Whitebeard poured the grief and rage he had stored deep within his chest into his fists.
Crackling shatter!
Around him, the air fractured like a mirror torn apart by immense force.
The first shockwave did not aim at Marine Headquarters.
Instead, it smashed toward the frozen bay, daring and unrelenting.
He would carve a path to freedom for his sons.
Boom!
A deafening explosion rolled across Marineford.
The ice, crafted by Aokiji and capable of entrapping tens of thousands of pirates, instantly fractured with spiderweb-like cracks.
The fissures spread rapidly, as if alive, devouring the frozen surface.
With a crisp crack, the ice shattered completely.
The shockwave had cleared a path for the Whitebeard Pirates to retreat.
Even after accomplishing this, Whitebeard did not relax.
His massive frame wavered slightly. A bitter taste rose in his throat, blood threatening to spill.
He swallowed it down forcefully.
He could not fall yet. Not now.
"Marines!"
With a roar, a second, even more powerful shockwave erupted.
Invisible destructive energy became a visible white aura. Everywhere it passed, space itself warped and screamed.
This time, the target was Marine Headquarters, aimed directly at the towering execution platform.
"What a spectacular farewell gift~"
A lazy voice called out.
Kizaru had appeared in midair without warning.
Golden light gathered at his fingertips.
Yata no Magatama!
In an instant, thousands of golden energy projectiles rained down, striking the weakest points of Whitebeard's shockwave.
Every explosion chipped away at the destructive force.
"Newgate!"
Below the execution platform, Fleet Admiral Sengoku's form expanded, transforming into a colossal golden Buddha, eyes blazing with fury.
He met the weakened impact head-on, thrusting a massive palm forward.
Shockwave!
Golden light collided with Whitebeard's white aura midair.
Boom!
A terrifying energy storm erupted in all directions.
The aftershocks, however, were held aloft by the two strongest Marines, not a trace reaching the plaza below.
Marine Headquarters, the symbol of justice, remained unmoved.
Whitebeard's pupils narrowed slightly.
He looked down at his trembling hands.
Old wounds, illness, and a heart scorched repeatedly by anger and grief were devouring his last moments.
He lifted his head, eyes passing over Kizaru and Sengoku, landing on the execution platform.
On the young figure who had been commanding the battlefield from start to finish.
Renn Hawk…
This was the one orchestrating the war.
Sengoku, you found a real prodigy.
With a monster like this, the future of the Marines would be terrifying.
Whitebeard drew a deep breath and shouted one final command.
"Go, my sons "
"I am the remnant of the old era…"
"The new era…"
"…has no ship to carry me!"
He charged once more, ready to use his body to shield his sons from the Marines' pursuit.
"Father!"
The remaining Whitebeard Pirates cried out in anguish.
Their eyes instinctively scanned their surroundings.
The 1st Division Commander, the "Phoenix" Marco, lay unconscious amid the rubble of the plaza.
The 3rd Division Commander, "Diamond" Jozu, frozen into ice, was shattered halfway.
Their father had given everything.
Yet the Marines remained effortlessly in control.
"Retreat!"
Bista could not care about his confrontation with Zoro. "Listen to our father! Everyone retreat! Get out of here!"
"Retreat!"
The once-forward-charging pirates now had no will to fight.
Tears in their eyes, they turned toward the path Whitebeard had just blasted open and fled, desperate to survive, to carry out their father's final command.
A cold figure waited at the bay's exit.
Aokiji, hands in his pockets, stood leisurely on the refrozen ice.
This ice was several times thicker, several times stronger, even dyed a deep, profound blue.
Chill radiated from him, fortifying the ice, preventing it from shattering again.
"Hmph…"
He watched the fleeing pirates and spoke slowly.
"I knew you'd run."
"Whitebeard, try shattering it again if you dare."
Every member of the Whitebeard Pirates felt as if they had fallen into an ice tomb.
Their bodies and hearts frozen by the piercing cold.
Akainu turned his gaze toward Hawk on the execution platform.
He was checking if it was time for the final clean-up.
Hawk nodded slowly.
"The war ends here."
"From now on, it's hunting time."
Akainu's lips curved cruelly.
He turned toward the path packed with pirate ships.
His body began to transform, molten magma coursing through him, capable of melting anything.
He raised his arms to the sky.
Countless magma projectiles erupted, shooting toward Marineford's heights.
Meteor Volcano!
In an instant, the sky turned apocalyptic crimson.
Hundreds, even thousands, of enormous molten fists, trailing long black streaks like meteors, fell indiscriminately onto the sea.
Each magma fist radiated heat far beyond the power of the Flame-Flame Fruit.
Each carried impact capable of piercing a large ship.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions shook the air continuously.
Masts snapped, decks melted instantly, and the sturdy ships burned and warped under the extreme heat.
In a single moment, the vast fleet of the Whitebeard Pirates became a burning inferno.
Escape was completely cut off.
The battle was about to become a one-sided hunt.
"All units, listen!"
Hawk's cold voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Prepare to pursue!"
He paused, then continued.
"Release the second wave of rookies."
"Let them experience the cruelty of war!"