...just how terrifying would that power become?!
"How bad are the injuries, Zephyr?" Garp asked, his voice heavy with concern.
"They are nothing serious… but today is going to be one hell of a tough fight!" Zephyr replied, taking a deep breath.
With his level of power, wounds like this were merely scratches.
However, the reality was grim. The battle had barely begun, and El wasn't even fighting at full strength yet… yet they were already being pushed back.
Zephyr could already tell that this was going to be an uphill battle unlike any other.
"This is indeed a fight we are unlikely to win… but no matter what! Even if it costs us our lives today, we cannot allow El to obtain that fruit!" Sengoku declared solemnly.
---
"I will join you as well."
Just as the three men braced themselves to attack El once more, Tsuru suddenly spoke up.
Sengoku turned to her, startled. "Tsuru! Your mission is to take the fruit and return to Headquarters! You must not involve yourself in this danger!"
They were risking their lives right now solely to buy her time to escape. They thought she would have left long ago, but to their surprise, she had stayed here watching the entire time!
"That's right! El is strong, but the three of us can still hold him back! You need to go now!" Zephyr urged her.
El's power was indeed beyond their imagination. A single slash had nearly overwhelmed them and injured Zephyr.
But as terrifying as he was, El couldn't kill them instantly. As long as they focused on defense, they believed they could delay him.
"Go now, Tsuru! Deliver the fruit! If we succeed in this mission, then even if we die here, our deaths will mean something!" Garp shouted.
To them, the fruit was more important than their own lives.
They understood that even if the three of them died here today, El would still not be able to conquer the world completely. He would still face resistance.
But if El obtained the Op-Op Fruit and gained immortality… then neither the Marines nor the World Government would ever be able to stop him again.
El's influence spanned the entire globe. Even if they gathered every top fighter, he could simply choose to avoid battle and hide.
His growth seemed limitless. If he was allowed to live forever, training and growing stronger in secret… by the time he reappeared, they feared that even the legendary Imu would not be able to defeat him.
They were willing to die here today just to prevent that future from coming true.
"After thinking it over… I have decided not to leave. Today, we either defeat El together… or we all die here together." Tsuru shook her head slowly.
Originally, she had every intention of taking the fruit and leaving the fight to the others.
But after watching what just happened… she knew the truth. If she left now, Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyr would definitely be killed by El!!!
She could not abandon the friends she had spent decades with.
Today, she would take a risk. She would stand with them. Four against one.
If they won, they would eliminate the greatest threat to the world.
If they lost, the fruit would be taken, and they would perish.
This was truly a battle that would decide the fate of the entire world. The consequences of victory or defeat were unimaginable and infinite!!!
---
"Tsuru…"
Hearing her resolve, Garp fell silent, his expression grave.
He knew exactly what it meant for her to stay and fight.
Yet, he couldn't bring himself to order her to leave again. Because if she left… their deaths were guaranteed.
If she stayed, they might actually have a slim chance of winning.
But the price of failure would be catastrophic.
Truly… the Marines had been cornered into an impossible situation by this monster named El.
"Very well. If you intend to stay, then fight alongside us, Tsuru!" Sengoku said after a moment of thought, nodding firmly.
"Even with the four of us, winning through brute force is almost impossible. However… if Tsuru can use her Devil Fruit ability and touch El… then we might just have a chance!!!"
Zephyr looked at the others seriously.
Tsuru possessed the Wash-Wash Fruit.
Its power allowed her to "clean" the evil out of a person's heart.
Over decades of mastery, she had developed it to its absolute peak. Anyone she touched would not only have their sins washed away… but also their fighting will and a significant portion of their actual strength!!!
"We will attack El with everything we have! We need to create an opening for Tsuru to touch him!" Garp stated.
They had already seen El's power firsthand. It was so overwhelming that they felt helpless.
And they all knew one thing for certain: what El had shown them so far was not even his full strength!!!
Once El decided to get serious, even four of them together would likely be crushed like eggs.
Therefore, fighting him head-on with raw power was suicide.
The only logical strategy was to use Tsuru's ability to weaken him first. If she could "clean" his fighting spirit and power… their odds of winning would increase dramatically!!!
"Understood."
Zephyr and Sengoku nodded in agreement.
This was their only hope.
Not far away, El looked at Tsuru with cold eyes and spoke indifferently.
"So you've decided to stay and fight? That actually saves me a lot of trouble."
He was indeed stronger than the three men combined, but they were still the top fighters of the Marines. Defeating them would take time.
And time was all Tsuru needed to escape far away with the fruit. Tracking her down afterwards would have been annoying.
But now that she was here, joining them… it was much simpler.
Defeat all four of them here and now, and the Op-Op Fruit would be his for the taking!!!
---
Meanwhile, in the distance.
Doflamingo and his crew had heard the massive explosions and rushed over at top speed to witness the scene.
__________________
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