Harbor Periphery
Although the massive crack created by Whitebeard hindered the Marine soldiers' pursuit, the killing on the outskirts of the harbor didn't stop with Blackbeard's arrival. The war continued—now Akainu's personal war.
The remaining vitality of the Whitebeard Pirates was not to be underestimated. Akainu had no intention of letting Straw Hat Luffy or Dragon get away. However, Dragon was proving to be more difficult than he expected. Even so, the cloak covering Dragon's body had several large holes burned into it, and his right arm smelled of roasted meat from a blast of lava.
"Hmph, you're overestimating yourself!" Akainu snorted coldly, but he didn't continue his attack. Instead, he glanced at Kizaru and Aokiji, who had just arrived, and said with extreme dissatisfaction, "Hey, Borsalino, Kuzan, there's a good opportunity to destroy the Whitebeard Pirates right now. Are you two going to keep slacking off?"
"Oh yo yo, Sakazuki, what a scary look you have~~" The old bastard Kizaru squeezed his chin, feigning innocence. "I was just wondering which team leader to operate on first."
"So have you thought about it now?" Akainu said aggressively. "Leave Dragon to me. You two go over there and clean up the mess. You must not let that Straw Hat boy get away. Work harder this time!"
"Just the three of us?" Kizaru's old face twitched. "Those are all famous pirates from the New World. That's very dangerous~~"
Akainu: "If Dragon wasn't holding me back, I would have gone there myself and wiped out their entire crew. What are you two useless idiots even doing here?"
Aokiji, whose face wasn't as thick as Kizaru's, moved his neck slightly before leaping into the sea. The harbor's water froze instantly.
"Oh no, the sea is frozen! We can't use our ships!"
"Oh my god, Admiral Aokiji is here!"
"Hurry and find a way! I don't want to die here…"
The pirates who had thought they could escape by boat turned deathly pale. The appearance of Kizaru and Aokiji defeated their last psychological defense. The pirates' fighting spirit vanished. They collapsed on the deck, their eyes filled with despair.
"Bastards, snap out of it!"
"Have you forgotten Dad's last wish?!"
"That's right! We not only need to return to the New World successfully, but we also have to get the kid who inherited Ace's will out of here alive!"
"Yes! Send people to support Jinbe immediately! We're the Whitebeard Pirates! We won't let the Marines succeed!"
At this crucial moment, Vista and several other division commanders stood up without hesitation, and the panic was effectively alleviated.
"Oh~~ You Whitebeard Pirates are clearly in danger, but you still want to save the Straw Hat boy. You pirates… are really great."
Kizaru's voice suddenly came from above everyone's heads. He was now standing on the top of a pirate ship's mast, pinching his chin and looking down at everyone with a mischievous expression.
"Bastard, that man is a symbol of Ace's continuing 'will.' Even if it costs us our lives, we will never let you Marines hurt him!" Vista and the others stood up and said, not flinching.
"Oh? I'm really touched... I can't believe you guys are so loyal." Kizaru looked surprised, but in the next second, he leaped high into the sky, clasped his hands in front of him, and said, "Then I'll give you a ride. Your father, Whitebeard, shouldn't be far away now~~"
As his voice fell, countless dazzling laser light bombs rained down like a storm.
Boom!
The vast ice surface was immediately shrouded in continuous explosions.
"Heh, heh, heh, this is getting more and more interesting. All three Marine Admirals are here in person. Is it possible that the Whitebeard Pirates will be completely wiped out here?" Doflamingo stood on the edge of the harbor, laughing maniacally. "If that's the case, there will undoubtedly be great changes in this era. Many idiots will try to rise up, and my arms business may become extremely hot."
There was no need for the Warlords to take action; the Whitebeard Pirates were already defeated.
"I have to ask, Hawkeye, why haven't you left now that the war has ended? That's not like you." Doflamingo caught sight of Hawkeye leaning against a wall and asked, surprised.
"The end? Not necessarily." Hawkeye's face was calm, but his deep, sharp gaze was fixed on the Blackbeard gang surrounded by Marines at the back of the square. He had a hunch that today's war wouldn't end so easily. Even if he wasn't going to help the Marines, he wanted to witness the conclusion of this epic battle.
"Heh, heh, heh, even though I don't know what that bastard Blackbeard is up to, you don't actually think he can cause a huge stir, do you?" Doflamingo clearly didn't think much of Blackbeard. After all, besides handing over Ace to the World Government, the man had done little else of note.
In the pirate world, there was a hierarchy of contempt, and with Whitebeard dead, the Marines were more than capable of taking out a large number of men to deal with Blackbeard's gang. In Doflamingo's view, Blackbeard's appearance was a foolish move.
Meanwhile, the Blackbeard Pirates surrounded by the black cloth were growing anxious and uneasy. Even Shiryu of the Rain and the other four pirates from Level 6 were no exception. This was Marine Headquarters after all, and with tens of thousands of Marine elites focused on them, no one was getting out of here alive.
"Hey, Blackbeard, how much longer are you going to make us wait?" Shiryu said, his eyes filled with a murderous gleam. "If we keep delaying, the Marines will wipe out the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates, and then we'll be next!"
"Hehehe, Warden Shiryu, it seems you've hit the nail on the head. The plan isn't going according to Captain Teach's script." "Crescent Moon Hunter" Catarina giggled. "So… shall we consider ending our partnership now?"
"I said a long time ago that if I were the captain, nothing would go wrong, meow!" "Evil King" Pizarro glared at Blackbeard maliciously, as if considering killing him.
"Fate is often used by people to measure the value of human existence, Captain. Is your good luck running out this time?" Although Doc Q still looked sickly, cold sweat dripped from his forehead.
Burgess and the others were no better off. Even though they were the first to follow Blackbeard, they were starting to lose faith. Most importantly, they could all feel the murderous aura from Shiryu and the others. Damn it, is this going to fall apart now?
"Damn it! Why didn't it work?!"
"What the hell is going on?!"
"Where did the problem arise…?"
"I clearly confirmed it before. Why can't I feel its existence at all now…?"
Blackbeard's exasperated growls came from inside the black cloth. A moment later, he stormed out, clearly frustrated. His plan had failed.
"Damn it! The battle plan has changed! Let's get Whitebeard's body and get out of this cursed place immediately!"
"What?!" As soon as Blackbeard said this, everyone, from Burgess to Shiryu, looked at him in shock. What the hell? This is completely different from the promise you made to us! Do you think we risked our lives to come here with you just so you can say 'the plan has changed'?
Shiryu was the first to react, and his eyes flashed with killing intent. His hand was already on the hilt of his sword, "Raiu," ready for a counterattack at any moment.
"Hehehe, Captain Teach, I suppose what you told us in Impel Down was a lie, wasn't it?" Catarina also asked with a sinister look.
Pizarro and Vasco Shot didn't speak, but they looked at Blackbeard with the same hostility.
It was raining in a leaky house. The Blackbeard Pirates were now in a state of chaos at the most critical moment!
"Hey, I'm warning you, this isn't a good time for infighting..." Blackbeard tried his best to suppress his rage. "Although I don't know what went wrong, the promise I made to you will definitely come true! Even if I can't get the Gura Gura no Mi today, as long as I have my ability, I can still lead you to the throne of the Four Emperors!"
Blackbeard was angrier than anyone that he had failed to get the Gura Gura no Mi as expected, especially after his dramatic "strong debut" on the gorgeous stage of the Summit War. At the same time, he knew that these pirates he had brought from Impel Down had no loyalty to him. They were all in it for profit, and killing their captain and companions was a regular occurrence for them. So he had to stabilize them.
"That's not very convincing," Shiryu said mournfully.
However, before Blackbeard could reply, a playful voice suddenly rang out.
"Why, Blackbeard? You couldn't get the Gura Gura no Mi you've been dreaming of, could you?!"