Boom! Boom! Boom!
Suddenly, one of the Moby Dick's subsidiary ships broke through the encirclement wall and, using its paddlewheels, actually sailed into Marineford Plaza, forcing the Marines to scramble out of the way.
"Pops! Everyone! Get out of here! Leave this battlefield to us!"
Standing on the bow of the Moby Dick's sub-ship, Squard held a long and a short katana, with the rest of the Maelstrom Spider Pirates behind him.
"Those brats!"
Whitebeard turned his head, looking at the members of the Maelstrom Spider Pirates.
"Heh heh heh heh! How touching. That guy must be atoning for himself!" Aeridar floated in mid-air with his arms crossed, grinning. "Hey, Whitebeard, should I help you take out such disloyal sons?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Aeridar lightly waved his hand. Several gigantic lion heads, carrying an astonishing, mountain-toppling momentum, roared as they lunged toward the Maelstrom Spider Pirates, intending to devour them.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"Ah—"
"You won't get away with this!"
"Damn him!"
"No—"
Facing several colossal, mountain-like lion heads, the Moby Dick's sub-ship in the plaza was instantly crushed into splinters. Although the members of the Maelstrom Spider Pirates resisted with all their might, people were continually buried under rocks and dirt, utterly annihilated.
"Squard!"
"That damned Golden Ring!"
"Are you alright, Squard!"
The Whitebeard Pirates and the New World pirates cried out one after another.
"You fools!"
Seeing his many sons suffer a tragic death, Whitebeard erupted in rage, slashing his naginata horizontally like a flash of lightning.
Crack!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The terrifying Tremor power split the atmosphere, instantly destroying the rampant giant lion heads one by one.
Massive amounts of rock and dirt fell to the ground, and a huge air current kicked up countless clouds of choking dust and smoke.
"Hahaha hahahaha!" Aeridar cackled wildly. "Oh, oh, oh, do you feel pain now!"
Blood and soil mixed together. Squard, missing an arm and covered in injuries, knelt halfway on the ground. Whitebeard couldn't bear to look at the wretched, devastated scene before him, closing his eyes and remaining silent.
After a long moment, Whitebeard opened his eyes.
"Listen up, Whitebeard Pirates! I'm giving you my final captain's order now!"
"Final? Wait! Pops, don't say such inauspicious things!"
"We don't want to hear it!"
"We're going back to the New World together!"
"Pops!"
The pirates present were filled with a terrible premonition, and the crowd grew chaotic.
"You and I part ways here. All of you must live. Return to the New World safely!"
"Pops! Are you planning to die here?" Kingdew, the 11th Division Commander, asked in disbelief.
"I am a remnant of the old era. There is no ship in the new era that can carry me!"
"Set sail! My sons!"
Whitebeard's eyes were firm. He raised his thick, muscular arm, the muscles bulging and veins popping, and violently punched the air.
Crack!
The terrifying force immediately shattered the atmosphere, and tree-branch-like fissures spread across the sky for dozens, even hundreds, of meters.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The seawater churned relentlessly, the earth fractured, and violent tremors shook the ground. The sturdy cannons all around collapsed, and the air currents flipped countless Marines, burying them in dust. Even the Marine Headquarters itself cracked with deep, spreading fissures.
"Don't look back! The age is changing!"
Whitebeard turned his head to look at the crowd behind him, a genuine smile gracing his face.
"It's time for a final settlement! Marines!"
Hearing Whitebeard's final captain's order, the pirates were inspired.
"Pops!"
"I won't leave you behind, Pops! Let's go home together!"
"..."
On the other side, the Marines were seized by a deep fear of Whitebeard's power, sensing that he intended to drag the entire island to the bottom of the sea with him.
"You've made up your mind, Whitebeard." Aeridar clicked his tongue, looking at the heavily wounded Whitebeard. "You want to cover your sons' retreat, and in the process, sink Marineford into the sea."
While the Battle of Marineford showcased the Whitebeard Pirates' formidable strength, it also restricted Whitebeard's own power, as he could never completely let loose for fear of harming his sons.
Now, by choosing to cover their retreat and ordering his sons to withdraw, he was sealing his own fate to die at Marineford. However, this choice also allowed him to completely unleash his power, inflicting the maximum possible damage on the Marines.
"Run! Get to the ships!"
"Obey Pops' orders! Retreat!"
"Don't let Pops' resolve be in vain! Everyone run!"
The pirates were retreating, a full-scale withdrawal. At the same time, pirate ships, braving the bombardment of the Marine shore batteries, docked at the harbors to receive the retreating pirates. Others even seized Marine warships on the coast to help and cover the pirates still inside Marineford Plaza.
"Do you really think you can escape? You're dreaming!" Sakazuki's face was cold. He abandoned the fight with Whitebeard and chased in the direction where Ace and Luffy were escaping.
"Admiral Sakazuki! You should get treated! You'll lose too much blood!" A Marine flag officer looked at the heavily injured and bleeding Sakazuki, offering a worried suggestion.
"Pirates won't give us time to heal!" Sakazuki ignored him, completely disregarding the opinions of others, focused only on the pursuit.
Seeing Sakazuki's sudden departure, Whitebeard quickly stepped forward, glaring, intending to block him.
Suddenly, a light flashed, intensely bright, and countless light particles gathered in front of Whitebeard, forming a figure.
Borsalino, who was blocking Whitebeard's path, wiggled his index finger and said slowly, "Oh~ Don't think about getting in the way, Whitebeard!"
"Get out of the way!" Whitebeard swung his naginata at Borsalino.
"Well now~ Ama no Murakumo!"
Borsalino brought his hands together, and light flashed in them. Then he pulled them apart, forming a long sword of light.
Clang!
A harsh metallic clang rang out, sparks flew, and a powerful gust of wind immediately spread.
At the same time, fine, spiderweb-like cracks appeared in the ground beneath both Whitebeard and Borsalino, a clear sign that the earth could not withstand their combined force.
"What immense strength! You really are a monster!" Borsalino frowned, seemingly struggling slightly.
"Lion's Threat: Earth Bind!" A cold shout came.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The earth shook repeatedly, cracks appeared in the ground, and then the earth itself churned. Bricks, stones, and soil across an area of at least several hundred square meters were ripped up, practically blotting out the sky.
Roar!!!
Six or seven giant lion heads, over ten meters tall, roared like living creatures, encircling both Whitebeard and Borsalino, constantly closing in.