In the quiet residential area behind Marineford, Little 3 was silently observing his surroundings.
The intense battle at the main port meant that the backstreets were deserted, save for the occasional deserter. Little 3, taking advantage of the quiet, would quietly incapacitate these guys to prevent them from causing trouble.
"Mr. Ikki is something else," he muttered to himself. "To prove his hunch, he makes me take this risk alone."
Before reaching Marineford, Ikki had sought out Little 3. As the owner of the Wax-Wax Fruit, Little 3 possessed a special talent for creating master keys, a skill Ikki knew would be vital for Ace's eventual rescue.
This meant that Little 3 would be positioned near the execution platform. Ikki suspected that some malevolent figures were lurking behind the platform, so he had secretly tasked Little 3 with a mission: if he got the chance, he was to check the area and send a signal if he found anything.
"Seriously, who would even be back here at a time like this?" Little 3 complained as he slipped out of an alley. By pure chance, he saw a massive man standing in the sea behind Marineford, dwarfing even Little Oz. Beside him was a warship with a small crew, but one face stood out.
"Blackbeard, Marshall D. Teach! Good thing I saw a picture of this guy in the news, otherwise I wouldn't have recognized him." He connected the dots instantly. "These must be the malicious guys Mr. Ikki was talking about."
Blackbeard was a newly appointed Warlord, yet he wasn't on the front lines. He was hiding here, watching the chaos. Little 3 immediately ducked back into the alley and began using his Devil Fruit powers to form a towering candle, hoping the massive flame would be visible to Ikki on the battlefield.
Meanwhile, the battle raged on. Everyone's attention, whether they were fighting or watching, was fixed on the brutal fight between Whitebeard and Akainu. Akainu, with the advantage of youth and reckless abandon, was relentlessly injuring Whitebeard.
The man's sheer madness was terrifying. Despite being pummeled by Whitebeard's counterattacks, Akainu kept getting back up, inflicting more and more damage on the old pirate.
As the battle continued, Whitebeard began to gasp and cough up blood, his stamina clearly fading. He was simply too old to sustain this level of combat.
"Pops! Let me handle this! You and everyone else, you have to fall back!" The desperate cry came from the Great Eddy Spider, Squard. He and his crew were charging forward on a massive icebreaker, ready to sacrifice themselves to create an opening for Whitebeard to escape.
"Squard, you idiot!" Marco and Ace shouted in unison, their voices filled with anguish.
"Ace! I was fooled by Akainu because you're Roger's son. I almost did something I'd regret against Pops. My death won't be in vain if it means I can make up for it!" Squard's face was a mask of despair, but his crew stood by him fearlessly. "You all go with Pops. We'll hold them off here!"
Marco, Ace, and the others were torn. There was no better plan at this point. If they could give their father a chance to retreat, they would gladly die for him. But would Whitebeard ever agree to such a plan?
Whitebeard glanced at Squard before unleashing a punch that sent Akainu flying. He then turned and grabbed the approaching icebreaker, stopping the massive vessel with a single kick.
"Pops! What are you doing?" Squard cried out in confusion.
"Squard, you foolish son! Don't you know how disrespectful it is for an old man to watch his son die before him?!" Whitebeard roared, his voice laced with both fury and sorrow.
Tears streamed down Squard's face as he broke down completely. Whitebeard then raised his Murakumogiri, Murakumogiri, and bellowed, "I am Whitebeard! If I want to leave here, no one will stop me!"
The morale of the Whitebeard Pirates surged. They charged into the Marines with renewed fury, their desperation striking fear into the hearts of their opponents. But Akainu was even more determined. After being knocked back, he ran straight at Whitebeard, reigniting their fierce duel.
Whitebeard's wounds grew more numerous by the minute, and his crew's anxiety mounted. The more anxious they became, the less they were able to hold their ground.
Marco was repeatedly struck by Fleet Admiral Sengoku, while Ace was starting to falter against Aokiji. Jimbe was being continuously and severely injured by Doflamingo.
The other captains and crew members were either held back by Marines or turned to stone by the Pirate Empress, rendering them unable to help Whitebeard.
Even Vista was still locked in combat with Hawkeye, unable to get past him. Whitebeard was in a desperate situation.
The battle was being broadcasted live across the Sabaody Archipelago and other locations. The broadcast was supposed to have stopped, but by a stroke of luck, the magical figure known as Buggy was there.
Since arriving at the plaza, Buggy had been leading his group of Impel Down prisoners, trying to avoid any real danger. He had briefly entertained the thought of making a big name for himself, but reality quickly set in. Everyone here was a monster.
He had no chance against even the lowest-ranking Marine captain, so he kept his crew on the outskirts of the battlefield, doing his best to stay out of sight.
His prisoners, simple-minded as they were, believed he was executing some brilliant plan. This made Buggy both want to cry and feel incredibly lucky. He reasoned that if they ran into any danger, his stronger crew members would take the hit, ensuring his own safety.
At some point, one of the prisoners found a live broadcast Den Den Mushi from a Marine. Buggy took the Den Den Mushi and began to broadcast himself, but the camera soon shifted to the main battle, especially the captivating fight between Whitebeard and Akainu.
Everyone on the Sabaody Archipelago watched in awe and horror.
"That Marine Admiral is crazy! Is he trying to kill Whitebeard and himself at the same time?!" Kid said, his voice full of apprehension.
"The Straw Hat Pirates are insane. Straw Hat Luffy is fighting Kizaru, and the Lightning Swordsman, Ikki, is going toe-to-toe with legends like Marine Hero Garp. Is this the power of the newly-promoted Five Emperors?" Apoo and Hawkins were equally shocked.
"It's all your fault! How dare you... boo hoo hoo!" Bonney stared at the image of the Tyrant Kuma on the screen and burst into tears.
Meanwhile, a small smile formed on Rayleigh's face as he watched Ace being saved by the Straw Hats.
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