"Ace!"
As the battle grew fiercer, a sudden cry split the chaos. From the rear lines of the battlefield, Luffy jolted awake and sprang to his feet, shouting toward the execution platform with all the force of his lungs.
"So, the brat's finally come to his senses?" Whitebeard turned his gaze slightly, a faint, relieved smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
"He's finally woken up, huh?" Jiang Lin's eyes shifted, settling on the newly awakened Luffy.
"Garp…"I wonder—can your so-called iron fist of love really stop your grandson's reckless charge? I'm eager to find out.
Even as Jiang Lin mused, Garp sat rigid upon the golden throne. At those words, the Marine Hero closed his eyes tight, and in the fleeting glance he cast at Luffy, there was nothing but tenderness.
"Forgive us! We're late! But we've brought the replacement executioners."
At the same time, Luffy regained his senses, and a squad of Marines rushed in from behind the platform, escorting two new executioners.
"Finally. Get into position at once."
Obeying their commander's order, the two men set aside their long blades, mounted the stairs, and began their grim ascent toward the platform.
"Those bastards…" Jiang Lin's eyes narrowed sharply as he fixed on the two new figures beside Ace.
"What's the point of worrying now, brat?" Akainu sneered, catching sight of Jiang Lin's reaction. "Ace is doomed. And you… You won't be leaving here alive either."
"Oh? That's funny," Jiang Lin shot back with a crooked smile, tearing his gaze away from the scaffold to meet Akainu head-on. "Because as far as I recall… Ace is still very much alive."
Compared to Ace, who now stood on the brink of salvation, the real problem before Jiang Lin was the red dog of magma himself.
"Tell me, Akainu—how does it feel to be turned into a shemale?"
With a cold laugh, Jiang Lin launched himself from the encirclement wall like a cannon, streaking straight for Akainu.
"Damn brat!"
Akainu braced himself, but his eyes betrayed him—darting briefly toward Kizaru and Sengoku. His pupils dilated in sudden alarm.
"Laser Beam!"
But it was Kizaru who moved first. Fueled by rage, her attack split the air in twin beams of blinding light that streaked for Jiang Lin's face. Ever since Jiang Lin had transformed her body, her temper had become dangerously unstable.
A sharp crack echoed as hairline fractures webbed across the air in front of Jiang Lin, forming an invisible shield. The beams shattered harmlessly into a spray of golden motes.
In the blink of an eye, Kizaru herself appeared before him, her features twisted with fury so fierce the very air seemed to freeze.
"Yami Yami no Mi—loaded. Duration: ten minutes. Cooldown: thirty seconds."
As the system's prompt rang out, Jiang Lin switched cards with practiced speed. Black mist engulfed his hand as he raised it toward Kizaru, and with a sudden, crushing pull, he shouted:
"Dark Water!"
The strange gravity seized Kizaru at once, dragging her violently toward his waiting grasp.
"Damn you!" she roared, haki flaring over her arm as she thrust her fingers like spears toward Jiang Lin's throat.
"Don't you want to turn back into a man?" Jiang Lin's calm voice, tinged with amusement, cut through the frenzy.
The killing blow faltered—just for an instant.
"Got you, Kizaru!" Jiang Lin's hand shot forward, clamping around her neck.
"Gomu Gomu no Mi (enhanced by the Pika Pika no Mi)—loaded. Duration: ten minutes. Cooldown: thirty seconds."
His right arm swelled grotesquely, rubber stretching like a colossal pendulum. With a savage swing, he hammered Kizaru with crushing force.
The thunderous impact shook the battlefield. Her slender, yellow-lit figure was hurled across the plaza like a cannonball, crashing straight toward the execution platform. A spray of blood followed in her wake, painting the ground beneath.
"Out of my way!"
Seizing the chance, Luffy tore along the path Jiang Lin had carved, charging directly for the scaffold.
But not far ahead, Whitebeard—still weakened from earlier strain—had become ensnared by a ring of Marine soldiers.
"Everyone together! Kill Whitebeard!"
Weapons were raised high as the Marines swarmed him, their earlier fear eclipsed by a brutal realization. The once-terrifying Emperor now appeared as nothing more than a faltering old man. The aura that struck fear into their hearts had shifted. Their true dread now lay with Jiang Lin, who held Akainu at bay.
Morale drives the tide of war. It is both a banner and a burning spirit. And with Jiang Lin now carrying the mantle of the pirates' new banner, Whitebeard himself had, in the Marines' eyes, become prey.
"Attack! Slay Whitebeard!"
The thunderous roar shook the plaza. Blades and rifles glinted as a tide of Marines surged toward the Emperor.
"You dare underestimate me? To think such pitiful tricks could bring me down—what a joke!"
With a roar, Whitebeard's eyes blazed wide. Raising Murakumogiri, he swung in a mighty arc, cleaving through the swarm. The strike unleashed a storm of dust and shattered earth.
Screams rang out as countless Marines were blasted skyward, flung helplessly like ragdolls into the air above the plaza. When the smoke cleared, Whitebeard still stood tall, and overhead, the sky was littered with Marine bodies—like stars scattered across the heavens.
"A monster… he's a monster!"
Panic overtook the cries of soldiers tumbling from the sky, crashing down like falling meteors upon their own comrades below.
"Do not falter—he's wounded!"
Sengoku's cold command snapped the Marines back into focus. Rallying under his voice, they surged once more toward Whitebeard.
"It seems your situation has grown rather dire, Whitebeard…"
A new voice cut through the clash. From the inferno of battle, a figure emerged wreathed in crimson flame—the sight alone sent a shudder through every Marine present.
"Devil Fruit Awakening mission completed. Selecting awakening target… Selection complete. Congratulations, Host. The Mera Mera no Mi has awakened."
"Mera Mera no Mi—loaded. Duration: ten minutes. Cooldown: thirty seconds."
The glowing system prompt hung before Jiang Lin's eyes, its words like an omen. Something terrible was about to be unleashed upon Marineford.