Chapter 520: Desperate Struggle at the Execution Platform

“Hey! Where do you think you’re looking?”

Marco hadn’t expected his carelessness to give Tradis the chance to cut off their only route to save Ace. Furious, blue wings flared as he soared over.

Bang!

With a flying kick, he slammed Tradis right in the chest, sending him crashing away from the execution platform.

“Straw Hat Luffy, I don’t know what other tricks you have to get Ace out of here—but from now on, it’s all up to you.”

Of the Navy’s three admirals, only Tradis had long-range attacks. As long as Marco kept him tied up, Tradis couldn’t interfere.

“Pirates, don’t get too cocky!”

As Sengoku’s former adjutant, Tradis was a real force in battle. If not for Ace’s and Luffy’s sensitive positions, he’d have gone all out long ago.

In this fight, it would end badly for anyone in the Navy who accidentally hurt Ace or Luffy.

After all, Garp was watching from nearby. As a hero of the Navy, his reputation was unmatched—even the Five Elders wouldn’t dare mess with him openly.

Only Sengoku or the executioners themselves could act without throwing the Navy into chaos. Otherwise, even their own ranks wouldn’t stay stable.

But with Marco taunting him again and again, Tradis could no longer hold back.

“Eagle Soars the Skies!”

Tradis transformed back into a golden eagle, jet-black talons flashing as he swooped down, hooking Marco’s shoulder, then slammed him hard into the frozen ground.

Rumble…!

Marco wasn’t about to back down. He fought back in kind, though they were mismatched in size. Still, Marco’s strength couldn’t be underestimated, and Tradis couldn’t gain the upper hand. Their clash instantly heated up.

But now, there was no one left in the Navy who could strike at Luffy from afar—unless Sengoku used his full strength. But Sengoku would probably hold back out of respect for Garp.

“Aim at Straw Hat Luffy. Be ready to fire at any moment.”

The surrounding marines immediately pointed their hand cannons at Luffy. At the first sign of an opening, a hundred cannonballs would teach him a harsh lesson.

“Straw Hat Luffy, someone like you deserves to die—a true menace.”

“Let me execute both you and your brother myself.”

Luffy wasn’t bothered by the broken key. All he could think about was how to unlock Ace’s shackles. The incoming attacks didn’t faze him at all.

“What happened? Why did I suddenly pass out?”

Galdino—better known as Mr. 3, a member of Baroque Works and user of the Wax-Wax Fruit.

“Straw Hat?”

No one knew when Galdino had donned an executioner’s outfit. After the first set of executioners got taken out by Conqueror’s Haki, he’d snuck inside. He hadn’t expected another outburst of Conqueror’s Haki would secretly knock him out again.

“Three, what are you doing here?”

Galdino had just started to reply when gold light flashed in his glasses. He looked up stiffly to see a massive golden giant’s fist crashing down.

“What the hell is that?!”

“What in the world is that thing?”

While he was still in shock, Luffy bit down hard on his right hand and blew into it.

“Hey, Three—use your Candle Wall to protect Ace!”

“Gum-Gum Giant Balloon!”

As the golden fist came crashing down, Luffy’s body ballooned huge, shielding them from Sengoku’s strike.

Galdino wasn’t slow either, waving his little hand to form a dome-shaped Candle Wall over himself and Ace.

“He’s gotten bigger?”

Sengoku’s punch didn’t use a shockwave or Armament Haki, and certainly not Conqueror’s Haki. How could he go all out against the grandson of an old friend?

If he killed Luffy by accident, there’d be no good way to explain it.

Even so, beneath that massive fist, Luffy still coughed up blood.

“He shrunk?!”

“What just happened—why did Straw Hat Luffy suddenly get so small?”

This was actually a side effect of the Gum-Gum Fruit; when his body expanded too quickly, it would shrink uncontrollably afterward—a sort of protection mechanism.

“He’s gonna fall!”

As they tumbled down, Galdino spotted the shrunken Luffy and Ace still bound in shackles. He realized at once he was the only one who could help now.

“Alright, I’ll make a new key for you—hold on, I’ll open it right away.”

With that, Galdino extended his right hand, wax forming a new key. Luckily he’d seen the broken half a moment ago, so he could make a perfect copy.

“Got it.”

Luffy also spotted Galdino and instantly remembered his power could recreate a key. As long as a Devil Fruit user didn’t touch Seastone directly, the key wouldn’t melt.

“Hey Captain Buggy, look—isn’t that Mr. 3 over there?”

On the other side of the battlefield, a pirate who spotted someone falling from the platform shouted to Buggy.

Mr. 3 had escaped from Impel Down along with them…so when did he get up there, and where’d he get that weird costume?

“What? Is he outta his mind, dressing like that?”

Buggy was stunned; he thought Mr. 3 had already slipped away—when did he get on stage?

Actually, Mr. 3 had stumbled into a secret passage and overheard the navy escorting two executioners to the stairs.

Remembering his old promise to Bon Clay—and his dying friend’s wish—he made up his mind to help Luffy save Ace. So he knocked out an executioner in secret and snuck in among them.

Back when Magellan was taken down by Blackbeard and his crew at Impel Down, Bon Clay transformed into his likeness and had the guards open the Gate of Justice, letting Luffy and the others slip out and reach Navy Headquarters.

At this moment, Bon Clay stood atop the massive Gate of Justice, watching everything unfolding at Navy Headquarters.

“You better give it your all!”

…

“If I said I was here to mourn my fallen friends, would you laugh at me?”

Mr. 3 had his reasons—he couldn’t just walk away.

For his friends, for his convictions, and for the bond he shared with Luffy.

“Why would I ever mock you?”

Luffy never forgot anyone who helped him, especially someone like Mr. 3, who stepped up at such a desperate moment, risking everything to craft a new key to save Ace.

If this were a better time, Luffy would probably treat him to a few rounds of barbecue.

“Fire! Blast the execution platform to pieces if you have to!”

But the marines below were having none of it. Seeing them fall from the platform, they immediately ordered the cannons to fire. In a heartbeat, a hundred shells roared toward Luffy and his crew.

“Save your brother, Straw Hat!”

Mr. 3 hurled the key with all his strength, sending it flying right into Luffy’s hand.

From here on, saving Ace was Luffy’s responsibility.

“Understood!”

Luffy clenched the key in his right hand like it was his last lifeline.

With this key, he could finally free Ace. That was the reason he’d fought his way here all along.

“Oh no!”

Up above, Sengoku, back in human form, saw the key in Luffy’s hand and his face clouded over. He never imagined that brat would actually get hold of the key to the shackles.

Boom! Boom! Boom!