Soon, Sengoku led a platoon towards Ryan and his crew. As they gazed upon the flagless ship and the attire donned by them. Sengoku began to realize that the people standing before him were far from ordinary.
The clothing they wore differed markedly from that of Wanokuni. Furthermore, their presence exuded a formidable power. Such powerful people had lain inactive and unknown in the new world until now. Only to show up at Sabaody Archipelago and kill the celestial dragons. There undoubtedly existed some sort of conspiracy at play.
"Surround them!" Sengoku commanded. "Don't a single one of them is to escape today!"
Observing the eleven individuals in Ryan's group. The Marines of today represented an elite force in the world. Should they fail in apprehending these eleven it would be a considerable disgrace for the Marines.
In compliance with Sengoku's orders, a squadron of Vice Admirals promptly encircled Ryan and his companions. Witnessing the Marines' coordinated actions, Ryan nearly burst into laughter. "Very well, everyone!" he declared. "Let's put an end to this charade without delay!"
Hearing Ryan's words, the Hokages at his side jointly launched an assault against the Marines before them. Meanwhile, Ryan went towards Sengoku.
"Hmph! A bunch of impudent upstarts who fail to recognize their place!" Akainu's voice thundered.
"Every last one of you shall be apprehended and subjected to public execution! Your nerve in slaying the celestial dragons is an outrageously heinous crime!" Confronted by Ryan's charging advance, Sengoku bellowed with authority. His figure underwent a sudden transformation as a towering golden Buddha upon the icy sea. This colossal form swung its palm towards Ryan, unleashing a devastating strike.
"Big Buddha Shockwave."
With a resounding boom, the invisible shockwave hurtled towards Ryan at remarkable speed. But how could such a slow attack possibly land a hit on Ryan the user or RInnegan and Tenseigan? Swiftly dodging, Ryan had already evaded the spot moments before Sengoku's attack plunged into ice.
In the blink of an eye, Sengoku's assault connected with ice, shattering the sea that had just been frozen by Aokiji.
"Missed, did you?" Ryan taunted.
Before Sengoku could use another attack. Ryan's eyes transformed into both Rinnegan and Tenseigan. The anomaly in his eyes didn't escape Sengoku's attention. "The eyes can change! What kind of devil fruit did he eat?"
Sengoku found himself perplexed. Such an ocular transformation was unheard of in his experience. As far as he knew, no race or much less a devil fruit had ever displayed this kind of ability. If such a race existed, it surely would have been put up for auction or experimented on long ago.
Uncertain of the opponent's ability, Sengoku's vigilance heightened.
A resounding "boom" filled the air as a muffled clang echoed. Sengoku was abruptly propelled backwards, his Buddha form hurtling through the air. And crashed into the ice underneath heavily.
The unexpected turn of events left every marine stunned.
"What struck the fleet admiral?"
"I didn't see it. It happened too fast."
"The opponent didn't even seem to move!"
In the ensuing moments, Marines who hadn't yet engaged rushed to Sengoku's side. Slowly, the golden Buddha began to rise from the thick ice.
Staring at the baffling bruise on his body, Sengoku's surprise was evident. He was certain that his opponent had remained still, yet this attack had hit him.
"What kind of ability is this?"
Ryan grinned and he remained silent.
At that moment his four shadows of Limbo had positioned themselves as guardians around Ryan, forming a barrier of unparalleled force. This level of capability was tantamount to Six Paths-level strength within the world of the Hokage.
It was glaringly apparent that Sengoku's strength did not hold a candle to this calibre of power.
However, at that moment, Sengoku was suddenly struck by a realization. The instant he had been hit just before, he seemed to have sensed a faint trace of a figure through his Observation Haki.
But upon closer thought, he deduced that it was captured in the moment of impact. Sengoku's countenance turned instantly grave. He hadn't anticipated that the individuals before him would pose such an unknown challenge.
Aside from Ryan and Sengoku, five giants abruptly emerged on the scene. These towering figures were Hashirama, Madara, Obito, Tobirama, and Sasuke, each fully equipped for battle. As they got ready to fight. They immediately used their Susano forms straightaway. Since the aim was to conclude this fight as soon as possible. They were committed to using their full might.
Five colossal Susans materialized on the ice field causing the Marines to momentarily freeze in their tracks. Confronted with the sight of these gargantuan armoured giants blotting out the sky and their view. The Marines were left dumbfounded.
"Are you kidding me?"
Even Admiral Aokiji had beads of sweat on his head, his gaze fixed upon the awe-inspiring giants before him.
Not to mention the other Marines.
"What kind of ability is this? It can't be a Devil Fruit!"
"Their eyes! Their eyes are crimson!"
"Is this the power of their race?"
The Marines were at a loss for how to proceed.
Akainu, another Admiral, launched an attack to test their opponents. As molten magma surged in both his arms with resolute determination, he locked his fiery gaze on the five Susano ahead. "Great Eruption!"
A deafening explosion accompanied the eruption of the magma rocks propelling them into the sky. The fiery projectiles were directed at the five Susano.
However, the Great Eruption attack had often been a potent display of force. Proved utterly ineffective in the face of Susano comparable to a fortress. Witnessing the Admiral's futile attack despair began to sweep over the ranks of Marines.
Just as the morale of the Marines plummeted to its nadir, a figure suddenly hurtled towards a blue-armoured Susano like a cannonball.
"Don't underestimate us!"
In an instant, a black fist the size of a cooking pot, connected with Susano. The ensuing surge of terrifying power was immediate causing even Uchiha Madara's Susano to break a few ribs and recoil a few steps.
"Vice Admiral Garp!!!"
Spontaneously, a chorus of voices rang out through the Marines chanting Garp's name in unison.
The fact that Garp was capable of unsettling this towering monstrosity injected fresh vigour into the Marines. Madara within his Susanoo regarded the scene with eagerness.
"A single punch to crush a few ribs and push my Susano a few steps!"
"Incredible! This power! I, Uchiha Madara, acknowledge you!"
As Madara vocalized his statement, Garp committed Madara's name to memory.
'Uchiha Madara~'
In that instant, Madara took action. The broken ribs of Susano were instantaneously restored.
An onslaught of Chakra-infused strikes was unleashed with a Susano's sword hurtling towards Garp.
Meeting the challenge head-on, Garp hastily imbued his arms in Armament Haki, blocking the incoming strike. With the sword poised against his defence, Garp readied himself.
As the sword descended, Garp's face grew more solemn. Thankfully, with his powerful Armament Haki held the sword at bay.
Just as Garp let out a sigh of relief, a second sword struck from the side. At that moment, a fusion of red and black lightning enveloped Garp's arm.
"Galaxy Impact puncht!"
Empowered by a surge of strength, Garp's fist collided with Uchiha Madara's colossal Susanoo. His Haki-infused strike bore a ferocious gust, akin to a shockwave that assaulted Madara's Susanoo head-on.
The impact of Garp's punch yielded significant results. Half of Madara's Susanoo was obliterated. Revealing a rarely-seen jubilant Madara within.
Although Madara initially paid little heed to the punch, he now recognized it as a genuine challenge. "Hahahahaha!"
"Brave enough to challenge me with your bare fists! You are first."
"However~"
"That's as far as my praise goes."
Madara's Mangekyo Sharingan activated and his Susanoo began to congeal into a more solid form.
Slowly, before the eyes of all onlookers, the blue-armoured warrior rose again and was even stronger than before. Towering even above Hashirama's Susanoo, the mere presence of this Susanoo exuded pressure so potent that the Marines on the ice found it difficult to breathe.
"Time for action!"
"And your name is Garp, right? Come on! Try to entertain me to your heart's content!"
As Uchiha Madara's words subsided, he drew his sword from its sheath. Instantaneously, a malevolent sword aura surged forward.
Boom—
The Marines on the icy field felt a shiver down their spines. A ferocious noise resounded behind them.
Those who heard it turned their heads, only to find themselves stupefied. The colossal waves, which had been frozen by Admiral Aokiji, were cleaved in half by a single stroke of the sword. The upper portion vanished into thin air.
Silence descended upon the battlefield and the Marines' hearts started sinking.
How were they to contend with such opponents?
Even Garp, previously composed was now grappled with uncertainty.
Staring solemnly at Madara's towering Susanoo. Garp shifted his gaze towards the Susanoos by Hashirama and the others.
If Madara's Susanoo could undergo such change then surely the same could be true for the others.
Contemplating this possibility, Garp's face shifted slightly.
"Sengoku!!! What should we do now?"
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