"Aokiji, stop this tsunami!" Sengoku's eyes were bloodshot as he barked the order at Admiral Aokiji.
At this moment, only Aokiji's freezing powers could stop the overwhelming surge that threatened to consume Marineford.
Aokiji gazed at the massive wall of seawater, his expression grim. With no hesitation, he kicked into the air using Moonwalk, rising high above the battlefield.
"Ice Age!!" Aokiji roared.
A vast wave of frost exploded from his hands, spreading across the heavens. The chilling aura seemed capable of freezing the world itself.
The roaring tsunami, which moments ago threatened to engulf everything, was sealed mid-air as Aokiji's freezing power spread layer after layer, solidifying the sea into an endless field of ice.
In the blink of an eye, the tidal waves that could have destroyed Marineford became a frozen monument.
Hovering in the sky, Aokiji's frown deepened. Below, pirates broke through Marine ranks step by step, the Marines' encirclement steadily crumbling. The extermination battle against Whitebeard's forces had shifted into a desperate defense.
Yet, Whitebeard himself showed no panic. His weathered face carried a calm, even mocking grin as he watched Aokiji's handiwork.
"Aokiji... you little brat playing with ice..." Whitebeard muttered with amusement.
Relief washed over many Marines as the tsunami danger passed, yet the frozen sea gave Whitebeard's forces the foothold they needed. Pirates swarmed from their ships, charging into the heart of Marineford.
At the forefront stood Thorne Ashveil and the Level 6 prisoners. Seeing the Whitebeard Pirates rushing behind them, cruel smiles spread across their faces.
"Hah! Looks like the heavens themselves want to see the World Government fall!" Byrnndi World bellowed, his laughter echoing through the chaos. Using his Momo Momo no Mi, he unleashed a hundredfold strike, blasting another gaping hole into Marineford's fortifications.
Beside him, Douglas Bullet's eyes gleamed with manic excitement.
"The world's strongest man, Whitebeard... a monster once equal to Roger! Now the Marines are finished, hahaha!"
Suddenly, shouts erupted as a colossal shadow loomed from above.
A warship, impossibly, was sliding down from the sky itself!
Marines gaped upward in shock as the ship descended. As its figures became visible, recognition spread like wildfire.
"Those are... prisoners from Impel Down!"
Among them stood Buggy the Clown, Emporio Ivankov, and—most prominently—Monkey D. Luffy.
Even Fleet Admiral Sengoku's gaze hardened. "That's... Monkey D. Luffy..."
Garp nearly fell over, jaw slack, snot trailing in exasperation. His fists clenched in disbelief. That troublesome grandson of his—causing chaos across the Grand Line—now barged into the most decisive battle of the era.
Luffy tumbled to the ground and instantly locked onto Ace. His eyes lit up, overflowing with joy.
"Ace! You're really safe, Ace! Wahhh!" Tears streamed as he bawled openly.
At the front, Ace launched another fiery fist, but his expression softened at the sight of his little brother.
"Luffy! Don't come over here! Stay with Whitebeard, Oyaji, he'll protect you!" Ace shouted, eyes welling despite himself.
Whitebeard too noticed the boy.
"Straw Hat, huh? You've got spirit... but you cry too much. You won't become Pirate King that way, Gurararararara!" His booming laughter rolled across the battlefield.
True to his nature, Luffy ignored the danger.
"Old man! I heard you want to be Pirate King. But there's only one Pirate King, and that's me!" he declared, clenching his fists with burning resolve.
The absurdity of Luffy arguing with the world's strongest man made Marines and pirates alike gape. Yet Whitebeard, rather than angered, studied the boy closely.
This brat... Shanks entrusted his treasured Straw Hat to him. Could this really be the future Shanks bet his arm on? His spirit was strong, but Whitebeard knew—the future did not belong to Luffy.
It belonged to Thorne Ashveil, the one Whitebeard himself had taken aboard a decade ago. Ashveil had changed the very course of this era.
Compared to him, Luffy's fire, though admirable, was not on the same level. In charisma, strength, or strategy, the boy lagged far behind.
"Gurarara! Straw Hat, this is no time to argue about the Pirate King title. Do you have the guts to follow me and tear through the Marines?" Whitebeard thrust Murakumogiri into the ground, his heroic aura radiating outward.
Luffy clenched his fists tighter.
"The Marines captured Ace, I'll never forgive them! Watch me, I won't lose!"
Ivankov sighed heavily. He hadn't intended to dive into Marineford's madness, but with Dragon's son charging headlong, he had no choice but to follow.
The war had entered its fiercest stage.
At the very front, within a kilometer radius of Ashveil's overwhelming aura, Marines collapsed in droves. His Conqueror's Haki alone kept the battlefield clear, forcing back countless opponents without him lifting a hand.
Thorne Ashveil walked directly toward the Marine Headquarters, his eyes locked on Sengoku. Behind him followed the freed Level 6 monsters of Impel Down. Each one carried the reputation of a once-dreaded pirate, their presence shaking the hearts of anyone who dared to face them.
Wherever they moved, Marines fell. Screams echoed across the battlefield.
Further back, the Whitebeard Pirates pressed forward, enduring relentless cannon fire. Though many were ordinary fighters, their captains shielded them, and with Ashveil and the Level 6 prisoners cutting the path, their advance was unstoppable.
The Marines, despite their numbers, were battered, their morale broken. Casualties piled high, while Whitebeard's forces, driven by resolve, only grew fiercer.
The war for the future of the seas had reached its peak.
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