Sakazuki, and Kuzan—immediately followed suit.
In an instant, five of the Navy's top-tier powerhouses simultaneously surrounded and attacked Uchiha Dali's replica clone.
Seeing their combined assault, the clone finally smiled in satisfaction.
"Now that's more like it."
"If you don't fight back, how am I supposed to grow stronger?"
Facing five top-class combatants attacking him at once, Uchiha Dali's replica clone once again spread his arms wide, adopting a posture that seemed to say, Do whatever you want to me.
Through the live broadcast, the entire world was once again shaken by his audacious display.
Meanwhile, on the vast continent of Grandline...
Within the Chamber of Authority, the Five Elders watched the battle with grave expressions.
None of them had expected that even with the three Admirals, Sengoku, and Garp joining forces, they still couldn't do anything to Uchiha Dali's replica clone.
"Who on earth is this man? His very existence is becoming a severe threat to us!" the bald Elder said gravely.
Even if Uchiha Dali's replica clone hadn't yet shown explicit hostility toward the World Government, the sheer level of his power made him far more dangerous than any pirate alive.
Beasts Kaido, Whitebeard—the so-called strongest man in the world—Big Mom, Red-Haired Shanks… all of them seemed pitifully weak before this mysterious man.
No matter how much respect or fear the world held for those pirates, no matter how many legends surrounded them, they were still human—mere flesh and blood that could be defeated.
But this mysterious man rampaging through Marineford had already transcended human understanding of power.
What kind of monster was he?
He couldn't be killed. Even after being attacked by the combined might of the three Admirals and two legends, he remained completely unscathed.
"To me, it feels like he doesn't even belong to this world… but from another dimension," the long-haired Elder said solemnly.
It wasn't a firm conclusion—more like a metaphor. Yet, the others nodded in agreement.
They all felt that the man wreaking havoc in Marineford was absurdly powerful—no longer something that could be described as human.
"It seems we'll have to deploy the God Knights immediately," said the bald Elder with glasses in a deep tone.
He was the original wielder of the cursed blade Kitetsu I, a man of terrifying strength.
Hearing his words, the other Elders exchanged glances. "We might need to consult Lord Im first about this…"
"No need," came a cold voice before they could act. "Immediately dispatch the God Knights!"
"The Whitebeard Pirates must be annihilated—leave no one alive. Whitebeard himself, the instigator, must be punished!"
"The entire world is watching our every move. If we lose this war, the consequences will shake the very foundations of the world!"
"And that man—no matter who he is or what his purpose may be—must be eliminated at all costs!"
Before they could even go to meet Im, the special Den Den Mushi before them transmitted his voice directly.
Clearly, Im was personally monitoring the situation at Marineford.
Hearing his order, the Five Elders didn't dare delay for even a moment—they immediately commanded the God Knights to mobilize.
The elite God Knights, who had long been assembled and awaiting orders, departed at once for Marineford.
…
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Sengoku, Garp, Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan—the five Marine powerhouses—were now bombarding Uchiha Dali's replica clone relentlessly.
Their goal was simple: ideally, to destroy the clone.
If that wasn't possible, then to stall him for as long as they could.
The situation was clear—so long as they kept attacking, the mysterious man wouldn't counterattack.
But the moment they stopped, he would mercilessly turn his power against the Marines and the Pacifistas at Marineford.
That would almost certainly lead to the total annihilation of Marine Headquarters—a result absolutely unacceptable.
Vice Admiral Tsuru understood this delicate balance perfectly.
Although she wasn't fighting personally, she remained on the battlefield directing the overall command, continuously issuing orders to coordinate the Marine troops still engaged in combat and to maintain an organized offensive against the Whitebeard Pirates.
Meanwhile, just outside Marineford's waters—
A massive pirate ship appeared.
It was the Red Force, the flagship of another Emperor of the Sea from the New World—"Red-Haired" Shanks.
The entire Red-Haired Pirates crew had come to put an end to the conflict between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Marines.
However, an unexpected delay during their journey had caused them to arrive late.
And at this very moment, neither Shanks nor his crew had any idea what was currently happening at Marineford.
"Up ahead lies Marine Headquarters—Marineford," said first mate Benn Beckman as he stood at the bow, gazing into the distance.
Shanks, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them.
"Prepare for battle, everyone," he said with a grin.
"Strange," came the puzzled voice of Yasopp, the ship's sniper.
Everyone turned to look at him.
"What's wrong, Yasopp?"
Frowning, Yasopp—whose Observation Haki was exceptionally powerful—replied, "Something's off at Marineford. It feels… chaotic. It's not just the Marines and the Whitebeard Pirates fighting."
His words immediately drew Shanks's attention.
As the youngest of the Four Emperors, Shanks's strength was beyond question.
He instinctively activated his Observation Haki to sense the situation ahead—
And his expression darkened.
Not only could he hear the distant sounds of battle, but his Haki had also caught a glimpse of the future.
The instant he saw what awaited there, Shanks's face changed slightly.