The sniper squad mber stared in disbelief at the bloody hole in his chest, eyes filled with shock and confusion.
How… how could this happen? How was that even possible?
"Kaao! Are you alright?" Bins shouted, alard.
The sniper who had taken a bullet straight through the chest was nad Kaao. He was one of the better marksn among the Bloodsworn Guards, originally a crew mber under Raelmann. Because of his potential, he was brought back when Jack and the others wiped out Relman's group.
"Huh? I'm… not dead? The wound's gone too?" Kaao said in surprise. "Did the Wound-Sealing ability save my life?"
He had thought he was dead the mont the bullet tore through him.
It was the first ti Kaao truly experienced the magic of the Healing Seal since joining the Bloodsworn Guards. A normal person would have died on the spot from that shot, but he now stood there, pale-faced, only drained from the energy it had taken to survive.
"What a monster... To fire the bullet back through the wormhole at the exact mont we fired—it's too dangerous to try sniping him!" Ryan muttered, still in shock.
"Send word to the First Squad to retreat imdiately! Tell them it's Garp—Garp is coming! We can only buy them a few minutes at most. They need to evacuate now!" Bins barked, gritting his teeth as he opened a wormhole just outside the sniper room.
"Yes, sir!" a team mber responded.
"I'll go myself!" Ryan volunteered. "Those atheads in the First Squad might refuse to retreat unless soone makes them!"
Bins nodded at his decision.
"Get the mounts in place. Switch from sniping to sweeping fire! Use hook triggers, cover yourselves well, and be ready for his counterattacks," Bins ordered.
The small burst of confidence they'd gained from successfully stalling Kuzan had been utterly shattered by Garp. This had turned into the most humiliating "containnt mission" they'd ever had.
"Yes, sir!" the team replied in unison.
They quickly dragged over tables, fixed the railguns atop them, and aid the barrels at the tiny mirror. Linked ammunition was loaded, and the gunners lay prone on the ground, using hooked triggers to fire.
The wormhole opened, and the mont the trigger was pulled, a barrage of bullets roared through like a torrential downpour.
Garp felt the bullets rain from every direction. His expression grew more serious as his body moved at its fastest, dodging like a flickering blur through the storm of fire.
Yet even with that insane firepower, Bins and his squad still couldn't stop Garp's advance. Step by step, he marched forward—not fast, but unrelenting—through the hail of bullets.
anwhile, Jack was still locked in a bitter struggle. The Marine Vice Admiral Dalmatian proved incredibly troubleso. Even with everything Jack had, he couldn't take him down in a short ti.
Looking up, Jack saw the other ammunition depots had already been blown up. Only their side had yet to finish the mission, and his expression turned grim.
But truthfully, it wasn't entirely Jack's fault. Sengoku had heavily reinforced the A1 Armory. Though Kuzan was being held off elsewhere, Marine soldiers had still managed to reach the location.
Bins and his n had exhausted all their strength just stalling Kuzan, leaving no manpower to block the reinforcents from other routes.
Moreover, First Squad had the fewest mbers of any unit, and they were facing a powerhouse like Dalmatian, who had pinned Jack down. With all that, it was no surprise they'd yet to complete their objective.
Saul was incredibly anxious. All the other squads had finished their missions, but the First Squad—the very first to start—was lagging behind. He could already imagine the ridicule they'd face later from the others.
Just then, a wormhole opened, and soone stepped out.
"Ryan?" Saul frowned in confusion.
"We're pulling out. Garp is heading this way. We can't hold him off. You must evacuate now," Lane said firmly.
"But the mission—" Saul frowned, unwilling to give up.
"His Majesty's objective is already accomplished. You guys helped hold back a huge chunk of the Marines. Garp... you know we can't beat him," Ryan replied.
"But Captain Jack…" Saul hesitated.
He knew Jack's temperant well after these past two years. If they retreated on their own, Jack wouldn't take it lightly.
"Captain's orders: if you et soone you absolutely can't defeat, preserve your lives above all. There'll be plenty of battles to fight later. Get everyone out now. I'll talk to Jack," Ryan said.
"Understood," Saul imdiately began organizing the retreat.
Ryan drew his laser sword, beastified in a flash, and bolted toward where Jack and Dalmatian were still locked in fierce combat.
At that mont, Jack swung his blade in a powerful arc. Dalmatian t it with a slash of his own, the clash forcing both to a standstill.
Suddenly, a new figure burst in—Lane, lightning-quick, slashed with his laser sword at Dalmatian.
Caught off guard while parrying Jack's strike, Dalmatian had no ti to defend. The sword landed, sending him flying.
Thankfully, he activated his Armant Haki just in ti. Without it, that blow might've sliced him clean in half.
"Lane?! This is my fight. Are you interfering?" Jack said coldly.
"We're retreating," Lane said flatly.
"What?" Jack's eyes widened with fury. The mission wasn't complete. He was just getting into it—how could they retreat now?
"Garp's coming. We can't stop him. The rest of us are buying what little ti we can. He'll be here in minutes. We have to go. It's an order from His Majesty," Ryan explained.
Rosinante had told him: if Jack refused to pull out, tell him it was his direct order.
At the ntion of Garp, Jack's expression shifted.
"That monster, huh? Looks like we really have to go. Alright then... next ti, Marine, we finish this fight!" Jack said. Though mad, he wasn't suicidal. He knew when to back off.
BOOM!
The rubble around Dalmatian burst as he stood up, brushing dust from his body.
"I'm not letting you go that easily. If Vice Admiral Garp is on his way, then I definitely can't let you escape!" Dalmatian growled.
"You won't stop us," Ryan replied coolly. He pulled out a special shell and tossed it into the air. A blinding flash erupted instantly.
The flash was so intense, even Dalmatian couldn't keep his eyes open.
When the light finally faded and he could see again, Ryan, Jack, and the entire First Squad were gone—vanished without a trace.
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