Chapter 68: Admiral Candidate

At this moment:

"Empress... Empress, the Empress truly wishes to marry you now!"

Pirate Empress Boa Hancock couldn't hide the excitement in her heart and immediately approached Shiro.

"Don't worry, the war isn't over yet," Shiro replied, looking visibly exhausted.

The Pirate Empress nodded obediently. In the next instant, her peerless face turned serious as she positioned herself to protect Shiro. He appeared in bad shape, likely due to the previous move draining much of his energy. Now, it was her duty to protect him!

"Shiro! Shiro! Shiro!"

When the giant Buddha disappeared, and Shiro reappeared, more than 30,000 elite Marines under his command shouted his name in unison!

At that moment, Shiro's status in their hearts was fully solidified. Even the elite sailors who hadn't been swayed by the previous declarations quietly joined Shiro's side. Shiro's performance had been overwhelmingly powerful, and the prior propaganda had indeed been effective, making others yearn to follow him.

The Navy's formation and morale were on the verge of collapse. Meanwhile, the three Admirals who had fought against Shiro earlier were now standing at a distance, covered in scars. They had spent a great deal of effort evading the attacks of the thousands of Buddha's hands.

As Admiral Sengoku the Buddha surveyed the devastation of Marineford, he was visibly shocked. He ignored the wounds on his body, his mouth agape. The Navy Headquarters had disappeared— the very place that once symbolized justice, where he and Garp, the old Marine veterans, had spent most of their lives, was now completely gone. Only a ruined island and demoralized Marines remained.

"Why... How did this war turn out like this?"

Not just Sengoku, but the other high-ranking Marine officers were also shocked. Admiral Akainu abandoned his fight with Whitebeard to witness the tragic state of the Navy Headquarter and the disintegration of the Navy's forces. He suddenly realized that the two pirates, Fire Fist Ace and Straw Hat Luffy, who had inherited the blood of evil, no longer seemed as detestable.

By comparison, the blow and humiliation that Shiro had delivered to the Navy and justice today far surpassed those inflicted by the original Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, and Monkey D. Dragon!

In the history of the Navy, there had never been a failure like today. If Shiro couldn't be buried here, the Navy would become a laughing stock, and justice would become an empty promise. This was something Akainu could never allow!

"Gurararara! That brat Shiro, what a surprise! The Navy's taken quite the loss this time!"

In stark contrast to the Navy's state, the Emperor Whitebeard was in a very good mood. Before this war began, he had prepared for the worst. Even when he reached an agreement with Shiro, he didn't hold out much hope. After all, the Navy was still incredibly strong. But who could have imagined that Shiro alone would cause such tremendous damage to the Navy?

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Shiro had single-handedly turned the tide of the war. Therefore, despite being known as the strongest man in the world, Whitebeard felt fortunate to have reached an agreement with Shiro beforehand.

"Shiro has exhausted his physical strength. All members of the Navy, join me in killing Shiro and restoring the dignity of justice!"

At this moment, Admiral Akainu, who had been observing the situation, suddenly shouted loudly. In the next instant, he launched himself directly at Shiro, catching even Whitebeard off guard.

"No, Ace, take your brother and Marco to regroup. I'll go support that brat, Shiro!"

Whitebeard, realizing that Shiro might be exhausted, turned and instructed Ace as he lifted his weapon to chase after Akainu.

Fire Fist Ace had just recovered from the shock. That guy named Shiro—he looked younger than him. How could he possess such overwhelming strength?!

"Hahaha, Ace, are you surprised by Shiro's strength? That guy is the most talented and promising young Marine I've ever seen. If it weren't for the Celestial Dragons, he would have been a nightmare for all pirates. It's a pity, though..."

The Marine hero Garp sighed from the opposite side. Even so, his feelings were complex. After all, Shiro had become a traitor to the Navy, indirectly helping to save the lives of his two grandsons. But at the same time, Shiro had also become the life-and-death enemy of the Navy and the World Government.

Just when Admiral Akainu took the lead in attacking Shiro again.

The edge of the icy battlefield.

The broken-arm pirate Blackbeard Marshall D. Teach sneaked away with the seriously injured crew.

With their current state, it is useless to stay here.

They could only find opportunities to grab what they wanted later.

"Hahaha, Shiro, you'd better not die here. In the future, I will definitely kill you myself!"

Before leaving, Blackbeard Marshall D. Teach glanced resentfully in the direction where Shiro was.

Today's revenge will be avenged tomorrow!

The premise is that Shiro can survive the crazy counterattack of the Navy.

After all, now that guy Shiro is in a bad state!

...

Center of the battlefield.

The Pirate Empress stood as if facing a formidable enemy, her perfect body in a fighting stance, tightly guarding Shiro behind her.

Now Shiro was not in a good state.

Admiral Akainu had attacked and was closing in.

She would never let Shiro get hurt!

"Hancock..."

Shiro looked at the perfect back of the Pirate Empress, and a smug smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

He and the Pirate Empress, although not having a long-term relationship, shared a connection that would last.

Just as Admiral Akainu led several Vice Admirals and attacked with a magma offensive,

A mature and powerful figure suddenly arrived, also protecting Shiro in front of her.

It was Vice Admiral Momousagi!

"Aunt Momousagi?!"

Seeing this, Shiro couldn't help but be surprised.

Although the picture of two peerless beauties taking risks to protect him was very comforting, this was no trivial matter for Aunt Momousagi!

Coming here at such a time and not dealing with Shiro was tantamount to betraying the Navy!

At this moment, Shiro was very moved.

He knew that Aunt Momousagi must have made a great determination.

But how could he have the heart to let these two women take risks to protect him?

After all, Aunt Momousagi was the senior he respected the most, and the best person in the Navy to him.

And Hancock was his woman!

"Yo~ To be able to make these two women take you so seriously, Shiro is really a terrible guy~"

Admiral Kizaru (Borsalino) looked at the scene not far away and muttered.

In fact, he could have cooperated with Akainu and even attacked Shiro directly before Akainu.

But for some reason, he just didn't want to.

There was even a not-so-good foreboding.

This kid Shiro was not easy to deal with.

Today's workload was enough; how much was his daily salary?

Let Akainu handle it.

"Momousagi, Pirate Empress, step aside. My goal is Shiro!"

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+45 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg

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