There are three objectives in this war.
Top priority: kill Whitebeard.
Second priority: kill Ace.
Lastly: eliminate as many pirates as possible.
Now, it seems Whitebeard is already at the end of his strength, and Ace, who has been rescued, won't let this slide so easily!
"If you can escape that easily, where does that leave the Marine's dignity?"
Kizaru stood up from the ground, curled his lips, and looked up at Marco in the sky.
His palms faced each other. A brilliant light formed between them and was suddenly fired in Ace's direction.
"You think I'll let you do that...!?"
Whitebeard immediately tried to stop him, but just as he stepped forward, magma launched by Akainu struck his body, forcing him back and burning his wound.
He spat blood, and his vision blurred.
As the golden beam of light was about to hit Marco, another figure suddenly appeared from the side and intercepted the attack.
Luffy destroyed the beam of light and punched Kizaru in the abdomen, sending him crashing back to the ground.
Unable to dodge in time, Kizaru took a heavy blow, and blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.
He slammed into the ground, creating a crater.
Boom!
With a loud crash, the earth shattered, and the ground within a hundred-meter radius was torn apart by the impact.
"Admiral Kizaru!" a Vice-Admiral exclaimed in shock. "Impossible...! He was moving at the speed of light! How was he intercepted!?"
"I told you not to do anything unnecessary in front of me."
Luffy floated in the air, smiling as he looked at them.
Kizaru lay on the ground with a serious expression. His usual calm and lazy tone had vanished, and his brow was slightly furrowed:
"His Observation Haki... has it reached the level of future sight?"
As he spoke, he raised his left hand and gave an order to the small Den Den Mushi attached to his wrist:
"Don't let the pirates escape."
"My turn, finally?"
A monotonous voice answered on the other end of the line.
Soon after, a passage in the plaza opened, and a burly man stepped through with a massive axe resting on his shoulder. His stout figure resembled a wrestler's — though his hairstyle was oddly girlish.
He declared:
"Destroy those pirates!"
Behind him, humanoid weapons emerged one after another through the gate. Each one was identical to Bartholomew Kuma — like clones.
They moved in perfect sync. After slightly bending their knees, they leapt and reached the towering iron wall of the inner bay in a single bound.
Thirty Pacifistas, side by side, opened their mouths simultaneously, and beams of light began to charge inside.
The ice outside the inner bay...
No — there was no ice left. Bombarded by Akainu's magma, barely any frozen layer remained.
The high temperatures were still melting what little was left.
The pirates were running in desperation, trying to reach their ships before the ice completely vanished.
But in that moment...
Thirty laser beams fired by the Pacifistas caused explosions in every direction.
Many pirates were killed instantly.
---
"Marco, let me go," Ace said through gritted teeth.
"You still want to go back!? You're their main target, Ace! Did you already forget what Pops said...?"
"I get it. I've calmed down — I won't let him down!"
Ace took a deep breath. His eyes were no longer confused.
"Luffy, Pops, you — all of you came here to save me. If I die now, I'll be throwing all that away!"
Marco sighed in relief.
"Those things on the wall need to be destroyed! Otherwise, the ship's in danger, Marco!"
"Got it."
Marco nodded and immediately let Ace go.
Ace descended from the sky and threw a powerful punch at the Pacifistas.
BOOM!!
Flames erupted like a pillar, engulfing multiple units at once. The thousands-of-degrees heat incinerated their power systems, and a colossal explosion rang out.
At the same time, Marco closed his wings and dove at high speed, using a simple, brutal, and primitive method — crushing them in the blink of an eye.
Pacifista number 17 was split in two and exploded.
Amid the flames, Marco flew toward the next target.
"Worthy of being Whitebeard's commander. You're formidable."
Aokiji muttered as cold air gathered in his right arm, suddenly releasing a massive ice bird.
The creature soared straight toward Marco.
BOOM!!
The impact was tremendous. The ice bird and Marco collided, exploding into a shower of fine, shimmering crystals that rained down and melted as they touched the sea.
In the white mist caused by the blast, Marco spread his wings and soared upward, catching the falling Ace in his talons, flying toward the Moby Dick.
Aokiji was ready to continue, but a figure dropped in front of him, making him stop.
"Monkey D. Luffy..." Aokiji's face was serious.
"Shishishi... Thanks for freezing the sea. It really helped with the escape."
Luffy couldn't help but laugh.
Even he didn't know whether Aokiji had done it on purpose.
---
At the same time.
Before the massive ravine cutting through the plaza, Whitebeard advanced at the front line, fending off thousands of Marines.
"Fire! That monster's weakened!"
A barrage of bullets rained down on him.
Exhausted, Whitebeard's Armament Haki was rapidly fading.
He may have surpassed level IV5 at the start, but now he had dropped to level 1.
He roared, raised his bisento, and attacked.
The force of his Quake-Quake Fruit exploded forward in a spherical wave.
BOOM!
Countless Marines coughed blood or died screaming — some were even crushed.
"Haa~ haa~ haa..."
Whitebeard leaned on his bisento, gasping heavily.
Suddenly, his pupils shrank.
A crimson glow rose from the ground in front of him, followed by a column of magma.
Akainu emerged from the lava and punched Whitebeard.
His arm transformed into a dog's head, aiming to devour the emperor's face.
The blow ripped out his left eye — a third of his head vanished.
"You've grown old, Whitebeard!" Akainu mocked.
The scene fell silent for several seconds... until the Marines erupted in cheers.
"Whitebeard is dead! Admiral Akainu wins!!"
But in the next instant...
Whitebeard, now with only his right eye, suddenly opened it.
He immediately swung his bisento at Akainu.
Slash!
Akainu couldn't dodge in time. The Haki-covered strike sliced him from his left shoulder to his lower right abdomen.
He spat blood and stumbled back two steps.
The cheers stopped. The Marines stared in shock.
"You old bastard! You're still alive!?"
Whitebeard glared at Akainu in the twilight of his life.
He summoned every last ounce of strength and focused his Haki.
With both hands, he raised his naginata and struck Akainu once more.
In that moment, a golden light flashed, and a hole was blasted through Whitebeard's chest.
He froze.
"You're full of holes, Whitebeard."
From a distance, Kizaru stood with his index finger extended. Scratching his head, he said lazily:
"Didn't expect that to work..."
Even though his attacks were at light speed, every strike still required preparation and execution.
If Whitebeard hadn't been so injured, he could've easily dodged.
But now, nearly spent, he couldn't even maintain wide-range Observation Haki.
Whitebeard staggered, wobbling from side to side.
CRASH!
He stabbed his bisento into the ground to keep himself upright.
Cough... cough...
A thread of blood spilled from his mouth.
In that instant, a figure shimmered.
Luffy focused his Observation Haki on Whitebeard.
He could feel his breathing weakening rapidly.
Like a candle about to go out, his flame was fading… slowly being swallowed by darkness.
"Did he die this time?" a Rear Admiral shouted in disbelief.
"Fire! Shoot him again!"
"No."
Akainu, panting, supported himself on one knee. He looked at Whitebeard:
"He's unconscious."
Before collapsing, he still counterattacked — nearly killing me!
Blood pouring from his chest stained the ground crimson.
Luffy remained silent in the air.
He gently raised his hand. A white light glowed, and a fruit appeared in his palm.
A blank fruit.
Suddenly, a wild and arrogant laugh echoed:
"ZEHAHAHAHAHA!! You finally died, Pops?"
Blackbeard appeared at the head of a group of prisoners — all powerful, infamous men from the past.
Among them were legendary pirates and others Luffy didn't even recognize.
"At least you didn't..."
A faint light in the darkness flickered again.
Whitebeard's voice was weak and hoarse.
Blackbeard and the others were stunned, their faces filled with disbelief.
"Impossible! He's still alive!?"
"From a Color of Observation standpoint... they were all dead!"
"A mere remnant of wind, someone who could be knocked over with a finger… still standing!"
Blackbeard unconsciously stepped back. A look of fear crept onto his bloodied face.
"You... Roger wasn't waiting for someone like you."
"One day, someone will carry the lost centuries. One day, someone will challenge the world!"
"Sengoku… the World Government fears the arrival of a great war, one that will sweep the world and topple the Celestial Dragons' thrones."
"Though I don't care... someone will find that great treasure."
No one could believe it.
Anyone with Observation Haki would be in shock.
Whitebeard's aura, on the brink of vanishing, still unleashed unmatched willpower at the very end.
"Straw Hat Luffy..."
Whitebeard forced himself to raise his head. His eyes fell on Luffy — more precisely, the straw hat tied to his neck.
Memories flooded his mind.
Under the 10:07 a.m. sun, that figure shone brighter than light itself.
"That straw hat suits you! You're going to Laugh Tale, aren't you?"
Luffy gave a slight nod.
Whitebeard smiled, took a deep breath, and shouted with all his might:
"THE ONE PIECE... IS REAL!!!"
His roar echoed through the skies, spreading across the entire battlefield.
---
Aboard the Moby Dick
Ace dropped to his knees, staring toward the plaza.
Tears streamed down his face, his fists clenched tight.
He hated how weak... how powerless he was.
"Pops..."
Many commanders began to cry.
Luffy's face was calm. His eyes, cast downward, stared at the fruit in his palm — where a spiral pattern had begun to form.
"ZEHAHAHAHAHA! Those last words were incredible!"
On a battlefield where even the Marines had fallen silent, Blackbeard opened his arms and laughed.
A symbol of an era.
One of the Four Emperors of the Sea.
The strongest man in the world.
Edward Newgate... was dead.
But even in death...
he refused to fall.
His majestic figure, fighting to the end even while covered in wounds, would live on forever in the memories of all.
---
End of Chapter
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."