Kaido fell silent.
It wasn't completely unreasonable.
Even if Ron didn't acknowledge Ace, the commanders shared deep bonds—enough to exchange for several Devil Fruits.
"Hmph! Fine then, we'll spare his wretched life for now. Clean up and prepare to intercept that dog Akainu halfway. How dare he ruin my plans—seeking death!"
...
The Eternal Divine Kingdom.
The entire battlefield fell into an eerie silence.
Douglas Bullet stood frozen, his pupils violently contracting as his fists unconsciously clenched, knuckles popping loudly.
His breathing grew ragged, veins bulging on his forehead while he stared fixedly at Whitebeard's charred corpse being swallowed by magma.
He seemed to be verifying this wasn't an illusion.
"What damn joke..." His voice emerged low and hoarse, squeezed from his throat. "Whitebeard... how could he die like this?! I haven't even defeated him yet!"
Shiki's cigar slipped from his lips, the burning tip scattering sparks on the ground.
His expression froze uncharacteristically, a flicker of uncertainty in those eyes that once dominated the seas.
"Jihahaha..." His laughter came out dry and stiff, attempting to mask shock with mockery.
"Newgate, you old fool... actually lost to a Marine brat?"
Gecko Moria's flabby face twitched, cold sweat tracing his temples.
He'd heard of Whitebeard's terror during the Marineford War—how the man could unleash world-ending power even when surrounded by Admiral-level fighters.
Yet now... he'd been incinerated by Akainu?
"Kishishishi..." Moria's laughter carried a neurotic tremor. "Impossible... This is absolutely impossible!"
Doflamingo's sunglasses reflected the flames, making his eyes unreadable, but the corner of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.
"Fufufufu..." His laughter was sharper than usual, tinged with disbelief. "The Marines... really came prepared..."
His fingers trembled slightly, cold sweat beading in his palms.
If even Whitebeard could be killed so easily, how long could the rest of them last against Akainu?
Throughout the Eternal Divine Kingdom, all the pirates—whether notorious veterans or fresh recruits—were plunged into the same shock and terror.
"That Whitebeard, hailed as the 'World's Strongest Man'... is really dead?"
"Killed by Akainu... with a single punch?!"
"It's fake! It has to be fake!"
Ron stood quietly at the edge of the battlefield, White Moon's blade tilted toward the ground, reflecting the distant, still-burning charred remains.
Akainu's magma continued to roil over Whitebeard's corpse, the pungent smell of scorched flesh filling the air.
Yet Ron's expression remained unchanged—even curling into a meaningful smirk at the corner of his mouth.
"Your performance... isn't it a bit overdone?" he murmured to himself, his gaze sweeping over the crumbling Whitebeard Pirates.
Marco knelt on the ground, his blue Phoenix flames dim and flickering, tears sizzling as they hit the scorched earth.
Jozu, recaptured and bound in Seastone cuffs, could only weep and wail, his rugged face twisted in agony.
Vista had driven his twin swords deep into the ground, the elegant swordsman now sobbing like a child.
All the Division Commanders were engulfed in overwhelming grief, as if the sky had fallen.
"Pops! You died so tragically!"
"Akainu! I'll definitely kill you to avenge Pops!"
"Marines, the Whitebeard Pirates will never rest until you're destroyed!"
Ron shook his head lightly, a trace of helplessness flashing in his eyes.
"Crying so miserably... as if the captain is truly dead and gone."
He ran his fingers over White Moon's hilt, the blade reflecting the carbonized corpse.
"These stupid Commanders... probably too traumatized to remember their own Captain is a Quadruple Devil Fruit ability user."
In the magma, Whitebeard's remains emitted an almost imperceptible click.
SNAP.
Ron narrowed his eyes, spotting eerie serpentine patterns quietly emerging on the charred husk—a sign of the Snake-Snake Fruit, Mythical Zoan Type: Model: Yamata no Orochi beginning to revive.
"With eight lives to spare, and you're mourning after just one death..." Ron smiled faintly. "Let's see how you handle the shock later."
Ron's gaze swept over the charred remains like an icy blade—Whitebeard's body remained lifeless, the earlier signs barely noticeable.
He didn't know the details of the cooldown, but one thing was certain: the Captain wouldn't truly die from this.
Time crawled on the bloody battlefield, each second feeling agonizingly long.
"Seems the resurrection needs time..." Ron whispered, White Moon's blade gleaming with a cold light.
"Then, before that... let's collect some interest first!"
His figure vanished abruptly, leaving only an afterimage in his wake.
In the next instant, a bone-chilling killing intent closed in on Akainu's back!
"Moonlight Style: Divine Judgment!"
White Moon's slash tore through the air without warning, the blade's radiance pouring down like a galactic river, aimed straight for Akainu's throat!
Akainu's Observation Haki screamed warnings.
His magma-formed body instinctively twisted aside to grab a shield.
"Looking to die?!"
Akainu sneered viciously, yanking Jozu in front of himself.
The blood-soaked Commander refracted blinding light under the sun.
"Let's see how you retract your blade now!"
What sent chills down the Fleet Admiral's spine was that Ron's slash showed not the slightest hesitation!
The blade's gleam continued straight forward, as if intending to sever both Jozu and Akainu in one strike!
"You—!" Akainu's pupils contracted to pinpricks.
At that critical moment, he saw the look in Ron's eyes—a determination hotter than magma, a madness willing to destroy both jade and stone to achieve his goal!
Madman!!
Ultimately, Akainu didn't dare gamble with his life. His magma-formed body violently leaned backward to dodge the lethal blow.
SLASH!
The blade's light grazed past the tip of his nose, leaving a charred slash mark on his naval uniform.
CLANG—!
Amid the crisp metallic ring, Jozu's Seastone cuffs shattered cleanly.
Fragments of Seastone and broken chains scattered in all directions, tracing brilliant trajectories under the sunlight.
"What?!"
Akainu staggered to steady himself, his magma fist smashing angrily into the ground.
"You planned this?!"
Ron caught the exhausted Jozu with one hand, the tip of White Moon lightly tapping the ground.
He looked down at Akainu from his superior position, a mocking curve lifting the corner of his mouth.
"An Admiral... afraid to die too huh?"
Jozu lifted his head with difficulty, a despairing gaze peering through the cracks around his eyes.
"Why... why save me... Pops is dead. I might as well die too."
"Idiot. Captain doesn't die that easily."
Ron casually tossed him toward the approaching Marco.
"Rest for now. Sort out your head."
"???"