Whitebeard's and Sengoku's voices echoed across Marineford almost at the same time.
Everyone on the battlefield heard the order to evacuate.
Whether they were Marines or pirates, the message was clear.
Leave Marineford immediately.
The terrifying aura pressing down from the sky had already spread across the entire battlefield. Even the strongest Marines could feel their bodies grow heavy under the pressure.
Their instincts screamed danger.
If they stayed on this island any longer, their lives would be in serious danger.
Yet the first thought in the minds of the Marines was not to escape.
Instead, many of them rushed to help their injured comrades.
They carried the wounded on their backs, supported those who could barely walk, and helped them move toward the warships.
Sengoku and Garp saw everything from the battlefield.
Both relief and urgency appeared in their eyes.
This was exactly the kind of spirit the Marines were taught when they enlisted.
Protect your comrades.
Never abandon the wounded.
It was the quality that defined a true Marine.
But the problem was obvious.
If every injured Marine had to be moved carefully, it would take far too much time.
Yet neither Sengoku nor Garp could bring themselves to stop them.
Instead, the two of them personally rushed into the battlefield.
They directed the soldiers, organized rescue teams, and guided everyone to board the warships as quickly as possible.
The pirate side was not much different.
Marco moved tirelessly across the battlefield.
He carried injured pirates on his back one after another, transporting them to the ships waiting at the harbor.
Ace used the power of the Gold Gold Fruit.
Golden constructs appeared around him as he lifted injured pirates and sent them carefully onto the pirate ships.
Diamond Jozu took an even more direct approach.
He gathered injured pirates onto a wide open area.
Then he used his monstrous strength to dig out the entire piece of ground beneath them.
With one powerful motion, he lifted the massive chunk of earth and carried it toward the pirate ships.
Compared to the well trained Marines, the pirates moved somewhat slower.
Their organization was not as efficient.
Fortunately, the number of injured pirates was far smaller than the number of injured Marines.
Because of that, the evacuation speed of both sides ended up being almost the same.
Time slowly passed.
One by one, the warships and pirate ships began filling with people.
Soon the battlefield grew emptier.
Eventually, only a few figures remained on Marineford.
Whitebeard.
Sengoku.
Garp.
And Staff Officer Tsuru.
Moments later, Sengoku, Garp, and Tsuru finally boarded a Marine warship.
Only Whitebeard remained standing on the ruined island.
From the pirate ships offshore, members of the Whitebeard Pirates noticed the lone figure standing among the shattered ruins.
Panic spread immediately.
"Whitebeard! Get on the ship quickly! Everyone else has boarded!"
"Whitebeard! The island is too dangerous!"
"Whitebeard!"
Some pirates could no longer endure it.
They jumped off the ship and ran back toward the island.
How could they leave when their captain was still standing there?
Whitebeard stood alone in the center of the destroyed battlefield.
Above him, the overwhelming aura from the shadow in the sky pressed down on everything.
A powerful wind swept across Marineford.
His white cloak flapped violently in the wind.
As the cloak spread open, everyone saw his arm bend slightly.
Power gathered within his fist.
A circular vibration force surrounded it.
The power of the Tremor Tremor Fruit.
Without hesitation, Whitebeard punched forward.
The moment his fist struck the air, space itself cracked.
Invisible fractures spread outward from his fist like shattered glass.
A violent tremor shook the entire island.
Then the ground split apart.
A massive crack formed between Whitebeard and the pirate ships.
The crack widened rapidly.
Soon it became a huge chasm, separating Whitebeard from the Whitebeard Pirates.
The pirates froze in shock.
They had already won the war.
They could leave Marineford at any time.
But now a terrifying threat loomed in the sky.
Why was Whitebeard still standing there?
"Whitebeard! Get on the ship!"
"Whitebeard!"
"Whitebeard!"
"Whitebeard, what are you doing?!"
"Whitebeard, hurry and leave! It's too dangerous!"
"The war is over! Ace has been rescued!"
Almost every pirate shouted his name.
Their voices were filled with panic and urgency.
They could all feel the terrifying pressure in the sky.
It was a catastrophe level aura unlike anything they had ever experienced.
They had no idea what kind of attack that enormous shadow was preparing.
But they knew one thing.
If it fell upon the island, everything would be destroyed.
Even Whitebeard might not survive.
Ace suddenly jumped down from the pirate ship.
He rushed toward Whitebeard.
"Whitebeard! What are you planning to do?!"
"Ace!"
Whitebeard did not turn around.
But the power in his voice forced Ace to stop where he stood.
Whitebeard slowly looked up toward the massive shadow above the clouds.
His voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Someone has to stop that thing."
Before he could continue, the pirates shouted together.
"Then we'll stop it together! We are the Whitebeard Pirates!"
But Whitebeard's roar immediately cut them off.
"You foolish sons, shut up!"
His voice carried both anger and affection.
"That thing is not simple. One careless mistake and you will all die."
"Your era has only just begun."
"I am already a man from the old era."
"There is no ship in the new era that can carry me."
The moment those words were spoken, the Whitebeard Pirates understood his intentions.
Whitebeard planned to stay behind alone.
He wanted to use his own strength to stop that terrifying weapon.
To buy them time to escape.
Marco immediately transformed.
Blue flames erupted around his body as he became a magnificent phoenix.
He prepared to fly back toward Whitebeard.
"Marco!"
Whitebeard's voice stopped him instantly.
"Listen to me."
"I, Edward Newgate, have lived for more than seventy years."
"In this life, having you all by my side has already been enough."
"Before I go, can you let your old man leave with a little peace of mind?"
Marco froze in the air.
His wings trembled.
Finally, he slowly descended back onto the ship.
Whitebeard's voice became softer.
"You foolish sons… thank you for everything."
His tone carried deep satisfaction.
At that moment, memories of his entire life flashed through his mind.
His childhood poverty.
His hometown where starvation had taken his parents.
The neighborhood children who had become orphans like him.
Later, after he went out to sea, he joined the Rocks Pirates.
He fought alongside monsters like Rocks D. Xebec.
Then came the battle of God Valley.
The Rocks Pirates were defeated, and the crew scattered across the world.
After that, he formed his own pirate crew.
Along the way, he met many people who had nowhere to belong.
Children abandoned by the world.
People who had no one to rely on.
When he saw them, he remembered his own childhood.
So he gathered them.
Protected them.
All it took was one simple sentence.
"Be my son."
And just like that, he gained a family.
Now, almost every one of his sons had grown strong enough to stand on their own.
After Roger's death, he had dominated the pirate world for twenty years.
His life had already been more than complete.
It was time for the old era to end.
"Whitebeard!"
"Whitebeard, sob...!"
"Whitebeard!"
Cries echoed from the pirate ships.
Many pirates could not stop their tears.
On the opposite side of the island, Garp silently watched everything.
He had sensed what was happening the moment Whitebeard stayed behind.
"Newgate..." he muttered quietly.
As a Marine who had fought the Pirate King Roger many times, he had crossed paths with the Whitebeard Pirates countless times as well.
They were men of the same era.
Despite being enemies, there had always been a strange respect between them.
Whitebeard's final words stirred a deep melancholy in Garp's heart.
He looked toward Sengoku and Tsuru.
"Hey... Sengoku. Tsuru."
"We really are getting old, aren't we?"
"We are relics of the old era too."
Sengoku and Tsuru both sighed softly.
The sea was always changing.
New waves replaced the old ones.
That was the law of nature.
A new generation would always rise to replace the old.
At that moment, the three veterans felt a deep sense of respect.
Having an opponent like Whitebeard in their lifetime was truly rare.
But just as the atmosphere grew heavy with emotion, a desperate voice suddenly echoed across Marineford.
The voice trembled with tears.
"Rolan, Master! Please!"
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