Chapter 61: The Earthly Branches vs the Navy [1]!

"Enemy attack!!"

The blaring sirens echoed across the fleet, warning every marine onboard the warships. The entire fleet collectively froze in shock, their eyes locked on the five figures hovering ominously in the distant sky.

Everyone's faces twisted in disbelief. Cold sweat dripped as someone muttered in terror, "It's the Hive Master… scientist Edie!"

"And the four Earthly Branches under his command..."

"Chenlong! Weiyang! Zishu...!"

On one of the ships, Momousagi burst out of the cabin, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the targets. Her gaze locked onto one unfamiliar figure. "That's not Shenhou... a mask I've never seen before!" she murmured, her mind racing to figure out the identity of the new enemy. Unbeknownst to her, Wuma had last been seen confronting Charlotte Linlin on Whole Cake Island, an event Marine intelligence had not been privy to.

Momousagi wasn't the only one reacting to the unexpected threat. In moments, the senior officers emerged from their respective warships, assessing the unfolding situation.

Aokiji, groggy from being woken up, adjusted the sleep mask on his forehead to reveal one eye. His face contorted into a mix of surprise and amusement. "Aaaaaah... so this is happening? Who leaked out the information? So troublesome..."

Nearby, Kizaru's lips twisted into a slight smirk when he spotted Zishu, while Chaton, pipe in hand, looked grim. His grip on the pipe tightened involuntarily, the unease in his heart growing. The sudden appearance of such dangerous adversaries in the middle of the sea felt more chilling than any battlefield encounter.

On the command ship, Fleet Admiral Kong watched the sky, his sharp gaze finally landing on Edie. He seethed inwardly, "We have a traitor among us…"

But pondering the intelligence leak was futile at this point. As the supreme commander, Kong had to remain focused. His tactical mind churned rapidly, calculating the odds.

"Fortunately, there are only five of them. If we don't count Edie, there are just four Earthly Branches. The numerical advantage is clearly ours," he mused.

Though the lack of concrete information on the Earthly Branches presented a challenge, it wasn't insurmountable. He quickly ordered, "The entire fleet, prepare for combat!" Gripping the phone bug tightly, he commanded, "Shoot them down!"

As the marines scrambled to their battle stations, Edie and his group calmly observed the fleet's formation from the sky.

Ten warships, each carrying five to six hundred marines, totaling around five to six thousand soldiers. A decent force, but Edie was hardly concerned. To him, these marines were mere cannon fodder, disposable in the grand scheme of things. Even the two hundred elite officers aboard the fleet were insignificant in his eyes. Perhaps some among them possessed strange Devil Fruit powers, but in this scale of conflict, they too were nothing more than minor nuisances.

No, the real threat came from only a handful of individuals—Fleet Admiral Kong, the Vice Admirals, and perhaps one or two others.

Edie's eyes fell on Kong. He had never met the man in person but knew of him from intelligence. He smirked as he recalled Rob Lucci's report. "So, it's Kong leading the charge, not Sengoku," he murmured. The intelligence wasn't perfect, but close enough to be useful. Perhaps Rob Lucci wasn't entirely trustworthy, but the information had given Edie the edge he needed.

"Heavenly Father, the Marines have spotted us," Chenlong reported, his voice as cold and calm as ever.

Zishu chuckled dismissively, "Of course they've seen us. We're only a few hundred meters away! Even an idiot could figure that out."

Chenlong's eyes flashed with annoyance. "Zishu, show some respect! I won't argue with you in front of Heavenly Father!"

Before their bickering could escalate, Weiyang chimed in with a dry laugh. "Look, The Marine's are about to fire their cannons. It seems they think they can hit us."

Zishu scoffed, "Hmph, those toy cannons? They'll never reach us. Heavenly Father, let me go in and sink one of their ships! It'll be fun."

Edie smiled faintly at Zishu's eagerness. "While shelling poses no real threat, the smell of gunpowder is unpleasant."

With that, Edie descended, floating down until he was a mere few dozen meters in front of the fleet, his presence daring the marines to strike. The four Earthly Branches flanked him on either side, descending with similar calmness as they closed the distance toward the trembling fleet.

The soldiers adjusting the bombardment angles were momentarily confused, unsure of what was happening. Their focus was abruptly broken as Fleet Admiral Kong's voice rang out, sharp and commanding.

"Edie! How dare you bring so few people here! Do you even know where you are?" Kong's eyes gleamed with a mix of anger and confidence. "This sea is known as the Edd War!"

Edie raised an eyebrow, slightly amused but curious. The name tugged at his memory.

Kong continued, his voice dripping with authority. "Ten years ago, the infamous Golden Lion Shiki fought Roger here. Fate saved Roger—a sudden storm turned the tides of battle in his favor!"

Kong's lips curled into a grin. "But what about you? Do you think you'll be as lucky?"

His tone darkened as he bellowed, "This will be your burial ground!"

Without hesitation, Kong roared, "Fire!"

The command sent shockwaves through the Marines as they scrambled to execute the order. Cannons adjusted and aimed, their barrels poised to unleash destruction upon Edie and his group.

But Edie remained unfazed. A smile played on his lips as he casually withdrew his right hand from his white coat, bringing his thumb and index finger together.

The entire fleet watched in stunned silence. What is he doing? they thought, an unsettling tension creeping into the atmosphere.

Then, with a simple snap of his fingers, the world seemed to pause.

Time Fruit!

"W-What!?" Marines shouted in disbelief.

In an instant, the ten warships—massive vessels armed to the teeth—vanished. Faint white light engulfed them before they disappeared, leaving the fleet's soldiers plummeting into the turbulent sea below.

"Ahhhhh!" Screams erupted as hundreds of marines lost their footing, helplessly falling toward the icy water. Panic spread like wildfire. In naval warfare, losing ships wasn't just a strategic nightmare—it spelled certain doom. Especially for those cursed with Devil Fruit powers, falling into the sea meant more than just defeat; it meant death.

Amid the chaos, one man reacted with the speed of lightning.

"Ice Age!" Aokiji's deep voice cut through the clamor.

In an instant, a freezing cold surged from his body, rapidly turning the surrounding seawater into solid ice. The temperature plummeted, but it wasn't the mere cold that saved the marines—it was Aokiji's unparalleled mastery of his Logia Devil Fruit. The rough seas were frozen solid in the blink of an eye, creating a vast battlefield of ice, spanning more than ten kilometers.

The marines landed, their feet slamming into the frozen surface instead of sinking into the ocean's depths.

"Bam! Bam!" The sound of bodies crashing onto ice echoed across the frozen wasteland.

From his position, Edie couldn't help but chuckle. His hands clapped in slow, mocking applause. "Bravo! What remarkable control over your ability," he said, clearly impressed. His sharp gaze shifted toward Aokiji. "Kuzan, was it?"

Aokiji landed lightly on the ice, his face calm but weary. "First time meeting," he muttered, scratching his head as if annoyed at the inconvenience. "I'm Vice Admiral Kuzan, of Naval Headquarters. So, this is the 'space-type ability' Garp mentioned."

Garp's laughter boomed across the battlefield. "Hahahaha! See? I told you it was true!"

Momousagi, her frustration boiling over, snapped, "What's so funny, Garp!? Our entire fleet is gone!" She gritted her teeth, glaring at the two men who seemed far too relaxed for the situation.

Kong, however, kept his focus. His voice was as deep as the ocean when he spoke again. "Where did you get the information to intercept our fleet?"

Edie's smile widened. "Who knows," he said, his tone casual and carefree. "But I couldn't just let you march into Beehive Island and wreck a few buildings, could I? It's much more satisfying to defeat you here."

His words hung in the air, cold and taunting, as the frozen battlefield of ice reflected the gravity of the situation. The marines, now stranded and without their warships, realized that this wasn't just an attack—it was a trap.

As the tension mounted, a sudden golden light shot out from the Marine formation, streaking through the air at lightning speed. In an instant, Kizaru appeared beside Edie, delivering a sharp kick aimed directly at Edie's waist.

"Lightspeed Kick!" Kizaru's voice rang out, confident that his strike had caught Edie and the Earthly Branches off-guard.

Perfect timing! Kizaru thought. Neither Edie nor the Earthly Branches seemed to notice his sudden attack. This was it—his lightspeed kick would surely land, gaining the Marines a critical advantage in the battle. He knew that fighting here, on the unstable surface of Aokiji's ice, was risky. Chenlong's Boro Breath could melt it, and prolonging the fight was dangerous. A decisive attack was the only way to turn the tide.

His mind raced as his kick connected—only to be met with an unexpected resistance.

Kizaru's heart skipped a beat.

Instead of the satisfying impact he anticipated, his foot stopped abruptly, just 30 centimeters from Edie's body. It was as though an invisible wall had materialized, blocking the attack.

"What...?" Kizaru's eyes widened as the realization sank in.

A mocking glint flashed in Edie's eyes. He had sensed Kizaru's approach all along. With a soft smile, Edie raised his left index finger and pointed it directly at Kizaru. "Black Flash."

Sizzle!

A dark, crackling energy condensed at Edie's fingertip, forming a beam of black lightning that surged toward Kizaru. The attack was swift and deadly, stretching out over a hundred meters. Kizaru barely managed to avoid it, his body vanishing in a blur of golden light, reappearing moments later behind Kong.

Kizaru touched his brow, wiping away imaginary sweat. "That was... really scary... I almost got hit..." he muttered, his usual nonchalant tone tinged with genuine fear.

His thoughts raced. This was the technique from Akainu's report—an Armament Haki application that can't be avoided by elementalization. He's even stronger than the last time we met.

Down below, Edie gazed at the Marines, then smirked at Kizaru. "Still the same after all these years, Kizaru. Weak." His tone was biting, almost playful. "Have you been slacking off? I assume you haven't been working hard enough to catch pirates? Or maybe they just didn't give you a raise, and now you're losing your edge."

Kizaru grimaced, understanding the insult immediately.

"Hahahaha," Garp laughed. "So that's it—Your Haki formed an invisible armor, didn't it?"

Garp's booming laughter interrupted the exchange. Stepping forward, he shrugged off his Marine cloak and coat, revealing a dark blue shirt beneath. His eyes gleamed with admiration. "You're a genius with Haki to be able to pull off something like that!" As one of the world's foremost masters of Haki, Garp could recognize extraordinary skill when he saw it.

But Edie wasn't in the mood for compliments. His eyes narrowed as he sneered. "Practice?" he echoed. "Don't compare me to you, Monkey."

Garp blinked, momentarily taken aback. Monkey? He didn't immediately catch the insult, his mind grappling with Edie's sharp words. Then, his usual grin returned. "We meet again, scientist boy. The last time I saw you was in Loguetown. Been a while—I've missed you!"

The atmosphere shifted in an instant.

Before anyone could react, Garp vanished. His movements were faster than a normal shave, even quicker than Kizaru's so-called lightspeed. While Kizaru's light-speed movement required brief moments of preparation, Garp's speed was so fast it was nearly imperceptible. There wasn't even time to see him bend his knees for power—he was just there, in front of Edie, with no warning.

"Galaxy Impact!" Garp roared, his fist surging with the full force of Conqueror's Haki.

Edie, however, remained calm, a small smile playing on his lips.

At the same time Garp moved, Wuma, one of the Earthly Branches, sprang into action, appearing between Edie and Garp. Wuma's fist was already in motion, enveloped in the overwhelming power of the Gura Gura no Mi, the Tremor Fruit.

"Air Shock!" Wuma's fist met Garp's Conqueror's punch.

Boom!

The atmosphere itself seemed to tear apart as the two titanic forces collided. The darkened sky was shredded, sending rolling clouds spiraling backward. The sheer impact caused cracks to ripple through the air, and the shockwave ripped across the battlefield, tearing apart the ice below. Chunks of shattered ice floated upward, as if gravity itself had lost its grip in the wake of the collision.

Garp's eyes widened in disbelief. His fist trembled slightly as he processed the power behind Wuma's strike. Is this...? His thoughts raced as he stared at Wuma's mask, struggling to comprehend the raw force behind the punch that reminded him of a certain Old Foe.

"Whitebeard...?" Garp muttered in shock. Could it be...?

Behind Wuma's mask, the power of the world's strongest man seemed to echo, leaving Garp momentarily stunned.