Chapter 52: Money-Loving Nami — The War Curtain Rises! (Bonus Update!)
BOOM!
The moment the Moby Dick burst out of the water and settled in the inner bay of Marineford,
the entire headquarters fell into dead silence for a single heartbeat.
Even Fleet Admiral Sengoku's face flashed with shock.
No one had expected the Whitebeard Pirates to make their entrance like this!
But none of that mattered anymore.
Whitebeard was here.
A war unlike any in history was now unavoidable.
On the execution platform,
Ace's expression changed the instant he saw the Moby Dick—relief, excitement, and deep worry for his old man's health all mixed together.
Meanwhile,
Nami and Robin's eyes lit up with a spark of hope.
They had the seastone keys.
If the right moment came, escape wasn't impossible—just extremely slim.
But hope was hope.
At the same time,
Rok stood diagonally behind Nami, silently shaking his head in exasperation.
Good grief… have these two been locked up so long they've gone blind?!
Just look back once, ladies!
To avoid drawing attention from Sengoku on the high platform or the three Admirals seated below,
Rok didn't dare move too much. He stood perfectly still beside the other execution guard.
Yet somehow Nami and Robin still hadn't noticed him.
He understood the situation was tense, but… come on!
If they didn't know he was right behind them,
when the time came to act, poor coordination could ruin everything.
Left with no choice,
Rok took a risk.
He pulled a Beli coin from his system storage, held it in his palm,
and subtly angled it to catch the sunlight.
The next second—
Nami, who had been staring at the Moby Dick,
suddenly froze like a cat spotting a laser pointer.
Her eyes locked onto the glinting coin with predatory focus,
then whipped around to Rok's hand.
There we go. Never change, you little money goblin.
Rok almost laughed.
Nami's head tilt was adorable—even with a dirty face, her beauty was undeniable.
"Beli…?"
She blinked, confused for half a second,
then looked up.
"Ro—!"
Her face went rigid. She nearly screamed his name,
but clamped it down just in time.
Still, her heart was exploding!
Rok!
It's actually Rok!
He came to save them?!
๐·°(৹˃̵﹏˂̵৹)°·๐
"Shh!"
Rok saw the tears already forming and quickly signaled her to stay quiet.
It wasn't time yet.
They had to wait until the three Admirals left their seats.
Especially Akainu—his presence made success far less certain.
Nami understood instantly.
She nodded hard, swallowed her emotions,
gave Rok one deep, grateful look,
then turned back to watch the bay like nothing happened.
She also nudged Robin subtly.
Robin tried to glance back—
THUNK!
The real execution guard beside them smashed the hilt of his blade into the back of Robin's head.
"No looking around. Don't be impatient— your turn to die is coming soon enough!"
He shot Rok a suspicious glance.
Never seen this guy before.
Transferred from Mariejois last minute?
He was confused by the sudden personnel change,
but the situation was too critical to dwell on it.
He turned away.
He never saw the murderous rage burning in Rok's eyes.
Hit Robin in front of me?
Good. Good. Good.
I'm gonna kick your severed head like a football later.
Rok's blood boiled.
Little did he know—
Robin wasn't hurt or angry.
She was ecstatic.
Even that brief glimpse was enough.
Rok was here.
Her heart raced—joy, worry, everything at once.
Because right now, Marineford was insanely dangerous.
DANG! DANG! DANG!
Massive metallic clangs echoed from the Moby Dick.
Every Marine tensed,
waiting for the arrival of a terrifying legend.
The next moment—
Yonko Edward Newgate — Whitebeard stepped onto the bow, surveying the "welcome party" with calm eyes.
Even with the greatest Marine force in history arrayed against him,
the pressure rolling off the Strongest Man in the World was suffocating.
"Sengoku… it's been decades, hasn't it?"
"Whitebeard!"
Sweat beaded on Sengoku's forehead.
If he had a choice, he would never fight this man.
But there was no turning back—for either side.
"Gurararara… is my dear son doing alright?"
"You Marines have really pissed me off, Sengoku!"
Whitebeard showed zero fear in front of 100,000 elite troops.
He didn't even seem to register them as a threat.
After a brief exchange with Sengoku,
his gaze locked onto Ace on the platform.
"Hang in there just a little longer, Ace!"
"Pops!!!!"
Ace screamed, voice cracking with emotion.
And then—
without another word,
Whitebeard attacked.
He personally ripped open the curtain of war!
DUANG!
CRACK—CRACK—CRACK!!!
Whitebeard slammed both fists outward.
Where they struck—
space itself shattered like glass!
The ocean around Marineford erupted into chaos!
"What the—?! The atmosphere is cracking!"
"Look at the sea level!!"
Tsunamis surged on both sides of the bay.
Rok watched the madness unfold,
battle lust igniting in his veins.
As expected—
the Admirals would move soon to stop Whitebeard.
That was the moment he had been waiting for.
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