"Oh my, oh my, Kuzan-kun, it seems you spent all that time and still couldn't get on good terms with Her Majesty the Empress!"
Borsalino no longer dared to put his hands in his pockets; even with so many people sharing the pressure, the Whitebeard before him still brought him considerable stress.
"Oh dear, oh dear, spare me. Her Majesty the Empress has such an unpredictable temper; getting on good terms with her is asking too much of me."
Ice spread across his face as Kuzan looked at Whitebeard's chest with a headache. There wasn't a single scratch, and even his old scars were gone.
"Entrusting victory or defeat to trivial relationships will only lead to utter defeat."
Sakazuki crouched slightly, like a fierce dog poised to strike, staring intently at Whitebeard, his eyes seemingly wanting to bite a piece of flesh off him.
"No more chitchat... he's coming!" Sengoku didn't dare to be complacent and transformed into his Great Buddha form.
Whitebeard leaped, landing right next to the execution platform: "First, give me the person back!"
So fast!
Everyone else only just reacted. This size with this speed surprised even the three Marine Admirals.
Of course, not everyone was slow to react. A figure flew out and blocked Whitebeard's path.
"Galaxy Impact!"
"Garp, is it?"
Whitebeard revealed a wild smile. Invisible shockwaves gathered at the tip of his Murakumogiri, which swung out and collided with Garp's fist.
An invisible storm dispersed from where the two clashed. The others weren't idle either; battle was imminent.
"Yasakani Sacred Jewel!"
"Two-pronged Spear!"
"Crane Claw!"
"Shining Impact!"
"Dog Biting Crimson Lotus!"
...The two sides engaged in a fierce battle. Most of the Marine attacks flew towards Whitebeard, while Marco and others took the opportunity to attack the Marines?
"So heavy!"
The moment they clashed, Garp felt something was wrong. This power was indeed stronger than Whitebeard in his youth.
It felt just like... the former Nero!
This realization made Garp feel somewhat powerless. Fortunately, the others, risking injury, also attacked Whitebeard at this moment.
Just as all the attacks were about to hit Whitebeard, his smile became even more exaggerated.
A surge of hot blood rushed through his chest. Whitebeard tightened his grip on the Murakumogiri, adding more force, and sent the incredulous Garp flying into the wall.
Immediately after, an arc-shaped slash in the air blocked all the other attacks, successfully allowing him to reach the execution platform, just one step away from Ace.
"Yo! Ace, have you been waiting long? I've come to save you!"
"Old... Man?" Ace was still a bit unaccustomed to seeing the young Whitebeard before him.
But under the immense guilt in his heart, he still spoke: "Why? Old Man... why did you go to such great lengths to... save me, who... even sacrificed for this..."
"You're not allowed to say another word! Saving family is always worth it, no matter what. You brats still have infinite possibilities."
Whitebeard lifted Ace and threw him towards the pirates behind him.
"Gurararara! My sons, I'll cover your retreat! Whitebeard Pirates' Ace Rescue Operation successful, retreat now!!!"
Oh! Oh oh!!! xN
The Whitebeard Pirates' morale soared. Not only had Old Man regained his youth, but Ace had also been successfully rescued. This was a huge win!
Jozu and Marco were also preparing to retreat. They had been with the Whitebeard Pirates since they were young, and no one knew better than them that Whitebeard at this period was invincible.
However, Marco felt a faint worry. He was the only one who had been in close contact with the black mud, and it really didn't seem like a treasure that could help people return to their youth.
So after running a couple of steps, Marco stopped: "Old Man, let me cover your retreat with you?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? Do you think I'll lose?" Whitebeard waved his hand dismissively, but understood in his heart that Marco must have had some premonition.
"You'll only get in the way here. I don't want to have to look after you, brat, while I'm fighting."
"That's a bit too harsh, isn't it?" Marco's eye twitched, although what he said was largely true.
Suppressing his worry about the black mud, Marco thought for a moment. Even if there were side effects, he could always go find Nero to resolve them later.
So, forcefully suppressing the unease in his heart, he waved a hand at Whitebeard: "Then, Old Man, I'll take my leave first. See you later!"
After saying that, seeing that Whitebeard only left him a back, Marco didn't mind. He spread his arms, transformed into fiery wings, and flew away.
So he didn't hear Whitebeard's final whisper.
"What a bunch of idiotic sons. My journey ends here..."
On the Marine side, Sengoku had also not yet given the order to pursue.
At this point, executing Ace was no longer realistic. The Marines' face had been trampled into the ground.
He, the Fleet Admiral, would probably have to step down after this. Therefore, at least Whitebeard must be left behind. Even if it was Whitebeard in his youthful state, the Marines would not have gained nothing.
With their top combat forces gathered here, other Marines pursuing the Whitebeard Pirates would be a gain, even if they only expanded the results by a fraction.
Looking at the three Marine Admirals and his two old friends, Sengoku and Garp, Whitebeard rested his Murakumogiri on his shoulder.
The Marines would not let him live, and Nero had no such intention either. Even his own body would not support it.
A complete dead end. So, as Nero wished, let's have a grand funeral worthy of the Great Pirate Whitebeard Edward Newgate!
"Come at me, all of you! Marines!" Whitebeard attacked first... "Ace!" xN
On the escape ship, Ace was surrounded by people.
The loudest one, of course, was Luffy.
After rescuing Ace, his goal was achieved, and he joined everyone from the Whitebeard Pirates on the escape ship.
Others, including Jinbe, Buggy, Crocodile, and others, also evacuated, but their warships were not on the same ship as the others.
"Everyone... I am truly grateful for this!" Ace bowed deeply: "Because of my foolishness, I caused everyone... In the future, no matter what, if you need help, I will certainly not hesitate!"
"Hey, everyone didn't come to save you for these reasons." Marco also smiled: "Because you are a member of the Whitebeard Pirates, you are our family. That's all."
"Marco..."
"Haha, now we just have to wait for Old Man to come back, and we can return to the New World like before."
"Hey, hey! This time the losses were heavy, so we need to prepare the celebratory wine and meat in advance!"
"Idiot, those minor things can be discussed later! What's important now is Old Man. Isn't Marineford still being broadcast live?"
"Right, right! Don't celebrate halfway through!"
"It doesn't matter. The Old Man, restored to his youth, is terrifyingly strong. There's no way he could be defeated by mere Marines."
"Ah, you newcomers simply don't know why Whitebeard is called a symbol of an era!"
...
---------------------------------
If you'd like to read the next 70 chapters in advance, you can support me on Patreon.
I regularly post chapter previews there, so you'll always be up-to-date and won't have to wait too long.
patreon.com/SolyuraMT
And if you enjoy the story, don't forget to give me a Power Stone. Your support really motivates me to continue translating!