Silence.
The entire battlefield of Marineford, which had been roaring with battle cries just moments ago, fell into a deathly silence.
One punch.
Just one punch!
That young man standing behind the world's strongest man had used only a single punch.
And with that one punch, he had shattered the slash from Hawk Eyes Mihawk—a slash powerful enough to cleave icebergs and rend the earth—into nothing but glittering motes of light.
'What kind of monster is this?!'
That thought echoed across everyone's mind.
On the Navy's side, the faces of 100,000 elite soldiers were frozen in terror and disbelief. The hands gripping their swords and guns trembled uncontrollably.
On the side of the Whitebeard Pirates, the brief silence erupted into a storm of deafening cheers, loud enough to shake the heavens.
"OOOHHHHHHHH!!!"
"You saw that, right?! That's Lucian Thorn!"
"He's insane! He shattered Hawk Eyes' slash with just one punch!"
"We've already won!!"
At that moment, the morale of Whitebeard's forces surged to its peak!
On the Execution Platform, Fleet Admiral Sengoku's face darkened like the bottom of a scorched pot.
His body jerked as his pupils constricted sharply.
He stared at Lucian Thorn, his once dignified and composed face contorting with unconcealed shock and fury.
'Another one!'
'Another unreasonable monster!'
'That damned Whitebeard! Where the hell does he keep finding these freakish rookies?!'
His jaw clenched so tightly, his teeth ground audibly.
"Fufufufufufu..."
Meanwhile, the Warlords of the Sea had already recovered from their initial shock.
In its place—
The grin on Donquixote Doflamingo's face had long vanished, replaced by a dangerously excited expression.
He adjusted his sunglasses, eyes locked onto Lucian, and licked his parched lips.
"This is getting... more and more interesting."
As for the man himself—Hawk Eyes Mihawk.
In his usually cold and steady hawk-like gaze, the initial surprise faded. He glanced once more toward the composed young man in the distance.
In its place: admiration.
'Another strong one, huh?'
He tightened his grip on Yoru, his obsidian-black blade, as the blood in his body began to boil.
'To think someone so young could block my slash head-on...'
'How fascinating.'
"Gurararararara—!!!"
In the midst of the stunned silence, Whitebeard's iconic, thunderous laughter boomed like a clap of thunder, instantly snapping everyone on the battlefield back to their senses!
Aboard the Moby Dick.
Whitebeard let out a hearty, satisfied laugh and gave Lucian Thorn a heavy slap on the shoulder.
"Well done, brat!"
"You see that, Navy?!"
He raised Murakumo Giri high into the air, his voice echoing across the battlefield.
"This is the power... of the Whitebeard Pirates!"
As his laughter faded, his gaze sharpened like a blade.
He pointed Murakumo Giri forward and let out a thunderous roar to all his subordinates.
"All of you!!"
"What are you standing around for?!"
"Charge!!"
"Crush the Navy!!!"
"OOOHHHHHHHH!!!"
The pirates, whose fighting spirit had been reignited by Lucian's punch, surged forward like a broken dam!
Led by "Diamond" Jozu and "Flower Sword" Vista, the division commanders once again spearheaded the charge toward the Execution Platform!
"Stop them!"
"Don't let them get anywhere near the platform!"
The Navy's Vice Admirals roared and rushed forward to intercept.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku's orders—don't let them advance even one more step!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The battle raged more fiercely than ever.
Jozu, his body transformed into glimmering diamond, barreled forward like a human tank, smashing Vice Admiral Doberman out of the way and carving a path straight through the Navy's formation!
Countless cannonballs rained down, but not a single one could pierce his shining defense!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Vista's sword danced like fluttering cherry blossoms. Amidst the flurry of blades, several Navy officers fell, clutching their slashed throats.
Seeing this, the Navy's elite Vice Admirals sprang into action, clashing violently with the Whitebeard Pirates' division commanders.
The war had entered its most ferocious phase.
The commanders tore open the front lines while the pirates behind them pressed the advantage and widened the breach.
In an instant, the frozen battlefield was engulfed in blade flashes and cannon fire. Screams of pain mingled with war cries, forming a grim symphony of blood and fire.
And yet—something was off.
The Navy's highest combat force—the three Admirals—remained eerily still. Aside from Aokiji, who had acted earlier to freeze the tsunami, Kizaru and Akainu remained seated, showing no intention of moving.
As if... they were waiting for something.
At the bow of the Moby Dick.
Lucian Thorn lowered his fist, as if what he had done was no more than a trivial matter.
He stood with hands behind his back, overlooking the chaotic battlefield below with calm, unshaken eyes.
"Gurarararara... brat."
Whitebeard stood beside him, watching his blood-soaked sons fighting below, and asked with his usual boldness,
"You're not going down there? Let the Navy brats get a real taste of your 'godly' power?"
Lucian smiled faintly at the words.
"It's not time yet, old man."
Though his voice was quiet, Whitebeard heard it clearly.
"The main character always shows up at the most critical moment—at the very end."
Whitebeard blinked in surprise—then burst into deafening laughter once more.
"Gurarararara! What an amusing brat!"
But just then—
A lazy, mocking voice suddenly rang out behind them.
"Oyoyoyoyo... what a terrifying little punk."
Before the words even faded—
A beam of golden light suddenly coalesced on the deck of the ship!
As the light dispersed, a tall man appeared out of thin air. Dressed in a yellow-striped suit, wearing amber sunglasses, with a sly, leering face.
One of the Navy's top combatants!
Admiral Kizaru, Borsalino!
Hands tucked into his pockets, head tilted, he stared at Lucian and Whitebeard like they were oddities.
"Sorry to interrupt, you two?"
His tone was languid, as if chatting with a neighbor.
"But if I were to take the two of you out right here and now..."
He paused, a highly punchable smile spreading across his face.
"Wouldn't that end this war a bit early?"