"Commence the operation! Shut down the live broadcast!"
Fleet Admiral Sengoku commanded loudly. As long as the world knew that the Marines had annihilated the Whitebeard Pirates, that was enough—there was no need to continue broadcasting the details.
Akainu, who had already grown impatient, wasted no time standing up, eager to send his most hated enemies straight to hell.
"Meteor Volcano!"
Raising both fists high, Akainu launched a relentless barrage of magma fists, firing them like anti-aircraft artillery. The sky above Marineford turned into a volcanic eruption, raining down hundreds of molten projectiles.
In the blink of an eye, countless magma bombs crashed into the bay, inflicting heavy casualties on the Whitebeard Pirates. The intense heat also melted the ice that Aokiji had previously frozen, instantly robbing the pirates of their foothold.
"Get on the ships! Hurry!"
Marco, using his wings to shatter incoming magma projectiles, shouted to his bewildered comrades stranded on the melting ice.
But before they could board, Akainu had already locked onto the Moby Dick. With its massive size making it an easy target, he concentrated his fire and reduced Whitebeard's flagship to flaming debris.
"Bastard!"
"Fight the Marines to the death!"
"Unforgivable!"
The Whitebeard Pirates roared in fury as they watched the ship that had been their home for years sink into the sea.
Had Akainu not been positioned below the execution platform, these enraged pirates would have undoubtedly tried to drag him to hell with them.
"Why is the broadcast still running?"
Sengoku, seeing the devastation inflicted on the Whitebeard Pirates, subconsciously nodded in satisfaction. The battle plan was progressing smoothly.
Although killing Whitebeard and his division commanders was unlikely, wiping out the ordinary crew would leave the remaining leaders without a fighting force.
With all four Moby Dick ships destroyed, the Whitebeard Pirates had completely lost their footing, sinking into the waters of Marineford's bay.
For a crew filled with Devil Fruit users, the number of survivors would likely be very few.
Just as Sengoku was about to give the order to commence the execution ahead of schedule, he suddenly noticed that the battle was still being broadcast worldwide.
"Bad news, Fleet Admiral Sengoku! Someone has hijacked our video Den Den Mushi signal!"
A Marine officer rushed over, his face filled with panic.
Despite having Dr. Vegapunk—a genius five centuries ahead of the current era—on their side, the Marines' general level of technology was only passable.
Compared to cutting-edge groups like Germa 66, and even some technologically advanced pirate crews, the Marines often lagged behind.
But this wasn't entirely their fault. With the sheer scale of the Marine force, outfitting every soldier with the latest weapons would cause military expenses to skyrocket several times over.
Even the wealthy World Government couldn't afford to sustain such a force indefinitely. Besides, they didn't want the Marines growing too powerful—otherwise, they risked losing control over them.
"Damn it! This has to be Dra—no, the Revolutionary Army! How long until we can shut down the broadcast?"
Sengoku was furious. The hijacked signal reminded him of the time when the Revolutionary Army infiltrated Impel Down.
Back then, the Den Den Mushi that were supposed to monitor the entire underwater prison had mysteriously gone silent at the most critical moment. And now, history was repeating itself.
"I… I'm afraid it'll take quite some time…"
The officer spoke cautiously. In truth, he had no idea how long it would take, but he didn't dare admit that in front of the furious Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
Meanwhile, aboard the Revolutionary Army's flagship, Dragon waited expressionlessly for Lindbergh's update.
Lindbergh was a mechanical genius. After acquiring some of Dr. Vegapunk's technology, he had become one of the world's top scientists—perhaps not on the level of Caesar Clown or Vinsmoke Judge, but still a force to be reckoned with.
"It's done! We can start broadcasting now, Mr. Dragon!"
Lindbergh, his head still wrapped in bandages, cheered in excitement. Using a modified black Den Den Mushi, he had successfully hijacked Marineford's signal and rerouted it to the Revolutionary Army's flagship, Wind Granma.
Now, even if the Marines shut down their transmission, the Revolutionaries could continue broadcasting to the world.
At that moment, people around the world had been watching the Whitebeard Pirates pushed to the brink—some thrilled, others furious—when suddenly, the broadcast changed.
A man with grid-patterned tattoos on his face appeared on the screen.
"Who is this guy?"
"A Marine? A pirate?"
"Damn it! We were watching the Whitebeard Pirates meet their end!"
Viewers were momentarily confused and began voicing their complaints.
But within Marine bases and World Government offices, panic spread.
The man on the screen was unmistakable—the "World's Most Dangerous Criminal," the leader of the Revolutionary Army, Monkey D. Dragon!
To the World Government, Dragon was an even greater threat than Whitebeard. The "strongest man in the world" was just a pirate, but Dragon was a man whose ideas could shake the very foundations of their rule.
"People of the world, you may already know who I am—or perhaps you don't. But that doesn't matter. What matters is this: the world is sick!"
"The World Government! The Celestial Dragons! Kings! Nobles! Warlords! Crime syndicates! These parasites feed on the people, pushing the world deeper into decay!"
Dragon's voice was calm yet commanding as he spoke to the world, declaring the Revolutionary Army's cause and calling on the oppressed to rise up against the rulers who bled them dry.
At first, many viewers were too shocked to react. But as Dragon continued, his words captivated them.
In this era of chaos, whether they were commoners or intellectuals, many had secretly dreamed of resisting.
Yet, without a leader, even the bravest individuals felt powerless in the face of tyranny.
But Dragon gave them hope. He made them realize they weren't alone—the ones who should fear weren't the common people, but the kings and nobles who sat atop the world!
"Damn it! Shut down the broadcast—NOW!"
Fleet Admiral Sengoku was livid. If Dragon's speech continued any longer, even if the Marines wiped out the Whitebeard Pirates, the damage would far outweigh the gains.
Forget boosting Marine prestige—if things went on like this, the World Government and the Five Elders would hold him personally responsible!
"Hmph! Once we've eliminated the Whitebeard Pirates, we'll crush the Revolutionary Army too!"
Akainu growled, his cigar snapping between his teeth.
But before he could act, a wave of gasps and shouts erupted from the Marines in the plaza.
Akainu turned, and his expression darkened in fury.
A fifth Moby Dick had just surfaced, carrying the Whitebeard Pirates who were still ready to fight!
They had hidden their true flagship underwater, waiting for the perfect moment to ambush the Marines.
"Whew, I thought we were done for!"
"Ahahaha! That's our old man!"
"Charge! Use the grappling hooks on the mast to climb the walls!"
The Whitebeard Pirates cheered as they prepared to launch their next assault.
"Over my dead body!" Akainu snarled.
Akainu was just about to destroy the Whitebeard Pirates' last flagship when, on the other side, the Revolutionary Army had already charged into the bay—only to be stopped by the towering super-alloy fortress walls.
"Lightning Strike!"
Ivankov's subordinate, Inakuma, stepped forward. As a Paramecia-type Scissor Fruit user, he could cut anything he touched into any shape.
With a swift motion, he sliced the ground into a long runway and hurled it toward the massive super-alloy walls surrounding the bay.
"I can push it forward!"
The West Army Commander of the Revolutionary Army, Morley, drove his trident into the ground. With a mighty heave, he pushed the ground forward, charging up the makeshift runway toward the seemingly impenetrable walls that had trapped the Whitebeard Pirates.
Under the hopeful gazes of the pirates, the massive super-alloy walls—once an insurmountable obstacle—collapsed like dominoes before Morley's overwhelming strength.
Without hesitation, he pressed forward, stepping onto another runway crafted by Inakuma, heading straight for the plaza walls of Marineford.
---
"It's the Revolutionary Army!"
"Hah! Beautiful work!"
"Reinforcements are here! Let's tear this place apart!"
Seeing Morley topple the walls that had once crushed their hopes, the Whitebeard Pirates erupted in cheers. Their already high morale surged to its absolute peak.
"Tsk… so you've come, Dragon…"
The only one still sitting among the high-ranking Marines, Kizaru, narrowed his eyes slightly, watching as Dragon's silhouette appeared at the breach in the walls.
"That bastard Dragon…!"
Fleet Admiral Sengoku was torn between rage and sorrow.
The man he had once seen as a worthy successor… was now standing against the Marines he had devoted his entire life to.
"That brat Dragon…!"
Sitting silently beneath the execution platform, Vice Admiral Garp looked deeply troubled.
Against just the Whitebeard Pirates, even if he held back, Ace's rescue would have been near impossible.
But now, with Dragon himself joining the fight—along with the escaped convicts from Impel Down—the balance of power was shifting.
For the first time, Ace's rescue was actually possible.
Yet, at this stage of his life, could he really abandon everything he had upheld for decades?
That was a line even he couldn't cross.
"Dragon, huh…"
Vice Admiral Tsuru rubbed her temples.
In a way, Dragon was her student, someone she had helped train.
And now, he was on the other side.
"It's been a while, Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
Dragon spoke calmly, as if completely unaware that his very presence here was an act of war against the Navy.
"Dragon… you, the most wanted man in the world, a criminal hunted by the World Government—how dare you set foot in Marine Headquarters?!"
With unrestrained fury, Sengoku's Conqueror's Haki erupted, sweeping across Marineford.
The Marines remained unaffected, but the pirates, revolutionaries, and escaped prisoners all felt their faces drain of color.
The presence of a top-tier powerhouse was not something everyone could simply shake off.
"I have come for justice, Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
Dragon did not unleash his own Haki in response.
Yet, to the Revolutionary Army, his calm and unwavering stance made his figure seem larger than life.
"There's no need for words. If you've come here today… then you're not leaving!"
As soon as Sengoku spoke, the executioner standing beside him threw off his cloak, revealing himself.
This man was even taller than Sengoku by two heads.
His gaunt face, lined with a goatee, and the lion-like white mane covering his head were unmistakable.
He was a former admiral candidate—White Ram DeLocas!
"Meeehahaha! Surprised, Dragon? We meet again!"
DeLocas stretched lazily, clearly enjoying his return to the battlefield after so many years.
As he stepped forward, very few in the plaza recognized him.
But those who did—especially the older Marines—looked uneasy.
"Old man, who the hell is that guy?"
Soaked from nearly falling into the sea, Marco wrung out his clothes, eyeing DeLocas in confusion.
Among all the powerful Marines he knew, he had never heard of this man.
"White Ram DeLocas. He was once an admiral candidate, trained alongside Kizaru. If not for his sudden defection, he would have been a Marine Admiral by now."
Whitebeard's expression turned grim.
The Three Admirals and the legends of Garp and Sengoku were already troublesome enough.
Just when they finally got Dragon as a reinforcement… the Marines revealed another trump card.
Even Whitebeard—who had never admitted defeat on the battlefield—felt a rare sense of desperation.
"Tsk… this guy's really asking for a beating."
Kizaru returned to the livestream room, clearly displeased, and tagged DeLocas for Esdeath to see.
[Esdeath]: So this guy's my opponent, huh? Hahaha, he doesn't seem too weak—this is perfect!
[Kizaru]: Be careful. That guy can steal other people's Devil Fruit abilities. In theory, he can hold up to four at once. Get careless, and you might get hurt.
[Random Viewer Wanting to Befriend Luo Feng]: WTF?! Stealing Devil Fruit powers?! And four of them?! Isn't that even more broken than the Dark-Dark Fruit?!
[Kizaru]: Unfortunately, the Zoan-type Sheep-Sheep Fruit, Mythical Model: Chimera can only steal abilities randomly.
[Kizaru]: Also, what he takes isn't the full power—it's more like copying a specific technique. For example, if he steals the Rubber-Rubber Fruit, he might only be able to stretch one hand or one foot, not his whole body.
[Random Viewer Wanting to Befriend Luo Feng]: Ah, damn… the value of that just dropped hard…
[Orochimaru]: Heh… a Devil Fruit that can contain other Devil Fruit abilities? What an excellent research subject…
[Ai Haibara]: A Devil Fruit, huh… Just a little more, and I can redeem one. I can't wait to see what kind of ability I'll get.
[Fubuki]: Wait! Look! What is that tattooed guy holding?! It's so shiny!
The moment that brilliantly glowing metal appeared in Dragon's hands, DeLocas's eyes widened involuntarily.
Becoming a lapdog of the Celestial Dragons had its drawbacks, but it had also allowed DeLocas to learn about legendary secrets—things that few in the world even knew existed.
For example:
The Ope-Ope Fruit, capable of granting eternal youth.
The Bat-Bat Fruit, Mythical Model: Vampire, which could restore youth.
And most importantly, Pure Gold—a material said to grant immortality.
°°°
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