Transformed into his Phoenix form, Marco shot into the sky, heading straight for the execution platform.
Trailing behind him, clusters of ethereal blue flames streaked through the air, forming two radiant streams of light.
From the moment the island began its descent, Marco understood—this massive force that had arrived like a timely downpour was not purely an allied reinforcement.
The Golden Lion...
A man who had once dominated the seas alongside Pops in the same era—one who would not hesitate to sink both them and Marineford into the ocean if it meant achieving his goal.
So, before the worst could come to pass…
The true victory lay in successfully rescuing Ace!
"The Phoenix Marco is heading for the execution platform!"
"Stop him, now!"
Seeing Marco seize the opportunity to ascend towards the platform, the surrounding Marines immediately unleashed a barrage of firepower upon him.
However—
Neither gunfire nor sword strikes had any effect. Every attack that landed merely rippled through the blue flames surrounding Marco, leaving nothing but faint disturbances in their wake.
"That bastard! We can't even scratch him!"
"We can't stop him…"
Despite their relentless efforts, the Marines in the plaza found themselves completely powerless to hinder Marco's mobility.
This near-invulnerability—an ability even Admiral Kizaru found troublesome—was now proving invaluable at this critical moment.
"As long as I can seize this chance…"
Ignoring the incoming attacks from behind, Marco's keen eyes locked onto Ace's figure. With a powerful flap of his wings, he transformed into a streak of light, diving toward the execution platform.
Sengoku lifted his head, watching Marco's rapid approach with an impassive expression. Rolling up his sleeves, his eyes gleamed with a cold, sharp light.
Just as he prepared to transform into his golden Buddha form, a figure suddenly shot up from below the execution platform, intercepting Marco's dive path.
That figure—
Was none other than the legendary Marine hero, Garp!
"Huh!?"
Marco's heart pounded as he abruptly halted his momentum, leaning back mid-air while bringing his talons together in an attempt to kick Garp aside.
But—
Garp was faster.
With a single punch, he struck Marco square in the face.
"Boom!"
A deafening shockwave exploded in the air. Marco's body was sent hurtling like a meteor, crashing into the plaza below, leaving a massive crater in the ground. A thick cloud of dust and debris billowed into the air.
Seeing Garp take action, the surrounding Marines were instantly reinvigorated. Their morale surged, and their eyes remained fixated on the spot where Marco had fallen.
Whoosh—
A pair of brilliant blue-flame wings emerged from the dust cloud. As they flapped, the force of the wind cleared the lingering debris to the sides.
Half of Marco's face was grotesquely swollen, but the mystical blue flames of regeneration swiftly ignited, rapidly mending his injuries.
He looked up at Garp, who had now landed on the execution platform, his voice laced with frustration.
"The Marine Hero… Garp."
First Fujitora. Now Garp.
Twice—twice he had missed his opportunity.
Marco clenched his teeth in frustration.
On the execution platform—
Sengoku observed Garp's landing with a calm gaze and remarked flatly, "You said you'd let them come to you if they wanted a fight… but you still stepped in, Garp."
Garp stood firm, his expression unreadable. "I have my own position to uphold."
"..."
Sengoku silently regarded his longtime comrade of several decades but chose not to press further.
"…Grandpa."
Ace tilted his head slightly, looking up at Garp.
Garp turned away from Ace's gaze, his fists clenched as he spoke in a quiet, unreadable tone. "Why couldn't you have lived the way I told you to, you damn brat…"
"..."
Ace remained silent, his mind flooded with memories of his time spent with Garp.
As someone who carried the blood of a world-class criminal, how could he have ever lived the way Garp wanted?
Ultimately, one's path in life was a decision only they could make.
And in his search for answers, he had already found the life that truly belonged to him.
Words held no meaning now.
Perhaps sensing the shift in Ace's emotions, both Garp and Sengoku instinctively turned to look at him.
At that exact moment, the situation within the harbor shifted.
Both Garp and Sengoku's eyes immediately snapped toward the massive island looming over the bay.
The island, pulled down by Maude, continued its rapid descent toward the harbor.
However—
A furious Shiki had no intention of letting Maude have his way so easily.
Looking down at Maude with murderous intent, he growled, "You dare mess with what's mine?"
Before his voice even faded, the island's descent abruptly halted mid-air.
Shiki had restored its buoyancy from afar, stopping its fall instantly.
As the island remained suspended, the impending disaster seemed to be averted.
But Whitebeard did not cease his actions. The tremor rings surrounding his fist continued to grow stronger.
At the same time, the bay's waters, once again frozen by Aokiji's Ice Age, confirmed Whitebeard's judgment.
The crisis—
Had not truly been resolved.
Maude gave a silent nod of approval to Aokiji's timely intervention before turning his gaze upward toward the floating Shiki.
"Yours?"
As he spoke, Maude raised his right hand. Waves of darkness swirled in his palm, rapidly coalescing into a compact black sphere.
"Heh. I'm a pirate, after all. Taking what belongs to others… isn't that just par for the course?"
With that, Maude hurled the black sphere toward the island's shadow on the frozen bay below.
This sphere was composed of his entire collection of shadows—concentrated into a single point, granting it absolute control.
The moment it merged into the island's shadow, a change took place.
Despite Shiki's firm control over the island, another force had now entered the equation.
In a way—
The Float-Float Fruit's true power lay not just in making objects weightless or defying gravity.
Its greatest strength was the ability to freely manipulate objects.
Similarly—
The Shadow-Shadow Fruit's power also revolved around control.
Strictly speaking, by manipulating an object's shadow, one could induce changes beyond common logic and perception—this was the core strength of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit.
In the original timeline, Moria's Kage Kakumei (Shadow Revolution) was developed based on this exact principle.
Unfortunately, after Kaido shattered his spirit, Moria had squandered the fruit's true potential, wasting it on a low-value zombie army instead of fully realizing its capabilities.
But Maude was different.
From the moment he chose to consume the Shadow-Shadow Fruit, he had resolved to elevate its power to a level no previous user had ever reached.
That was—
The ultimate advantage of a traveler from another world.
"So, which is stronger? Your control… or mine?"
With all his shadows embedded in the island's shadow, Maude's expression remained calm. His outstretched fingers curled into a firm fist.
"Rumble—"
The floating island suddenly trembled and—without warning—began to descend once more.
"Looks like my control is stronger."
Maude smirked as he watched the island begin its descent.
At that moment—
Shiki's face darkened.
He had finally understood Maude's ability.
But…
Was the Shadow-Shadow Fruit really this powerful?
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