Genesis and the Red Force were both approaching the center of the battlefield, but Shanks had already returned to his own ship — he didn't accompany Arceus.
The Five Elders, for some reason, were suspicious of him, as if he harbored some secret ulterior motive. His arrival at Marineford will already be enough to make many things difficult to explain; if he were then seen sharing the same ship with members of the Beasts Pirates, it would only create even bigger trouble.
Some misunderstandings might be impossible to clear up, but there was no need to let the misunderstandings increase further.
During this process, the Marines also had varying reactions. The aftermath from the earlier explosion had a much greater impact on the lower-ranked soldiers. Although most of the force had been directed upward into the sky, it still shattered much of the Marines' formation.
When Genesis and the Red Force began to advance toward the battlefield, these Marines had just managed to stand back up.
For the soldiers whose eyes were now bloodshot from battle, the enemy's identity no longer mattered — killing their foes had become their sole obsession.
Several soldiers struggled as they lifted a cannon from the ground, pointing its muzzle at Genesis.
"It's the Beasts Pirates' ship! Prepare to fire! Load the cannon — I said load it! Didn't you hear me?"
"Sir... my body... my body isn't listening to me... I can't move at all..."
The soldier holding the cannonball responded with difficulty to another Marine. The Marine officer was about to scold him, but the next moment he realized his own body had also become stiff.
"What the hell, Doflamingo?! What the hell are you doing, batard?!"
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Doflamingo strutting over with an incredibly arrogant gait. The slight movements of Doflamingo's fingers explained why none of them could move.
"You don't want your Shichibukai position anymore?"
"Fuffuffuffu... Don't get so worked up. The World Government isn't going to strip me of my position just because of a Rear Admiral like you.
Besides, you'd better understand — I'm saving you guys. If you piss off the people on that ship, it won't end well for you."
Swish!
A scimitar formed of yellow sand slashed up from below. However, Doflamingo had already used his strings to grab onto the clouds in the sky; with a flick of his fingers, he swiftly dodged Crocodile's attack.
But the Marines weren't so lucky. The soldiers who got caught in the sweep of the sand blade had the moisture in their bodies rapidly drained away, and they soon turned into dried-up corpses.
"Damn it, Crocodile, didn't I already tell you? Today's fight ends here. You're really making this hard for me."
"Why the hell should I listen to you? And are you really the type to be so kind-hearted?
Rescuing a complete stranger from the Marines — that's not the kind of thing someone like you would do."
"Fuffuffuffu, I just don't want to get caught in the crossfire. See it for yourself, Crocodile; these monsters are the true rulers of the future!"
Among the Shichibukai, Doflamingo was the most excited after seeing the attack from the sky being blocked.
To be able to oppose the World Government with this level of force — this was the dream collaboration he had always hoped for.
"So what? What does that have to do with me?"
"Oh, sorry about that. Almost forgot! You were sent to Impel Down by that young miss.
But from the looks of it, your time in Impel Down wasn't wasted; you've gained quite a lot from it."
"..."
Crocodile's already gloomy face became even darker, to the point that the resentment on him seemed almost about to take physical form. At the same time, a swirling sandstorm was gathering in his hand.
"Enough, Crocodile. If you're not an idiot, you should be able to tell this war is about to end. Whether you want to keep fighting or go and witness its final outcome, I believe you're capable of making a smart decision. Right now, you still have the chance to join forces with me."
"In your dreams."
Crocodile still rejected Doflamingo, but he did not continue attacking him.
Instead, his body turned into a stream of yellow sand and flew off in another direction.
Having spent countless years pursuing the ancient weapons, this was the first time he had ever witnessed such terrifying power firsthand.
In his heart, he was certain — this was the legendary ancient weapon.
After all, Nico Robin had been sent out by the Beasts Pirates — Crocodile didn't believe that the Beasts Pirates had no information about the ancient weapons.
[If only I had this kind of power...]
If he could possess such fearsome power, then he could establish a military nation backed by absolute strength, and finally create his own ideal country.
He wanted to see what kind of world the Beasts Pirates would shape, who now held this power.
[Boss Tai... is this the force you follow?]
Jinbe jumped out of the sea, dragging a few Marines up with him along the way. During the normal course of the war, he had been slacking off, and even occasionally misdirecting attacks. He was now in the process of wrapping things up, and these Marines would serve as perfect witnesses.
Because of his position, Jinbe had been directly blasted into the water by the shockwave of the earlier explosion. Even through the seawater, he had seen that terrifying power.
[Jinbe, I have found what I have been seeking. If that power is obtained, if the Lord regains his strength, then the world I have dreamed of can surely be created.]
Tiger's words echoed in Jinbe's ears, leaving his heart unable to calm down for a long time. At this moment, he finally began to understand why the teachings of the Arceus Cult always emphasized the Lord's great strength.
Hancock, on the other hand, didn't have many feelings about it. She gazed earnestly in the direction of Genesis. Although Queen had already explained that Olga had other tasks, since even the Beasts Pirates' reinforcements had arrived, there was a chance Olga might show up too.
Hawk Eyes had a gaze similar to Hancock, but he harbored a different thought.
[A swordsman... could reach this level too, right...?]
Meanwhile, in a corner of the battlefield, an invisible Absalom was dragging Moria away.
Moria couldn't attract Kaido's interes, which meant that after being knocked out by a single blow, no one paid him any attention.
Only the ever-loyal Absalom had risked himself to rescue Moria. At this moment, he had already secured a boat, and was escaping the Marineford with the unconscious Moria.
At the same time, Whitebeard's battle was still going on.
The current situation was relatively ideal for Whitebeard: Ace had already been successfully rescued. As long as they could withdraw from Marine Headquarters, the rescue mission would be considered a success.
The rescue operation had even gone more smoothly than in the original timeline. Right now, no one was chasing after Ace — not because the Marines didn't want to, but because those who wished to either lacked the strength or couldn't free themselves.
Other than an Admiral-level combatant, no one could possibly kill Ace outright in front of all the Division Commanders and New World Captains.
Zephyr had fallen in battle, Sengoku was fighting Kaido, and Akainu and Kizaru were pinned down by Whitebeard.
Even while taking hits directly from both Admirals, Whitebeard hadn't given them any chance to interfere in other parts of the battlefield.
Garp obviously wasn't going to hunt down his two grandsons. As for Kuzan, although Yamato had slipped away and Kuzan had rejoined the battlefield, he didn't share the same obsessive hatred toward Ace and Luffy that Sakazuki did.
Even for someone like Whitebeard, forcibly taking several attacks head-on just to stall them was not something easy to endure.
Whitebeard didn't have the body of a Mythical Zoan user, nor the innate talent of "steel balloon," but from the moment he arrived at Marineford, he had never intended to leave alive. [TN: Talking about Big Mom here.]
At seventy-two years old, he no longer had much attachment to life. During the days of the Whitebeard Pirates' formation, he had already obtained what he wanted — the companionship of family, which brought him immense satisfaction.
The people he had known in his youth had one by one fallen and disappeared, giving Whitebeard the feeling that he was the remnant of a bygone era.
Just like Zephyr, he too wanted to find a fitting place for his final curtain call.
No matter how well Whitebeard maintained his body, it was ultimately rotting away. For someone so old, to once again wield the power of his youth at this moment was already a rare experience.
Moreover, even now, what he cared about was not himself, but the future of his crew. That last captain's order was all for them.
Without Whitebeard, the Whitebeard Pirates would already be nothing more than a name. Without a force on the level of the Four Emperors, the Whitebeard Pirates would automatically lose their status as an Emperor of the Sea. Judging from the current state of the seas, there was no one left who could fill that void.
The rise of the Beasts Pirates was already a foregone conclusion.
Whitebeard acknowledged that Kaido's interference had indirectly made the rescue operation smoother, but he was very clear — he and Kaido shared no friendship. Kaido's actions were purely for the sake of battle.
Even in their battle more than a decade ago, facing Kaido, Whitebeard had felt a sense of powerlessness — that he would lose, that he would die in battle — but that was something Whitebeard could accept.
What he truly feared was that his foolish sons would act recklessly, seeking revenge against the Beasts Pirates on his behalf.
Such an act would undoubtedly be throwing their lives away. But that's just how pirates were — even knowing they would die, they would still charge in headfirst. To prevent such a situation, Whitebeard issued the so-called captain's order.
"Last... last order from the captain? Pops, what are you talking about?! Don't say something so ominous! We're supposed to go back to the New World together and build our new ship!"
"Gurararara! I am a remnant of the old era! In the New World, there's no ship left that can carry me anymore! Remember my order — live and return! No revenge!"
Standing on the cliff he himself had created, Whitebeard issued his last order — and throughout the entire process, he never turned back, only ever presenting his back to his sons.
"You think this is a joke? All of you pirates are going to die here! Meteor Volcano!"
Akainu wanted to continue his attack, but Whitebeard didn't give him the chance. Smashing his fists into the air in front of him, Whitebeard interrupted Akainu's attack wind-up.
"Magma brat, your opponent is me. Don't even think about interfering in other battles!"
Whitebeard didn't know where Kaido was, nor was he particularly eager for battle, but no matter what happened, he would never let anyone who could threaten his sons leave his sight.
"Borsalino! I'll hold him here, you go capture those fleeing guys!"
Akainu shouted Kizaru's name while continuing to fight Whitebeard. Akainu had no idea what was happening on the other battlefields, so he decided to hold Whitebeard here alone and let Kizaru deal with the escaping Ace.
Whitebeard was already eyeing the both of them. He himself couldn't easily break away, but Kizaru, relying on his ability, could widen the distance between him and Whitebeard.
Upon hearing this, Kizaru immediately turned into a flash of light, intending to break away from the fight with Whitebeard.
Naturally, Whitebeard wouldn't allow Kizaru to escape. After forcing Akainu back, he launched an attack at Kizaru, who was now in the sky.
Taking advantage of this opening, Akainu fully shifted his body into magma form and charged toward Whitebeard's body. But just then, his Observation Haki caught a signal of danger, and he instantly dispersed his magma body.
At the same time, Kaido's kanabo came crashing down.
"This old geezer is my opponent. You Marines can scram, alright?"
To stop Kizaru, Whitebeard had even abandoned defending himself against Akainu. If Akainu's attack had landed, even Whitebeard's body wouldn't have been able to withstand it — something Kaido absolutely didn't want to see.
His fight had already been interrupted twice. In order to prevent this crucial battle from being disturbed again, he took action to stop Akainu.
"Newgate, your son has already been rescued. It's time to fulfill the promise you made earlier."
"This can't exactly be called a real escape yet, Kaido."
"That's why I said — it's because your sons are too weak. They even need someone else's help just to escape. You sure have picked up a lot of burdens."
Seeing Kaido talking with Whitebeard, neither Kizaru nor Akainu acted rashly.
There was no need to say much about Kizaru's personality; he had already been forced to exert more effort than usual in this war. As for Akainu, he simply didn't want to fight two of the Four Emperors at the same time.
Judging from Kaido's tone, he had clearly come looking to fight Whitebeard. Internal conflict among pirates was a great opportunity for the Marines. Akainu definitely didn't want to help Kaido and Whitebeard form a united front.
How to make Whitebeard and Kaido continue fighting each other while he went to hunt down the fleeing pirates became the problem Akainu had to think about. However, he didn't dwell on it for long, because the top-level forces from both sides had already gathered nearby.
Sengoku, Garp, Tsuru, Arceus, and Red Hair; at this very moment, the high-level forces assembled here even surpassed those during the God Valley incident.
"You seem to have gotten even stronger. Have you found what you were looking for?"
"I have. But what about you? Why is it taking so long over here? According to the original plan, it should've been over by now."
"There are always unexpected variables — just like that thing up there. Take care of the ones in the way for me. After that, the battle won't last much longer."
Seeing Arceus arriving, Kaido didn't believe there were any unexpected factors left that could interfere with his fight. If even Arceus couldn't handle any unforeseen trouble, then he would have no choice but to escalate it into an even larger-scale chaotic battle.
Compared to Kaido's easygoing attitude, things were very different on the Marine side.
The vice-captain of the Beasts Pirates combined with the Red Hair Pirates — this was absolutely not good news.
"Red Hair Shanks, why are you here?!"
"It's very simple. I hope this war can end here. There's no need for it to continue any longer."
"What a joke! The Marines have made such enormous sacrifices, and you expect us to abandon this war just because of a few words from you?!"
Hearing Shanks' words, Akainu immediately refuted him.
For the sake of this Summit War, the Marines had invested massive amounts of effort and time, yet they gained no tangible results. If it all ended just like this, it would truly be a disgrace for the Marines.
"No. I only hope you can recognize the current situation. If you insist on continuing the battle, then the Red Hair Pirates will also become your enemy."
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