On the shore of Marineford—
"Damn it! Open fire! Stop him—don't let him get any closer!"
Vice Admiral Momonga barked orders with a grim expression. Against a body of such overwhelming size, his options were painfully limited.
The warships reacted immediately, swiveling their cannons toward the approaching giant.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Shells streaked through the air like blazing serpents, slamming into Little Oars' massive frame and erupting in thunderous explosions that swallowed him in smoke.
"Ace… I'm coming to save Ace…"
Enduring the bombardment, Little Oars lifted the enormous machete in his hands and brought it down in a devastating arc.
Even without Haki, the power behind the swing was terrifying.
With a single strike, a Marine warship split cleanly in two.
The ancient giant seemed to erupt with boundless strength. Though he couldn't easily kill HQ Vice Admiral–level opponents, the forty-meter-long blade in his grip was like a guillotine. One slash after another tore through warships as if they were made of paper.
Screams filled the air as Marines scrambled in panic, fearing they would be crushed into pulp at any moment.
"Run!"
"This monster can't be stopped!"
"Even cannon fire doesn't work—how do we deal with something this huge?!"
Vice Admirals leapt into the air using Moonwalk, surrounding Little Oars. Waves of sword slashes rained down, carving gashes into his flesh and drawing blood—but none of the wounds were deep enough to be fatal.
They failed to slow him.
"Ace is a good man!" Little Oars roared, his voice shaking the battlefield. "He's my friend! I'm going to save him—don't stand in my way!"
Irritated by the Vice Admirals darting around him, Little Oars swung his mountain-sized palms, generating violent gusts of wind that forced them back.
"…Damn it," Yamakaji muttered in frustration. "We can't stop this thing."
It was the first time many of them had faced a monster even larger than the Giant Race itself.
"Step aside—we'll handle this."
Several Giant Vice Admirals charged in, attempting to intercept Little Oars.
It was futile.
Their strength was utterly eclipsed. In moments, Little Oars overpowered them, sending the giants crashing aside one after another.
Marco spread his wings and shot back toward the Moby Dick, landing beside Whitebeard.
"Pops!" he called urgently. "We can't let Little Oars reach the plaza. The Admirals and Shichibukai are all gathered there. With his size, he'll just become a living target."
"Marco…?"
Whitebeard looked at him in surprise. Marco's presence felt noticeably heavier—far stronger than it had been just days ago.
Did the awakening of Conqueror's Haki cause this…? Whitebeard wondered briefly.
He didn't dwell on it.
Marco was right.
Raising his voice, Whitebeard called out, "Oars! You don't need to come any closer. Stay back and help destroy the warships and artillery!"
Oars froze for a moment upon hearing Whitebeard's command.
Then he shook his head.
"No, Pops," he said stubbornly, his voice filled with resolve. "Ace is my friend. I have to save him."
The battlefield trembled as the giant took another step forward—unyielding, unstoppable, and driven by loyalty alone.
Marco's expression darkened. He raised his voice sharply.
"Oars! That's Pops' order!" Marco shouted. "The plaza is crawling with Admirals and Shichibukai. With your size, you'd just become a living target. Your mission is to destroy the Marine warships on the perimeter!"
But Little Oars was stubborn to the core. He ignored Marco entirely, his eyes burning with resolve.
"Don't stop me, Marco. No matter who stands in my way, I'll knock them down. I'm going to save Ace."
"Tch—damn it, you're impossible!" Marco snapped.
He turned urgently toward Whitebeard.
"Pops, if he keeps going like this, he'll definitely die…"
Oars possessed combat power comparable to a Yonko commander—albeit on the weaker end—but even so, he was one of the Whitebeard Pirates' greatest assets. If he fell here, just like in the original timeline, the crew would once again face the nightmare of being sealed in by the Marines' encirclement.
Marco knew this all too well.
In the original war, the Marines' surrounding wall had been reinforced with Sea Prism Stone. Even Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit couldn't break through it. The only one with the raw physical might to shatter it had been Little Oars.
Whitebeard watched Marco's anxious expression closely.
After a brief pause, he nodded—choosing to trust him.
Turning to Little Oars, Whitebeard spoke in a low, commanding voice.
"Oars. Ace is not only your family—he is our family. Now listen to my orders."
"First, deal with the warships on the outskirts. As for Ace… we will rescue him."
Little Oars hesitated.
"…Pops…"
Whitebeard's gaze hardened.
"What? Are you refusing to obey my orders now?"
The anger in Whitebeard's voice made Little Oars flinch.
"…I understand, Pops," he said at last.
With visible reluctance, Little Oars turned away and lumbered toward the outer edge of Crescent Bay, preparing to dismantle the Marine warships.
From the plaza, Sengoku watched with displeasure.
If that giant had taken a few more steps forward, he thought, the Admirals and Shichibukai would've dealt with him immediately. Big or not, Little Oars would never be fast enough against monsters of that caliber.
The moment Little Oars withdrew, Marco seized the opportunity.
"Pops," he said quickly, "when I was fighting earlier, I learned something about the Marines' plan."
"Oh?" Whitebeard looked at him, intrigued.
Marco didn't hesitate.
He hadn't spoken earlier because it would have been impossible to explain without proof. But now—after cutting down countless Marines—he had earned the right to speak.
His expression turned grave.
"The Marines are preparing to activate a plan called the Surrounding Wall."
"Surrounding Wall…?" Whitebeard frowned.
He had already sensed that Sengoku was hiding something. After all, the Marines had been constantly exchanging information through transponder snails.
Now, it seemed the curtain was finally about to be pulled back.