At this moment, Whitebeard stood tall on the deck of the Moby Dick, his voice booming like thunder across the battlefield. "Everyone, gather around! Stay close! Don't scatter, or you'll become targets for the marines' bombardment!"
Immediately, the scattered pirates responded to his command. Division commanders, veteran fighters, rookies, and even wounded pirates began to move. They converged around the Moby Dick, forming a tight defensive perimeter.
Among them, Luffy and his crew pushed through the crowd. Luffy reached Ace, his face breaking into a bright, relieved grin. "Ace! You're okay!" he shouted with joy.
Ace, looked at Luffy and smiled back. "Luffy… you came all this way."
Not far away, the Orcas watched the gathering from near the raised wall.
"Looks like they're grouping up," Usopp said, glancing nervously at the tightening formation.
"Should we go there too?" he asked, unsure.
"That'll just make us sitting ducks," Sanji replied, his tone serious. "If they launch a full assault, we'll all be boxed in."
Suddenly, the floating red orb, Friday, Kruz split personality, glowed more intensely and spoke. "Guys, Zino just gave the order. He wants us at the center. Let's move."
Everyone paused for a second, exchanging quick glances. But they didn't hesitate long. Zino's order was a captain order, and that's final. The Orcas quickly leapt into motion, dashing across the ice and battlefield toward the pirates' gathering point.
Above them, standing on the wall, Admiral Akainu watched the formation with a dangerous glint in his eyes.
"They're all grouping together?" he muttered, a cruel smirk forming on his face. "Then it's time for me to act."
He raised both magma-coated fists toward the sky.
"Ryusei Kazan!"
A moment later, from his fists erupted a barrage of massive magma fists, launching high into the air like volcanic missiles. They arced through the sky—dozens, maybe hundreds of them—glowing red and orange against the smoke-filled atmosphere.
"Watch out! Incoming magma!!" someone screamed.
Panic rippled through the pirates.
"Don't scatter!" Whitebeard roared. "Stay close!"
With a grunt, he wound back his fist and punched upward. The sheer force of his attack, amplified by his Tremor-Tremor Fruit, shattered the magma fists directly above him and his fleet. But countless more rained down across the bay. Even the broken fragments of lava struck the ground and vaporized the frozen sea, creating an explosion of steam and mist that enveloped the battlefield in a blinding fog.
Then—
A bolt of lightning split the mist and landed near Whitebeard. It was Zino. He came back.
Whitebeard turned to him, his expression calm but expectant. "Are you done?" he asked.
Zino gave a firm nod. "Yes. It's time for the retreat."
Without hesitation, Zino raised both hands and summoned a cyclone of wind. The winds expanded outward, forming a swirling barrier of storm and pressure around the pirates. It combined with the mist and gave them cover from further aerial attacks, and visibility.
Then he called out, "Friday, it's time!"
The red orb shimmered—and transformed into a perfect copy of Kruz.
"Let's do this!" Friday's voice was resolute.
"Right." Kruz nodded, focused.
Together, the two moved in sync, manipulating the fabric of space itself. Their fingers glowed with strange runes as they tore through reality, and within seconds, a large glowing portal opened on the ground in front of them.
"It's done!" Friday called out.
Zino looked to Whitebeard and gave a silent nod.
Whitebeard didn't hesitate.
He raised his bisento high and shouted, "Everyone, jump into the portal! Now!"
The pirates turned. They looked at the portal, feeling hesitant.
Without further delay, Whitebeard reached out and grabbed one of his Division Commanders—*Izo*—and without warning, threw him straight into the portal.
"What?!"
Gasps echoed among the Whitebeard pirates. They were all stunned, not understanding what just happened. Many of the pirates flinched, worried that their comrade had been lost in some unknown void.
But before panic could set in, a gentle whisper of wind brushed past them. The voice of Zino, carried on the breeze, echoed softly into their ears.
"This is the way out. Trust the portal. Go through it."
With that reassurance, the pirates suddenly understood. Relief swept over their expressions, and swiftly, movement exploded into action. One after another, they began jumping into the portal, not hesitating anymore.
Veterans, rookies, allies—they all dived in, hurrying before anything could go wrong. Division commanders leapt in with their subordinates, helping the injured. The battlefield began to empty rapidly as Whitebeard's forces disappeared into the swirling gate of light.
However, not everyone could escape so easily.
"Oars Jr… he's too big," Ace said, glancing with concern at the giant's bloodied and broken form. "The portal won't fit him in that size."
"I got this!" Mohji stepped up confidently. Without hesitation, he activated his Tiny Tiny Fruit ability.
Within seconds, a strange glow enveloped Oars Jr. His massive body began to shrink rapidly until he was no larger than an average-sized human. The sight stunned many nearby pirates.
"Whoa! That's... that's a nice ability," Ace said in awe. Then he gently grabbed the now-shrunken Oars and nodded. "I'll take him."
Ace jumped into the portal, carrying Oars with him. One by one, more pirates followed—until nearly all of them were gone.
At the very end, only three figures remained in the bay: Friday, Zino, and Whitebeard.
Whitebeard stood tall, his bisento in hand, defending the area as projectiles and marine gunfire continued to rain in. His powerful quakes still sent shockwaves into the incoming attacks, keeping them from reaching the others.
Zino turned back toward the iconic Moby Dick, along with her sister ships floating nearby. He raised his hand and opened his System Storage.
"Let's go," he said calmly. In a flash of light, the great Whitebeard ships were absorbed into his storage one after another, disappearing without a trace.
With everything ready, the last three leapt into the portal together. The gateway sealed shut behind them, vanishing with a shimmer.
All that remained was the roaring tornado Zino had summoned—a spiraling cyclone that still howled in the center of the bay. It was gradually weakening, but it continued to churn up the mist and vapor from the melted ice, creating a thick wall of fog that obscured everything behind it.
From the marines' perspective, it had all happened so suddenly.
They had seen Zino form a wall of wind, a tornado shielding the pirates. Then the mist thickened, clouding their view entirely. Gunfire and cannonballs continued to hammer into the storm, but there was no response.
"Keep firing!" Sengoku barked, watching intently. His frown deepened.
The storm raged for several minutes longer. Through it, they could just barely see Oars Jr., standing tall like a lone tower in the fog. But then—he was gone too.
"Wait—what?" a marine said, pointing. "Where did he go?"
"Did someone hid Oars?"
"That's crazy. He's huge! Who could even carry him?!"
Murmurs of confusion and disbelief rippled through the ranks.
The storm finally began to settle. The wind died down. The mist slowly faded. And then—
Silence.
The center of the bay was empty.
"Wha... where are they?" a soldier asked aloud, looking around.
There were no ships. No pirates. No trace of Whitebeard, Ace, Zino, or even the unrelated crews. Even the ships are no longer there.
Every last pirate had vanished.
"Where did there go?"
...
Spring Island.
A flash of light shimmered in the sky as a swirling portal opened above a field of vibrant flowers. Out from it stepped Izo, the 16th Division Commander of Whitebeard Pirates.
The lush landscape of Spring Island stretched out before him—rolling hills, colorful blossoms swaying in the breeze, and birds chirping in the distance.
After a moment, more pirates came out of the portal—the Whitebeard pirates, the Numbers Pirates, the Orcas, and the few people that followed from Impel Down.
Finally, Zino came out, followed closely by Whitebeard and Friday. Behind them, the swirling portal slowly flickered, then vanished into thin air.
Just a short distance away, the rest of the pirates who came out first stood in awe, taking in the scenery. From the battlefield of death, chaos, and fire… to a peaceful paradise. It felt almost unreal.
"What… what a beautiful place," one of the pirates muttered, wide-eyed.
"Where is this?"
"This is Spring Island," Friday answered clearly. His form already back to a floating red orb form, hovering above the grass, its glow pulsing gently. "We're currently somewhere closer to Reverse Mountain, and far from Marineford."
Hearing that, a few pirates collapsed to the ground in relief, laughing and crying.
"So we're still alive..." one of them sighed, wiping sweat off his face. "I really thought we died when we entered that portal…"
"You're right," another chimed in. "For a second, I thought we went to heaven!"
"For real," another one said. "We escaped."
"From Marineford…"
"From a full-blown war."
"From being surrounded by three Admirals, the Shichibukai, and hundreds of Marines!"
A stunned silence passed through the crowd. Then, a few chuckles started. One man grinned. Another smirked. And then—laughter erupted.
Dozens of pirates burst into joyful cheers, tears in their eyes, laughing like they hadn't in years.
"We did it!"
"We escaped the Marines!"
Cheers echoed across the meadow. Division commanders clapped each other on the back. Even the most hardened fighters let out triumphant whoops.
Standing at the center, Whitebeard looked around at his crew—his sons—and a warm smile touched his lips.
"Gu ra ra ra…" His deep laughter rumbled through the air. "Kid, your method of escaping was truly incredible," he said, glancing at Zino. "Would you like to join my crew… and become my son?"
Zino blinked, a little surprised.
"You're kidding, right?"
"I'm serious," Whitebeard said with calm conviction. He then turned to the crowd of pirates.
"All of you," he called out. "Listen up."
The cheering died down. Every pirate turned toward him, curious and respectful. When Whitebeard spoke, they listened.
"First of all," he began, "let us give our thanks to this young man, Monkey D. Zino, for rescuing us all from Marineford."
He stepped aside slightly and gestured toward Zino.
"Thank you, Monkey D. Zino!" the pirates shouted in unison, bowing slightly in gratitude. The energy was genuine. Without Zino, they knew most of them would be dead.
Zino raised a hand lightly, then pointed toward Friday and Kruz.
"It wasn't just me," he said. "The portal we used… was made by my crew. Friday, and Kruz."
Whitebeard raised an eyebrow, glancing at the floating orb and Kruz, who stood beside it.
"You… really have some unique crew members," he commented.
After a moment he then said, "Regardless, I'll say it again. I want to recruit this young friend into my crew... as my son."
Then he turned back toward Zino, "What do you say?"
Zino didn't hesitate for even a heartbeat. "Nope."
A stunned silence instantly fell over the field, heavy and absolute.
"Eeeeh?!" several Whitebeard Pirates shouted in sheer disbelief, almost stumbling backward in their shock.
"You're refusing Oyaji?!" another yelled, pointing an accusatory finger.
Zino kept a straight, unimpressed face, facing the legendary pirate captain head-on. "Listen, Whitebeard. I genuinely appreciate the offer. It's a generous proposal. But I've got my own goal—my own path."
He paused, letting the weight of his next words sink in for emphasis. Then, he said, "I'm going to become a Yonko myself—and soon. So I won't be joining as anyone's son."
Everyone present went silent once more.
This time, the quiet wasn't born from anger or offense, but from sheer surprise at the sheer scale of the ambition he had just declared. Zino's audacious words hung in the humid air:
Ambitious. Confident. Utterly unshaken.
Even Whitebeard's characteristic smile didn't fade. Instead, he let out a thunderous chuckle once again, leaning back slightly. "Gu ra ra ra… interesting brat. I suppose the New World needs more than one King."
Nearby, Crocodile's eyes narrowed slightly, a thoughtful expression crossing his rugged features. A faint curl of his lip suggested nascent approval. "Then, there is something worthy for me to join your crew after all."
A ripple of renewed purpose passed through the rest of the Orca Pirates. Their expressions shifted, showing some motivation and as they heard Zino lay claim to the highest echelon of piracy. They had chosen their captain well.