Meanwhile…
Kizaru leapt into the sky once more, his body dissolving into pure light, transforming into a golden bolt that sliced through the air at an absurd speed.
In the blink of an eye, countless luminous beams—light bullets fired with superhuman precision—rained down on the pirates below, striking allies and enemies alike without discrimination.
According to what Luffy knew, Kizaru's ability allowed him to fire around two thousand times per second.
It was a true massacre.
But at the very moment the light bullets began to spread like a luminous storm, an imposing winged figure emerged among them, blocking the deadly blasts with a body cloaked in bluish flames.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The explosions echoed in sequence, reverberating throughout the bay.
"Don't play around, Kizaru! Your opponent is ME!" Marco shouted, his voice filled with determination as he charged forward, blocking each beam with the flaming wings of the Phoenix.
For a few seconds, the scene in the sky and sea devolved into pure confusion, absolute chaos.
The alliance pirates advanced with fury, led by the colossal Oars, who tore through the battlefield with overwhelming brutality, paving the way for an army of more than 50,000 pirates. Neither the coastal artillery nor the gunners aboard the Marine warships could halt that inexorable march.
On the Marine side, two of the most feared Admirals in the world—Kizaru and Aokiji—were once again in action.
Or rather…
They were holding the line.
---
At the execution tower…
Ace clenched his fists tightly, his eyes burning with frustration and helplessness. Heavy chains bound his arms, and the shadow of the gallows loomed menacingly behind him.
Sengoku, expressionless, picked up the Den Den Mushi with the cold calm of a man accustomed to making fatal decisions.
"Do not let the pirates break through."
His voice reverberated like a death sentence.
Immediately, the Marines who received the order charged forward, shouting bravely. Captains, Lieutenants, Vice-Admirals… dozens of them leapt onto the battlefield, determined to stop Oars and the rest of the pirate fleet.
In the blink of an eye, a new front of battle formed, swallowed by even greater chaos.
---
But let's go back a bit in time…
Approximately an hour earlier, when Ace was being taken by the Marines to be publicly executed, another chaos erupted in the depths of Impel Down.
Level 1 – The Crimson Hell.
With Lafitte's discreet assistance, Buggy—with that insolent and unmistakable grin—took the opportunity to free an uncountable number of prisoners.
"Hehehe! Go, my new followers! Spread chaos!" Buggy exclaimed, while dozens of inmates ran through the corridors, causing explosions and clashing with the stunned guards.
The pandemonium quickly drew the attention of the prison's security forces.
But, in the even darker depths of Impel Down…
Level 6 – The Eternal Hell.
"ZEHAHAHAHAHA!!"
Blackbeard's thunderous laughter echoed through the cold, damp corridors.
"Take a good look! There are a lot of people locked up here… hehehe!" he exclaimed, staring at the sinister cells aligned along the corridor.
From one of the cells, a hoarse and deep voice answered, cutting through the morbid silence:
"Who are you?"
Blackbeard grinned proudly and spread his arms wide as if presenting a grand spectacle.
"I'm Blackbeard! So… how about it, huh? Wanna get out of here? A total war between Marineford and Whitebeard is about to break out!"
His gaze fixed on the figure inside the cell.
There, sitting cross-legged, was a man smoking a cigar with an indifferent expression, wearing an old sheriff's hat and the tattered uniform of the prison.
"I'm Shiryu, the chief jailer…" the man replied coldly, slowly exhaling smoke. "Never heard of you. But I must admit… invading this place is no small feat."
Blackbeard laughed, with that same guttural, careless tone.
"Heh! And here I thought everyone here was a prisoner… Even a chief jailer got locked up?"
Shiryu took a long drag from the cigar and replied with disdain:
"I'm only here because I killed some prisoners. And what about Magellan?" Shiryu asked.
"He's busy trying to contain the chaos on the first level. Thanks to his stupidity, you made it here easily, didn't you?"
Blackbeard let out another hearty laugh, but his eyes narrowed, analyzing Shiryu carefully.
It was clear: this man was no pacifist.
"Unlock his shackles," he ordered, without hesitation.
Shiryu arched one side of his mouth, keeping the cigar firmly between his teeth.
"Even here, in the Eternal Hell… prisoners are kept in different sections. Come… I'll take you to where the real monsters are."
He paused briefly before adding, with contempt:
"These ones… are just trash."
Blackbeard glanced around, observing the inmates in the nearby cells.
Old, frail, pale as ghosts. Many didn't even have the strength to lift their heads, while others simply ignored him, trapped in their own silent delusions.
Certainly, decades ago, some of them might have been formidable pirates.
Now… they were nothing but specters.
"Then take me to the monsters!" declared Blackbeard, unlocking Shiryu's shackles.
The former jailer slowly moved his body, as if breaking free from years of stiffness, and began to walk ahead.
But suddenly, a weak voice rose from among the group of dying men:
"Wait… let me out too…"
Blackbeard stopped, surprised, and turned to face the cell from which the voice had come.
At the far end of the prison, among the shadows, an old man leaned against the bars, eyes half-closed, breathing heavily.
"And who are you?" Blackbeard asked, with genuine curiosity.
The man smiled almost melancholically.
"Who am I…? Just… a loser."
Blackbeard frowned, suspicious.
"Name?"
The man lifted his gaze and replied with the calm of someone who has nothing left to lose:
"Patrick Redfield."
The world seemed to freeze for a second.
The Red Count?!
Blackbeard was stunned.
He knew that name.
Decades ago, Patrick Redfield, the "Red Count," had been a man capable of rivaling the greatest: Gol D. Roger and Edward Newgate.
A legend… now imprisoned there, on the brink of death.
But Blackbeard's grin soon widened.
"ZEHAHAHAHA! A person like you wouldn't submit easily… but you know what? Forget it. I'm letting you out!"
Without hesitation, Blackbeard tossed one of the keys into the cell and, without waiting for a response, turned to follow Shiryu.
"Let's go!"
Guided by the newly freed Shiryu, the duo ventured even deeper into the lair of true monsters.
When Blackbeard and Shiryu emerged into the grand gallery of cells, famished and desperate voices echoed from every corner.
"Get me out of here!"
"Release us!"
"Please! I'll do anything!"
Blackbeard let out another of his booming laughs.
"ZEHAHAHAHA! Thank Aokiji… if he hadn't frozen the sea, I wouldn't have had time for this!"
---
Meanwhile…
The war continued to ravage Marineford.
In less than half an hour of battle, bodies already piled up on the ice hardened by Aokiji, now stained a vivid red by the spilled blood.
The chaos was absolute.
Akainu remained impassive, his gaze cold as cooled magma.
Suddenly, his eyes narrowed.
He lifted his head and stared at the sky, as if sensing something.
At that very moment, Luffy also stopped, panting, his eyes locked in the same direction.
The colossal tsunami Whitebeard had summoned had been transformed into an ice sculpture by Aokiji… and now, atop that frozen wall, a group stood.
Familiar… and menacing silhouettes.
"ZEHAHAHAHA!" The guttural laugh echoed.
Blackbeard and his crew had arrived.
"Are we exposed?" he asked mockingly, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
The world was about to change forever.
---
(End of the chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."