As the dust cleared, the figure standing before Akainu was none other than Marco, the First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. Behind him stood the rest of Whitebeard's crew!
Akainu's eyes narrowed, his expression sharpening. He said coldly, "Are you all really willing to die for that kid?"
"Ace is our friend, and more importantly, Father's most beloved son. We won't let his sacrifice be in vain," said Flower Sword Vista, gripping his dual swords tightly.
"The ones protected by Pops—"
"We have a duty to send them into the new era!"
Akainu sneered, his face twisted with scorn. "You Whitebeard Pirates sure talk big. But weren't you the ones who abandoned Whitebeard?"
"What did you say?!" Marco's face darkened, his teeth clenched in fury.
"All you do is talk," Akainu continued coldly. "When danger came, everyone ran. Isn't that why Whitebeard died?"
"Damn you—!"
The Whitebeard Pirates trembled with rage, fists tightening.
Marco gritted his teeth and shouted, forcing back his fury, "No matter what you say, I won't let you lay a finger on Ace again!"
Akainu's gaze turned icy. He sneered, "Then come stop me."
He raised his arm, which melted into blazing magma, and hurled a punch. It transformed mid-air into a searing hound lunging toward the Whitebeard Pirates!
"Great Crimson Hound!"
"Stop Akainu!"
Bang bang bang—!
Bullets rained like a storm toward the magma hound. Under the hail of fire, the magma distorted and splattered, flinging scorching lava in all directions.
At that moment, Marco leapt into the air and transformed into a blue phoenix, crashing into the magma head-on!
Boom! Lava burst out and flames scattered!
Marco clenched his jaw and roared, "You won't touch Ace again!"
Suddenly, the ground shook violently. Amid thunderous rumbles, the earth split open into countless holes, and armed Marines surged up from below! With earth-shaking cries, they rushed forward.
"Attention all Marines! Redirect all forces to pursue the Whitebeard Pirates! Don't let them escape!" a Marine officer shouted.
The Whitebeard Pirates were shocked. Watching the tidal wave of incoming Marines, their hearts sank.
"Damn, the Navy came up from underground!"
"Is there another route?!"
"Damn it—they had hidden reinforcements!"
"What do we do? We're completely outnumbered!"
Marco's expression darkened. He clenched his fists and shouted, "Escort the Straw Hats to safety—I'll hold them off!"
A pirate gasped. "But Captain—"
"No time for this!" Marco roared. "Go! If you delay any longer, it'll be too late!"
After a moment's hesitation, the pirate turned with a shout. "Everyone, help the Straw Hats break through! This was Pops' final wish!"
As the Straw Hats began retreating toward the harbor, Marco breathed a slight sigh of relief—until a chilling voice rang out behind him.
"You won't get away. None of you will!"
"Great Eruption!"
Marco spun around to see a blazing fist flying toward him—mere inches away. His pupils shrank in shock!
With the sudden emergence of the ambushing Navy soldiers, the Whitebeard Pirates' escape route was blocked. The two forces clashed with a thunderous impact. Battle erupted instantly!
Gunfire roared, cannons thundered, and the shouts of battle echoed across the sky!
"Kill! Slaughter all the pirates—leave none alive!"
"Taste the Navy's justice, you scum!"
"Hold the Navy back! Don't let them advance another step!"
"You won't get away with this—wipe out the pirates!"
"Avenge our fallen comrades!"
"Damn pirates—go to hell!"
With reinforcements boosting their morale, the Marines surged forward like a tidal wave, ferociously chasing down the pirates. Their eyes bloodshot, their twisted faces feral—every Marine was lost in a bloodlust.
"H-help me…"
"Stay with me! You'll be okay—start treatment now!"
"Yes, sir!"
But just as medics tended to the wounded, a Marine officer approached and barked, "Leave him! Now's not the time for treatment—pursue the pirates!"
"B-but…" the soldier hesitated.
"This is our moment to show the Navy's righteous power! There's no time to waste on the wounded—move!"
"Y-yes, sir!"
"Slay those damn pirates! Leave none alive!"
"Yes, sir!"
Watching the unfolding chaos, Captain Tashigi felt a chill run down her spine. "After such a long battle, morale hasn't dropped—it's rising. The Marines have clearly reached their goal, yet they're growing more frenzied. This isn't normal."
Nearby, Vice Admiral Smoker wore a grave expression. "Something's wrong. Whether it's justice or evil, victory shouldn't be this bloodthirsty. They've gone mad."
Boom—!
A deafening blast sounded. Marco was sent flying, crashing hard into a rock wall that shattered on impact. He coughed up a mouthful of bright red blood.
Akainu pulled back his fist and bellowed, "Listen up! As Marines, we must never let heinous pirates escape!"
"Yes, Admiral Sakazuki!"
The Marines raised their weapons and roared with fervor. Their excitement was almost irrational, and on this blood-soaked battlefield strewn with corpses, it was disturbingly eerie. Even the setting sun seemed stained crimson.
"That's enough!"
A heart-wrenching scream suddenly pierced the battlefield, clearly reaching everyone's ears. The fighting paused.
In the distance, the light on Kizaru's fingertip faded as he turned curiously. "Observation Haki?"
Akainu scowled, staring coldly at the tearful Marine who had stepped into his path. "Who are you, to stand in my way?"
"Koby!" a Marine exclaimed in surprise.
It was Koby who now stood before Akainu.
"Stop this, please!" Koby shouted, tears streaming down his face. "No more fighting!"
"What's wrong with this guy?" Marines looked on, bewildered. Akainu's face darkened, his brow furrowing.
"No more fighting!" Koby cried, biting his lip, voice hoarse. "Every Marine has a family waiting at home. We've already achieved our objective—yet we continue to chase down exhausted pirates, dragging out a battle that should've ended!"
"And now we're abandoning wounded soldiers, letting more die for nothing. The soldiers falling now are—"
Tears streamed down his cheeks as he screamed, "They're no better than fools!"
The battlefield fell silent, stunned by Koby's anguished outcry.
Akainu's face was dark, his voice squeezing out between clenched teeth. "Insolent! Daring to disrupt morale—this is an unforgivable offense. The Navy has no use for cowardly, weak soldiers like you!"
With that, he raised his blazing magma fist high.
"I'm done for… I'm going to die," Koby thought, his face pale as he trembled. "But at least I said what I had to say—I don't regret it!"
"Hah!"
Akainu roared, swinging down his heavy, powerful punch straight at Koby!
"Hellhound!"
But at that critical moment, a pale, slender hand reached out—
Boom—!
A deafening blast erupted. Searing magma splattered across the ground with a sizzle, and thick smoke billowed into the sky!
Everyone at the scene stood stunned, mouths agape, jaws nearly hitting the floor.
Someone had blocked Akainu's attack with just one hand!
It was a silver-haired girl with a beautiful face and stunning figure—Kaguya!
Akainu's pupils shrank sharply!
Kaguya glanced at him, smirking. "Not bad, kid. To say that to a Navy admiral… You've got guts."
Koby collapsed to the ground, eyes wide in disbelief. He stammered, "I-Is that you… Instructor?!"
He had fully expected to die. He was prepared for it. Never in his wildest dreams did he think someone would save him—much less that it would be Kaguya!
"Oh?" Kaguya raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "You still remember me?"
"Of course!" Koby scrambled to his feet, saluted, and said anxiously, "You've always been my role model!"
Kaguya replied, "I'm not your instructor anymore."
"No, that's not true! I may be shameless to say this," Koby said, summoning his courage, "But to me, you'll always be my teacher. It's because of your inspiration that I made it this far!"
"Is that so?" Kaguya smiled faintly, neither affirming nor denying.
She remembered Koby from when he was around ten—just a timid errand boy in the Navy. He dreamed of becoming a Marine, but truthfully, his talent was poor. Physically weak, he had little hope of great achievement.
On top of that, he was cowardly and often bullied by other recruits. She'd once helped him out of such a situation.
She never expected that same timid kid to one day stand up to an admiral. If she hadn't intervened, Akainu surely would've killed him.
"How… how is it her?!"
"Wasn't she just fighting Blackbeard?! How did she suddenly appear here?!"
"She just blinked and was here! That speed!"
"As expected of the Instructor!"
"Hey, watch what you say! She's not an instructor anymore. If Admiral Sakazuki hears that, we're doomed!"
The Marines whispered among themselves, staring at Kaguya with shocked, uncertain expressions. Akainu's face grew darker.
Kaguya ignored him and walked toward the battlefield. As she passed Marco, he clenched his jaw.
"Kaguya, back then… why—"
He didn't finish. With her strength, not even the entire Navy combined might be able to stop her. She could have saved Whitebeard—so why didn't she?
If she were an enemy, that would be understandable. But her relationship with Whitebeard hadn't seemed that bad…
Kaguya seemed to understand what Marco was thinking. She glanced at him and said, "Dying in bed would be a disgrace for someone like Whitebeard, who roamed the Grand Line for so long. Dying in battle—that was his true wish. And regarding his condition, I believe you knew it even better than I did."
Marco clenched his teeth. He knew Kaguya was right. Pops' body had long begun to fail. Even without this war, he wouldn't have lasted much longer…
Kaguya said, "Marco, call it off. You all can't win against the Navy. Staying here will only lead to needless deaths."
Marco clenched his fists in frustration.
Kaguya said no more and continued walking toward the devastated battlefield. As she passed, people instinctively stepped aside. All eyes were on this silver-haired legend—gaze mixed with awe and reverence. She was, after all, someone who stood at the peak of the world!
Not just Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Hero Garp, and the three Admirals, but even every Marine on the battlefield had their eyes fixed on Kaguya. Under their gaze, she walked calmly into the center of the battlefield.
"If we keep fighting like this, it will only increase casualties on both sides," Kaguya said as she stopped and raised her head. Her gaze sharpened. "This war—ends now."
Her voice was not loud, but it rang clearly through every ear on the battlefield. Upon hearing this, everyone froze instinctively, their movements halted.
"If anyone still isn't satisfied," Kaguya's eyes were as cold as autumn water, "come—I'll be your opponent."
An overwhelming aura, like an abyss, erupted from Kaguya. It swept across the entire battlefield like a tsunami.
A chill ran down everyone's spines. Their minds went blank, as though they had fallen into an icy pit. Many Marine soldiers turned pale, their weapons slipping from their hands and clattering to the ground.
"Well then," Kaguya turned, her serene eyes glancing toward the distant Navy. "Fleet Admiral Sengoku?"
Sengoku's face was grim. He clenched his jaw and fists—but did not move.
He knew that if they were up against Whitebeard, the Navy still had a chance. But against her? That was far more dangerous. If she were to fight seriously, not a single person present would be a match for her.
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