High above the battlefield, several sharp, agonizing screams pierced the air, instantly drawing the attention of everyone below.
Whether Marine or pirate, they all instinctively looked up.
"What is that?!"
"A cannonball? No—wait! It's a person!"
"Someone's falling from the sky?!"
Both camps erupted into shocked murmurs.
BOOM—!!!
In the next second, the massive wreckage of a warship crashed down like a meteor, slamming into the frozen surface of the bay and sending up a blizzard of shattered ice and towering waves!
Right after that, several figures splashed into the freezing sea, landing in the most ungraceful ways imaginable.
The sudden turn of events brought the battlefield to a temporary standstill.
Everyone's gaze locked onto the wrecked ship.
Moments later—
One by one, figures began to crawl out from the wreckage and icy waters.
When the Marines saw who they were, their expressions shifted to shock.
"F—Fish-Man Jinbei!"
"Sand—Crocodile!"
"Clown Buggy?!"
"And... the Okama King, Ivankov!!"
On the execution platform, Fleet Admiral Sengoku's eyes nearly bulged out of his skull!
These criminals… were all the most dangerous escapees from the underwater prison Impel Down!
How the hell did they end up here?!
But even that wasn't the most shocking part.
Among the chaotic mess of soaked and battered bodies, one person seemed blessed by luck itself.
Thud.
A boy in a straw hat fell straight down, smashing directly through the Moby Dick's deck and vanishing into the ship's interior.
Moments later, the boy staggered out of the hole, rubbing his head with a dazed look on his face.
He blinked and looked around, still confused—until his gaze landed on the towering execution platform in the distance.
Then he froze.
He had seen the figure bound in Seastone chains, kneeling on that platform.
The dazed look in his eyes vanished, replaced by sheer, overwhelming joy.
"Ace!!!"
The name rang out crystal-clear, echoing across all of Marineford!
On the execution platform—
Hearing that all-too-familiar voice, Ace's head snapped up.
When his eyes found the boy standing on the Moby Dick's bow, it was like he'd been struck by lightning.
The emptiness and despair on his face shattered under the weight of pure, gut-wrenching shock.
"L—Luffy?!"
Even his voice trembled.
"What are you doing here?! Get out of here now! This isn't a place for you!!"
"I finally found you, Ace!"
Luffy paid no attention to the warning. A wide, dazzling grin spread across his face.
"Thank goodness! You're still alive!"
"Wait for me! I'm coming to save you!"
He inhaled deeply, knees bending as he prepared to leap from the ship's bow.
"You came after all, Straw Hat kid."
A calm voice spoke beside him.
Luffy paused mid-motion and finally noticed someone standing nearby.
He turned and looked at Lucian Thorn, tilting his head as if trying to recall something.
"Oh, it's you!"
"Ace's friend... um… what was your name again?"
Lucian's lips twitched slightly.
'So you really didn't remember after all…'
He sighed inwardly, but his face remained calm.
"Doesn't matter."
Lucian pointed toward the execution platform ahead.
"Ace is right there."
"Go on, brave boy."
"Oh, okay!"
"I'm off!"
Luffy flashed a wide grin, showing off his white teeth.
"Yeah!!"
Without further hesitation, he leapt from the bow of the Moby Dick—dozens of meters in the air.
THUD!
He landed hard, cracking two shallow pits into the frozen ground beneath his feet.
"GET OUT OF MY WAY!!"
Luffy roared, launching himself forward like a cannonball, charging straight toward the execution platform!
"I'M HERE TO SAVE ACE!!"
"Stop him!"
"Don't let him get through!"
The Marines snapped out of their daze and surged toward him like a tidal wave.
Down on the icy battlefield—
Whitebeard, in the midst of carving a bloody path through the enemy ranks, also noticed the sudden arrival of the Straw Hat kid.
As he looked at the determined, unstoppable figure charging forward, a grin of admiration curled onto his face—eerily similar to Lucian's.
"Gurararara…"
"Another outrageous little brat has arrived."
He turned his head toward Marco, who was locked in a fierce battle with Kizaru not far away.
"Marco!"
"Keep an eye on that Straw Hat brat!"
"Don't let him die so easily!"
Startled mid-kick, Marco turned and grinned. "Got it, Pops!"
With Whitebeard's order given, the entire Whitebeard Pirates sprang into action.
Smoker tried to intercept Luffy with his Logia powers, but a figure blocked his path.
"Your opponent is me."
Jozu stood firmly in his way.
Mihawk, the world's greatest swordsman, watched Luffy barreling forward with interest, one hand resting on the hilt of his black blade Yoru.
But before he could draw it, a brilliant flash of sword light flared across his path.
"Your opponent is me, Hawk Eyes."
Vista, Fifth Division Commander and the Flower Sword, stepped in to block Mihawk's advance.
One by one, every high-ranking Marine who tried to stop Luffy was intercepted by a Division Commander from the Whitebeard Pirates!
Straw Hat Luffy, under the full protection of Whitebeard's crew, was utterly unstoppable!
Back on the execution platform—
Sengoku watched the unfolding chaos, veins bulging on his forehead, his face twisted in fury.
He whipped around toward the silent man beside him and let out an earth-shaking roar.
"Garp!!!"
"Look at what you've done! Look at that grandson you raised!!!"
Garp still hung his head, saying nothing.
But the tightly clenched fists at his sides betrayed the storm raging in his heart.
On the battlefield—
Now free of distractions and uninjured, Whitebeard finally unleashed the full might of the man known as the Strongest in the World!
Gripping his naginata, Murakumo Giri, he rampaged through the Marine ranks like a true god of destruction!
Ordinary officers and even Vice Admirals couldn't last a single exchange against him.
Even the wind pressure from swinging his blade was enough to send swathes of Marines flying.
No one could stop him!
With a single swing, Whitebeard cleaved through hundreds of Marines, his eyes locked onto the execution platform in the distance.
Gripping his naginata with both hands, his muscles bulged as he aimed.
"Shatter… FOR ME!!!"
He slashed forward with all his might!
BZZZT—!
The air itself cracked under the pressure of the strike!
Just as the blow was about to reach the execution platform—
A red figure appeared like a phantom before Whitebeard.
The man lifted a leg, molten magma coating his foot, and stomped hard on the blade of Murakumo Giri!
BOOM!!!
Shockwaves of quake and lava clashed, sending destructive gales rippling outward!
Admiral Akainu, Sakazuki, had arrived!
He looked down at Whitebeard with a cruel grin.
"I'm afraid I can't let you go wild any longer, Whitebeard."
"Birthday candle blowers should stick to birthday parties!"
At the same time—
Kizaru, now free from Marco's harassment, flashed around Whitebeard in beams of golden light, bombarding him with countless laser blasts.
"Scary stuff, really! Whitebeard~"
The two Marine Admirals had joined forces to restrain the strongest man in the world!
On the execution platform—
Sengoku watched the battlefield below, a cruel glint flashing in his eyes.
Most of the Whitebeard Pirates and their allied crews had entered the Crescent Bay trap zone.
Now was the time!
Sengoku picked up a golden Den Den Mushi and gave the final order to the entire battlefield:
"Encirclement Walls—ACTIVATE!!!"
As soon as the words left his mouth—
RUMBLE RUMBLE—!!!
All of Marineford began to quake violently!
In the terrified eyes of the pirates, massive walls made of special alloy—meters thick—slowly began to rise around Crescent Bay!
Their enormous shadows swallowed the battlefield.
The Marine's ultimate move—had been unleashed!