Regardless of Sengoku's thoughts, those on the battlefield saw an opportunity.
Sizzle... Sizzle...
Large drops of magma fell to the ground. Sakazuki, half his body turned to magma, staggered over, and said savagely, "Let me be the one to send you to the Yellow Springs!"
"Heh heh heh. Don't go stealing my kill, Akainu!" Aeridar glanced at Sakazuki, letting out bursts of cold laughter without a care.
"Hmph. Be careful I don't kill you in the process!" Sakazuki retorted coldly and menacingly.
"If you can manage it!" A look of mockery turned up the corner of Aeridar's mouth.
"Whitebeard's fading fast!"
"Go! Kill Whitebeard!"
"Take Whitebeard's head and demonstrate the justice of the Marines!"
Even though Whitebeard was wounded by Aeridar, the morale of the Marines soared. Under the command of Vice Admirals like Doberman and Stainless, countless Marine elites frantically charged toward Whitebeard.
"Cough, cough~ You brats!"
Coughing up several mouthfuls of blood, Whitebeard straightened his body. He looked coldly at Sakazuki and Aeridar, letting out a deep, frigid sound: "With minor injuries like this, I am still Whitebeard!"
CRACK!
The next moment, his fist, encased in a pale white air pressure sphere, shattered the atmosphere in front of him. Fissures rapidly spread across the air, and terrifying seismic force erupted.
RUMBLE—
The entire Marineford shook violently. The ground shattered, and deep cracks spread even to the residential areas behind the Marine Headquarters fortress. A massive air current, like a wall several tens of meters high, surged outwards, violently sweeping countless Marines into the sky.
"Damn Whitebeard!"
Sakazuki struggled to stabilize his body amidst the hurricane-like air current.
"This monster... To still have such strength!"
Aeridar produced rings of invisible force to resist the air current, but his face was still grim as he looked at Whitebeard.
The man's physical constitution was too powerful. Even with severe injuries, he could still unleash a terrifying power that was almost at his peak.
The High-Frequency Vibration Black Blade was his strongest defense-piercing technique, using ultra-high-frequency vibration to separate the target at a molecular level. If not for the durability of Whitebeard's body, even diamond could have been severed.
When he fought Kaido, Kaido simply endured the Impact Wave and merely complained of pain when struck by the Impact Cannon. When he took an Airquake strike, he only suffered minor internal injuries. However, when Aeridar used the High-Frequency Vibration Black Blade in that fight, Kaido chose to grab and throw him instead of taking the attack head-on, which was a testament to the technique's power.
But Aeridar had forgotten that this was a thrusting move designed to penetrate a small point. Given the enormous size and monstrous strength of guys like Whitebeard, even if his defense was breached, it was just a stab, which was completely tolerable.
"Gather around, my sons!" Whitebeard swept his naginata again, emotionlessly sending a large number of Marines flying.
"A fight to the death, is it?" Aeridar sneered, saying coldly, "Let's see how long you can hold out!"
"P-Pops! I'm coming right away!"
Marco clutched his chest, cold sweat pouring down his face.
SHING!
Another laser beam struck, piercing Marco's chest once more.
"Oh~ You let your guard down again!"
Borsalino's index finger glowed with a cross-shaped, dazzling light. He said leisurely, "You've been hit two or three times by me now. Wouldn't it be better to just take a nice rest?"
"Pops!"
Marco said nothing, but blue flames suddenly erupted over his body as he dashed desperately toward Whitebeard, shouting.
"Ah~ It seems things aren't going well. You can regenerate, can't you, Marco the Phoenix!" Borsalino watched the wound on Marco's body gradually heal in the blue flames, then tilted his neck and shouted to the side, "Hey! It's your turn now!"
Sure enough, Vice Admiral Onigumo of Marine Headquarters jumped out, blocking Marco's path. The long hair on his back transformed into spider-like arms. He stopped Marco instantly and then restrained him with a pair of handcuffs.
"Seastone!"
Feeling a sudden wave of weakness and the abrupt loss of his Devil Fruit powers, Marco was greatly alarmed. But before he could react, two laser beams struck, piercing his body, and blood instantly splattered out.
At this point, most of the Whitebeard Pirates' Commanders had gathered around Whitebeard, blocking the surging waves of Marine elites.
"Pops, with injuries that severe, don't push yourself!"
The tall, elderly-looking Commander of the 5th Division, Vista, said with concern.
Whitebeard glanced at his sons, then swept his eyes over Sakazuki and Aeridar in front of him, and finally looked at Luffy, who was fiercely fighting in the crowd nearby.
"My sons! From now on, give everything you have to cover Straw Hat Luffy!"
Whitebeard's voice echoed over Marineford, leaving countless people stunned.
"Solve the Straw Hat Boy problem immediately!" Borsalino regained his composure and shouted coldly.
Instantly, Marine Headquarters Vice Admirals Momonga and Dalmatian rushed toward Luffy to strike.
However, the New World pirates reacted just as quickly. Doma the Bohemian Knight and the Decalvan Brothers immediately stepped forward, blocking Momonga and Dalmatian.
In a pool of blood, Jinbe, covered in wounds and bleeding profusely, struggled to open his eyes, looking at Luffy in the distance: "We've… we've bet everything on Luffy."
"Jinbe!"
Several pirates rushed to Jinbe's side. Medics produced bandages and medicine to treat his wounds.
"So, hope is pinned on the Straw Hat Boy, is it?" Aeridar raised an eyebrow. He watched one Marine Vice Admiral after another being blocked, then looked at Luffy being protected in the crowd. He muttered to himself, "Why should I care? My goal is Whitebeard!"
His eyes gradually turned icy as he stared frigidly at Whitebeard.
"Get out of my way!"
Aeridar roared, his figure shooting toward Whitebeard like an arrow.
"Charging me head-on... have you become arrogant after wounding me?" Whitebeard tightly gripped his naginata. He, too, advanced in large strides.
"Life Return: Obsidian Body!"
While running, Aeridar's body abruptly swelled in size, both his height and muscle mass. With every step, he grew a fraction more, stopping only when he reached about 2.5 meters. His entire body was bulging with muscle, his veins popping. If his clothing hadn't been incredibly elastic, it would have been torn apart.
Furthermore, Armament Haki quickly coated his entire body, making him a glossy black, like a sculpture of forged obsidian, radiating an extremely fierce and terrifying power.
"Your body's gotten bigger, but you're still a shrimp! Gurararara!"
Whitebeard laughed heartily, seemingly unconcerned by his injuries or the opponent's terrifying aura. A pale white air pressure sphere appeared on the blade of his naginata as he activated his power, bringing the weapon down directly onto Aeridar's head.
"Shut up! I'm betting everything too! Impact Secret Technique, Airquake Burst: Sky God!!!"
Aeridar, resembling a demon god, roared. His right fist glowed faintly white—a sign that the air had been compressed to its absolute limit.