Just then, from the elevated seats where the Admirals sat, a figure launched into the air with calm, calculated speed. It was Admiral Aokiji.
Without saying a word, he rose above the battlefield, hovering over the central bay, his arms outstretched in both directions. In an instant, freezing mist spiraled around his body, and the temperature in the area plummeted dramatically.
"Ice Age."
With a powerful sweep of his arms, two massive streams of icy energy burst forth from his hands, shooting left and right toward the monstrous tidal waves that loomed over Marineford. As the frozen blasts struck the towering walls of water, the tsunamis immediately began to harden.
In mere seconds, both waves were entirely frozen solid—turned into glittering, mountainous walls of ice that loomed silently over the battlefield, unmoving.
"They froze… The tsunamis are frozen!" a Marine soldier shouted, his voice trembling in disbelief.
Relief swept through the Marine ranks like a wave of its own. Panic faded from their faces, replaced by cautious hope. The threat of being crushed beneath a seaquake-born tsunami had passed, at least for now.
From his position atop the Moby Dick, Whitebeard watched the scene unfold, a crooked smile curling at the corner of his lips. He hadn't truly expected the tsunamis alone to bring down Marineford, but it was interesting to see how quickly they were countered.
"Aokiji, you little ice brat…" Whitebeard muttered, his tone not of anger, but mild amusement. He tilted his head up, locking eyes with the Admiral above.
Aokiji, expression as detached as ever, returned the gaze. Without hesitation, he initiated his counterattack. Forming a massive number of ice spears in the air around him, he directed them forward.
"Ice Partisan."
With a sharp gesture, the frozen spears launched toward Whitebeard in a deadly barrage. The sky shimmered with the light of the incoming tridents, each one designed to pierce through even the toughest defense.
But Whitebeard stood firm. Raising his right fist once again, he slammed it forward in Aokiji's direction.
Crack!
Another shockwave burst forth, splitting the air itself. The ice tridents never stood a chance—they shattered midair as the tremor rippled through them. But the force didn't stop there. The shockwave kept going, aiming straight for Aokiji.
Reacting quickly, Aokiji's body shifted to pure ice. The impact struck him, causing his frozen form to shatter into pieces.
Shards of ice rained down toward the sea.
Before hitting the water, Aokiji swiftly reformed, his body regathering itself midair. While he was falling, he stretched one palm towards the water surface, unleashing a massive surge of freezing power on the sea.
In an instant, the entire bay froze.
The water beneath the Moby Dick and its sister ships turned to solid ice, trapping them in place.
"The bay is frozen!"
"Moby Dick is stuck!"
"Now's our chance! Destroy those ships!"
Marines shouted orders and rushed to prepare their artillery. On the Whitebeard ships, the atmosphere was the opposite of panic. Calm and confident, the commanders surveyed the frozen battlefield.
"Well," said Namur, one of the Division Commanders, eyeing the ice below, "looks like we've got a good footing now."
"Then let's give them a proper welcome," Vista, the Commander of the 5th Division, said with a smirk. He leapt down from the deck, swords drawn.
Following his lead, many of the Division Commanders jumped onto the frozen sea and began marching toward the plaza. Behind them, the rest of Whitebeard's crew sprang into action. Cannons were primed and fired from the ships, sending dozens of cannonballs arcing through the sky toward the Marine frontlines.
"They're attacking!"
The Marines screamed as the projectiles flew closer. Some began to brace for impact. But before the cannonballs could land, several swift silhouettes dashed into action.
Swords, spears, and fists struck the incoming artillery mid-air, redirecting the shots away. The cannonballs exploded in the distance—harmlessly detonating far from Marine troops.
As the smoke cleared, a line of powerful figures stepped forward, forming a defensive wall.
"It's the Vice Admirals!" a Marine yelled in awe.
The Vice Admirals stood firm on the front line, weapons in hand, their expressions grim and unwavering. They watched closely as the Whitebeard Division Commanders approached across the frozen bay, each step from the enemy echoing with growing intensity.
"Stay back, Tsuru," one of the younger Vice Admirals said, casting a concerned glance at the elderly but formidable woman beside him.
"Shut up, pup," Vice Admiral Tsuru retorted, her eyes locked on the battlefield ahead. "This is war. There's no safe place to stand when the cannons roar."
Back on the high execution platform, Fleet Admiral Sengoku surveyed the scene. Skirmishes were already breaking out across the ice. His cape fluttered in the cold sea breeze as he spoke aloud, voice low but full of weight.
"Now… the war has begun."
Meanwhile, just outside the bay, the remaining pirate fleet under Whitebeard's banner had arrived. Forty-three ships, including the Thousand Sunny, had docked onto the frozen sea that extended beyond the bay. The moment they landed, the pirates wasted no time. Planks were lowered, and hundreds of pirates poured onto the ice.
"Attack! Head into the bay!" roared Squard, one of Whitebeard's allied captains, his blade raised as he charged ahead.
"Uoooohh!!" echoed the battle cry of dozens of New World pirates behind him as they sprinted across the frozen ocean.
From the Thousand Sunny, Luffy had already leapt ahead, face determined. "Ace! Hold on! I'm coming to save you!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, charging headlong with the others.
Following close behind were Tensuro, Mohji, Cabaji, Brook, Franky, and Chopper, all moving with purpose. The rest of the Straw Hat crew, along with allies, stayed back on the ship, watching anxiously.
Back at the Marine side, atop the warlord platform, Dracule Mihawk slowly stood up. He reached over his shoulder and drew his massive black blade, Yoru. His sharp eyes weren't on the oncoming wave of pirates—but on Whitebeard himself, towering on the Moby Dick.
"Hawkeye?" Doflamingo tilted his head with a grin. "Hehehe… What's this? You're really going to get serious already?"
"I'm not interested in petty skirmishes," Mihawk said quietly. "I simply want to measure… the true distance between us and that man."
Without further warning, Mihawk swung Yoru with a single, precise slash. From the blade, a gigantic flying slash surged forward across the battlefield, cutting through the ice like butter, roaring toward the Moby Dick.
"It's Hawkeye!" gasped one of the marines. "He's already attacking!"
All eyes turned to the oncoming slash, fast and impossibly sharp. But just as it was about to reach the Moby Dick, a figure jumped down from the ship's deck.
Clang!
The tremendous force of the slash met something unyielding—sparkling like crystal.
"He stopped it?!"
"No way! Someone blocked the world's strongest slash?!"
The impact settled, revealing a towering man with glimmering, diamond-like skin. He stood confidently, arms crossed.
"It's Diamond Jozu! The 3rd Division Commander!"
Jozu smirked, his diamond body reflecting sunlight as he glared back at Mihawk. The Warlord narrowed his eyes slightly. Interesting.
Just then, a beam of golden light shot skyward. Kizaru had taken to the air, levitating effortlessly with his Logia powers. From above, he looked down on the Whitebeard ship, raising his hand.
"Yasakani no Magatama."
Suddenly, a rain of dazzling light beams poured down in a barrage, fast and relentless, targeting Whitebeard himself.
"Tch. That's a bit too bright," Whitebeard muttered with calm irritation, unfazed by the oncoming attack.
In a blur of blue flame, another figure appeared beside him.
Fwoosh!
Wings of fire spread as Marco, the First Division Commander, intercepted the beam attack mid-air. His arms transformed into flaming blue wings as he spun, deflecting the incoming light with a powerful rotating block.
The beams scattered harmlessly across the deck.
"It's Marco!" someone shouted. "The Phoenix!"
Marco turned to Kizaru with a smirk. "Come on. You can't take out our king this early in the game."
Kizaru floated silently above, expression unreadable behind his sunglasses. "Ohhh… The Whitebeard Pirates really are scary," he said slowly, his voice tinged with mild surprise.
Marco's blue fire swirled and regenerated his injuries instantly. Hovering in mid-air, Marco gave a cold smirk toward the Admiral.
"That actually hurt, you know," he said, voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Liar," Kizaru replied flatly, eyeing Marco's flawless, healing body through his shades.
Without wasting another word, Marco beat his flaming wings and soared directly toward Kizaru. The Admiral responded quickly, raising both hands as he unleashed another barrage of light beams, each one precise and deadly.
But Marco didn't flinch.
He took the full force of the lasers head-on, the beams piercing through his body but doing little to slow him down. The flames instantly closed the holes as they formed. His eyes locked on Kizaru, unwavering.
In a blur, Marco reached him and spun in mid-air.
A searing kick, engulfed in phoenix fire, connected.
"That really hurt," Kizaru said with mock concern, catching the kick with both arms.
"Liar!" Marco shouted, channeling all his momentum into the blow.
Boom!
Kizaru's body was launched like a speeding bullet, streaking across the sky like a flash of sunlight. He smashed into the ground deep inside Marineford plaza, and an explosion followed as if a light bomb had gone off.
"Admiral!" a Vice Admiral shouted in alarm.
The dust cloud settled—Kizaru stood up, brushing off his coat like nothing had happened. Not a single scratch could be seen on his body.
He tilted his head, eyes narrowing behind his shades as he issued a command. "Giant team… be on alert for aerial attacks."
"Yes, sir!" came the booming voices of several massive Marine giants, already moving into formation.
Meanwhile, Diamond Jozu was preparing his own assault. Flexing his glistening diamond arms, he slammed his hands into the frozen ground and lifted a colossal block of ice—easily the size of a warship.
"Heads up, Marines!" Jozu bellowed. "Catch this!"
With an effortless spin, he hurled the massive iceberg toward Marineford.
"It's an iceberg!"
"It's too huge—how do we stop that thing?!"
Panic rippled through the ranks of Marine soldiers as the monstrous frozen mass came soaring toward them.
Akainu's eyes narrowed beneath his cap. Watching the chaos unfold, he clenched his jaw. "If all of us go on the offensive," he muttered, "then who's left to defend?"
Without waiting for orders, Akainu stood up. The air around him instantly heated, warping with intense heat. His right arm began bubbling, transforming into a seething mass of molten magma.
"Great Eruption!"
With a thunderous roar, he launched a gigantic magma fist into the air. The burning fist collided with the iceberg mid-air.
BOOOOM!
The magma fist shattered and vaporized in a flash of steam and fire.
"Admiral Akainu! He destroyed the ice in one shot!"
Marines erupted in cheers at the display of power. The steam cleared, but the magma fist hadn't stopped.
Still glowing red and dripping lava, it continued flying forward, carving a trail of destruction. It sizzled across the frozen bay, melting the thick ice instantly beneath it. One of the sister ships of the Moby Dick was caught in the blast—its deck shattered, engulfed in fire.
On the Moby Dick, Whitebeard's frown deepened. His sharp eyes followed the incoming magma.
He lifted his massive naginata, Bisento glinting in the sunlight. With a simple, precise motion, he stabbed it forward.
Fwoosh!
The magma collided with the tip of his weapon. For a moment, it sizzled, trying to melt the steel. But the weapon didn't yield. With a powerful exhale, Whitebeard blew on the molten mass. The magma abruptly cooled, hardening into useless black rock that crumbled and fell.
"Tch," Whitebeard grunted, his voice booming across the bay. "Stick to lighting birthday candles, magma boy."
Akainu smirked from afar. "Don't you want a nice bright funeral, Whitebeard?"
The exchange sparked murmurs across the battlefield. With all three Admirals now in motion, the full strength of the Marines was engaged. There was no more waiting.
Now, the Great War had truly begun.