As expected, while Kizaru continued to charge his power indefinitely, he finally encountered the surprise he had been waiting for.
"Knight of the Sea" Jinbe and the Okama King Ivankov climbed up the encircling wall.
Ivankov used his "Horm-Horm" Devil Fruit Ability to enlarge his head until it was like a small mountain, allowing the two of them to scale the encircling wall.
Seeing this anomaly, Kizaru naturally withdrew his finger.
A melee immediately broke out between the two sides; Akainu clashed with Whitebeard, while the various Vice Admirals engaged in battle with the captains under Whitebeard's command.
Amidst the chaos, "Phoenix" Marco flanked the battlefield. After charging forward a few steps, his arms transformed into blue flames, and with a flap, he soared into the sky.
In mid-air, he transformed into his full form—a Phoenix with a body of blue flames and a golden flaming tail—and dove straight toward the execution platform.
[Transformation: Phoenix Form successfully learned]
Taro noticed Sengoku raising his arm and was hesitating whether he should strike before Sengoku to put on a show.
Beside him, Garp had already leaped into the air. Raising his right hand high, he threw an iron fist. With a thunderous "Boom," he smashed Marco down, creating a crater five meters wide in the plaza.
The power of a single punch was actually this formidable!
Incredible!
Only these words echoed in Taro's mind.
After landing, Garp went straight to Akainu's seat below the execution platform and sat down.
"If you want to pass through here, you'll have to kill me first!"
Garp's angry shout filled Taro's heart with sorrow; it meant Garp would no longer waver, and he certainly wouldn't allow Taro to rescue Ace.
Simultaneously, as if in sync with Taro's changing state of mind, the clouds in the sky hung lower, and the sea breeze that had died down began to blow again, growing increasingly fierce.
This bleak and murderous atmosphere perfectly mirrored Taro's indignant mood.
Taro was completely unaware that the current weather conditions were vastly different from the clear, sunny skies in the original story.
Footsteps echoed from the stairs behind the execution platform as new executioners walked up.
Taro knew that the key figure, Mr. 3, had made his appearance. It was this "great deity" who used his Wax-Wax Devil Fruit Ability to create the key for Ace's handcuffs.
Feeling a gaze from behind, Taro found it strange. You've already disguised yourself as an executioner; why aren't you hiding properly instead of staring at me?
He turned his head in confusion, only to see Mr. 3 hanging his head timidly, not daring to look at him at all.
Taro's gaze froze. What the hell? Was my perception wrong?
However, the moment Taro turned his head back, his expression stiffened.
Holy crap, why does the executioner opposite Mr. 3 look so familiar too?
Taro, having only turned his head halfway back, whipped it around again to take another look at that soldier. The soldier was also looking at him.
Seeing Taro's astonished gaze, the executioner's lips curled up slightly as he gave Taro a faint smile.
Taro was so horrified he nearly underwent a Soul Emergence. He propped himself up on the execution platform, stumbled clumsily, scrambled back up, and blurted out two words.
"Holy crap!"
Taro spoke these words in his mother tongue. Others might not have understood them, but the shock and confusion in his tone were perfectly conveyed to everyone on the battlefield.
Sensing Taro's loss of composure, Sengoku's face darkened, and he immediately roared,
"Taro, what are you saying? Why are you so flustered?"
Sengoku and Taro—one was the Fleet Admiral, and the other was a powerhouse capable of clashing Haki with Whitebeard and splitting the sky.
Their overreaction scared the disguised Mr. 3 out of his wits. He immediately assumed he had been exposed.
With a sudden "Wah!" he shrieked, threw down his executioner's blade, and threw himself onto the ground. Immediately, a white wax tortoise shell covered his entire body.
Having Incarnated into a "wax turtle" to protect himself, Mr. 3 hid inside the shell, trembling!
The strange occurrence on the execution platform drew the attention of everyone on the battlefield. They temporarily ceased fighting and looked toward the platform.
Although Sengoku was also surprised by Mr. 3's presence, he didn't take him seriously; instead, he was very dissatisfied with Taro's rash reaction.
Just as he was about to reprimand Taro, he noticed that what astonished Taro wasn't Mr. 3, but the executioner who had come up with him.
Sengoku focused his gaze, his pupils shrinking violently. His cheeks twitched several times as he cried out in shock, "It's you?"
The fact that the top Marine powerhouse, "ink dragon" Taro, looked like he had seen a ghost had already left everyone confused.
For Fleet Admiral Sengoku to react the same way was even more incomprehensible.
In an instant, everyone's gaze converged on that executioner.
Mr. 3 also realized that everyone's focus wasn't on him. He peeked through a crack in the tortoise shell and began to observe stealthily.
Facing everyone's gaze, the executioner showed no sign of panic, remaining calm and composed.
Then, he reached out and tore off his executioner's uniform, revealing a deep green coat underneath.
His long black hair fluttered in the wind. His face was resolute, his eyes sparkling with thought and wisdom, and the left side of his face bore a red square-patterned tattoo.
"Why are you here?" Sengoku roared in shock and anger,
"Monkey D. Dragon!"
The entire field fell silent. No one knew how long the silence lasted.
"Eh...!"
A tidal wave of exclamations erupted. Whether they were Marines or pirates, everyone was so horrified they nearly jumped, and their weapons almost slipped from their hands.
"The world's most heinous criminal..."
"The World Government's number one enemy..."
"The infamous Revolutionary..."
"Monkey D. Dragon!"
After his exclamation of "Holy crap," Taro had been petrified on the spot.
What the hell is going on?
I thought the situation was stable, so why did it suddenly fall apart?
How could this big shot from the Revolutionary Army be here?
Has history... changed?!
Taro stood frozen like a wooden chicken. This is a huge joke!
"Ah, it's been a long time, Fleet Admiral Sengoku!" Dragon grinned, revealing a faint smile.
A violent wind rose, and rain began to pour down, clearing the murderous atmosphere of the battlefield.
In the plaza, the large face of the "Okama King" Ivankov was also filled with surprise.
He had thought Luffy's appearance was the signal that the time for the prison break had arrived, but he never expected Dragon himself to appear at Marineford.
Ivankov turned to look at Luffy, who was slumped on the ground, only to see Luffy straining to lift his head, equally astonished.
"Dad...?"
Below the execution platform, Garp, sitting in Akainu's seat, had his mouth wide open, letting the rain pour in, unable to hide the shock in his heart.
After casually greeting Sengoku, Monkey D. Dragon turned back to Taro. After sizing him up carefully from head to toe, he spoke slowly:
"I've finally met you, Taro!"
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