A few minutes earlier, just beyond the edge of the frozen sea surrounding Marineford, a lone ship floated silently. It wasn't part of Whitebeard's fleet, nor did it belong to the Marines. The ship, dark and sleek, was known as the Silent Orca—true to its name, it sat still and soundless, watching from a distance.
The icy battlefield did not reach them, leaving a patch of open sea around the Orca untouched.
"It's starting," Alvida murmured, peering through a binocular device.
Her voice was low, but it carried weight. Everyone aboard the Silent Orca turned their attention toward the battlefield.
All around her, the rest of the Orcas were also using binoculars—specially crafted lenses invented by Stev. They allowed the crew to zoom in on the chaos unfolding at Marineford. From their position, they could see everything in crystal clarity.
"There are too many of them," Binko said, eyes wide with concern. "The Marines really went all-out."
"They knew this was going to be a war like no other," Usopp added, swallowing hard. "But look at Whitebeard's fleet too... It's massive."
"They brought everything they had," said Stev, adjusting the focus of his lens.
Nami's eyes were locked on one figure standing atop the massive whale-shaped ship in the bay. Her expression tightened as she watched Whitebeard raise both arms and drive his fists into the air.
Crack!
Instantly, they could see the sky and sea ripple, as if reality itself was splintering.
"Tremor power…" Nami whispered, "Interesting."
The next moment, the sea on both sides of Marineford rose violently—massive tidal waves, towering high above the island, threatened to come crashing down at any moment.
"W-Whoa! That's going to hit us too, isn't it?!" Usopp shouted, visibly panicking as he looked at the rising walls of water.
"Hey, calm down," Stev said, though his brow was furrowed. "Those tides are nowhere near us. Not yet…"
Before the waves could crash down, however, a shimmering figure rose into the air above Marineford and extended his arms.
"Ice Age!"
Within moments, the monstrous waves were frozen solid, turned into towering mountains of ice. The sea calmed again, leaving only stunned silence aboard the Silent Orca.
"That man… who was that?" Binko asked.
"That should be Aokiji, the Admiral who fought with Zino before." Nami replied, her voice steady.
Zoro who has been watching quietly until now, suddenly sharpened his gaze.
"Hawkeye Mihawk!" he muttered, narrowing his eyes as he saw the swordsman send a flying slash across the battlefield, directed at Whitebeard.
The slash never landed.
A towering man, his body shining like diamond, intercepted it.
The next events came in quick succession—Marco flying into the air to clash with Kizaru. Jozu hurling a mountain-sized iceberg across the battlefield. Akainu vaporizing it with a punch of pure magma.
Each clash was larger than life.
"These people…" Galdino muttered under his breath, sweating slightly. "They're monsters. Every one of them. This is a war on a different level."
"I don't see Zino anywhere," Chloris said suddenly, scanning the battlefield.
"I've been looking too," Mikita added. "He's not with Whitebeard's fleet."
"He's not there," Nojiko said quietly.
"So what do we do?" Gin asked, crossing his arms. "Should we move toward Impel Down instead?"
"We wait," Nami said firmly, her eyes still fixed on Whitebeard. "Let's stay here a little longer. I want to see what else that Tremor Tremor power can do."
Everyone remained silent, continuing to watch the colossal war unfold. The explosions, the power clashes, the quake of impacts—it was overwhelming even from a distance.
Suddenly, Nojiko tensed. She turned her head toward the sky and closed her eyes. A soft hum of focus passed through her as she reached out with her newly awakened Observation Haki.
Her eyes snapped open.
"I saw something," she said quietly.
Everyone turned.
"Where?" Stev asked, binoculars already up.
"I don't see anything," Usopp said, scanning the sky and sea.
But Nojiko didn't respond immediately. She kept staring.
Then, slowly, a smile curved her lips.
"He's here," she said.
"Who?" Usopp asked again.
"Zino is here." Nojiko said, still looking at the distance.
Before long, something large began approaching from the sky. It was an entire floating island of cloud, drifting slowly toward the Silent Orca from the distant horizon. The sight alone was enough to draw everyone's attention.
Just before the floating cloud could arrive, a brilliant flash of lightning struck down from above.
In the blink of an eye, Zino appeared—standing firmly on the deck of the Silent Orca, lightning crackling faintly around his body.
"You guys... Why are you here?" he asked, blinking in surprise as he looked around at his crewmates.
"Why?" Nami's eyes narrowed as she stepped forward. "You seriously have the nerve to ask that?"
Zino tilted his head, confused.
"You ditched us," Nami continued, voice sharper now. "You went to Impel Down without saying anything—alone. And now you're asking why we're here?!"
Zino broke into a nervous sweat and scratched the back of his head. "Well… I was just checking it out at first. I didn't plan to do anything crazy. But… one thing led to another and… I kinda saved Ace."
"You what?!"
Everyone on the Silent Orca froze. Shock rippled through the crew.
"You actually saved Portgas D. Ace?" Usopp shouted, mouth wide open.
"That's what I said," Zino replied, shrugging slightly.
"But then…" Alvida stepped forward, frowning. "Why is this war still happening? If Ace is safe, this execution should've been called off."
"They replaced him with someone else," Zino answered, his tone darkening slightly. "They're executing a stand-in."
The weight of his words sank in. No one spoke for a moment.
Then suddenly
BOOM!
A burst of fire shot out from the approaching cloud island. A blazing figure streaked across the sky and shot toward Marineford like a meteor.
It was Ace.
The real one.
"He couldn't wait any longer…" Zino muttered, watching Ace disappear into the distance. "Tch. That guy is way too hot-headed."
He then reached into thin air and pulled out something from his System Storage. With a flick of his hand, a large pirate ship materialized and dropped onto the sea next to them. It was the Billion Work, the ship of the Numbers Pirates.
As the floating cloud finally reached them, everyone turned to look up. Several silhouettes were standing on the soft surface of the cloud—Jinbe, Crocodile, Ivankov, Inazuma, and the full crew of the Numbers Pirates.
"You guys too?" Sanji blinked in surprise as he spotted Bon Clay, Daz Bones, and others from the group.
"We ran into each other halfway between Marineford and Impel Down," Daz Bones explained coolly.
Zino then said, "Alright, guys. I'm going after Ace. If I don't get there first, he's bound to do something reckless."
Without waiting for approval, he shot forward again—his body transforming into pure lightning as he bolted toward the battlefield.
From the cloud island, Crocodile suddenly broke apart into a stream of sand and followed after Zino, speeding across the air.
"Wait up!" Jinbe called after them. He leapt off the cloud and into the ocean below with a splash. After a short swim, he surfaced again on the frozen bay, running across the ice with incredible speed.
"Should we follow them?" Stev asked, turning to Nami.
But before she could respond, most of the Orcas were already on the move. Several had launched into the air using Geppo, flying off across the frozen sea to get closer to the battlefield.
The Numbers Pirates didn't hesitate either. They jumped from the cloud onto the Billion Work, manned the ship, and began moving across the frozen surface.
"Let's go," Nami said firmly.
Those who couldn't fly used their ships instead. The Silent Orca was quickly moved alongside the Billion Work, allowing the rest of the crew to come ashore.
...
Inside the bay, chaos reigned.
The battle had already escalated into a full-scale war. Close combat had broken out everywhere. Blades clashed, cannon fire roared, and screams echoed across the frozen battlefield.
The Whitebeard Pirates were fully engaged with the Marine forces, with Division Commanders squaring off against Vice Admirals in brutal one-on-one duels. The air was thick with tension, smoke, and the scent of gunpowder.
Suddenly, a massive shadow loomed over the battlefield.
A colossal figure charged forward—Little Oars Jr., towering high above everyone else. Even compared to the giants of the Marine ranks, Oars Jr. was enormous, nearly three times their height, with wild red hair and fierce determination blazing in his eyes.
"Ace is my friend," he roared, his voice shaking the battlefield. "I won't let him die!"
With a mighty swing of his enormous arm, he grabbed an entire Marine battleship, pulling it from where it was before. Marines screamed in panic as they were tossed aside like rag dolls, some tumbling to the icy ground while others clung to the ship in terror.
"Ace!! I'm coming to save you!"
With a furious shout, Oars slammed the battleship forward like a battering ram. Several Marine giants attempted to block his path, raising their weapons, but even they were overwhelmed by the sheer force. The ship bulldozed through them, flinging bodies and debris across the plaza and creating a wide, broken path leading directly toward the execution platform.
"He's opened a path into the plaza!"
"Follow him!!"
The Whitebeard Pirates didn't hesitate. Seeing the opportunity, dozens of pirates surged through the opening Oars had created, storming into the plaza. The battle grew fiercer by the second as bodies clashed in all directions.
At the upper level, where the Shichibukai had gathered, chaos was a different flavor. Gecko Moria's eerie laughter echoed above the battlefield.
"Kishishishi! So this descendant of Oars fights for Whitebeard?" Moria grinned maniacally. "I want him! I want his corpse! He'll make a fine zombie!"
Nearby, Donquixote Doflamingo tilted his head back and chuckled, his smile unnerving. "Hehehe… This is getting fun."
But not everyone found amusement. Some pirates, attempting to eliminate the Warlords early, began firing cannons at their elevated position.
In a blur of elegance, Boa Hancock pursed her lips and sent a heart-shaped kiss flying toward the cannon fire.
"Slave Arrow!"
From the heart flew dozens of glowing arrows, each laced with her power. The arrows rained down on the pirates, striking them with precision—and wherever they hit, the pirates were instantly turned into stone. Statues of men now stood mid-scream, frozen in place.
Without pausing, Hancock leapt down gracefully into the chaos below. She landed among the clashing pirates and Marines, immediately joining the fray.
"You must be… the Pirate Empress—" one pirate began.
He never finished his sentence. With a swift spinning kick, Hancock struck him directly. The moment her heel connected, the point of impact turned to stone, freezing part of his body in place.
"Perfume Femur."
She moved through the battlefield like a dancer, graceful but deadly. Pirate or Marine—it didn't matter. Anyone who caught her gaze or was struck by her attacks turned to stone within seconds.
From the side, a Rear Admiral frowned at the unfolding scene. "What are you doing? Are you not fighting with us, the Marines?!"
Hancock glanced at him with a mix of disdain and amusement. "I agreed to oppose Whitebeard," she said coolly. "But that doesn't mean I've allied with you."
"You're turning your own side to stone!"
"Even if I kill a few of your men, I'll still be forgiven…" she said, twirling slightly, her beauty glowing under the battlefield's lights.
"What are you talking about—?!"
"Because…" She struck a pose, one hand under her chin. "My beauty says so."
The Rear Admiral's fury faded as a blush crept up his face. "T-this witch…" he muttered, flustered, clearly trying to resist her charm.
Another Warlord joined the fray. Bartholomew Kuma raised both of his large, paw-shaped hands. Without a word, he pressed them together—releasing a massive pulse of compressed air.
"Ursa Shock."
The pressure wave rocketed forward and struck Oars Jr. directly in the chest.
BOOM!
The explosion was tremendous. A shockwave tore through the plaza as Oars Jr. staggered backward, his massive body shaking violently. Blood erupted from his mouth and wounds all over his body split open.