"Prepare the execution!"
The delicate yet chilling voice rang out. The executioners standing before Ace slowly raised their long blades, bringing them high overhead before swinging down in unison.
"Begin!"
Sengoku's sharp order cracked through the air. The twin blades clashed with a harsh metallic screech before bringing his blade down over Ace's neck.
"Ace!"
"Mr. Ace!"
"Ace!!"
The cries rose from the bay, mingling with frantic shouts and faces twisted in fear. The execution was moments away—threatening to make all this bloodshed meaningless.
"Ace… resigning yourself so soon? That's not the man I know!"
In that instant, a streak of golden light burst across the battlefield. It tore past the three Admirals and landed directly on the execution platform.
"Get out of my way!"
A furious roar thundered forth. From Jiang Lin erupted a shockwave of invisible force, rippling outward and shaking the platform.
Thud! Thud!
Both executioners collapsed like puppets with cut strings. Sengoku and Garp immediately snapped their gazes toward the intruder.
"Garp! I've come back again!" Jiang Lin shouted boldly. Then, flashing a grin at Sengoku, he added, "And Sengoku… you're looking quite pretty today."
While his voice rang out from the platform, chaos spread beyond the walls. Out in the bay, countless pirates, half-mad with desperation, hurled themselves into the sea, swimming toward the towering figure of Little Oars Jr.
"The pirates are losing their minds! Hold the breach in the encirclement!"
Watching the enemy willingly expose themselves to cannon fire, Marine soldiers cursed and bristled in disbelief.
"Without ships or footing, they've lost all reason. Fools! Perfect targets. Fire at will!"
At Vice Admiral Strawberry's command, the cannons embedded in the encirclement wall swiveled downward toward the sea.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
An endless barrage roared. The surface of the bay became a slaughterhouse, and pirates blasted screaming into the air like fish in boiling oil.
"Keep moving! Push through behind Oars! Don't stop!"
Even under merciless bombardment, the pirates pressed forward with wild resolve, shouting to embolden one another as they swam toward the gap.
Then, without warning, the sea itself stirred. A massive whirlpool churned, and a dark shadow rose beneath them.
A ship—an enormous pirate vessel—erupted from below the waves, carrying men on its back as it surged upward.
"Impossible! How is there still another ship?!"
The Marines' eyes widened in shock. Faces darkened as realization struck—the pirates weren't finished yet.
"I never said all my ships had arrived," came Whitebeard's deep voice from the deck. His expression bore no joy, only a quiet, aching sorrow.
"It's an outer ship—charging straight toward us!"
A lookout reported with panic in his voice, turning frantically toward Sengoku.
"Nani…?!"
Sengoku's sharp cry was laced with fury. This unexpected ship had shattered his carefully laid plans.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The crash of weapons echoed across the plaza.
"Garp! Stop standing in my way! I came here to save Ace! Or… do you really intend to just sit there… and watch him die before your eyes?!"
Breath ragged, Jiang Lin's young face glared at the old hero from only a step away. The conviction in those eyes struck deep, halting Garp's hand for an instant.
"Garp!!"
Sengoku's piercing voice called out, shrill with urgency.
"Forgive me."
Grinding his teeth, Garp's jaw clenched tight. Then his fist came crashing down once more—sending Jiang Lin flying off the platform for a second time.
This time, Jiang Lin didn't fly far. He fell just beyond the execution stand, landing hard.
"Sink that ship! The same as we did with the Moby Dick!"
Cannons thundered in answer, the air filled with the shriek of shells.
"No—don't waste fire on the ship! Target Oars!!"
Sengoku snapped, rage flashing in his eyes as he shot Garp a venomous glare, then barked new orders toward the Marine gunners.
"You're too late!"
Whitebeard's voice rumbled like distant thunder as he looked toward the plaza.
"Now—let's move, everyone!"
Oars Jr., roaring with every ounce of strength left, heaved the colossal ship onto his back and drove it toward the plaza with unstoppable momentum.
"They… they've breached the encirclement from the inside!"
The Marines' cries turned to panic as the massive hull, carried by Oars's bulk, came crashing down onto the plaza itself.
"Raaaghhh! We're inside the plaza! Save Ace—and raze Marineford!!"
With that earth-shaking roar, pirates poured screaming from the decks of the ship.
"We've been had! Outwitted…! The encirclement wall will trap us instead!"
Garp's veins bulged with fury. He glared at the charging pirates, his teeth clenched tight.
"Father!!"
Ace's desperate voice echoed from the platform, pulling the hearts of every Whitebeard pirate taut as bowstrings.
"Whitebeard!"
Sengoku's voice trembled with wrath. Time and again, the execution had been delayed—his patience was at its end.
"Your head's still attached, isn't it, Ace?"
Whitebeard stood beneath the charred mast of his burning flagship, answering his son's cry in a low rumble.
"We did it! Now… we can save—Ace…"
Oars Jr. groaned, his giant frame collapsing from exhaustion. His wounds had been briefly mended by Jiang Lin, but his body was at its limit.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Artillery tore through him once more, forcing the giant down, blood streaming as his strength finally gave way.
"I'll… save… Ace…"
Oars's voice shook with desperation, every breath ragged. He longed to drag himself to the execution platform—but could only entrust that dream to his father and brothers.
Thud… thud… thud…
Heavy footsteps pounded across the ship's deck. From the shadows, Whitebeard strode forward, bisento in hand, his expression grim as stone.
At the bow, he paused, looming over the battlefield like a mountain. Then, without hesitation, he leapt down into the plaza.
The wind tore at his coat as he landed with earth-shattering force. The sheer pressure of his presence drove Marines stumbling backward in terror.
"Whitebeard's in the plaza!!"
Panic rippled through the ranks as he rose to his full height, standing like a banner no storm could topple.
Click… click… click…
Gunlocks snapped all around him.
"Stand down, sons!" Whitebeard barked, swinging his bisento. A ring of white energy erupted from its tip, shattering the air and blasting Marines away like rag dolls.
"Go! Save Ace—and crush the Navy!!"
Raising his weapon high, Whitebeard roared, his towering frame a living standard guiding his crew onward.
"…Garp."
"…Aye."
At Sengoku's call, Garp answered in a low growl.
"If it's come to this, we'll fight in earnest."
Sengoku's delicate yet commanding hand clenched into a fist, his eyes narrowing on Whitebeard's advance.
Meanwhile, Jiang Lin conjured a swirl of pink-tinged sand in his palm and cast it toward the Marines blocking their way.
"A sandstorm of the Newkama Kingdom!"
"Wha—!?"
The Marines broke into panicked cries as the glittering cloud swept across them, their bodies twisting in terror.
"See for yourselves—Newkamas are justice! Didn't your own Fleet Admiral already set the example?" Jiang Lin mocked, watching the Marines scatter like ants in boiling water.
This was his third attempt. He knew now: until Garp left the platform, he had no chance to reach Ace. For now, his work was clear—spread chaos, sow disruption, and buy time.
"Stay clear of my range, boy!"
Whitebeard's deep roar came from Jiang Lin's flank.
"He's doing it again—the quake!!"
Marines shouted in horror. Together, Whitebeard and Jiang Lin rampaged across the battlefield like twin juggernauts, tearing through anyone who dared stand in their way.
"What a pain."
Aokiji leapt high, arms gleaming with frost.
"Ice Ball!"
In a flash, Whitebeard's massive form was entombed in solid ice, frozen mid-swing within a glistening sphere.
"Whitebeard's frozen!"
"We've got him!!"
Marines roared in triumph, their morale surging.
Crack… crack… crack…
But their cheers died as spiderweb fractures raced across the ice. In an instant, the glacier shattered into shards, falling uselessly at Whitebeard's feet.
"Seems earthquakes can't be frozen."
Aokiji's voice was calm, his body reforming from misty shards as he lunged again, spears of ice forming in his grasp.
But a flash of diamond intervened—Jozu, his entire body gleaming, slammed into Aokiji and scattered him to fragments again.
Go, Pops! Jozu shouted, glaring down at the Admiral.
"I leave it to you."
Whitebeard nodded, striding forward once more.
Not far ahead, Luffy staggered beneath the brunt of Marine might, his battered body barely standing.
Garp's fists trembled as he watched his grandson being brutalized. His teeth ground together, fury and conflict tearing at him.
"Know your place, Garp!" Sengoku snapped, chest swelling with authority as he shot the old hero a cold glare.
Garp's jaw tightened, eyes wide with torment. His fists clenched harder, but his gaze turned aside, unwilling to choose.
From the smoke, Kizaru emerged with leisurely steps, lips pursed in mocking amusement.
"Courage alone won't save you, Straw Hat Luffy. Without true power, you'll never rescue anyone—no matter how hard you struggle."
Luffy's bleary eyes turned toward the platform one last time before his body gave way.
"Disappear."
Kizaru's shining foot slammed into him, punting him straight into Whitebeard's waiting arms.
"Whitebeard… even you're senile now? To let this pitiful brat fight on the frontlines?" Kizaru sneered, raising a glowing hand.
But before his attack could strike, another blaze of light clashed against his own—Jiang Lin, stepping forth with a devil-may-care grin.
"Kizaru… how'd you like to end up just like Sengoku?"
He stood between Whitebeard and the Admiral, his handsome face twisted with mocking defiance.