The Seven Warlords had also begun to move.
Their positions had remained largely unchanged during the initial clash, but the growing pressure on the Marine defenses finally gave them reason to enter the battle.
Doflamingo smiled.
"This is getting interesting."
He stepped onto the battlefield.
Nearby, Bartholomew Kuma stood silently.
Boa Hancock was nowhere among them.
She had never been a Warlord.
Her place had always been beside the ART Pirates.
Instead, another figure stood among the government's chosen weapons.
Edward Weevil.
The self-proclaimed son of Whitebeard gripped his weapon tightly.
His eyes remained fixed on the pirate forces.
"Papa… I'm your real son!" His expression twisted. "Let's go home to Mama!"
The battlefield immediately became even more chaotic.
Above the battlefield, the three Admirals remained in position.
Aokiji stood upon the frozen sea, his expression unreadable.
Kizaru watched the advancing pirates through half-lidded eyes.
"Well, well…" He raised one hand. "Looks like things are getting a little troublesome."
Aokiji glanced toward him. "Don't underestimate them."
"I'm not." Kizaru smiled faintly.
A streak of golden light suddenly crossed the battlefield.
BOOM!
A pirate ship was destroyed in an instant.
Kizaru appeared above the wreckage.
"Yasakani no Magatama."
Countless beams of light rained down.
Pirates scattered beneath the attack.
At almost the same moment, Aokiji moved across the battlefield.
Ice erupted beneath his feet, spreading toward a group of advancing pirates.
"Freeze."
The pirates were caught in an instant.
A wave of cold swept through the area.
The Marine forces seized the opportunity.
"ADVANCE!"
The defensive line moved forward.
Then the temperature changed again.
A powerful presence descended over the battlefield.
A man with a scarlet coat and a hard expression stepped forward.
Sakazuki.
Akainu.
He stared toward the Whitebeard Pirates.
"Pirates…"
His fists transformed.
Molten magma dripped from his knuckles.
"Every last one of you will pay for this."
He stepped forward.
The ground beneath his feet began to melt.
The Marines around him immediately cleared a path.
"Admiral Akainu is moving!"
"Follow him!"
Akainu raised his arm.
A massive fist of magma erupted toward the pirate forces.
"Ryusei Kazan!"
The sky filled with molten projectiles.
The Whitebeard Pirates looked upward.
"MOVE!"
The battlefield erupted.
Magma crashed down.
Ice shattered.
Explosions tore through the pirate formation.
Smoke swallowed the harbor.
For several moments, nobody could see what remained beneath the devastation.
Then a figure emerged from the smoke.
Marco.
His blue flames burned brightly around him.
His expression had changed.
"They're serious."
Jozu landed beside him.
"They'd better be."
The two commanders looked toward the Marine fortress.
Beyond the battlefield stood the execution platform.
And upon it—
Ace.
Still restrained.
Still waiting.
The Marine forces continued their advance.
Their objective was clear.
Separate the Whitebeard Pirates.
Destroy their commanders.
Prevent anyone from reaching the execution platform.
The Whitebeard Pirates had come prepared for a war.
But Marineford had been prepared for one as well.
Across the battlefield, the strongest fighters of both sides began moving toward one another.
Mihawk raised his sword again.
Jozu stepped forward.
Marco spread his wings.
Akainu advanced through the smoke.
Aokiji froze another section of the harbor.
Kizaru vanished into golden light.
The Pacifista continued firing.
The giants clashed with Oars.
The Warlords entered the fray.
And Whitebeard remained at the heart of it all.
He looked toward Ace.
Then toward the enormous Marine fortress standing between them.
His voice was quiet.
"Hold on, son."
His grip tightened around his bisento.
"Your old man is coming."
The battle lines collided once more.
Marineford shook beneath the force.
Above them, the execution platform remained untouched.
For the moment.
But every fighter on the battlefield understood the same thing.
The longer the war continued, the closer the world was coming to its breaking point.
The battlefield had become a storm of fire, ice, smoke, and shattered stone.
Whitebeard's arrival had transformed Marineford from a fortress prepared for an execution into the center of an all-out war. Cannon fire thundered across the bay while pirates pushed forward through the frozen sea, clashing with Marines who refused to surrender a single step.
Above them, the execution platform remained untouched.
Ace was still there.
Bound.
Watching.
His eyes moved across the battlefield as the war unfolded beneath him. Whitebeard Pirates had reached Marineford, but the Marines had been waiting for exactly this moment.
The three Admirals stood ready.
The Seven Warlords remained positioned along the battlefield.
Pacifistas waited behind the Marine lines.
And at the center of it all stood Sengoku, watching every movement with a calculating expression.
Then—
A Marine officer came running toward him.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
Sengoku turned.
The officer stopped and saluted, his breathing unsteady.
"We've detected another vessel approaching Marineford."
Sengoku's eyes narrowed.
"Another Whitebeard ship?"
"No, sir."
The officer hesitated.
"It isn't flying Whitebeard's flag."
Sengoku looked toward the bay.
"Then whose flag is it?"
Before the officer could answer, another Marine shouted from one of the observation towers.
"THERE!"
Everyone nearby turned toward the horizon.
Far beyond the battlefield, where the sea met the gray sky, a single silhouette had appeared.
At first, it looked like nothing more than a distant shadow.
Then the ship drew closer.
A magnificent vessel sailed steadily toward Marineford, its white sails catching the wind.
The emblem of the ART Pirates was clearly visible.
A strange silence spread through several sections of the battlefield.
One ship.
Only one.
But the Marines watching it did not relax.
Quite the opposite.
The reaction began almost immediately.
"That's…"
"A single ship?"
"Why would they come here?"
A Marine lowered his binoculars, his face losing color.
"It's the Athena."
The name traveled rapidly through the Marine ranks.
Athena.
The flagship of the ART Pirates.
The vessel belonging to one of the most dangerous pirates in the world.
He was the man whose bounty had already reached a level that placed him among the greatest powers of the sea.
The man who had recently defeated the Red-Haired Pirates' captain in single combat.
The man the World Government could no longer afford to treat as an ordinary pirate.
A senior Marine officer stared at the approaching ship.
"Phantasm D. Arthur…"
Another Marine swallowed.
"Why is he here?"
Sengoku's expression remained unreadable.
His eyes followed the Athena as it continued toward Marineford.
"He isn't bringing a fleet."
The officer beside him nodded.
"No, sir."
Sengoku narrowed his eyes.
"Which means he isn't here to reinforce Whitebeard."
His gaze hardened.
"Then what do you want, Arthur?" Sengoku's voice lowered as he remembered the little boy he had once met at Anemone Residence.
On the battlefield, the news began reaching the strongest fighters.
Marco turned his head toward the distant ship.
His eyes widened slightly.
"Arthur…"
Whitebeard remained standing amid the chaos, his enormous naginata resting against his shoulder.
He followed Marco's gaze.
For a moment, his eyes narrowed.
Then a faint smile appeared beneath his mustache.
"Gurararara…"
Marco looked at him. "Old man?"
Whitebeard's eyes remained fixed on the approaching Athena.
"That brat chose the worst time to show up."
"Do you think he'll help us?" Marco's expression tightened.
Whitebeard shook his head.
"I don't know." He looked back toward the battlefield. "And I wouldn't expect him to."
The Athena continued toward Marineford.
Arthur stood calmly at the bow, his coat moving in the wind.
Behind him stood the members of the ART Pirates.
Robin watched the battlefield in silence.
Law narrowed his eyes as he observed the Marine formations.
Koala remained near the railing, her expression tense.
Monet, Sugar, and the others stood ready, each of them aware that they were sailing directly into one of the greatest battles of the era.
But none of them attracted as much attention as the man standing beside Arthur.
A tall, elderly man with silver hair stood beside him.
His coat moved gently in the sea breeze.
His expression was calm.
Almost amused.
He rested one hand casually against his hip as he looked toward Marineford.
Arthur glanced sideways at him.
"You're enjoying this too much."
The man chuckled.
"Can you blame me?" He looked toward the fortress. "It's been a long time since I've seen Marineford this lively."
"You said you wanted to see the battlefield for yourself." Arthur shook his head.
"I did." The silver-haired man smiled. "And I certainly wasn't going to miss this."
Arthur turned his attention forward again.
Rayleigh stood beside him.
Silvers Rayleigh.
The Dark King.
The former right-hand man of the Pirate King.
And one of the most legendary figures of the previous era.
For several seconds, no one on the battlefield understood what they were seeing.
Then—
Someone screamed.
"THAT'S RAYLEIGH!"
The shout spread through the Marine ranks like an explosion.
"The Dark King?!"
"Silvers Rayleigh?!"
"Why is he with the ART Pirates?!"
"Wasn't he supposed to be in hiding?!"
"He's standing beside Arthur!"
The news traveled faster than cannon fire.
On the execution platform, Garp's eyes widened.
He stared at the approaching ship.
Then at the silver-haired man standing beside Arthur.
For the first time since the battle began, Garp's expression completely changed.
"Rayleigh…"
"What?" Sengoku turned sharply.
Garp didn't answer.
His eyes remained fixed on the Athena.
Sengoku followed his gaze.
"No way…" His face hardened.
The silver-haired figure was unmistakable.
Sengoku's jaw tightened.
"Silvers Rayleigh."
Garp slowly exhaled. "So he chose this time to show himself."
Sengoku's expression became grim.
"This isn't simply the arrival of the ART Pirates." He looked toward Arthur. "Rayleigh came with Arthur."
Across the battlefield, the reaction was immediate.
Marco stopped for a moment.
His eyes widened.
"Rayleigh?"
Jozu looked toward the horizon.
"The Dark King?"
Marco nodded slowly.
"What the hell is he doing with Arthur?"
Whitebeard turned his head.
His eyes settled on the Athena.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then his massive grin slowly appeared.
"Gurararara…" Whitebeard laughed. "Now that's an interesting development."
"Old man?" Marco looked at him.
The Marines were not the only ones shocked.
Even the Warlords reacted.
Mihawk's eyes narrowed as he observed Rayleigh.
"Rayleigh…"
His hand rested lightly against the hilt of his sword.
Doflamingo's grin widened.
"Fufufu…" He pushed his glasses up. "This is getting more entertaining by the second."
"Who's the old guy?" Weevil stared at the Athena in confusion.
Doflamingo glanced at him. "Someone you should never underestimate."
Nearby, Kizaru slowly raised his head.
His normally relaxed expression had disappeared.
"Oooh…" He looked toward Rayleigh. "So the Dark King decided to come out of retirement."
Aokiji remained silent.
His eyes moved from Rayleigh to Arthur.
"Arthur brought him here…" Akainu's expression darkened. "Then they're both enemies."
The Athena continued forward.
No attack came.
No cannon was fired.
The ship simply sailed into Marineford's waters.
Arthur stood at the front.
Rayleigh remained beside him.
That image alone was enough to make the entire battlefield feel different.
Two generations stood together.
One represented the old era.
The other represented the new.
And both were now standing on the same ship.
Arthur looked across the battlefield.
His eyes passed over Whitebeard's forces.
The Admirals.
The Warlords.
The execution platform.
Finally, his gaze stopped on Ace.
Ace stared back.
For several seconds, neither moved.
Then Ace's eyes widened.
"Arthur…"
But his attention shifted when he noticed the man standing beside him.
Ace's expression became even more stunned.
"Roger's right-hand…?"
Rayleigh smiled faintly.
"Well, well." He looked toward Ace. "So, you're Roger's boy."
Ace froze.
Arthur glanced at Rayleigh. "Don't start."
"I was only saying hello." Rayleigh chuckled.
On the execution platform, Sengoku clenched his fist.
"Why is Rayleigh here?"
No one answered.
The Marine officer beside him looked toward the Athena.
"Fleet Admiral…"
"What?"
The officer hesitated. "There is something else."
"What?" Sengoku's eyes narrowed.
"The people we expected to see with Arthur aren't with him."
Sengoku glanced at him. "What do you mean?"
"We don't see Sabo or Baby-5."
Sengoku's expression changed slightly.
The officer continued.
"Our reports from Impel Down indicated that Sabo and Baby-5 had entered the prison with Straw Hat Luffy."
Sengoku looked toward the Athena again.
"So they split up, and Arthur came without them."
"Yes, sir."
Sengoku's eyes narrowed.
"And instead…" His gaze shifted toward Rayleigh. "…he brought the Dark King."
Arthur stepped onto the front railing of the Athena.
The wind swept across his coat.
Rayleigh stood beside him.
Behind them, the ART Pirates remained completely silent.
Arthur looked toward Marineford.
Thousands of Marines stared back.
Whitebeard's forces watched from the battlefield.
The Admirals waited.
The Warlords remained ready.
And above them all, Ace stood on the execution platform.
For a moment, the chaos around them seemed to disappear.
Then Rayleigh stepped forward.
His calm expression vanished.
The pressure around him changed.
Several nearby Marines suddenly felt their bodies tense.
Rayleigh looked across Marineford.
"So…" His eyes swept over the battlefield. "This is where the World Government decided to make history."
"No." Arthur stood beside him.
Rayleigh glanced at him.
Arthur's eyes hardened.
"This is where they made their mistake."
The battlefield fell strangely quiet.
Then—
A Marine officer shouted from the observation tower.
"THE ATHENA HAS ENTERED MARINEFORD!"
Another officer immediately followed.
"THE ART PIRATES ARE HERE!"
A third voice echoed across the fortress.
"AND SILVERS RAYLEIGH IS WITH THEM!"
The entire Marineford erupted in disbelief.
Arthur looked toward the execution platform.
Rayleigh smiled.
And somewhere beneath the thunder of cannon fire—
the balance of the war shifted.
Garp, standing beneath the execution platform, also looked toward the horizon.
For the first time since the war had begun, his expression became difficult to read.
He knew exactly what that ship represented.
Another Emperor-level power had entered Marineford.
And unlike Whitebeard—
Arthur had come here by his own decision.
Garp lowered his head slightly.
"What are you planning, kid…?"
Sengoku watched the Athena draw closer.
The Marine officers around him waited for his command.
"Fleet Admiral!"
Sengoku remained silent.
"Should we attack the ship before it reaches the bay?"
"No." Sengoku's eyes narrowed.
The officer looked surprised.
"But sir—"
"Do not provoke them." Sengoku's voice was firm. "We don't know what Arthur intends to do."
He looked toward the battlefield. "Whitebeard is already enough of a threat."
His gaze returned to the Athena. "If we attack Arthur now, we may open another front we don't need."
"Then what should we do?" The officer hesitated.
Sengoku answered without looking away.
"Monitor the ship."
The Athena finally reached the outer edge of Marineford's battlefield.
The entire fortress could now see the ART Pirates' flag.
The white sails stretched proudly above the ship.
Arthur stood at the bow.
For several seconds, neither side moved.
Whitebeard's men continued fighting.
The Marines continued firing.
The Admirals remained ready.
Ace remained chained above them all.
Then Arthur slowly raised one hand.
The entire crew behind him fell silent.
Arthur looked across the battlefield one final time.
His eyes settled on the execution platform.
Then—
A faint smile appeared.
"Let's see…" His voice remained calm despite the war raging around them. "Just how much this era is willing to change."
Then Arthur stepped forward.
One step.
The atmosphere changed.
Several Marines instinctively tightened their grip on their weapons.
Marco looked toward the Athena.
Akainu's eyes narrowed.
Mihawk's hand moved toward his sword.
Kizaru's expression became serious.
Aokiji quietly watched.
Whitebeard smiled.
Ace stared from the execution platform, his eyes widening.
Whatever Arthur had come for, he knew one thing for certain—
Marineford was about to change.
Arthur had not come merely to watch.
The ART Pirates had entered the war.
And from this moment onward—
Marineford would never follow the same course again.
To be continued.