One Piece: Almost Exposed That I Am Stronger Than Roger - Chapter 274
Chapter 274: Despair
“That marine is approaching…”
Chopper, carrying Luffy on his shoulders, noticed Solo’s actions, and fear filled his eyes.
They were defeated by Solo once before, back in the Sabaody Archipelago.
And now, witnessing Solo’s steady approach, Chopper’s heart sank with a sense of impending doom.
Chopper wasn’t the only one feeling this way.
Nami and Usopp shared the same bewildered state.
They couldn’t comprehend the terrifying strength displayed by Solo.
He’s just in his twenties, right?
And he’s a rookie in the marine.
Yet, he effortlessly defeated the powerful Red-haired Shanks.
“What do we do, what do we do?!” Nami’s voice trembled with nervousness.
It felt as though they weren’t facing the marine, but death itself.
She was at a loss, unsure of what steps to take.
“We have to fight our way out of here!” Sanji, cigarette in mouth, kicked away the approaching marines.
But…
There were too many marine forces blocking their path.
They stretched out endlessly, like a wall of people.
Their retreat was cut off.
Despite the valiant efforts of the Whitebeard Pirates, the difference in numbers proved overwhelming.
No matter how hard they fought, they could only advance a few meters.
And their nearest pirate ship was at least two hundred meters away.
“We’ll fight this guy!” Sanji declared. “No matter what, we have to get Ace out of here!”
“Marine, go to hell!”
Under tremendous pressure, dozens of pirates rushed toward Solo. Armed with various weapons, they seemed prepared to die in their attempt to take down Solo.
However…
Solo didn’t even spare them a glance.
In an instant, his dominant Haki aura once again surged forth, overwhelming the charging pirates.
The force was like a raging wave, crashing into the crowd.
It felt as though a thunderclap exploded in the ears of every pirate, momentarily stunning them and darkening their vision.
They fell to the ground, unconscious, before they could even utter a sound.
Solo continued to advance slowly as if taking a leisurely stroll through Marineford. At this point, Solo believed that no one could stop him from attacking the Straw Hats.
The only remaining fighting power from the Whitebeard Pirates was Marco. But even he was injured and lacked the strength to activate his phoenix recovery power.
Squatting on the ground, Marco glared at Solo with resentment.
But he couldn’t even muster the strength to stand up. Despair consumed Marco’s heart. He had thought that someone as formidable as Shanks could seriously injure or even defeat Solo.
But who would have expected that after their battle, Solo emerged unscathed and with plenty of strength left. On the other hand, it was Shanks, the red-haired pirate, who was defeated by Solo.
It was simply unbelievable.
“Daddy Whitebeard, Ace… What should I do now?” Marco clenched his teeth, unsure of how to resolve the immediate crisis.
Perhaps…
This day would mark the end not only for the Whitebeard Pirates but also for the Red Hair Pirates.
And it might spell the end for Luffy as well.
There seemed to be no way to stop it.
“Damn it!”
Marco struck the ground with his fist, venting his frustration and powerlessness. Meanwhile, Aokiji observed Solo’s every move, temporarily separated from the Red Hair Pirates’ crew.
As a Marine Admiral, he would shoulder the responsibility of dealing with these elite crews.
“So even Shanks was taken down by Solo?” Aokiji’s eyes narrowed slightly. Shanks was the youngest among the Four Emperors, but his bounty was over four billion Berries. His strength
was not to be underestimated, especially with his mastery of the Conqueror’s Haki, which surprised Aokiji.
“However, the most pressing issue now is the Straw Hats,” Aokiji murmured to himself.
He had always believed in the concept of lazy justice and the idea that evil bloodline theory applied to the offspring of evildoers.
But he didn’t fully agree with it. While Ace was indeed a member of the Whitebeard Pirates and their captain, punishing him seemed understandable. However, Luffy, with a bounty of only 30 million Berries, was Vice Admiral Garp’s grandson.
“Do I really have to go through with this?” Aokiji wondered. In his view, Solo could spare Luffy’s life, even for Garp’s sake, and imprison him in Impel Down. That would be enough.
On the other hand, Sengoku also sensed the killing intent emanating from Solo and contemplated personally dealing with Luffy.
“Straw Hat boy,” Sengoku muttered in a low voice, conflicted in his heart.
Although Luffy was Garp’s grandson and the son of Dragon, he had also managed to escape from Impel Down and caused a major incident at Marineford. Logically, Luffy should face justice for his crimes.
But on the other hand, Garp had lost his grandson, Ace, and his emotions were running wild. He had even fought against Solo to stop him. The whole situation was chaotic.
If Luffy were to die at Solo’s hands, Sengoku didn’t know what would happen to Garp. The thought made him glance at the Chibaku Tensei in the sky, reminiscent of the moon hanging over Marineford. For some reason, Z’s face appeared in Sengoku’s mind, someone who had been absent for a long time.
“Perhaps it would have been a better choice to bring Luffy to justice and imprison him in Impel Down,” Sengoku muttered, clenching his fists. His heart was still conflicted.
Meanwhile, Zoro, one of the Straw Hat crew members, suddenly halted in his tracks.
“Leave it to me, Solo. You take the captain and go.”
Solo took a deep breath and picked up a mass-produced sword that had fallen from a marine’s hand. While these swords couldn’t compare to famous blades, they would suffice for him to use his three-sword style.
“Zoro, you’re no match for him,” Usopp blurted out without thinking.
Even Hawkeye Mihawk had been defeated by Solo.
“Well, I’ll stay too,” Sanji added, glancing at Zoro. “With your strength, how could you hold back that monster?”
It seemed futile. But at this moment, they were willing to forsake their dreams for Luffy. They were ready to lay down their lives to stop Solo.
Even if it was just for a minute!
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