Several days later, at Marine Headquarters—Marineford.
After laying his wife to rest, Zephyr was but a shadow of himself. The justice he'd upheld for so many years now felt hollow, crumbling under the weight of his doubts. Only when tending to his child did he show the faintest spark of life; the rest of the time, he simply stared off into the distance, lost.
There was no other choice.
Fleet Admiral Kong granted Zephyr an extended leave, assigning extra personnel to keep him company.
The tragedy that had befallen Admiral Zephyr sent shockwaves through Marine Headquarters and the World Government alike. Never before had an Admiral's family been targeted—an incident so unprecedented, its impact was immeasurable.
After days of heated debate, the upper echelons issued an order: a new residential district would be built within Marineford, allowing officers of Admiral rank and above to bring their families to live on base.
Meanwhile, emboldened by the incident, pirates grew ever more brazen. Attacks on Marines became a daily occurrence.
——
The New World, second half of the Grand Line.
A colossal pirate ship with a white whale figurehead—Moby Dick—cut swiftly through the waves, heading straight for the Marine G-4 base.
At the bow, Whitebeard stood tall, his gaze fixed on the horizon, brows drawn in a tight frown.
Not far behind him, a young and still-green Marco—barely more than an apprentice—whispered to Whitey Bay, "How did Brother Theodore get caught by the Marines?"
Whitey Bay, her eyes still red from crying, answered in a trembling voice, "The Marines have gone rabid since the Zephyr incident—slaughtering people at sea without mercy. When we went to Roscheau Island to collect this year's protection fee, we ran into a Vice Admiral resupplying there. Brother Theodore stayed behind to cover our retreat… that's how they caught him."
Her voice broke, and she started sobbing again. Marco fumbled, trying to comfort her, but was at a loss.
At the bow, Whitebeard narrowed his eyes as the outline of G-4 came into view.
"You'd better pray nothing's happened to my son, Marines…"
——
New World, G-4 Base.
WOOO—WOOO! WOOO—WOOO! WOOO—WOOO!
The moment the Whitebeard Pirates appeared on the horizon, the fortress erupted with blaring alarms. Every Marine grabbed their weapon and took their place atop the walls, ready for a siege. By each soldier's feet sat a blood-soaked sack.
Atop the ramparts, G-4 Branch Commander Vice Admiral Quell stared down the Whitebeard Pirates, his face grim but unyielding. From the day he'd joined the Marines, he'd steeled himself for this kind of end. Death was just death—justice would endure.
As the Moby Dick dropped anchor within firing range, Quell drew his blade.
Across the water, Whitebeard strode to the edge of his ship, voice booming, "My dear son is unharmed, isn't he, Marines?"
Quell raised his sword and gave a sharp wave.
The soldiers, on cue, grabbed the sacks at their feet and tipped them over the wall.
Countless heads tumbled down, rolling across the ground in a grisly pile.
Quell's voice was cold as steel: "See if you can spot your son's head. If you find it, he's yours."
A roar of fury erupted from the Moby Dick. Whitebeard's face darkened as he glared at Quell.
"In that case, you'll all join Theodore in the grave."
He raised his left fist. A semi-transparent white shockwave ring formed around it.
He slammed his fist into the air.
Cracks spiderwebbed through the sky as a monstrous shockwave thundered forward, smashing straight into the fortress's massive steel gates.
BOOM—!
The gates buckled inward, shuddered, and then—
CRASH!
—collapsed to the ground, sending up a storm of dust.
Whitebeard clenched his fist again, unleashing another invisible shockwave at the Marines atop the walls.
RUMBLE!
The whole fortress shook violently. The Marines staggered, but as soon as they regained their footing, they returned fire with rifles and cannons.
Bang! Bang! Boom! Bang! Boom!
Gunfire and explosions echoed endlessly.
With Whitebeard's protection, his crew surged through the shattered gates, storming the fortress.
Quell's blade gleamed with Armament Haki as he launched flying slashes at Whitebeard, charging in himself.
Whitebeard shattered the attacks with ease. He locked eyes with the onrushing Quell, his naginata coated in Armament Haki, and brought it down in a mighty arc.
CLANG!
Steel met steel—then, with a thunderous crash, a body was sent flying.
——
Back at Marineford, Fleet Admiral Kong nursed a pounding headache.
First the Zephyr incident, now Whitebeard was attacking G-4. After reporting the crisis, Quell had hung up and gone silent.
When it came to reliable manpower, only Sengoku and Sakazuki came to mind. He dispatched envoys to try to stall Whitebeard, while urgently summoning the two Admirals.
By the time Sengoku and Sakazuki linked up, it was already the following afternoon.
With the help of a CP agent's special teleportation ability, they arrived at G-4—only to find a field of ruins.
The towering fortress walls had collapsed in jagged chunks. Blood stained most of the stronghold, and the bodies of countless Marines lay discarded like refuse.
Through Observation Haki, they sensed Whitebeard at the heart of the fortress.
As the two Admirals appeared, Whitebeard turned, dragging Quell—all four limbs broken—behind him, his crew fanning out at his back.
The moment they met, Sengoku and Sakazuki saw Quell dangling from Whitebeard's fist. Their faces darkened.
Sengoku spoke first, voice icy: "Whitebeard, are you trying to provoke the Marines?"
Whitebeard grinned, baring his teeth. "Gurararara! Sengoku, you were the ones who started this mess."
Sengoku's face was grave. His tone dropped low: "What will it take to release Quell?"
Whitebeard shrugged, unconcerned. "That depends on what you're willing to offer…"
Before he could finish, Sakazuki stepped forward, cutting him off:
"No more talk. Justice doesn't compromise with evil."
Whitebeard tossed Quell to the ground, spinning his naginata with a flourish. "What, you're not even going to try to save him?"
Sengoku started to speak, but Sakazuki stopped him with a raised hand.
Ignoring Whitebeard, Sakazuki turned to the battered Vice Admiral. "Vice Admiral Quell, are you ready?"
Lying in a pool of his own blood, Quell managed to lift his head and smile weakly. "Cough… Always… ready."
Sakazuki bowed his head slightly, voice as cold as stone. "For justice."
Quell's eyes filled with pride as he met Sakazuki's gaze. "For… justice!"
Sakazuki's entire right arm transformed into magma, swelling into a massive molten fist. Thick black smoke billowed, betraying the storm raging within.
He snapped his head up, eyes burning with murderous intent, and aimed at Whitebeard and Quell.
"Great Eruption!"
The enormous magma fist grew even larger as it flew, blotting out the sky above the pirates.
For a split second, Whitebeard couldn't tell if Sakazuki was really trying to kill Quell, or just putting on a show. But the choice was clear—a crippled Marine or his own sons? There was no contest.
He slammed his power into the air overhead, a shell of explosive force shielding his crew.
The magma fist shattered against the barrier, while Whitebeard's Observation Haki tracked the Admirals' every move.
Without Whitebeard's protection, magma rained down toward Quell—just as it touched him, the molten torrent reformed into Sakazuki himself. At the same instant, a sharp sonic boom split the air behind them.
Sakazuki snatched up Quell, his body sheathed in Armament Haki as he took a blow from Whitebeard and hurled Quell toward Sengoku.
Now unburdened, Sakazuki turned to face the grim Whitebeard, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth.
He summoned his power—his skin glowing red, magma pulsing beneath the surface. Blinding golden light blazed from his eyes, waves of heat rolling off him. Red Lotus Mode ignited.
Sakazuki grinned savagely at Whitebeard, red light blazing from his body.
BOOM!
A crater exploded where he'd stood.
In a blur, Sakazuki shot into the midst of Whitebeard's "sons," moving faster than the eye could follow.
He twisted, locking eyes with the now wide-eyed Whitebeard, and spoke in a chilling monotone:
"Volcanic Jade Blast."
BOOMMMMMMMMM!
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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