Crocodile had truly been caught completely off guard.
With Whitebeard already dead, what meaning was there in his coming to Marineford at all?
Not only Whitebeard—two of Whitebeard's commanders, Marco the Phoenix and Diamond Jozu, were also dead.
And how long had the war even lasted?
Had the Marines really become this ferocious?
Crocodile's mind was filled with doubt.
However, despite being shocked by the Marines' overwhelming strength, one thing was beyond question:
The Whitebeard Pirates were facing an extremely dire situation.
And Crocodile's judgment was correct.
Looking around, the Whitebeard Pirates were being beaten into complete submission by the Marines.
They were utterly suppressed, barely able to catch their breath.
Without Whitebeard to hold the line, without Marco leading the charge, the Whitebeard Pirates simply could not withstand the Marines.
Although, numerically speaking, they had "only" lost three key figures, that alone was already fatal.
Aaaah!
Amid the constant screams echoing around them, one Whitebeard Pirate after another fell.
And this was still with the three Admirals not even going all out.
"ACE!"
"ACE!"
Ironically, Luffy was the one whose momentum burned the brightest, throwing everything he had into charging toward the execution platform to rescue Ace.
Marineford was completely engulfed in a brutally intense war.
Aaaah!
Clang!
Boom!
The battle raged on for a full two hours before Marineford finally fell silent once more.
Looking across the battlefield—
Marineford was now littered with horrifying corpses everywhere, pirates and Marines alike.
But comparatively speaking, far more pirates lay dead.
After all, with Whitebeard gone and Marco dead, the Whitebeard Pirates no longer had anyone capable of directly clashing with the Admirals.
The destructive power of the Admirals went without saying—each of them possessed devastating wide-area attacks.
Even if Kizaru and Aokiji were "slacking off," just throwing out a few moves for show was still lethal to pirates.
And Akainu?
He had gone completely berserk.
Attacks like Meteor Volcano were unleashed nonstop, leaving the Whitebeard Pirates utterly shattered.
So—was Ace rescued?
With Whitebeard and Marco both gone, the Whitebeard Pirates were incapable of restraining the Marines long enough to create an opening for Luffy.
Under these circumstances, even if Kizaru and Garp wanted to hold back, there was no chance to do so.
Luffy couldn't even get close to the execution platform!
The final outcome of the Paramount War was clear:
The Whitebeard Pirates were nearly wiped out, with more than half of their forces killed.
Those who survived with heavy injuries were all captured by the Marines.
Luffy, who had just escaped from Impel Down, once again fell into Marine custody.
Fire Fist Ace was never rescued.
He was executed by the Marines in front of the entire world.
A complete victory.
This Paramount War ended in an overwhelming victory for the Marines.
The only thing no one had expected was that Blackbeard appeared while the Marines and Whitebeard Pirates were fighting to the death—and stole Whitebeard's corpse!
That became the single blemish on an otherwise perfect outcome.
It enraged Admiral Akainu, who swore to kill Blackbeard—though that was a matter for later.
That cunning bastard had already escaped without a trace amid the chaos of the war.
"It's over… everything is over."
Watching the footage transmitted by the Den Den Mushi, Shanks shook his head and let out a long sigh.
They hadn't even reached Marineford yet.
And the battle was already over.
Much faster than anyone had anticipated.
But considering that Whitebeard and Marco had both been killed at the very start of the war, such an outcome was hardly surprising.
A Whitebeard Pirates without Whitebeard.
A Whitebeard Pirates without Marco leading the charge.
How could they possibly stand against the Marines?
"There's no point anymore. Let's go back."
Already close to Marineford, Shanks shook his head and gestured for his crew to turn back.
His face was filled with deep concern, his brow tightly furrowed.
With the Whitebeard Pirates destroyed, the balance of the seas was bound to change dramatically.
Whether that would be a good thing or a bad thing—no one knew.
---
"Whitebeard is dead! The Whitebeard Pirates have been wiped out and thrown into Impel Down!"
"Only three Emperors remain! The structure of the seas is about to undergo a massive transformation!"
"The Marines actually eliminated Whitebeard—this is nothing short of a miracle!"
"If Whitebeard is dead, then what's next? The other Emperors?"
The Paramount War was like a nuclear bomb detonating across the seas.
No—more accurately, it unleashed a colossal tsunami.
Whitebeard's death, and the destruction of the Whitebeard Pirates, struck everyone like a sledgehammer to the chest.
The shock left the world speechless.
That was Whitebeard!
One of the Four Emperors!
And yet… this was how it ended?
But an even more terrifying question followed:
The Marines had proven they could eliminate an Emperor.
So would they go after the remaining Emperors next?
After all, killing Whitebeard had looked effortless—practically a one-hit kill!
"Who was the one who killed Whitebeard?!"
"When did the Marines gain such a terrifying monster?!"
"With that man around, no pirate can sleep peacefully anymore!"
"Homelander—he's called Homelander. I heard Marines calling him that."
"Homelander? Just who in the world is he?!"
Without question, Alex's name spread across the seas along with the explosive impact of the Paramount War.
He became an existence that stood far above even the three Admirals and the Four Emperors.
A being feared by every pirate—
Even by the remaining Emperors themselves.
"Homelander…"
"Why has someone like this never appeared before?"
In Wano Country, Kaido's expression had never been so heavy, a dark cloud settling over his brow.
The All-Stars, the Flying Six, and the rest of his inner circle could all tell—
Even Kaido now harbored deep fear toward this so-called Homelander.
After all, no matter how you looked at it, that terrifying man had killed Whitebeard with a single punch.
What kind of concept was that?
That was Whitebeard!
A man on the same level as Kaido himself.
Even if rumors said Whitebeard was old and weakened—
There was no way Whitebeard should have been killed with a single punch.
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