Winners cry, losers laugh.
That was the scene unfolding at Marine Headquarters.
The Marines, who had "won" the Summit War, were in tears.
Meanwhile, the defeated Whitebeard Pirates were laughing.
A contradiction—two worlds colliding on the same battlefield.
All of it had been orchestrated by Sugisawa Yuuto.
"President Yuuto!"
"Mr. Sugisawa!"
"Thank you so much!"
"If not for you, we'd all be dead right now!"
"It's all thanks to your power that we've been given this second chance!"
"We'll never waste this rebirth!"
Marco of the First Division, Jozu of the Third, and Vista of the Fifth led the captains of the Whitebeard Pirates as they approached Sugisawa Yuuto.
They bowed deeply, their voices thick with gratitude.
Yuuto, however, only gave a faint smile.
"Don't misunderstand," he said quietly. "I didn't come here to help you. You Whitebeard Pirates are nothing more than pawns to achieve my goal."
Marine's commission?
Whitebeard's request?
Those were just excuses—decorations to hide his true intent.
Yuuto had come to this battlefield for three reasons.
First—this was the grandest war in the world's history.
As a time traveler with a sense of curiosity, he couldn't possibly sit back and watch from the sidelines.
Second—he wanted to teach the Marines a lesson.
Over the past six months, the hawkish Marine faction led by Admiral Akainu had repeatedly clashed with the Fairy Tail Guild.
Out of respect for Marshal Sengoku and the Chief of Staff, Tsuru, Yuuto had let it slide.
But they had pushed too far.
The Marines wanted to maintain their "majesty," their untouchable image.
And to do so, they had tried to trample Fairy Tail beneath their boots.
That came with a price.
Yuuto wasn't so mad as to wipe out all 100,000 Marine elites outright.
But a little psychological retribution—now that was fair game.
He had allowed the Marines to "win" in the illusionary world of song—only to pull them back to reality, where everything they'd achieved was revealed to be a dream.
The mental blow of such despair would linger far longer than physical destruction.
And as for the third purpose...
"Even if we were just pawns, it doesn't matter!" Marco said firmly.
Under normal circumstances, hearing someone dismiss their great Whitebeard Pirates as "pawns" would've been intolerable.
For the pride of their father Whitebeard, Marco and the others would've fought to the death over such an insult.
But now?
They didn't care in the slightest.
In fact—they were grateful.
Because if not for Sugisawa Yuuto, their entire crew would have been erased from existence.
Compared to losing their family, being called pawns was nothing.
They would gladly be used again and again—if it meant staying alive.
"Don't get too happy," Yuuto said flatly. "Even if you survived, the damage you suffered in the Singing World carries over. The mental trauma will affect your strength here. Right now, few among you are still fit to fight."
The captains' smiles finally dimmed.
They looked around—and their hearts sank.
Just as Yuuto said, not everyone from the Whitebeard Pirates had awakened.
Half their men still lay unconscious, sprawled across the ground.
Some weren't moving at all.
Even those awake were breathing weakly, their spirits frayed.
Those who had died in the Singing World had suffered severe mental backlash.
Only the strongest—those with the toughest minds—could still stand and fight.
Out of their fifty thousand pirates, barely a third could actually take the field again.
But the Marines were in no better shape.
Of their hundred thousand troops, barely half were battle-ready.
They still held the advantage in numbers—and more importantly, their top officers could still fight.
If the battle continued without interference, the Marines would still claim victory.
But the battlefield had changed.
Aside from Yuuto—there was another wild card.
"Thief—hahahaha! What's with those long faces, Marines? We're just back to square one! What's there to cry about?"
As Marine morale hit rock bottom, a mocking laugh cut through the air.
"You already beat the Whitebeard Pirates once in that world, didn't you?"
The booming voice belonged to Blackbeard Teach.
"You've already proven you can defeat them! If you won once, you can win again! Look at them now—they're on their last legs! One good push and they'll crumble!"
He spoke loudly, rousing the disheartened Marines.
"That's right!"
"If we beat them once, we can beat them again!"
"The Whitebeard Pirates are nothing to fear!"
Voices rose in unison as hope flickered back into the Marines' eyes.
But realization came just as swiftly.
"Damn it, Blackbeard!"
"Who gave you the right to talk like that?"
"Blackbeard Teach, you won't be leaving this place alive!"
Vice Admirals like Doberman, Onigumo, and the Flying Squirrel roared in fury.
"Thief—hahahaha! Don't be so hostile!" Blackbeard grinned. "I'm one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, remember? You summoned me to fight against the Whitebeard Pirates!"
"Enough of your nonsense, Blackbeard!"
Marshal Sengoku's voice thundered across the field. "The moment you invaded Impel Down, your title as a Warlord was stripped away!"
"Hey now, Marshal Sengoku," Teach said, his tone feigning innocence. "You can scold me later—but right now, maybe focus on that! If you don't act soon, Ace is going to be rescued by his brothers!"
At his words, every Marine turned sharply toward the execution platform.