"Captain Ace!" "Yamato!"
The faces of the Whitebeard Pirates filled with joy as they saw the two figures slowly emerge from the shattered rock, amid the swirling cold and raging flames.
"Troublesome guy!" Akainu (Sakazuki) simply frowned deeply. "So what if you gained your freedom, Fire Fist Ace? You, and the Whitebeard Pirates, won't escape this place!"
This time, Ace wasn't wearing his usual confident smile. Although he was free, his expression was grim. The Marines alone were a difficult match for the Whitebeard Pirates, and now that Blackbeard was here, the situation was even worse.
Mr. 2, who was hiding behind the pair, trembled as he looked at the murderous Admiral in front of them. He whispered urgently to Luffy, "Straw Hat Boy, we need to escape right now! We can't beat an Admiral!"
Ace heard Mr. 2. He glanced at Yamato, who was panting and clearly injured, and spoke, "Luffy, you take your friends and get out of here first. Yamato and I will cover your retreat!"
"No, Ace! I want to fight with all of you!" Luffy protested.
"No..." Yamato refused. In her human-beast form, she gripped her weapon tightly, a cold mist rising from her breath. "Ace's brother, this battle is too much for you right now. But don't worry. Neither Ace nor I can beat an Admiral alone, but if we fight together, even an Admiral won't defeat us easily."
Ace agreed quickly. "That's right, Luffy. What's the matter? Don't you even trust me? Hurry up and take your friends to safety and leave!"
Luffy looked at the two of them, then at Mr. 2 beside him, and finally made up his mind. "I understand, Ace. Mr. 2, let's go!" With that, the two quickly fled toward an open area.
"Hmph!" Akainu scoffed coldly as he watched them. "Dragon's bloodline must also be wiped out. Straw Hat, you and the Whitebeard Pirates are all staying here."
He transformed his body into magma and pursued them.
"Stop right there!" Ace and Yamato attacked at the same moment.
"Fire Fist!" "Thunder Bagua!"
"Zehahahahaha, Old Man, how pathetic!"
The battle between Whitebeard and Blackbeard was brutal. As Blackbeard's Dark-Dark Fruit repeatedly absorbed Whitebeard's Devil Fruit abilities, Blackbeard grew bolder and more arrogant toward the man he had once greatly feared. Whitebeard glanced at his son, then his gaze swept over the escaping Ace, and he instantly made a fateful decision.
"Rip!"
"Ah!"
Taking advantage of Blackbeard's overconfidence, Whitebeard quickly grabbed his polearm, Murakumogiri, and in a moment of Blackbeard's carelessness, slashed down at him from top to bottom. Blackbeard immediately howled in pain.
But Whitebeard did not press his advantage. At that moment, he seemed to accept his destiny. He raised Murakumogiri high, activated his Tremor-Tremor Fruit power, and plunged the blade into the ground.
"Rumble!"
The entire area shook as if struck by a massive earthquake. The ice shattered, and the entire island of Marineford began to split apart. This sudden event startled everyone. By the time they regained their wits, they saw that a gigantic chasm had opened in the center of the battlefield, blocking the advancing Marines. Whitebeard stood alone before the chasm.
Marco, who was fighting Kizaru (Borsalino), understood what was happening, and tears streamed down his face. "Old Man!"
Whitebeard held Murakumogiri high in his hand and roared for all to hear, "All members of the Whitebeard Pirates, listen to my command! From today onward, Ace is the Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates!"
"!!!"
This declaration stunned not only the pirates but also the Marines. Ace, who was currently fighting Akainu, froze in shock. Then, realizing what his father was doing, tears immediately flooded his eyes. "Old Man!"
"Now, everyone abandon the fight and use the escape route that Little Oars left for us to leave this place," Whitebeard commanded.
Garp and Sengoku, standing on the execution platform, immediately grasped Whitebeard's intention when they witnessed this scene.
"Are you already preparing your last words, Whitebeard?" Sengoku muttered.
Should he refuse this turn of events? Sengoku certainly couldn't. Although the World Government's original order was to execute Fire Fist Ace, if he could manage to kill Whitebeard, the strongest man in the world, here, the main objective of this war would be achieved. That accomplishment alone would be enough to answer to everyone. Not to mention, Ace was Garp's grandson. If Ace could survive this way, Sengoku wouldn't have entirely failed his old friend, Garp.
"Forgive me, my sons. I'm leaving you with such a reckless fool, but this new era no longer has any ships to accommodate us old guys. Let me send you off one last time!"
Everyone who heard Whitebeard's words, even some of the Marines, looked sorrowful. The members of the Whitebeard Pirates were all openly weeping.
"Saying goodbye, Whitebeard!" Garp looked at his old rival and friend, his expression heavy with grief.
"Don't be sad, and don't feel sorrow. Even if we old guys die, countless people will still inherit our will, just as Roger ignited this Great Pirate Era. They will carry the history of that Void Century and ignite the war that even your World Government fears. On that day, the World Government will be overthrown, so..."
At this moment, Sengoku, standing on the execution platform, suddenly realized something. His expression turned panicked because this scene was terribly familiar. He desperately wanted to stop it, but just like what had happened twenty years ago, it was already too late.
"ONE PIECE truly exists!" Whitebeard's words thundered, echoing across the sea. In an instant, his message spread to every corner of the world. After Roger's death, Whitebeard was igniting a new era!
"!!!" "Old Man!" "Uncle Whitebeard!"
Just as Ace and Yamato were both tearing up because of Whitebeard's final declaration, a jarring, angry voice cut through the emotion.
"How pathetic, isn't it, Whitebeard!"
"What are you saying?" Ace looked angrily at Akainu.
"What else could it be? Whitebeard is a complete failure," Akainu sneered. "On the path to becoming the Pirate King, he lost to your father, Roger. He failed to become King and remained a loser forever, running around the sea and playing childish games about creating a family with a bunch of scumbags."
"Stop talking!" Ace's anger flared, causing a visible unease in Yamato's eyes beside him.
The conversation drew the attention of others nearby.
"Did I say anything wrong?" Akainu pressed on. "Now, he's being continuously betrayed by his own sons—men who would attack their own father just by believing a few baseless rumors from the Marines. This is the ridiculous bond of the Whitebeard Pirates. Don't you think his life is utterly empty? Now, he's going to die as a loser. It really suits his identity as a trash leader."
"Take that back! Whitebeard is the Great Pirate who created this era!" Under the panicked gazes of everyone nearby, Ace transformed into fire and charged directly toward Akainu.
"Wait, Ace!"
Meanwhile, in a hidden corner of the battlefield, a strange, new figure suddenly appeared. He picked up a Den Den Mushi that had been dropped due to Whitebeard's Devil Fruit shockwaves and aimed the device's camera screen at his face. At that moment, everyone in the world who was watching the Marineford War saw an unfamiliar face.
Beside this unfamiliar face, Buggy and Mr. 3, who were also hiding there, stared blankly at the sudden appearance. Perona, who was hiding nearby, immediately screamed as if she had seen a ghost.
"It's... it's you..." Perona's startled cry instantly attracted countless people's attention.
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