Boom! Boom! Boom!
The earth trembled violently. Heavy footsteps echoed from the mist offshore, sounding like the relentless beating of war drums. Broken stones and shattered ice blocks on the battlefield jumped with each tremor.
"Look!"
"Something's coming out of the fog!"
"What… is that? It's enormous!"
Under the stunned gazes of everyone, a colossal figure stepped forward from the mist—nearly forty meters tall, weighing over forty tons.
Its entire body glistened green and oily, horns twisting menacingly, fangs bared like some nightmarish demon.
He was a descendant of the legendary Yunguo Oz—Little Ozzy, captain of the Little Pirates, with a bounty of 550 million Berry dangling above his head.
"Ace! Here I come!!!" Little Ozzy roared, swinging a saber tens of meters long.
Relying on his gargantuan size and inhuman strength, he tore through the battlefield with unstoppable momentum. Cannonballs bounced off him like mosquitoes, and even the largest warships of Naval Headquarters shattered under his might. This was not sword energy, not blessed technique—it was raw, overwhelming brute force.
With a swing of both massive arms, a gap ripped through Motobu Bay.
"Stop him!" Two giant Vice Admirals stepped forward to intercept. But against an ancient giant like Ozzy, even these titans seemed like children. With a powerful swing, Little Ozzy repelled them effortlessly.
"Ace! Wait for me! I will save you!" Little Ozzy took heavy, unyielding steps toward the execution platform.
"Oz!!!" Ace shouted from the scaffold, anxiety twisting his face. Joy did not reach him, for Ozzy's immense size made him a walking target for the Marines' artillery.
"Stop, Ozzy! Don't rush in alone!"
From the bow of the whale ship, Whitebeard looked skyward.
"Please… don't stop me, Father. Ace is gentle… I must save him!" Ozzy's voice rang with determination. Like the legendary bond between Red-Haired Shanks and Luffy, Ace and Ozzy shared a unique, unbreakable connection.
Ace's gentleness, once a quiet force, had become the driving fire for Ozzy's courage. He endured the rain of Marine fire, his resolve unwavering.
Finally, Little Ozzy neared the Inner Bay Plaza.
"Go, Little Oz! Keep moving!" The morale of the Whitebeard Pirates soared.
But then…
"Look! That Shichibukai… Tyrant Bear!"
"What is he doing?"
"Wait—that move… could it be—?"
On the pirate side, eyes widened in horror.
Little Ozzy, unaware, focused on the execution platform. Duang! Duang! Duang!
Within a one-hundred-meter radius, the air compressed under Tyrant Bear's hands, finally condensing into the size of a bear's paw.
Then, the Shichibukai unleashed "Kamehae Qigong." The compressed energy hovered before Little Ozzy, glowing intensely.
Boom! Tyrant Bear's ultimate—Bear Impact: Burst!—detonated. The compressed air exploded violently. A blinding flash made everyone shield their eyes. The shockwave hurled sailors and pirates alike.
When the smoke cleared, a crater a hundred meters wide marred the ice where Little Ozzy had stood.
The giant, heavily scarred and on the brink of losing consciousness, dragged himself forward. "At least… I… at least one Shichibukai…" he muttered, trying to strike back.
But Moria's shadow horn gun pierced him effortlessly. He fell.
"Little Oz!!! Captain Oz!!!" The pirates' cheers turned into anguished cries, their excitement shattered.
From the whale's prow, Whitebeard's eyes drooped slightly.
"There's a gap, Whitebeard!" A giant Vice Admiral swung his massive axe at him. Boom!
Whitebeard didn't even glance back. A single casual punch shattered the axe, then his massive hand slammed down, pinning the Vice Admiral's head to the whale's prow.
Wordless rage exploded, and the mighty giant was thrown aside like a ragdoll.
Whether it was Little Ozzy's defeat or the fall of the giant Vice Admiral, these were mere ripples in this colossal war. The battle's brutality continued unabated.
"It's hard, Whitebeard, but everything is under control. Next battle… finish them!" Marshal Sengoku murmured, plotting. He pulled out a small communication device.
"Cut off the live feeds immediately," he ordered. "Do whatever it takes. This war must be contained. Civilians cannot know what's coming next!"
Hours later, the victory would be announced. A few words would suffice. All video feeds went dark.
Sabaody Live Plaza erupted in murmurs and curses over the sudden blackout. But just a second later, the screen flickered back to life. What followed stunned everyone.
Naval Headquarters, atop the battlefield.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Roars and blinding explosions rocked the ice field. Smoke and gunpowder cloaked the plaza.
Through the haze, the Shichibukai Tyrant Bears advanced. Terrifying laser beams cut across the battlefield.
Then, on the main screen, the world witnessed something unthinkable.
A knife… plunged through Whitebeard's chest.
The strongest man in the world… had been assassinated.