The whole of Marineford had fallen into complete chaos.
Boom! Whitebeard sent Aokiji flying with another quake-powered punch, but the Admiral seemed unfazed. He flipped in mid-air, landing lightly before launching a massive ice pheasant at Whitebeard.
In response, the old man simply punched forward again, shattering the icy construct into a thousand shards. The two had been fighting for a while now, but neither could land a decisive blow. Aokiji's attacks couldn't pierce Whitebeard's defenses, while Whitebeard held back due to his failing health.
Ace, who was standing nearby, wanted to rush into the fray, but Whitebeard ordered him to stay put. Marco, who was grappling with Momousagi, quickly handed her off to one of the other captains and flew over to check on Ace.
Ace's body was in rough shape. His injuries from the fight with Blackbeard had not been treated, and his time in Impel Down had left him weak and malnourished. He was in no condition to fight. Luckily, Whitebeard had decided that Ace would not be returning to the battle for the time being.
"I'll heal you first, Ace," Marco said, "and you should eat something while you can. We're going to need a lot of energy for our retreat." As he spoke, blue flames erupted from his body, covering Ace's chest and quickly mending his broken ribs.
Marco's mind flashed back to the cruel beatdown Blackbeard had given Ace, and he felt a surge of rage. He wished he could kill that traitorous Teach with his own hands.
Some of the crew members managed to grab some food, and Ace ate it without hesitation. However, he couldn't help but look toward the fierce battles unfolding around them, particularly at the fights involving Whitebeard, Sabo, and Luffy. His mind was still filled with worry.
Marco noticed Ace's concerned expression and chuckled. "What are you so worried about? Don't even get me started on Pops; your two younger brothers are even stronger than you now. Especially the Straw Hat kid—he's fighting evenly with Kizaru! I'm not even sure I could do that."
Ace smiled faintly, a bit embarrassed. Marco was right. As the older brother, he had been surpassed by his two younger brothers, and he felt a little ashamed. But it was also because of their strength that he could finally relax and eat in peace. He knew Whitebeard was the world's strongest man, and that Aokiji alone was no match for him.
However, the same couldn't be said for Akainu. The Whitebeard Pirates knew a lot about that Marine Admiral, and they all knew he was a complete lunatic.
Akainu had been in charge of a Marine base in the New World for a long time. He would sometimes encounter an Emperor's crew and, instead of notifying Marine Headquarters, would simply lead his men in a direct charge.
More often than not, he would lose those fights, and his troops would suffer heavy losses. Despite his reckless nature, even the Emperors were wary of him, always choosing to avoid him if they could.
Akainu's radical approach to "Absolute Justice" made Fleet Admiral Sengoku's methods look tame in comparison. The fact that he would dare to attack an Emperor's crew, even if he got badly beaten, showed his insane determination. He would just keep coming back for more until the Emperor's crew was forced to retreat.
That's why they all knew it was best to avoid a fight with him.
Thinking this, Marco and Ace turned their attention to the other battlefield: the one between Carl and Akainu.
Marco and Ace felt immensely grateful to Carl. His quick thinking had prevented Whitebeard from taking a serious hit earlier, and now he was keeping the lunatic Akainu occupied.
If Carl wasn't there to hold him back, Akainu would have surely gone after Whitebeard by now, and the sons of the old man would have died of worry. What surprised Marco and Ace the most was that Carl was actually pressuring Akainu.
They had heard the rumors that Carl had defeated Akainu before, but rumors were just rumors. Now, however, they were seeing it with their own eyes.
The fight between them was intense. Akainu's body was a blazing torrent of magma. He alternated between his Great Eruption and the dog-toothed Red Lotus attack. While he only used two moves, their immense destructive power was enough to keep Carl on his toes.
Carl was not intimidated in the slightest. He seamlessly switched between his one-sword and two-sword styles, even mixing in his Devil Fruit ability and the Six Styles. He fought however he pleased, and it was working. After a prolonged exchange, both men were exhausted, though neither had sustained significant injuries. Most importantly, both of them were holding back.
Carl glanced behind the execution platform from time to time, a slight anxiety creeping into his mind. He was still waiting for a signal from someone.
Akainu occasionally followed Carl's gaze but saw nothing. He couldn't figure out what Carl was looking for. But it didn't matter. All he needed to do was kill Carl.
He was holding back, of course, because he was wary of Carl's ultimate move. He'd been fooled by it once before and wasn't about to fall for the same trick again.
Suddenly, a loud explosion rocked the square. An old man with white hair appeared among the pirates, his iron fists dancing as he smashed the ground. The force of his blows sent many pirates flying into the air.
"Hahaha! The old man is here to play too! You pirates, come and get a taste of my iron fists!" Garp yelled. He looked like he was having a great time, easily knocking out pirates one by one. He even took out two of Whitebeard's captains who had blended in with the others.
With Garp joining the battle, the Marines' morale skyrocketed, while the Whitebeard Pirates' momentum was severely suppressed. Their morale was already low because of the planned retreat, but Garp's presence nearly made it bottom out completely.
Carl rolled his eyes, utterly speechless. It seemed that Garp, seeing that Ace had been rescued, felt a sudden urge to "help out" by beating up some random pirates. The old man probably hadn't even considered the effect his actions would have on the morale of both sides. His presence would only make it harder for the pirates to escape.
Be careful, old man. Ace might die because of this! Carl thought.
"You're still getting distracted while fighting me, Carl? You're too arrogant!" Akainu sneered. He instantly turned into magma and propelled himself forward, closing the distance in a flash.
"Dark Hound!"
Poof! A magma dog shot straight through Carl's right shoulder.
"Damn! You're really ruthless!" Carl cursed, severing the magma dog's head with Sandai Kitetsu in his left hand. But Akainu was already gone. The ground was now covered in magma, and something was moving beneath the molten surface.
Akainu had clearly taken advantage of Carl's moment of distraction to unleash one of his ultimate moves, and it had worked perfectly. Carl was now seriously injured.
"Teacher Carl!" Luffy yelled out in worry, only to be immediately pushed back by Kizaru.
"I'm fine! It's just a scratch!" Carl shouted back, though his voice sounded pained.
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