Uchiha's personal opinion

At least the Second Army should retain the troops of Uchiha Shiina and Uzumaki Ichiraku, otherwise there will always be a shortage of combat personnel.

After all, the expeditionary force did not have an advantage in total numbers compared to the navy; it had only relied on its naval superiority to encircle and attack key points.

"it is good!"

Fugaku Uchiha didn't say anything more and simply vanished in a flash.

After the bombardment continued for nearly an hour, the Fifth Army fleet, commanded by Sakumo Hatake, began to appear on the horizon.

Meanwhile, Vice Admiral Garp, who was at a loss in the Sabaody Archipelago, simply closed his eyes.

Scenes from the past began to surface in his mind.

'It seems that Sabaody Archipelago is my final resting place...'

Lieutenant General Garp sighed softly.

Fortunately, his son, through the arrangements of Sengoku and Kizaru, had already 'smuggled' those Revolutionary Army cadres to the New World, so the matter of Paradise was temporarily none of his concern.

"Your Mightiness……"

Several naval officers came up behind Vice Admiral Garp, silently saluted, but said nothing more.

"How are things going for the rank-and-file marines?"

Without turning his head, Garp asked directly.

"It's completely out of control..."

A naval lieutenant commander said, "Moreover, we have also discovered that there are still many spies and agents of the remnants of the war on the islands. They are constantly directing artillery fire or launching assassinations. The command of the grassroots units has now completely collapsed."

"Is that so... It seems the survivors' plans were quite far-reaching..."

Lieutenant General Garp also sighed.

He had long anticipated the predicament of the garrison navy, but he had only asked the question casually out of a sense of desperation.

After all, under such desperate bombardment, coupled with inside and outside attacks, the stationed navy had no ability to fight back.

Even gathering troops was impossible, because doing so would only attract more intense artillery fire, leading to even heavier casualties...

"It seems the time has come..."

As the cannon fire gradually subsided, the remnant fleet at sea began to lower speedboats one by one. Countless 'remnant soldiers' boarded the speedboats to prepare for battle. Vice Admiral Garp also understood that what followed was the final meat grinder phase.

"It seems the survivors are still unwilling to destroy the entire Sabaody Archipelago..."

A naval lieutenant commander chuckled to himself, "How lucky I am..."

Chapter 556 The Will to Charge into Battle, To Die and Be Reborn

With the arrival of the Fifth Army, the annihilation of the garrison navy in the Sabaody Archipelago was inevitable, and the G1 branch on the other side of the sea also entered a fierce battle.

Whitebeard, unleashing his full power, merely used his Haki to protect his vital points as he charged into the horde of naval officers like a madman!

The most direct consequence of this fighting style of trading injury for life is that the once-fierce elite naval forces were suddenly covered in blood and their corpses scattered everywhere—truly scattered, because those who were hit by Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit shockwave, unless they were elementalized by Logia-type Devil Fruit users, were basically blasted into pieces with a single blow!

Even so, the naval officers, led by Admiral Sakazuki and several vice admirals, charged forward relentlessly, risking their lives to slow down Whitebeard's advance.

Kuzan, Kizaru, and Fleet Admiral Sengoku, who were surrounding Whitebeard from the left, right, and rear, all struck Whitebeard as he attempted to unleash a devastating attack!

"scold--"

Whitebeard barely managed to shatter the solid ice covering his body, but was then blasted by Kizaru's energy blast, leaving him covered in blood. In particular, the wound on his already injured left arm burst open again, causing his movements to become distorted. The shockwave from the golden Buddha's heavy punch then slammed him into the ground!

If Sengoku and the two admirals hadn't lacked experience in fighting together in this situation, resulting in their attacks canceling each other out, Whitebeard would probably have been killed on the spot by the combined attack of the three.

But he was certainly not having an easy time at this moment either.

"Shockwave!"

Whitebeard is preparing to break through the encirclement once again.

"Shockwave!"

The golden Buddha of the Warring States period once again delivered a powerful blow, interrupting Whitebeard's assault.

If you're trapped underground and can no longer fight flexibly, then you're doomed!

Whitebeard was well aware of this.

However, breaking through the encirclement was unrealistic. After all, Sengoku and the three admirals of the navy were not ordinary people. Moreover, there were a large number of famous vice admirals who were eyeing the situation covetously. As for the naval officers who served as obstacles, they were countless.

Therefore, even though he was only a few hundred meters away from the execution platform, Whitebeard could only continue to fight desperately to barely protect himself, with no power to advance even half a step further.

"Netherhound!"

As Whitebeard's right side was once again sealed by Kuzan's ice, Sakazuki immediately attacked, gathering his strength to unleash a Lava Fist at Whitebeard's head!

Even though Whitebeard tilted his head to try to dodge, the incredibly hot lava punch shattered his Armament Haki shield and scraped off half of his cheek.

"A flash—"

Enraged, Whitebeard ignored the attacks from Kizaru and Sengoku. He first shattered the ice on his body, then quickly used the power of the shockwave to lunge forward. As he was struck hard in the back again, he used the force to charge straight at Sakazuki and severed Sakazuki's right arm with a swift stroke!

—If the force of the golden Buddha's punch from the Warring States period hadn't been somewhat biased, it would probably have cleaved Sakazuki, who hadn't even had time to fully transform into his elemental form, in two with a single strike!

"drink!"

Then, Whitebeard barely managed to dodge Kuzan's attempt to save him, and with a roar, he unleashed a shockwave that completely shattered Sakazuki's right hand into a bloody mist!

"my hand!"

Even someone as cold and ruthless as Sakazuki couldn't help but cry out in pain!

For a strong person, losing an arm means a significant reduction in strength. Although increasingly sophisticated semi-mechanical limb modification surgery can make up for some defects, it is still not as useful as one's own body. Kizaru, who has been fighting hard since the start of the war but has not made much progress, is a living example!

Kizaru also lost his left hand, and after being equipped with a mechanical arm, both his attack power and speed were greatly reduced!

Sengoku's expression remained unchanged as he continued to unleash shockwaves at the wounded Whitebeard!

For him, any sacrifice would be worthwhile as long as he could kill Whitebeard!

What's more, this 'sacrifice' was made by Sakazuki Akainu, who has always been overly self-conscious!

As for Whitebeard...

Sengoku glanced back at the near-shore harbor battle that was gradually gaining the upper hand and the sniper fleet that was evenly matched in the fierce battle at sea level. He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and relax his tense nerves. He then made another move, ready to smash Whitebeard into mincemeat!

……

"Where are the giants?"

At the Sabaody Archipelago, gazing at the landing craft and elite ninja forces gathering at sea, Garp couldn't help but ask those around him.

"...The giants were the first to be wiped out because of their conspicuous size."

"A naval lieutenant commander said."

"Is that so... What a pity..."

Lieutenant General Garp felt it was a bit of a pity.

After all, those giants who used Haki as their main means of combat were among the Navy's most powerful forces, and their only trump card. Their silent and collective demise under intense bombardment was a huge loss for the garrisoned Navy, which had already suffered heavy losses in the bombardment.

"They're being transferred from the fleet to..."

Another naval rear admiral looked in the direction where the Uchiha Fugaku fleet had left and asked cautiously.

"Marinford".

"That's what Lieutenant General Garp said calmly."

All the naval officers present were well aware of this, but they were just seeking some psychological comfort—they would much rather hear words like 'internal strife' or 'disagreement' from Vice Admiral Garp.

Lieutenant General Garp was naturally aware of this.

"Headquarters..."

The naval officers were somewhat distraught.

"As long as the Navy exists, any place where we can gather together and raise our flags is Headquarters!"

Lieutenant General Karp immediately offered encouragement.

But now, facing such a dire crisis, dreaming was no longer appropriate. So he had to shatter his subordinates' illusions and offer appropriate encouragement.

"I'm sorry, I haven't fulfilled the role and function of a commander..."

Vice Admiral Garp turned around, bowed deeply to the assembled naval officers and soldiers, and said, "This is my incompetence, I apologize to you all!"

This move left the naval officers bewildered and quite flustered.

"It is our honor to fight alongside you, Garp-sensei!"

The naval officers quickly stepped aside and bowed in return.

"We've found them!"

Just as the naval officers were putting on a show of deep camaraderie, Hyuga Shinki, the agent of the hidden agency in the Sabaody Archipelago, finally found their hiding place after searching for a long time with wide eyes. He then created a shadow clone and instantly launched a signal flare at the top of their heads!

"Boom boom boom boom!!!"

Just as Vice Admiral Garp's expression changed drastically upon seeing the signal flare overhead and realizing something was wrong, countless chakra projectiles immediately rained down upon him!

The newly arrived Fifth Army Commander-in-Chief, Hatake Sakumo, was also a veteran from the Fourth Shinobi World War. He was fond of using the "Thousand Years of Death" technique to defeat his enemies, so he naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity to carry out a concentrated fire decapitation tactic!

"Pity……"

Looking through his binoculars at the bombing zone, Sakumo Hatake felt a deep sense of regret as he gazed at the thick smoke.

Although this sudden volley of fire achieved some good results, judging from the fact that the enemy chieftain was still alive and kicking, it seemed that it had not caused him much damage.

"According to intelligence, this person is Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp of the Marine Headquarters, a veteran Marine deeply loved by the Marines..."

Uzumaki Ichiraku, a ninja advisor, read out the intelligence sent back by the infiltrator, promptly resolving Hatake Sakumo's concerns.

Is there any possibility of recruiting him?

Sakumo Hatake asked, "If we gain their support, even if it's just superficial dependence, it will help us in our next steps to dismantle the Navy and the World Government."

"...Impossible."

The chief sergeant standing behind him shook his head and said with great certainty.

"You know him?"