"Oars!!"
The desperate cries of the pirates echoed across the battlefield as they watched their massive comrade stumble, blood streaming from his enormous body. Despite being gravely wounded by Kuma's devastating Ursa Shock, Little Oars Jr. refused to fall. His colossal form still stood tall, casting a shadow over both friend and foe.
"I will save Ace..." he muttered through bloodied lips.
With great effort, Oars raised his massive arm once more, his eyes burning with willpower. He aimed his fist down at the plaza, where a horde of Marines and even several Shichibukai were gathered. The ground trembled beneath his sheer presence.
But then—
"STOP THE WAR!!"
A thunderous voice cut through the noise of battle like lightning in a storm.
From the sky, a trail of fire blazed across the air. All heads turned as a fiery figure descended, landing with a forceful thud beside Whitebeard himself.
The flames faded—and standing there, defiant and alive, was none other than Portgas D. Ace.
"I am Portgas D. Ace!" he declared, voice unwavering.
In that moment, the world stopped.
Marines, pirates, civilians watching from across the globe—all froze, eyes locked on the flame-covered figure.
"WHAAAT?!"
A collective cry of disbelief erupted.
"Ace?! He escaped?!"
"But… the one on the execution platform—he's still there!"
"Then which one's real?!"
"That guy by Whitebeard... it must be him! He's using the Mera Mera no Mi!"
Even Luffy, mid-fight and charging toward the platform, skidded to a halt, eyes wide. "Ace! You got out!" he yelled in relief… but then his expression shifted. "Wait... then who's that guy up there?!"
Up on the execution platform, Sengoku clenched his fists, his expression unreadable. "So… he did escape Impel Down, just as Magellan feared." He grit his teeth. "But how the hell did he get here so fast…?"
From down below, Garp's face twisted into something between shock and exasperation. "First Luffy… now this brat? Can't they just stay out of trouble for once?!"
On the execution stand, the man impersonating Ace began to shake uncontrollably. "N-no… he's here? Now I'm really dead. The Marines… they'll kill me for sure…"
Realizing the damage the broadcast might cause, Sengoku secretly informed the people controlling the broadcast to stop it. Swiftly, all across the world, the live broadcast abruptly cut off, the screens turning to black.
"What the? What happened?"
"Hey, why is the screen black?"
"Where is the broadcast?"
Citizens across islands groaned in frustration as the feed ended at the most critical moment.
In Sabaody, many of the Supernovas who were watching the broadcast frowned.
Eustass Kid turned away from the broadcast, and led his group away. "Let's go. It's time to go to New World."
On another side, Trafalgar Law silently watched the black screen. A while later, he said, "Let's go. It's a lot better if we can see the battle up close."
With that, he brought his crew, heading towards the battlefield.
Back on the battlefield, Sengoku's voice boomed:
"ALL UNITS! Capture the real Portgas D. Ace at once!"
Instantly, all the marine eyes were now on Ace, who was standing at Whitebeard side.
At this moment, Whitebeard was looking at the fiery young man beside him, his expression was unreadable.
"…What happened?" the Yonko asked.
"I was saved," Ace replied simply, fire still flickering around him. "A brother of mine came for me. Oyaji… this war doesn't need to happen. Let's retreat. Please."
But their conversations were cut short.
"It won't be that easy."
The cold, dangerous voice came from above.
Admiral Akainu soared toward them, magma already boiling on his arm.
"Inugami G—"
Before he could finish, a blinding bolt of lightning struck him mid-air.
"Thunderclap Vajra!!"
BOOM!
A colossal shockwave rippled through the plaza as Akainu's body was blasted away like a ragdoll, crashing deep into the Marine ranks with explosive force. Dust and debris flew everywhere.
Hovering where Akainu had just been blasted away, a lone figure now stood suspended in the air—crackling with lightning. Sparks danced across his shoulders like wild fireflies, his coat fluttering from the shockwave.
Zino.
His eyes were sharp, unblinking as he looked down coldly. "Don't interrupt a family reunion."
A beat of silence fell, then—
"Holy crap! He just kicked Admiral Akainu away!"
"W-who is that guy?!"
"That's… that's the one with the one billion bounty!"
"Monkey D. Zino!!"
Gasps echoed across both the Marine and pirate lines. Shock turned to awe. Another monster had entered the battlefield—this time, one of the Supernovas.
On the deck of the Moby Dick, Whitebeard squinted up at the lightning-clad figure.
"...A rookie?"
Beside him, Ace smiled, embers flickering from his shoulders. "That's my brother. He's the one who saved me."
"Your brother, huh…" Whitebeard murmured, his gaze narrowing. "A lightning Logia... impressive."
Far across the battlefield, Akainu slowly picked himself up from the crater he'd left behind. His face twisted in fury. A thin stream of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Veins pulsed on his forehead as he looked up. "Who is that brat?" he growled.
A nearby Rear Admiral, pale-faced, responded quickly. "T-that's Monkey D. Zino… one of the infamous Supernovas. Escaped from Enies Lobby, and even wrecked that very island… There's a bounty of one billion on his head."
Akainu's eye twitched. "That rookie… dares to lay a hand on me?!"
On another side of the battlefield, Aokiji narrowed his gaze, observing the storm Zino had brought with him.
"So you've come, Zino…" he muttered. "Still cocky, I see."
With a blur of speed, Aokiji launched himself into the air, flying toward the lightning figure.
"Boy, you won't escape this time."
Zino smirked, eyes flashing. "Aokiji. We've still got unfinished business."
The two clashed mid-air.
"Ice Glove!"
"Rokuougan: Thunderclap!!"
BOOOM!!
Their fists didn't even connect—pure elemental energy erupted between them. A shockwave blasted out in every direction, cracking the ice beneath and shaking the air like thunder. Both were blown back from the force of the collision.
Aokiji landed smoothly on the ice, steam rising from his frozen glove. His eyes widened.
"Your Haki… it's advanced?!"
Zino also landed smoothly near the Moby Dick, lightning still rippling off his skin.
"I don't just stand around doing nothing, you know." he said coolly.
The battlefield fell into stunned silence. Pirates, marines, and even some Warlords looked at Zino with new eyes.
He fought evenly with an Admiral. Who was this man, really?
"So, that's the guy who defeated Crocodile. Fufufu...interesting." Doflamingo observed Zino with interest.
"That's lightning logia... He is someone troublesome." Moria frowned. Somehow he was irritated as he saw Zino.
Hancock just glanced at Zino, a bit intrigued with his lightning power.
On another side, Smoker and Tashigi turned to look at Zino.
"He is getting stronger way too fast." Smoker squinted his eyes.
Tashigi touched the back of her neck, as if she could still feel the place that Zino hand-chopped before. She also thinks that Zino is getting stronger at fast pace.
Just then, Whitebeard's booming voice tore through the haze.
"All of you—Ace is safe! Fall back! We're retreating!!"
"Huoohhh!!"
The moment the order was given, Whitebeard's fleet roared in unison, hearts reignited. They pushed back harder against the marines—not for conquest now, but for freedom.
Seeing the pirates begin to retreat after Whitebeard's command, Sengoku picked the Den Den Mushi in front of him and shouted with authority, "Raise the Encircling Wall!"
His voice boomed across the battlefield. At once, the marine forces began to pull back from the frontlines, retreating in an orderly formation as if rehearsed. Confusion briefly flashed across the pirates' faces—until the ground trembled.
With a deep rumble, massive metallic structures started rising from beneath the ocean floor. Thick, towering walls of dark steel, crafted from Wapometal, emerged from the depths of the sea like giant jaws closing in. Within moments, the entire bay was sealed, cutting off any route of escape.
The pirates were trapped inside, like a fish inside a net.
Not only them, even the Orcas, who had followed the battle closely and crossed into the bay earlier, now found themselves stuck inside the encirclement.
"What the hell is that!?" someone among the Whitebeard Pirates shouted.
"Those walls—where did they come from?!"
Near the base of one rising wall, Stev stared upward, his face pale and cold sweat forming on his brow. "Wait… wait! We're being trapped in here!"
Usopp, barely keeping his composure, immediately screamed at the top of his lungs, "We're dead! We are going to die!!"
From the upper platforms, another threat arrived. Sentomaru stepped into view, flanked by dozens of shining, humanoid weapons. Pacifistas—identical mechanical soldiers modeled after Bartholomew Kuma—marched in unison.
With a single command, their palms lit up.
"Fire!"
Blasts of laser beams shot out toward the trapped pirates, causing chaos in the ranks. The explosions sent debris flying. Screams of confusion and fear rang out as pirates scrambled for cover. The already-dire situation turned worse.
Down in the bay, amidst the storm of energy and steel, Whitebeard frowned as he watched the raised wall, and the many Pacifista attacking from the top of the wall. There are even cannons fixed on the raised wall. Some marine soldiers were tasked to shoot cannon balls from them.
"Sengoku, you really are prepared for the worse, aren't you?" he said, glancing at the Fleet Admiral on top of the execution platform.
On another side, Ivankov was stunned to see that there are many 'Kuma' behind Sentomaru.
"Why are there dozen of Kuma present?" he said in confusion. "Did the World Government cloned him? But this is too many."
Confusion and dread crept in the minds of this Newkama Queen. The same for the rest of the pirates, but with different reasons.
On the other hand, Zino stood calmly on a shattered ice block, surveying his surroundings. His brows furrowed. For a second, he was still, calculating. Then his eyes lit up as a plan struck him.
Without hesitation, he turned into a streak of lightning and appeared beside Whitebeard, who was preparing to fend off another wave of attacks.
"Whitebeard," Zino said, his voice urgent but steady. "I have an idea. A way to get everyone out of here safely. Do you want to hear it?"
Whitebeard narrowed his eyes, studying Zino's expression. The battlefield roared around them. Many screams, cannons, and lasers were booming all around, but Zino's voice cut through the chaos.
"If we use my method, I can get us all out. But I need your trust. Will you trust me?"
Whitebeard turned to Ace, who nodded back at him. Then back to Zino. After a moment of silence, the old man asked, "What's your plan, boy?"
Zino stepped closer and whispered. Instead of speaking aloud, he conjured a controlled gust of wind to carry his voice directly to Whitebeard's ear—hidden from enemy listeners.
As the wind whispered Zino's words, Whitebeard's eyes widened in disbelief. His expression shifted from confusion to surprise.
"You can actually do that?" he asked, still processing.
Zino gave a confident nod. "Just leave the escape route to me. I'll handle it."
Whitebeard nodded once. "Alright. I'll trust your plan. Don't let me down."
Without wasting another second, Zino turned into a bolt of lightning and flashed straight up, beyond the height of the steel walls. He escaped the encirclement with ease.
On the marine side, one soldier pointed up in alarm. "Hey! That rookie—he's escaping!"
"Isn't he supposed to be saving Ace?" another asked, confused.
"Why's he leaving now?"
"Should we go and capture him?" someone asked.
"Can you catch up to lightning?" another asked back.
"..." The guy who suggested the idea of pursuing instantly turned quiet.
Now, all eyes turned toward the sky, watching Zino vanish into the distance like a streak of blue lightning, unaware that he had just set the final stage of escape into motion.