Meanwhile, Esdeath was growing impatient.
[Esdeath: @Borsalino My dear, I can barely hold myself back. When will it be my turn to fight?!]
[Random Viewer Trying to Hug Luo Feng's Thigh: Holy crap, giving my respects to the big shots.]
[Borsalino: Just a little more patience. Your opponent will show up soon. You can kill him as soon as he does!]
[Esdeath: My opponent better not be too weak! He must be at least as strong as those two!]
[Borsalino: Don't worry, I've picked someone at their level. Even if he's slightly weaker, he won't disappoint you.]
[Random Viewer Trying to Hug Luo Feng's Thigh: Uh… Admiral Kizaru, who are you about to screw over?]
[Borsalino: White Ram Delocas. He was a candidate for Admiral in the past, but he was imprisoned in Impel Down for attacking fellow Marines. He later got himself cleared by joining CP0.]
[Kobayashi: Sounds like a bad guy~]
[Borsalino: Yeah, not exactly a saint. If he dies, it's well deserved.]
[Esdeath: An Admiral candidate? He better not be too far below you, my dear…]
[Borsalino: Hehehe. Drocus has always held a grudge against me. If he's showing up now, he probably thinks he has some kind of trump card.]
While Borsalino was leisurely chatting in the live-stream group,
Kuzan, after freezing the tsunami, wasted no time in launching his next attack.
"Ice Block: Twin Spears!"
Aokiji, radiating an overwhelming freezing aura,
Summoned two massive ice spears in his hands.
With a flick of his arm, he hurled them straight at Whitebeard,
Who stood tall and fearless at the bow of the Moby Dick.
BOOM!
A burst of blue flames exploded in midair, transforming into Marco the Phoenix, his wings spread wide.
With a swift kick, he shattered the ice spear Aokiji had thrown.
"Don't act like we're not here!"
Marco let out a mocking laugh.
Even when facing a Marine Admiral head-on,
He showed not a trace of fear.
On the Moby Dick, Whitebeard merely glanced at the scene
Before turning his attention back to the execution platform.
Even against an Admiral,
He chose to trust his sons.
"Ice Block: Pheasant Beak!"
Aokiji's expression remained unfazed.
Raising a hand, he summoned a massive ice phoenix,
Its wings spread wide as it soared toward Whitebeard at high speed.
As the 1st Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates,
Marco's strength was undeniable.
Even in a one-on-one fight, Aokiji knew taking him down wouldn't be easy.
But he had no intention of wasting time on Marco.
His real mission was to test Whitebeard—
To see just how much power the strongest man in the world still had.
"I already told you—you're not getting past me!"
Marco burst into flames, transforming into a full-fledged phoenix,
And collided head-on with Aokiji's ice phoenix.
The Tori Tori no Mi, Model: Phoenix was an extraordinary Zoan-type Devil Fruit.
Its healing and defensive abilities were top-tier,
But its offensive power was somewhat lacking.
The ice phoenix exuded a bone-chilling aura,
Freezing even the air itself as it flew.
But against Marco, the Ice-Ice Fruit wasn't particularly effective.
The undying flames of the phoenix smashed the ice phoenix to pieces.
What Marco didn't expect, however,
Was that the shattered ice behind him suddenly reformed,
Taking shape once again as Aokiji.
"Ice Age!"
From a distance, Aokiji activated his Devil Fruit powers,
Targeting Whitebeard and the Moby Dick.
At a glance, it was clear—
He intended to freeze the entire Whitebeard Pirates fleet in one move.
"Aokiji!"
Whitebeard swung his massive naginata,
Cleaving apart the surging ice rushing toward the Moby Dick.
But the endless waves of frost were relentless.
In moments, the entire bay was frozen solid—
Even the Moby Dick and its three other flagship ships were trapped in place.
"Fire the cannons! Destroy the Moby Dick!"
Seeing this, Vice Admiral Doberman immediately gave the order.
After all, Aokiji was a Logia user—
No matter how intense the bombardment,
It wouldn't harm him.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The Navy's cannons, already prepped,
Unleashed a devastating barrage on Whitebeard's flagship.
While the outer perimeter defenses and naval fleet couldn't attack,
The fortress cannons inside the bay and plaza were more than enough.
Hundreds of cannonballs rained down,
And even a ship as massive as the Moby Dick
Couldn't hold out forever under such relentless fire.
"Let's go! All together!"
"Hmph! Just what I needed—an easy way to land!"
"Show the Navy what we're made of!"
The Whitebeard Pirates weren't dumb enough to stay on board and get blown to pieces.
Seeing that the bay had turned into solid ice,
They leaped down and charged toward Marineford's plaza.
"You're not getting past us!"
"Kill the pirates!"
"For justice!"
The Marines in Marineford weren't about to back down either.
Led by their commanders,
They clashed head-on with the Whitebeard Pirates.
"Hee-hee-hee! Fight! Kill! The more corpses, the better!"
Moria cackled in delight.
To him, both Marines and Pirates were nothing but prime zombie material.
"It's about time..."
Hawkeye Mihawk muttered softly.
Raising his Supreme Grade Black Blade—Yoru,
He prepared to test himself against Whitebeard.
Even facing the strongest man in the world,
The proud swordsman refused to fight alongside others.
Instead, he chose to strike while Whitebeard was at his full power.
SWOOSH!
A sharp whistling sound tore through the air as a massive, dazzling flying slash shot toward Whitebeard at incredible speed.
As the World's Strongest Swordsman, Mihawk's full-power slash was something even the Emperors of the Sea wouldn't dare underestimate.
Yet, Whitebeard didn't move.
He trusted his "sons", just as the Whitebeard Pirates trusted him.
At the crucial moment, 3rd Division Commander "Diamond" Jozu charged forward.
Having eaten the Shiny-Shiny Fruit, his entire body was covered in indestructible diamond.
Even Mihawk's devastating slash couldn't pierce his defense.
Clang!
The powerful flying slash struck Jozu, but failed to leave a single scratch.
Meanwhile, the Whitebeard Pirates and the Marines clashed.
The 100,000 Marine elites, handpicked from over a million soldiers, were undoubtedly top-tier warriors.
But the Whitebeard Pirates were recognized as the strongest of the Four Emperors' crews.
Even with Ace and Thatch missing, their remaining commanders were all monstrously powerful.
Under their leadership, the Marines struggled to withstand the relentless assault of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Fortunately, the Warlords of the Sea had been stationed at the frontline of the bay, directly facing the Whitebeard Pirates.
Even though some of them were half-heartedly fighting, their sheer strength made them nearly unstoppable to ordinary Whitebeard pirates.
Not to mention that Kuma, now a mindless war machine, and Moria, eager to collect more corpses, were fighting seriously.
Despite their best efforts, the Whitebeard Pirates struggled to break through the Navy's tight defenses.
"We can't let Pops fight alone! Charge forward!"
On the other front, the 43 allied pirate crews, along with the Revolutionary Army and escaped convicts from Impel Down, were locked in battle against the Marine fleet.
Under normal circumstances, the Navy's warships held an absolute advantage over pirates.
But the crews under Whitebeard were all battle-hardened veterans of the New World.
Both their ships and their fighters were just as formidable as the Marine fleet.
More importantly, the Navy's fleet was confined to the area surrounding Marineford, unable to fully mobilize and encircle the pirates.
Instead, the pirate fleet exploited its localized numerical advantage, relentlessly bombarding the Marines.
—-—
Revolutionary Army Flagship – Winter Gramma.
"Haha! It's time to go!"
A flock of giant crows grabbed Luffy by his clothes, lifting him into the air.
Alongside him, Sabo and Ivankov (in female form) were also carried by the crows.
The three of them soared past the Marine fleet, heading straight for the bay.
"Whitebeard's head belongs to me!"
Crocodile, who had remained on the Marine warships, saw this and immediately transformed into sand, flying toward Marineford.
Even though he kept grumbling about Straw Hat, his pride wouldn't allow him to live with the fact that he owed Luffy his life.
"As expected of an Emperor… The Whitebeard Pirates' strength is truly astonishing."
Belo Betty, carrying her flag, walked up to Dragon, speaking with a hint of admiration.
The power of the Whitebeard Pirates alone far surpassed what the Revolutionary Army had built up over the years.
Adding in the 43 allied pirate crews, all strong in their own right, it was no surprise that the Navy had mobilized such an enormous force.
"Still, they're no match for the full might of Marine Headquarters."
Dragon spoke calmly.
No one understood the true strength of the Navy better than he did.
Even if the Revolutionary Army and Whitebeard Pirates joined forces, along with the Impel Down escapees, defeating Marine Headquarters was unlikely.
Especially because of one man—the one he had never been able to see through.
Kizaru.
That man had always been a shadow in Dragon's mind, an unpredictable enigma.
"It's already impressive. Compared to the past, when we were constantly being hunted down by the Navy and World Government, now we're the ones attacking Marine Headquarters."
Belo Betty remained optimistic.
Or as Kizaru would put it—"Since when has the Revolutionary Army fought such a rich war?"
"Mr. Dragon… I'm really sorry. I wasted such a golden opportunity…"
A soaking wet Lindbergh approached, head lowered in guilt.
Had he successfully dropped the nuclear bomb into Marineford's bay, at least one-third of the Navy's forces would have been wiped out.
But halfway through, Kizaru shot him down.
Even though the Revolutionary Army had acquired some of Vegapunk's technology, creating a nuclear bomb was still extremely difficult.
That's why Lindbergh, the Southern Army commander himself, had to personally deliver the payload over Marineford.
"Don't dwell on it. It was just an experiment. That kind of weapon has too many flaws. Even without Kizaru, someone else would have noticed it quickly…"
Dragon shook his head.
Before the nuclear bomb had even been completed, he had once felt great anticipation for this weapon—one that Kizaru had predicted years ago.
But Dragon soon realized: the more powerful the bomb was, the easier it was to detect.
Unless the enemy had no Observation Haki users, there was no way they would just stand there and let it drop on them.
"Don't be discouraged! Even without that exploding weapon, we'll take down the World Government eventually!"
Morley, the Western Army commander, bent down and poked Lindbergh's forehead, trying to cheer up his disheartened comrade.
"That being said… These pirates sure have incredible morale. Looks like they don't even need me to inspire them."
Belo Betty blew out a smoke ring.
She had never thought much of pirates before.
But now, she had to admit—the Whitebeard Pirates weren't just all talk.
"Mr. Dragon! The Marine warships ahead have been sunk!"
Koala shouted excitedly.
She didn't care about the Whitebeard Pirates.
But if Ace died, Sabo would be devastated—and that, she couldn't allow.
"Prepare to land! Get ready for battle!"
Dragon let out a deep breath.
It had been twenty years since he left the Navy to join the Revolutionary Army.
For the first time since then, he was about to set foot on Marineford.
Just the thought of Whitebeard, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, and Vice Admiral Tsuru all waiting for him at Marineford made Dragon—who had always been as calm as a mirror—feel a rare twinge of nervousness.
But that feeling came and went in an instant.
In just a blink, Dragon had already regained his usual composure.
"Charge! We have to save Ace!"
"Pops! Ace! We're coming!"
"Take down these damn Marines!"
The pirate fleet surged through the breach in the Navy's defenses.
Marineford's structure resembled a crescent moon, and at this moment, the right side of the crescent had been breached.
Pirates and Impel Down escapees were now landing in waves at the right-side harbor.
At the same time, with the help of the Revolutionary Army's Northern Commander, Karasu, Luffy, Sabo, and Ivankov had made it into the bay.
Luffy originally wanted to fly straight to the execution platform, but the crows summoned by Karasu's Devil Fruit had no way to defend against attacks.
Before they could even reach the sky above Marineford's plaza, they were shot down by Marines wielding flintlock rifles.
The Navy might not have a sniper of Yasopp's level, but that didn't mean they couldn't hit such a large target as Luffy and Sabo.
"Ace! I'm here to save you! And Sabo is alive!"
Luffy crashed onto the frozen sea, but since he had eaten the Gomu Gomu no Mi, no matter how high he fell from, he would never die from the impact.
Even with the deafening sounds of battle, Luffy's shout still echoed throughout Marineford, reaching all the way to the execution platform.
"Luffy?! And… Sabo?!"
Ace, kneeling on the execution platform, was completely stunned.
He had expected Whitebeard to come for him…
But he had never imagined that Luffy would show up too—much less that Sabo was still alive and had come with him.
For a brief moment, Ace even thought to himself—even if I die today, it would all be worth it.
At the very least, he now knew that Sabo had survived.
And if Sabo was alive, then even if Ace died, Luffy would still have someone to watch over him.
"Revolutionary Army!"
Sakazuki stood up, his expression twisting in shock and fury.
Scalding-hot magma began to bubble from his body, flowing menacingly to the ground.
The battle had not yet reached the planned stage, but Sakazuki was already on the verge of losing control—ready to send all these damned bastards straight to hell.
"Oh my… Looks like we have some new guests…"
Kizaru remained lazily seated, his tone as indifferent as ever.
This was a war of kings against kings.
As long as Whitebeard and Dragon had yet to make their move, there was no need for him, a Marine Admiral, to lower himself to deal with mere pirate grunts.
[Random Bystander Who Wants to Hug Luo Feng's Leg: Aaaaaah! It's Luffy! Damn it, if the battlefield weren't so dangerous, I'd totally run up and see if his face is really that stretchy…]
[Kizaru: Ahem… As far as I know, Monkey D. Luffy is still underage. And touching the Vice Admiral's grandson right in front of Garp… Well, young man, you sure are brave…]
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