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Chapter 5
Diving deep beneath the chaos of Marineford, Ren swam through the cold blue abyss, his body cutting through the water like a blade. He extended his Observation Haki, scanning the seafloor and the chaos above.
The deeper he went, the stronger the pressure grew — yet his body endured. As grin crept across his face.
"Guess that giant physique really paid off," he muttered through the bubbles.
Then he froze.
His Haki picked up a massive movement below — a whole school of extremely large Sea Kings, circling directly beneath Marineford. Their roars echoed faintly through the water, shaking his bones.
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[Above Marineford]
The Whitebeard Pirates gathered tightly, forming a fortress-like defense. Marco and the other division commanders held off the advancing Vice Admirals, trading blows that cracked the ground beneath their feet.
"Now!!!" Marco shouted.
The commanders leapt back, forming a perfect square around the human fortress at the center.
---
BOOOOMMMM!!!
The ground shattered as they struck the earth together, the plaza trembling violently.
When the dust cleared, the Marines froze — staring at the strange square formation the Whitebeard Pirates had created.
Still fighting off a group of Marines, a panicked crewmate yelled, "Captain Marco! What now?! They're closing in!"
"We wait," Marco said coldly, his calm voice echoing through the chaos.
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"Sir, we can't locate Ren — the white-haired boy!" a marine officer shouted toward the command platform. "What are your orders, Admiral Sengoku?"
Sengoku's brow furrowed as he paused mid-fight against Teach. "Search every inch of Marineford! Don't let them pull any tricks!"
"Yes, sir!"
---
Meanwhile, Buggy and his minions huddled behind a pile of debris.
"Captain Buggy! You were right — the white-haired guy's gone! He escaped!" one of his men shouted, stars in his eyes.
Buggy crossed his arms, chin high, grinning smugly. "Of course he did. I knew it from the start! Point the transponder snail at them! Let the whole world witness the fall of the Whitebeard Pirates!"
The den-den mushi's eyes focused on the Whitebeard crew's column.
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"Captain Marco, do something fast, or the Marines will capture us here!" another pirate shouted.
"We will wai—" Marco stopped mid-sentence. The ground beneath them began to rumble. A small smile curved across his lips.
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"What's going on?!" Sengoku barked as the entire Marineford trembled violently.
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BOOOOMMMMM!!!
The square column of earth beneath the Whitebeard crew rose into the sky, lifting the pirates high above Marineford like a floating fortress.
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[15 Minutes Earlier]
Deep beneath Marineford, Ren had been scanning the seabed with his Observation Haki instead of diving too far — the Sea Kings' presence was enough to keep him cautious.
After several moments, he sensed what he needed. A grin spread across his face.
"Koff—koff!" he coughed, nearly choking on seawater before covering his mouth.
He swam toward a massive rock formation. Raising his naginata, he struck with precision, splitting the rock clean in two. Seawater surged into the gap, forming a violent spiral.
Ren began spinning along with it, swirling his naginata to amplify the current. The water tornado expanded rapidly, growing larger and faster by the second — a raging vortex of power.
Once it reached the right size, Ren swung his weapon one last time, releasing the whirlpool upward — directly beneath the square column where the division commanders stood.
The massive undersea current erupted, blasting the column skyward, just like the Knock-Up Stream that once launched the Straw Hats to Skypiea.
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[Back to the Present]
"Haahahahahahaha! To think Ren could pull that off!" Marco laughed as the Whitebeard Pirates soared over the Marineford wall.
---
"Well, well," Doflamingo chuckled from the rubble, his grin stretching wide. "The Whitebeard Pirates still have tricks left. But who said they'll escape alive?"
He leapt into the air, threads whipping from his fingers like blades as he aimed to slice the rising platform apart.
But before his threads could strike, they snapped — falling harmlessly to the ground.
Doflamingo's grin vanished a second before a shockwave slammed him into the ruins below, creating a massive crater.
"I decided that," a cold voice echoed.
Ren landed on Marineford's shattered plaza, standing tall with the Murakumogiri in his hand.
"Starting today," he declared, slamming the weapon into the ground, cracks spreading outward from his feet, "I hereby announce the birth of The Pride Pirates!"
The transponder snails broadcasting the war caught every word. Across the world, people watched in awe as the white-haired man declared his new era.
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[At Sabaody Archipelago]
"The younger generation sure has fire," Rayleigh said with a hearty laugh, setting down his sake as he watched the live feed. His eyes gleamed with nostalgia. "He reminds me of that idiot Roger."
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[On Drum Island]
"Papa, will the pirates come for us?" a child asked nervously.
"Don't worry," his father replied, eyes glued to the screen. "The Marines will protect us... right?"
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[Outside Marineford's Wall]
Akainu raised his molten fist to strike down a retreating pirate — but halted as a young voice cut through the noise.
"Stop this! The war's over!" Coby shouted, tears streaming down his face. "Too many have already died!"
"Run while you can, boy," Akainu growled, his fist still burning. "Justice doesn't stop for tears."
Coby stood his ground.
As Akainu's fist came crashing down, a blade intercepted it midair, splitting the molten wave in two.
"Your words touched my heart," said a calm, powerful voice.
Red-Haired Shanks stepped forward, eyes hard with conviction.
---
With the arrival of the Red-Haired Pirates, the war finally came to an end.
Marco stood, bloodied and crying, facing Ren — whose stoic expression couldn't hide the tears rolling down his cheeks.
Ren turned away, walking toward his small boat at the edge of the ruined harbor. The vessel was compact, built for ten, powered by nitrogen and wind — sleek, fast, and quiet.
He entered the cabin, wiping his eyes. "Why... why am I crying?" he murmured, staring at his trembling hands.
He admired Whitebeard — but never thought he'd mourn like this.
Pushing the thought aside, he reached for the nitrogen tank to refill the boat.
Then, without warning, his body jerked violently — and he collapsed.