One Piece: The system is only activated after leaving the Navy.

Chapter 148 Dispute

Ivankov stood still, his gaze quickly sweeping around, only to be surprised to find that Crocodile, who should have been there, had vanished without a trace.

Ivankov frowned slightly, his mind filled with doubt, and couldn't help but ask.

Where did Croc Boy go?

Bucky, who was standing nearby, smiled disdainfully upon hearing this and casually replied.

"That guy must have been so scared by the chaotic scene that he ran away with his tail between his legs."

However, even so, Bucky himself couldn't help but look around curiously, wanting to find out where Crocodile had gone.

Just then, Bucky suddenly looked as if he had seen something terrifying. His eyes widened, and he pointed in a direction with a look of horror, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"There it is!"

Everyone looked in the direction he was pointing and saw Crocodile activate the Sand-Sand Fruit, transforming into his elemental form and charging towards Whitebeard.

Seeing this, Bucky stomped his foot in exasperation and muttered something under his breath.

"That guy actually dared to beat me to it! How despicable!"

At this moment, Crocodile had no time to care about the reactions of others; all he could see was Whitebeard, whom he hated to the core.

He unleashed the full power of his Sand-Sand Fruit, his body instantly transforming into countless tiny grains of sand, hurtling towards Whitebeard at lightning speed.

Meanwhile, the naval personnel, who had been closely monitoring the battlefield situation, also noticed Crocodile's actions.

They never expected that this former member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea would now be targeting Whitebeard.

The atmosphere on the battlefield suddenly became increasingly tense.

The members of the Whitebeard Pirates naturally sensed that danger was approaching their captain.

They were frantic, shouting "Dad!" as they desperately rushed toward Whitebeard's location, trying to reach him and protect him before Crocodile succeeded.

In the blink of an eye, Crocodile had already rushed behind Whitebeard.

Crocodile stopped, reformed into a physical form, and with a slight upturn of his lips, revealed a sinister smile as he coldly addressed Whitebeard.

"Long time no see, Whitebeard!"

As he spoke, he raised his left hand, the incredibly sharp golden hook in his hand gleaming with a cold light, clearly ready to launch a fatal blow.

Despite Crocodile's fierce attack, Whitebeard remained as steady as a mountain, not even flinching.

Whitebeard simply uttered a single, soft sentence.

"What a forgetful guy..."

Just at the critical moment, Crocodile's incredibly sharp hook was about to strike Whitebeard.

However, Luffy instantly activated Gear Second, his entire body enveloped in red steam, and he hurtled towards them like a burning meteor.

Immediately afterwards, Luffy launched a flying kick, fiercely striking Crocodile's attack.

With a loud "bang," Crocodile's attack was easily neutralized by Luffy.

Crocodile stared in astonishment at Luffy, who had suddenly appeared before him, and angrily demanded an explanation.

"Why are you protecting Whitebeard, you brat?"

Luffy met Crocodile's gaze without fear and answered loudly.

"So this uncle is the one with the white beard."

Then, as if remembering something, he added.

"Ace has always really liked this older man."

Whitebeard's crew had also arrived at the scene and stopped Crocodile to prevent him from attacking Whitebeard again.

At this moment, Marco, who was watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but show a hint of surprise. After looking Luffy up and down, he smiled and said.

"Haha, I didn't expect Ace's brother to be so skilled."

Upon hearing this, Whitebeard slowly turned his head and his gaze fell on Luffy.

When he saw the straw hat on Luffy's back, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he said in a deep voice.

"Kid, that straw hat you're wearing looks quite similar to Shanks'..."

Whitebeard looked at Luffy's straw hat and thought about Shanks when he joined the crew, noting the missing left arm and what Shanks had said at the time.

Luffy responded upon hearing this.

"This is the straw hat that Shanks entrusted to me for safekeeping."

Whitebeard nodded thoughtfully, then asked another question.

"So, you came here to rescue your brother Ace?"

Luffy straightened up without hesitation and answered firmly.

"That's right!"

Whitebeard looked at the spirited young man before him and said...

"Do you know who your enemy is? With your current strength, acting rashly will only lead to your death."

To everyone's surprise, Luffy remained unmoved and instead shouted angrily.

"Enough with the nagging! I'll decide what to do myself; you don't need to worry about it!"

Luffy looked at Whitebeard and then shouted loudly.

"I know that! You dream of becoming the Pirate King, but the one who will become the Pirate King is me!"

Luffy stood there with his hands on his hips, exuding confidence.

At that moment, Whitebeard suddenly swung his long sword, and the sharp blade flashed through the air before striking the bow of the ship with a clang.

The white-bearded man grinned and laughed heartily.

"Cool la la la la"

Then he said to Luffy.

"What an arrogant brat! How dare you be so cocky! If you dare to drag everyone down, I will definitely not let you off easily, you snotty brat."

Upon hearing this, Luffy showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, he moved his body nimbly, as if demonstrating his immense strength to everyone.

Immediately afterwards, Luffy responded firmly.

"I don't care about all that. I'll only act the way I want to. I'll save Ace, and nobody can stop me!"

Luffy looked at Ace on the execution platform and said firmly.

"Ace, wait for me, I'll get you out right away."

Buggy and the others, who were standing nearby, were stunned and speechless when they saw Luffy openly challenge the legendary Yonko, the strongest man in the world—Whitebeard. Their faces were filled with disbelief.

The Marines and members of the Whitebeard Pirates on the battlefield stared in shock at the young man confronting Whitebeard.

Not far away, Kizaru turned to look at Fleet Admiral Sengoku beside him with a smile and asked softly.

"Shouldn't it be alright to execute them all?"

Sengoku narrowed his eyes slightly, nodded coldly, and said in a deep voice.

"Yes, of course there is no problem."

Ace, standing on the execution platform, stared wide-eyed at his father and Luffy.

"Dad, Luffy!"