Chapter 215: Sengoku: I Read the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia. Reiner: Then It's Fine.
Rumble!!
Suddenly, the entire Marineford shook violently.
The Marines who were chasing like mad dogs were all forced to spread their legs and stab their swords into the ground to steady themselves under this earthquake.
Some even knelt directly on the ground on all fours, or fell flat on their faces.
"What's going on!"
"It's that man!"
"Whitebeard is about to go on a rampage!"
All the Marines stopped in their tracks, looking in terror at the man standing at the epicenter of the earthquake, his presence as imposing as if he were propping up the heavens!
Whitebeard's extremely violent punch shattered space, drawing the attention of the entire Marineford to him.
But his movements did not stop. He took a heavy step to the right into a half-squat, and then leaped high into the sky.
Feeling the fierce wind blowing against his face, Whitebeard felt an unprecedented fervor!
A translucent aura, containing violent power that distorted the surrounding air, tightly enveloped the blade of Murakumogiri.
"Gurararara!"
He grinned sinisterly, his expression wild, but without the high spirits of the past.
Whitebeard held the hilt of the bisento with one hand, raised it high, and, like a fierce dragon swinging its tail, viciously chopped down!
ZING!!!
A sword cry that echoed throughout the field exploded in everyone's minds!
Like a translucent curtain of sword light falling from the sky! The earth was instantly split open into a deep abyss, cutting straight across the entire battlefield!
Boom!!!
A violent, unceasing tremor spread through Marineford. The fissure expanded, nearly splitting the island in two!
What was even more astonishing was that this one move had instantly intercepted the two fighting Admirals, separating Aokiji and Kizaru before the abyss!
"Marco!!"
Thump!
Whitebeard roared as he descended from the sky, his feet smashing heavily onto the ground. He stood alone, blocking the way before the fissure!
"Pops!"
"Pops, what are you doing!"
Marco and the others roared loudly. That tall back figure looked desolate in their eyes.
"Take everyone and retreat, Marco. Let Pops protect you all one last time."
Whitebeard grinned, a hint of sadness flashing in his eyes, unseen by the others. His voice was low and calm.
"Are you kidding, Pops!!"
"Don't do something stupid!!"
"If Pops doesn't leave, I will never leave!" Marco's arms ignited with blue and yellow flames, transforming into wings as he took flight. "If I die, I'll die with Pops!!"
"Where's a father who would let his child be buried with him! Wouldn't that tarnish my name as Whitebeard!"
Boom!!
Whitebeard roared angrily, hammering the empty air behind him with his arm. "Get back, Marco!!"
The atmosphere shattered like a mirror, and the powerful vibration instantly sent him flying back!
Marco rolled twice on the ground and gritted his teeth as he got up, his lips pressed tightly as he stared at Whitebeard's back.
That back, which had always made them feel safe and reliable, for the first time looked so tragic.
"Death is not the end for a man! I, Pops, will not die!"
"Gura-ra-ra-ra!!"
Thump!
Whitebeard threw his head back and laughed heroically. He stomped the long hilt of his weapon on the ground and announced loudly:
"All hands, listen to my order!!"
"From now on! Marco is officially appointed as the first mate of the Whitebeard Pirates!"
Hearing these words, everyone stood there stunned in disbelief.
A pirate crew that had only ever had a father and a group of sons now had a first mate.
This meant that the only elder, from now on, would no longer...
"I don't want it!!"
Marco knelt on the ground and roared loudly, tears streaming uncontrollably from the corners of his eyes. "Without Pops! What kind of Whitebeard Pirates would we be!!"
"That's right, Pops!!"
"Don't, Pops!!"
Ace, Jozu, Vista, one by one, they broke down, weeping uncontrollably.
Once upon a time...
They were just a group of homeless wild dogs, abandoned by the sea.
Until this man appeared, like a torch lit in the eternal night, bit by bit, driving away the boundless darkness.
It was Pops who gave them a second life, gave them a family.
Here, they found acceptance, felt the warmth of family. Here was everything they had ever longed for.
"Please!"
Marco buried his face in the ground, clutching his head and crying his heart out. "Don't say such things anymore, Pops."
"You foolish sons. This pirate crew never existed because of me. It's because of you that this family is so precious."
Whitebeard looked up, reflecting on his life.
He did not enjoy fighting with others. Standing at the pinnacle of the sea, he had no interest in the great treasure that others coveted.
All he had ever longed for was just a family.
Along the way, from Marco, Jozu, Vista, Thatch... to the most idiotic yet most beloved foolish Ace.
Laughing and fooling around together on the ship, fighting side by side, then cursing while dividing the spoils, and drinking heartily.
Scene after scene was etched in his heart, unforgettable.
"How can I let your paths end here?"
"Pops's life has been exciting enough. But you all are just getting started."
Whitebeard turned his head back, looked deeply at Marco, and grinned faintly.
"Lead everyone to live on, my first mate."
"—Wuwu!"
Marco pursed his lips, sobbing uncontrollably. He dug his nails into the dirt, and hot tears streamed down his face like rain.
"I—!"
He wanted to cry and shout that he couldn't do it.
But he didn't.
Marco covered his face tightly with his palm, tears gushing from between his fingers as he let out a heart-wrenching roar to the sky, "—Yes!!"
"Pops!!"
"All hands, retreat!!"
At this moment, everyone's faces were streaked with tears as they lowered their heads. Their silent sobs were like a send-off for that magnificent back figure.
The abyss before them seemed to separate life and death, an insurmountable boundary between yin and yang.
"Why did it turn out like this!"
On the distant ship.
Ace's eyes were bloodshot. He knelt on the ground, struggling desperately, his hoarse throat gritting out bloody words.
"Why!"
Thump!
"I should have been the fool to die!"
Thump!
He kept banging his head on the deck, as if hoping to cover up the heart-wrenching grief with physical pain.
"Don't be like this, Ace," Luffy pursed his lips, his arms and legs wrapped tightly around him. Looking at the grief-stricken Ace, he didn't know how to comfort him.
He couldn't imagine how much pain he would be in if this had happened to him.
Despite their reluctance, Marco still suppressed his grief and began to lead everyone to evacuate the plaza.
However, how could the Marines just let them leave like that?
They would not change their actions because of some emotional drama. Their position dictated that they must strike the pirates with all their might!
"Alas, the curtain falls on a legend. How moving."
"We can't just watch you escape, you know."
"Pirates are pirates. Your very existence is a crime!"
Aokiji, Kizaru, and Akainu stood in a row, taking a step forward and leaping into the sky!
Golden light bullets rained down, scorching magma blotted out the sun, and an icy giant bird dived down.
"Yasakani no Magatama!!"
"Ice Block: Pheasant Beak!!"
"Dai Funka!!"
Clang!
Whitebeard grinned coldly, reversed his grip on his greatsword and stabbed it into the ground. He bent his ten fingers and grabbed the empty air before him. The air was gripped tightly in his hands like a curtain!
"You brats who haven't even been weaned! When I first set foot on this sea!!"
"You were still drinking milk!!" Whitebeard angrily tore the space apart!
Rumble!!!
In an instant, the air shattered! The earth shook! The sky collapsed!
All three of the Admirals' attacks were completely disintegrated. Specks of golden light vanished into the air, and shattered ice and burning magma rained down everywhere.
The three Admirals were forced back by the vibration, but they were not injured.
But...
"It's magma! Run!"
"Help, I'm stuck!"
"Be careful not to fall into the fissure!"
Uprooted giant rocks, cracked ground... the plaza was filled with the wails of Marine soldiers.
The entire Marineford was breaking apart, a scene of doomsday descending.
"What terrifying power."
Kizaru brushed the dust from his chest, his sleazy face frowning slightly. "Is he planning to threaten us with the whole of Marineford?"
"Gurararara!"
"I can't help but make a bit of a scene when I fight!"
Whitebeard looked at the execution platform in the distance and grinned. "Isn't this life of mine enough, Sengoku?"
Unexpected, yet within reason. Sengoku looked deeply at Whitebeard. He had anticipated this move.
It was just that he was not sure if it would really develop into this situation. Having fought for a lifetime, Sengoku knew him too well.
With Whitebeard's magnanimity, normally he would disdain to do such a thing. But he also knew that he could disregard principles for the sake of his family.
It was like a threat, yet also like a plea.
Reiner looked at Whitebeard, and couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion in his heart.
How was this different from Roger entrusting his child to Garp back then?
In front of family, what use was a little bit of face?
Or rather, for a king who stood high above, to be able to bow his head for his family, how was this not a form of great magnanimity?
As if history were repeating itself, these two pairs of arch-rivals had ultimately come to such a similar situation.
"All forces, surround and kill Whitebeard!"
Sengoku ordered in a deep voice. The golden light on his body dimmed, and the majestic golden Buddha slowly transformed back into a mortal body.
"Not fighting anymore?" Reiner's expression was strange.
Just now you were furious and said you would never let him leave. Why did you suddenly cool down?
Did Whitebeard make you emo?
"There's no point in killing you. Your ability... it's a Mythical Zoan, isn't it?" Sengoku turned his head to look at Reiner, asking in a tone of certainty.
Hearing this, Reiner was about to start spewing nonsense.
But Sengoku, as if having seen through his thoughts, said directly, "Based on Magellan's report from a few days ago, I've checked the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia."
"Although the description is vague, it should be it. One of the legendary fruits, the Human-Human Fruit, Model..."
"—Necrolord!"
"..." Reiner didn't speak.
The other has already checked the encyclopedia. What else is there to say?
Sengoku looked at the silent Reiner, as if he had already tacitly agreed with his statement.
He didn't know the detailed specifics of the fruit; the encyclopedia only had a few brief descriptions.
But what he did know was...
"These powerhouses who appeared out of nowhere are all your undead, right? Even..."
A cold glint flashed in Sengoku's glasses.
At first, he just found it strange why these powerhouses before him didn't have the aura of a normal person.
It wasn't until everyone had retreated, and only Whitebeard remained, while this man before him was still unusually calm...
...that he finally dared to confirm one thing.
"You're not the real body either, are you?"
Looking at the man before him, Sengoku felt more and more alarmed. His voice was cold and deep as he said:
"Who would have thought that the person who controlled the tide of the war...
"...never even set foot on the battlefield."
The surroundings fell into silence. The air seemed to freeze, making one feel a chill.
"Never set foot on the battlefield? That's right and wrong."
Reiner slightly raised his head to look at the dark sky. His cold glasses reflected a sharp glint, and a corner of his mouth lifted into a cold smile.
"If you don't retire, even I would be afraid, Strategist Sengoku."
(End of chapter)
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