The cold wind cut through the plaza. The low fog covered the rubble up to ankle height. The ground still trembled from earlier quakes.
Marco held Ace by the shoulders.
His blue flame wings partially enveloped them. His chest bore marks. Each wingbeat left a trail of embers.
Ace groaned softly.
Seastone chains still bound his arms. His body slumped as if made of lead. His breathing was uneven.
"It'll be okay."
Marco flew low, skirting broken debris. His left leg bled.
Ace didn't respond.
His eyes were half-closed.
The path ahead seemed clear.
The sky opened for a second.
A golden beam glinted behind them.
Kizaru appeared in the air.
Condensed light swirled around his body.
His kick came at the speed of light.
It struck Marco in the side.
The impact cracked the air.
Marco was thrown sideways, crashing into a fallen structure.
His body slid across the stones, embers scattering in the air.
Ace fell.
His body rolled twice before stopping on its side.
The chains clinked as they hit the stone.
His breathing hitched for a second.
Kizaru hovered above.
His arm still extended.
His gaze hidden behind glasses.
His body barely seemed to have moved.
Ace tried to rise.
His hands shook. His legs didn't respond.
"No…"
His voice was weak.
Sengoku took two steps forward.
His Buddha form was destabilizing. The golden aura flickered. His face was covered in dust and sweat.
He pointed at Ace.
His voice rang like stone on metal.
"Soldiers."
Three nearby marines turned their heads.
Two were injured, the third wielded a broken spear.
Sengoku raised his voice.
"Kill him. Now."
The wind sliced through the plaza.
No one moved for a second.
Sengoku didn't repeat himself.
The first marine ran.
The second followed.
Ace lifted his gaze.
The fog swallowed them up to their knees.
Marco coughed in the background.
His wings were fading.
Ace drew in air.
His body hunched, defenseless.
The first soldier raised his sword.
The second adjusted his bayonet.
The third hesitated.
But the next step was already taken.
Ace closed his eyes.
The three came quickly.
He had nowhere to go.
And no way to react.
Marco stood.
His legs gave out for a second, then steadied.
His blue flame wings reopened, unstable.
His gaze locked on Ace.
"No."
His body launched in a short leap.
The heat around him reignited the embers in his wings.
But the golden light appeared again.
Kizaru descended like a straight line.
The kick came from above.
Marco crossed his arms.
The impact threw him sideways. His body flew diagonally, crashing into a broken stone wall.
The ground shook.
His wings extinguished on impact.
Marco rose, half-hunched, teeth gritted.
He looked at the soldiers nearing Ace.
"Bastard…"
His voice came through clenched teeth.
"You're quick to interfere, but never to do what's right."
Kizaru spun in the air, floating a few meters away.
"Ooh… what a shame."
His voice was slow, almost bored.
"Stay still. We'll wrap this up quickly."
Marco tried to advance.
Kizaru reappeared in front of him.
His light-wrapped fist rose, threatening.
Marco stopped.
His eyes fixed on Ace, just meters away.
The three soldiers were already upon him.
The sword's shadow covered Ace's face.
Whitebeard moved his trident.
His body wavered, but he forced his legs forward.
His torso, bent from his wound, tried to advance.
His eyes were locked on his fallen son.
"No…"
His left foot tore the ground with a step.
His arm pulled the trident.
"ACE!"
His shout cut through the entire field.
His body surged forward, each step shaking the earth.
But cold rose.
Ice formed a dense wall.
The structure rose quickly, blocking the path.
Whitebeard stopped half a meter from the barrier.
The ice still crackled, growing, fracturing the ground around it.
He recognized the pattern.
His gaze lifted.
Aokiji stood atop the rubble, arm extended.
The Admiral's breath came in thin clouds.
His eyes half-closed.
The wall between father and son didn't yield.
Whitebeard gripped the trident tightly.
His hands shook.
Blood dripped between his fingers.
He stared at the ice.
Then lowered his eyes.
On the other side of the wall…
Ace was still on his knees.
And the soldiers raised their weapons.
The first pulled the trigger.
CLACK.
The second followed.
BANG. BANG. BANG.
The bullets cut through the air in a straight line.
Ace didn't try to move.
His eyes closed slowly.
His head tilted slightly forward.
'…this is it.'
The wind passed over him.
The sound of bullets drew closer.
FWWWWWIP.
And stopped.
Ace felt no pain.
His body remained steady.
Something touched his head.
A hand.
Firm. Silent.
Resting on the top of his skull as if the world around didn't exist.
Ace opened his eyes.
The bullets had passed through.
No marks.
No impact.
The hand remained.
Just the hand.
The rest… wasn't in that place.
The skin was pale. The back clean. No armor, no symbol.
The hand floated alone.
But it didn't tremble.
And the touch didn't hurt.
Ace turned his face slowly.
There was no shoulder. No arm. Just the hand, connected by a subtle distortion of space.
The fog around the hand shimmered as if bending into another plane.
Slowly, the distortion grew.
The outline of a figure began to form.
First the forearm.
Then the shoulder.
The black cloak floated with slow motion, as if time around it was different.
The full silhouette emerged in short steps.
The feet touched Marineford's ground without sound.
Riser Phenex stepped out of the Kamui as if unhurried.
His left eye spun in deep red.
His right hand still rested on Ace's head.
His golden gaze swept the field silently.
Sengoku clenched his fists.
His golden aura flickered like a smothered candle.
His jaw tightened.
"Betraying the Government wasn't enough. Now you return here… to play savior?"
Riser didn't look at him.
His hand stayed on Ace's head.
The cloak adjusted to his body with the light breeze.
"Sorry to interrupt again."
His voice was clear, firm, unhurried.
"It seemed like an important moment. Executions… desperate soldiers… moralizing speeches."
He glanced to the side.
Blood still dripped from a broken wall.
"I couldn't resist."
Sengoku clenched his fists tighter.
His jaw locked. His golden aura wavered.
Marco watched from the side. His wings extinguished. His body leaned against a broken beam.
Ace breathed slowly. The touch on his head still present. The Kamui's distortion receded gradually.
Boa Hancock watched the scene from twenty meters away.
Her hands hung loosely at her sides. Her eyes fixed on Riser.
Her breathing slowed.
Her heart pounded.
She heard his voice, each word like a key unlocking what she already expected.
Riser turned his face slightly.
"It's time."
His gaze met hers.
Hancock took a step forward.
Her black hair moved with the wind. Her dress was torn at the sides. Her boots stained with ash.
Her eyes were locked on Riser.
Her heart raced, but her body stayed steady.
Riser didn't speak.
Hancock lifted her face.
The entire field watched.
She took a deep breath.
"It's over."
Her voice echoed across the ruined plaza.
"No more pretending I belong to this broken system."
She pulled her cloak with one hand.
The fabric tore at the shoulder. The Marine symbol fell to the ground, rolling among cracked stones.
"Weak, vain, disgusting men… you cling to power like spoiled children."
Her gaze swept over the admirals and officers.
"You called me a weapon. A title."
Her voice rose.
"But the only man who ever proved himself worthy of anything was him."
She pointed at Riser without hesitation.
"The only one who didn't look at my body before hearing my voice."
"Riser Phenex is the king the world rejected out of fear."
"And I reject the world for him."
Her arm lowered.
The decision was sealed.
"I am no longer a Shichibukai."
She faced Sengoku.
"I am the woman who will become a Yonko."
"For his will."
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