At this moment, Monkey D. Luffy had already climbed to the height of the warship, his eyes locked onto Portgas D. Ace on the execution stand. With a determined shout that echoed across Marineford, he declared:
"Ace! I'm here to save you!"
Fleet Admiral Sengoku's expression darkened as he turned to the man beside him—Vice Admiral Garp, his old friend and the "Hero of the Marines." His voice carried the weight of frustration and inevitability:
"Hey! Garp! It's your damn family again!"
Garp, usually so unshakable, now clutched his forehead in exasperation, his voice a mix of anger and helplessness:
"Luffy, you idiot!"
On the warship, it wasn't just infamous figures like Luffy and Crocodile that had made their way here. A horde of Impel Down escapees—criminals of the worst kind—stood among them.
Solomon Carl, positioned beneath the execution platform, exhaled a slow stream of smoke from his cigar. His sharp eyes surveyed the battlefield before murmuring:
"So, they really did it… they broke out Level 6."
Impel Down's deadliest prisoners, the ones deemed too dangerous even for the world to know, had been unleashed.
"Oh~ Straw Hat," came a lazy drawl from above. Admiral Kizaru, perched on the execution stand's railing, pursed his lips in mock surprise. "Didn't expect to see you again so soon~"
At the front of the high platform, Admiral Akainu, the embodiment of absolute justice, stood unmoved. His blood-red Marine coat billowed in the wind as his gaze locked onto Luffy. His voice, as unforgiving as molten magma, declared:
"So that's him… the grandson of Garp, the son of Dragon. He must be eradicated."
On the warship, Crocodile's gaze never left Whitebeard. His sharp, calculating eyes glimmered with something unreadable. Then, while the world focused on Luffy's arrival, his figure blurred—rushing straight at Whitebeard!
In a flash, Crocodile was behind Edward Newgate, his golden hook poised to strike.
"Long time no see, Whitebeard," he sneered. The hook came down fast and lethal—aimed directly at the Emperor's neck.
But Whitebeard never even turned. His voice was calm, almost bored:
"You never learn, do you?"
BOOM!
A figure intercepted Crocodile mid-air, kicking him away with explosive force!
Crocodile crashed to the ground, his eyes burning with fury as he glared at his attacker—Monkey D. Luffy, his entire body dripping with water.
"Are you trying to deal with me first?!" Crocodile spat, his golden hook gleaming under the battlefield's chaotic light.
Beneath the execution stand, Kizaru chuckled, his fingers dancing along his transponder snail.
"He escaped last time, but this time… gotta catch that Straw Hat boy~"
Carl, standing nearby, merely scoffed.
Everyone knew it—Kizaru was the laziest Admiral in the entire war.
Even now, he'd probably end up finishing the battle with his signature "Eightfold Jewel" attack.
Meanwhile, Luffy had already started charging forward, and as he did, the entire pirate alliance's morale surged.
But Kizaru's figure blurred—in a blink, he reappeared on the battlefield.
"If I don't stop you, the Celestial Dragons will never let me hear the end of it~"
Raising his foot, he unleashed a devastating light-speed kick at Luffy.
"DEATH WINK!"
From the distance, Emporio Ivankov's eyelids snapped open, unleashing a powerful shockwave!
The force sent Luffy flying sideways just as Kizaru's golden beam erupted, blasting a crater into the earth.
"Oh~ a Revolutionary Army commander?" Kizaru mused, his glowing hands still poised for another attack.
Above them, he turned to Solomon Carl and called out with amusement:
"Hey, Carl, it's your turn to show up now."
Carl sighed, exhaling another puff of smoke.
Originally, this was supposed to be Bartholomew Kuma's moment to act.
But Kuma had already been turned into a mindless war machine, enslaved to the World Government.
Now, Carl had to take his place.
"Scatter, Senbonzakura."
As his words fell, a cascade of pink cherry blossom petals descended from the sky.
Ivankov's eyes widened in admiration.
"Soooo beautiful~"
But then—SLASH!
A petal sliced his arm open, drawing a spray of blood!
Ivankov was yanked from his daze by the sharp pain. His face twisted in shock.
"What the hell is this?!"
Meanwhile, Kizaru vanished and reappeared beside Carl.
Outside the port, a new fleet of warships suddenly surrounded the battlefield.
Alongside them, rows of Pacifistas—cyborg weapons created by Dr. Vegapunk—marched forward, their lasers charging up.
Sengoku's trap had been set.
His voice rang out, carrying the weight of finality.
"Cut the live signal!"
The Marine officer holding the transponder snail saluted.
"But, Fleet Admiral, won't that shake public trust—"
Sengoku's eyes hardened.
"They don't need to see this. They only need to hear one word: VICTORY."
With that order, all live feeds were severed.
Yet one transponder snail remained active.
Buggy the Clown, ever the opportunist, was unknowingly broadcasting everything to the world!
As the battlefield raged, Scuardo approached Whitebeard, his eyes dark and filled with turmoil.
"Dad," he called out.
Whitebeard glanced back, sensing something off.
"Scuardo, you alright?"
"Our forces have suffered heavy losses…" Scuardo said, voice tense.
Then, in one swift motion—he stabbed Whitebeard in the chest.
Time froze.
Pirates gasped in horror. Even Marines flinched in shock.
From the execution platform, Sengoku's face remained unreadable.
"Carl," he said coldly, "Destroy that transponder snail."
Carl's right eye gleamed crimson, the number '6' shifting into '4'.
Across the battlefield, Buggy's body stiffened as if possessed.
Without thinking, he crushed the snail.
Buggy only snapped back to reality after the deed was done.
"Huh?! What just happened?!
Meanwhile, Marco tackled Scuardo onto the deck.
"WHY?! WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS?!"
Scuardo's voice trembled with rage:
"Whitebeard, you betrayed us to the Marines, didn't you?! You're only saving Ace while we DIE!"
Whitebeard said nothing. Then—he hugged Scuardo.
"You're my son too."
Then, raising his bisento, Whitebeard shattered the ice walls with a single quake punch.
As the ground trembled, Carl clenched his fist.
In that moment, Whitebeard's true strength had awakened.
The war had only just begun.
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