The sniper squad member 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, alarmed.
The sniper who had taken a bullet straight through the chest was named Kaao. He was one of the better marksmen among the Bloodsworn Guards, originally a crew member 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 moment the bullet tore through him.
It was the first time 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 moment we fired—it's too dangerous to try sniping him!" Ryan muttered, still in shock.
"Send word to the First Squad to retreat immediately! 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 member responded.
"I'll go myself!" Ryan volunteered. "Those meatheads in the First Squad might refuse to retreat unless someone 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 "containment mission" they'd ever had.
"Yes, sir!" the team replied in unison.
They quickly dragged over tables, fixed the railguns atop them, and aimed 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 moment 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.
Meanwhile, Jack was still locked in a bitter struggle. The Marine Vice Admiral Dalmatian proved incredibly troublesome. Even with everything Jack had, he couldn't take him down in a short time.
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 men had exhausted all their strength just stalling Kuzan, leaving no manpower to block the reinforcements from other routes.
Moreover, First Squad had the fewest members 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 someone 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 temperament well after these past two years. If they retreated on their own, Jack wouldn't take it lightly.
"Captain's orders: if you meet someone 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 immediately 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 moment, Jack swung his blade in a powerful arc. Dalmatian met 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 time to defend. The sword landed, sending him flying.
Thankfully, he activated his Armament Haki just in time. 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 time 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 mention of Garp, Jack's expression shifted.
"That monster, huh? Looks like we really have to go. Alright then... next time, Marine, we finish this fight!" Jack said. Though mad, he wasn't suicidal. He knew when to back off.
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.