Thwack! Thud.
Blade met flesh; the sword's sheath fell to the ground.
The entire chaotic, noisy battlefield fell silent for a moment. Nearly everyone stared, dumbfounded, as Whitebeard's massive hand grasped a long sword, blood dripping from his palm.
"Huu… huu… huu…"
The middle-aged man with long hair, sharp teeth, and a spider-web tattoo on his forehead—Squard the Maelstrom Spider, one of Whitebeard's forty-three allied captains—panted, letting go of the handle, making no attempt to pull the sword free.
Whoosh~
"Squard!"
Marco roared as he flew down from the sky.
Smash!
"Why would you do this?! Answer me, Squard!"
Marco slammed Squard to the ground and demanded an answer with a sharp, angry yell.
Aeridar was stunned, looking at the astonishing scene unfolding on the deck of the Moby Dick.
"No way! Are you kidding me?" A look of incredulity flashed across Aeridar's face.
According to the original plot, Whitebeard, in his prime, could have dodged any surprise attack, even one from a trusted subordinate. But because Whitebeard was old and suffering from an illness that continuously deteriorated his health, he hadn't dodged the attack orchestrated by Sakazuki's deception, allowing Squard to stab him during the Paramount War.
However, Whitebeard had been injecting the SS drug for years. While his physical condition wasn't that of his peak, it had not deteriorated; instead, it was gradually improving. Last year, he had fought both Kaido and Charlotte Linlin to a standstill, demonstrating his formidable power to the world and proving that Whitebeard Edward Newgate's dominance was intact and that he was still the strongest of the Yonko.
So, why was Whitebeard still stabbed by a sneak attack?!
By all accounts, he should have reacted. Why grasp the blade with his bare hand, not even using Armament Haki?
What was the reason?
For a moment, Aeridar racked his brain, completely unable to figure it out.
"What a shame, but…" Sakazuki's eyes glinted.
At that moment, Squard loudly addressed the pirates on the battlefield, shouting accusations about Whitebeard colluding with the Marines, selling out his comrades, and clearing the way for Ace to become the Pirate King.
Aeridar scoffed at this. Are you serious? Although he didn't understand why Whitebeard was stabbed, only a simple-minded, naive fool like Squard would fall for such an obvious ploy.
If it were anyone else, they would have charged straight at Sakazuki with a knife.
Nevertheless, Squard's words significantly demoralized the pirates, and quite a few of them wavered.
"That bastard! To be stabbed by his own subordinate… and to grab the blade with his bare hand!"
Crocodile trembled with fury, shouting at Whitebeard, "How pathetic, Whitebeard! I refuse to be defeated by such a weak man!"
Seeing the agitated Crocodile, the onlookers somewhat understood his reaction.
However, Whitebeard simply threw the blood-soaked sword to the deck, hugged Squard tightly, and with a few heartfelt words, brought Squard to tears, all without showing any intention of blaming him.
Aeridar, witnessing this, couldn't help but sigh in admiration: Whitebeard truly has a heart as vast as the sea.
If it were Aeridar, he would have instantly sent a punch that would obliterate every living cell in Squard.
"Your prowess remains, Sengoku! Tricked by you into saying I would sell out my sons' heads!"
Whitebeard plunged his naginata into the deck, then thrust his arms out, clenching his fists and violently striking the air on both sides of him.
CRACK!
Several fissures appeared in the air. The atmosphere shattered.
RUMBLE—
The invisible quake force transferred through the air. The towering ice walls on either side of Marineford instantly shattered, turning into massive chunks of ice that plummeted into the sea.
"Well, now~ So he opened a path for retreat. What a troublesome man!" Aeridar licked his lips, giving a bloodthirsty smile.
The ice walls were originally meant by the Marines to trap the Whitebeard Pirates, and Whitebeard himself wanted to reduce the Marines' artillery fire. Now, to dispel the doubts of his crew and to create an escape route for the pirates, he had shattered the ice walls.
"Those who want to follow me, cast away your lives and come!"
Whitebeard's voice boomed across Marineford. He grabbed his naginata and took a massive step, jumping directly onto the ice plain.
"Prepare for battle! The Strongest Man in the World is making his move!"
Sengoku on the execution platform shouted a tense warning to all Marines.
With Whitebeard personally entering the fray, the pirates' morale soared, and they scrambled to charge at the Marines.
At this time, the Marines appeared to be executing a plan. All the Marines on the ice plain retreated to the plaza, with only Giant Vice Admiral John Giant remaining to cover the retreat and confront Whitebeard.
BOOM!
In mid-air, Aeridar's punch collided violently with Chinjao's head, and a fierce gust of wind immediately spread outward.
Chinjao's strength was inferior to Aeridar's, and without footing in the air, he was instantly sent tumbling down.
"Black Box!!"
Moria, below, extended his hands. His surrounding shadows immediately transformed into countless bats, which swirled around Aeridar and quickly merged to form a black cube, trapping Aeridar inside.
"I got him! Hasshoken: Buto!"
Chinjao was ecstatic. He stomped with both feet, unleashing a huge force that instantly cracked and sunken the ground. He flew upward, his flattened head covered in a coat of black Haki.
Shhkzzt!
"Not a chance!"
The Black Box was ripped open by a tremendous force. Aeridar, bursting out of it, twisted his waist and unleashed a heavy, powerful kick with devastating momentum.
CRASH!
The air violently shuddered, and a wave of distorted ripples swept out. An intense vibration immediately echoed through the atmosphere, and a circle of white air current spread out like a shockwave, tearing across the ground and flipping numerous Marines.
"Get the hell down!"
Aeridar roared, unleashing terrifying power.
Whoosh!
Chinjao felt an enormous, irresistible force instantly assail him. His body immediately became a black blur, plummeting backward.
BOOM—
The ground shattered, and air currents surged. Countless pieces of rubble flew, and a massive crater instantly appeared. The shocking force also caused the surrounding ground to shake violently.
RUMBLE—
Just as Aeridar prepared to press his advantage and defeat Moria, he suddenly realized that the ground had lost its balance; the entire surface was tilted.
Looking further out, he saw that the entire ocean had been fractured!
The sea had been split into several sections, with the water around Marineford tilting sharply to the left or right.
Coupled with the constant, strong earthquakes caused by the quakes, many buildings on the island collapsed. The ice plain in the bay was now riddled with bottomless fissures and had even completely shattered in places.
Under the monstrous waves that followed, many ships, both Marine and pirate, were swallowed by the sea.
"Heh heh heh heh~ That old geezer Whitebeard is truly reckless!"
Floating in mid-air, Aeridar held Hancock's hand, and the two looked down at the spectacular scene that defied description.