The air around them was filled with jagged cracks, a terrifying sight to behold.
Whitebeard swung his Supreme Grade Blade, Murakumogiri like a war god, utterly unstoppable. Within ten meters of him, nothing remained standing.
"Stop him, now!"
Standing at the rear of the Marine forces, Sengoku shouted urgently into the Den Den Mushi in his hand. He could tell that Whitebeard's strike wasn't aimed at any person.
His real target was…
Marineford, the Marine Headquarters itself!
"Heavenly Cloud Sword!"
Under Sengoku's pressure, Kizaru was forced to act. Not daring to get close, he extended his Ama-no-Murakumo Sword into an enormous blade and thrust it toward Whitebeard.
Crack!
The golden sword, formed from Kizaru's light, struck the fractures in the air surrounding Whitebeard and, as expected, shattered instantly.
"See? I told you it wouldn't work," Kizaru said with a shrug toward Sengoku before turning to walk away.
"Damn it…" Sengoku gritted his teeth. Though he often appeared flustered, he was always calm beneath the surface.
But right now… he genuinely didn't know what to do.
Could it be… the heavens are protecting the Whitebeard Pirates?
Every attempt to execute Whitebeard had been thwarted, leaving Sengoku no choice but to entertain the thought.
Suddenly, someone came to mind.
"Garp! Stop Whitebeard!"
His gaze swept rapidly over the battlefield until he spotted Garp.
In front of him, Monkey D. Luffy had activated Gear Second, facing off against him.
"Old man, get out of my way!"
Bang!
Luffy's fist smashed into Garp's face, sending him flying.
"Garp, you bastard!" Sengoku nearly lost his mind.
All of this… was because of Garp's damned family!
Boom!
Whitebeard brought Murakumogiri crashing into the ground with all his strength.
It was a full-force quake powerful enough to destroy all of Marineford.
Far-off pirates watched in horror, their eyes filling with despair.
"It's over! Whitebeard's going to destroy Marineford! We're finished!"
"No way! His own crew is still on the island! Is he planning to die with them?!"
"Where's Admiral Akainu? Admiral Kizaru? What about Admiral Aokiji? Do something!"
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, you have to act! Only you can take down these sea-scum!"
Their cries were abruptly cut short by a deafening explosion. All eyes turned toward the source.
"That's… Admiral Akainu!"
"I've seen that move before it's his ultimate attack against pirate ships! I'd recognize it anywhere!"
The Marines began to cheer.
"Meteor Volcano!"
Akainu's fists turned to molten magma, unleashing a torrent of massive lava fists.
Every single one was aimed at a single point to counter Whitebeard's descending blade with all his might.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The world was split between red and white, the clash resounding with unending explosions.
The ground quaked, but none of the pirates retreated. All shouted in unison for their "old man."
The two titans were locked in a stalemate, neither gaining the upper hand.
Whitebeard laughed heartily, pouring more power into his strike. "Old soldier, how will you protect this island from me?"
"Shut up!"
Akainu clenched his jaw, struggling to withstand the blow, with no time for banter.
From a distance, Vincent Fox watched their battle.
He couldn't intervene but he knew the outcome was already decided.
Once Shanks arrived, the Whitebeard Pirates would claim a sweeping victory.
Then, his eyes caught a figure sprinting toward the execution platform.
A glint flickered in Vincent's gaze.
"In that case… let me erase another one of your regrets."
With a few swift leaps, Vincent vanished from sight.
Luffy was utterly exhausted, his body pushed beyond its limits.
If not for Ivankov injecting him with "Excitement Hormones," he would have collapsed long ago.
Moments earlier, he had punched the Marine Hero Garp aside, throwing himself recklessly toward the execution platform.
"Luffy!!!"
Ace glanced at Sengoku beside him and shouted, "We're both pirates you don't have to go this far for me!"
"Shut up!"
Ace froze, stunned by Luffy's outburst.
"I don't care what you say. I'm going to save you, so wait for me!"
Luffy suddenly turned, leaping high into the air.
"Gum-Gum Gatling!"
In an instant, he pummeled all the Marines chasing him into the ground.
Not far ahead, a man with sharp eyes and a black blade watched him without blinking.
"Sorry, Red-Hair," the man murmured.
With a swing of his sword, a slash of green energy split the frozen sea, streaking toward Luffy.
"Whoa!"
Luffy flipped midair, narrowly dodging.
"You actually avoided that… What about the next one?"
Dracule Mihawk, the "Hawk-Eyed" swordsman, swung his blade again, sending several more slashes.
"You…" Mihawk's voice was calm, almost taunting. "You're getting farther from your brother."
"Damn it!"
Luffy kicked off the ice, throwing a punch at Mihawk.
"That's it?"
For once, the usually stoic Mihawk nearly laughed. With a horizontal swing, he countered.
"Gum-Gum Scapegoat!"
Luffy's arm shot out, grabbing someone from Crocodile's sandstorm and yanking them into the path of Mihawk's strike.
Slash!
The man was cut clean in half and then yelled in protest.
"Don't pull me in!"
It was none other than Buggy the Clown.
"Oh, it's you, Buggy," Luffy said with a sheepish grin, scratching his head before hurling Buggy straight at Mihawk.
Swish, swish, swish! Mihawk sliced Buggy into strips like noodles.
"You bastard! You're the great Dracule Mihawk?"
Even in noodle form, Buggy was furious at the insult.
"Take this! Buggy's Special Bombs!"
"That's it?" Mihawk deflected the bombs with ease, sending them right back.
Boom!
The explosions blasted Buggy and his crew into the air.
"Thanks, Buggy!"
Luffy dashed out of the smoke, waving cheerfully at the clown before glancing back at Mihawk.
A stranger was now fighting him judging by his stance, another pirate.
"Go save your brother. Watch out for Kizaru," the pirate called without looking back.
"Thanks, mysterious pirate! Hehe!" Luffy grinned and sprinted away.
Vincent Fox merely smiled, locking eyes with Mihawk.
From the moment he had entered the One Piece world, Mihawk had been the first to truly trigger his danger sense and the reaction was intense.
"Who are you?" Mihawk asked.
"Just an ordinary pirate," Vincent replied lightly.
Raising his black blade, Mihawk decided to teach this disrespectful stranger a lesson.
In that instant, Vincent's scalp prickled, his eyelids twitched, and goosebumps rose along his arms.
Danger!
Without hesitation, he flickered away from his spot.
A heartbeat later, a slash tore through the ice from below.
----------------------------------------------------
The deeper he goes, the more the truth unravels. Don't wait read ahead and witness Vincent's rise before the world catches up!
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