After a fit of retching, Mr.3 finally recovered. He leaned against the hull of the black paddlewheel whale ship, weakly stood up, and with trembling hands, unlocked Ace's handcuffs.
Luffy, who ran over and saw this scene, subconsciously touched his pocket... Well... he didn't even get to deliver the key, completely wasting Hancock's kind intentions.
At this moment, Ace had been rescued, and Whitebeard, seemingly incredibly weak (but actually feigning it), decisively issued the order to retreat.
The members of the Whitebeard Pirates, with tears in their eyes (though that was also an act), bid farewell to Whitebeard, preparing to swiftly evacuate with the rescued Ace and others.
Ace looked at Whitebeard like this and felt as if his heart was being pierced by countless steel needles.
Ace was filled with self-reproach; all this calamity had arisen because of him. If he hadn't been captured by the enemy, how could his Old Man have dragged his critically ill body to rescue him?
Ace repelled the Marines surrounding Whitebeard with flames, and he knelt behind Whitebeard, his face full of pain.
Blazing flames instantly rose, tightly enveloping the two of them, and the dancing flames seemed to wail for this tragic scene.
"Old Man... why are you staying behind to cover the retreat? That dead man should go!" Ace roared hoarsely, pointing at the'statue' of Roger that had stood on the battlefield since the beginning of the war.
In Ace's opinion, that thing had only released some Haoshoku at the very beginning and hadn't played any role since.
Whitebeard's mouth twitched slightly, and he muttered to himself: How was he supposed to tell this kid? Should he tell Ace that he was feigning weakness? That his body had actually mostly recovered? That the injury Akainu inflicted on him was just a scratch for him in his prime?
Roger's role was really just for distraction? Actually, Orochimaru originally planned for Roger to tie down Garp and Sengoku.
But Whitebeard said, who needs the person who stole my brother to save me! Ace is my son, what does he have to do with that dead man!
Orochimaru didn't want to get tangled up with Whitebeard on this topic, so he let Roger and Rayleigh, those two old guys, reminisce on the side.
Whitebeard glanced at his sons behind him, a warning in his eyes: You little brats, hold it in, don't laugh out loud, don't let anyone see through the act! You have no experience at all, I still have to hold up the fort.
Whitebeard sighed heavily, his voice full of sorrow, as if he truly had reached the end of his life.
"I can't go on... Ace... let me ask you one question... Have I been a good enough Old Man?"
As Ace listened to Whitebeard's words, memories of their time together flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern. Those warm recollections flooded him like a broken dam, and his tears uncontrollably gushed out.
"Of course!" Ace's answer was firm and strong, and in the light of the flames, he kowtowed deeply to Whitebeard.
The group of people were holding back their laughter so hard they almost cried, and in the end, they could only cry, pretending to be sad as they pulled Ace away.
"Run, run towards the ship! Don't let Old Man's wish be in vain."
Apart from the members of the Whitebeard Pirates who knew the truth, Jinbe and Luffy, who had rushed from Impel Down, were completely unaware of the actual situation. To prevent Whitebeard's sacrifice from being meaningless, they could only try their best to escape from this place.
Akainu watched the fleeing crowd with cold eyes, walking out with leisurely steps. He even had time to straighten his clothes, then let out a contemptuous sneer at the fleeing group.
He disdainfully took off his hat, lightly patted it, smoothed his hair, and then put it back on.
"As soon as they rescued Fire Fist Ace, they're in a hurry to retreat. The Whitebeard Pirates are indeed a bunch of cowards who cling to life."
Akainu mocked loudly, "Moreover, their Captain is like that, so it's not surprising for this situation to occur. Ultimately, Whitebeard is nothing more than a loser left over from the previous era."
Upon hearing this, Ace immediately stopped running. No matter how much those around him tried to dissuade him, he ignored them and resolutely turned to confront Akainu.
"Take back what you just said!" Ace glared angrily.
"Take back? Hmph, never, every word I said is true." Akainu sneered and continued,
"Think about it, Whitebeard is truly a pathetic fellow. Admired by a rabble, called 'Old Man' by them over and over again.
Playing such childish make-believe games on the ship.
Now, he even has to die to protect you small fry. What an empty and ridiculous life."
""Shut your mouth!!" Ace completely disregarded his companions' attempts to stop him, and furious flames blazed around him as he charged towards Akainu. Every step carried endless rage, and his eyes burned with flames that threatened to consume Akainu.
"If a person does not walk the righteous path, he is not worthy of existence. You small fry among pirates have no need to cling to life." Akainu, radiating scorching magma, continued to provoke Ace with vicious words.
"Whitebeard dying as a loser is perfectly fitting for his identity as a garbage manager." Akainu's lips curled into a sinister smile, every word like a sharp knife, piercing deeply into the softest and most sacred part of Ace's heart.
"You shut up!! Whitebeard is the great Pirate who created this era!" Ace roared, his voice echoing like thunder across the battlefield, filled with respect and adoration for Whitebeard, as if to utterly crush Akainu's slanderous words.
After the fierce clash of their powerful techniques, Ace was ultimately defeated, kneeling on one knee.
His chest heaved violently, the flames in his eyes burned even more fiercely with anger and unwillingness, and sweat mixed with blood trickled down his forehead.
Seeing this, Akainu's face showed an even more contemptuous sneer.
"Hmph, that's just ordinary fire, but what I possess is the power of magma that can burn even fire. My ability and yours are as different as heaven and earth, they cannot be compared at all." Akainu said arrogantly, not putting Ace in his eyes at all.
At the same time, Luffy, whether due to battle fatigue or worry for Ace, also found his body giving out, and he too collapsed to his knees, exhausted. He gritted his teeth, trying to stand up again, but his body wouldn't obey.
Akainu looked at the two disheveled brothers, his face expressionless, his eyes full of contempt.
"You two are individuals with wicked blood flowing through your veins; this world should not have your existence. Just watch."
Before he finished speaking, Akainu suddenly turned and attacked Luffy.
Sabo, who was fiercely fighting the obstructing Marines, inadvertently caught sight of this scene, his pupils instantly dilating, his eyes filled with shock. He unhesitatingly abandoned his current enemies and rushed desperately towards Luffy. This was not according to plan!
Luffy stared blankly at the destructive fist before him, his mind a blank, his whole being seemingly caught in a vortex of time-stasis.
After a moment, he snapped back to reality, his eyes filled with terror and stupefaction.
Ace was blocking in front of him, his entire body in a protective posture, arms spread to shield Luffy, while Sabo, with his back to Ace, blocked in front of Ace, making the same gesture.
And at the very front, Orochimaru's body was pierced. He stumbled, coughed up a mouthful of blood, and with hands wrapped in Armament Haki, he tightly held Akainu's fist.
"Cough... that really hurts... are you guys playing Russian dolls?"
Everyone present's pupils contracted.
"Orochimaru!!!"
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