Encirclement is one of the best tactics when many fight against one.
It forces the target to deal with attacks from every direction, leaving them no chance to respond to everything at once.
But the Giants were facing Edward Newgate.
The leader of the old era.
The strongest man in the world.
The man who possessed the Gura Gura no Mi.
"I am Whitebeard."
He spoke calmly.
Holding his bisento with both hands, Whitebeard gathered the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit at the blade's tip.
Countless cracks appeared in the air around it.
"Fools!"
Seeing this, Sengoku immediately panicked.
The Tremor-Tremor Fruit might not be the strongest Devil Fruit in existence.
But its destructive range was absolutely unmatched.
Trying to surround Whitebeard?
Had they already forgotten that he had just created a massive tsunami moments earlier?
For the first time, Sengoku felt doubt about the combat instincts of the Giants.
Giants were born for battle.
Yet these Giant Vice Admirals had made a disastrous decision.
If Whitebeard had never demonstrated the power of his fruit before, it might have been understandable.
But he had literally used a large-scale attack just moments ago.
Sengoku sighed.
Looking at the nine Giant Vice Admirals closing in on Whitebeard, he shook his head.
"It's over."
"They're all going to die here."
"Since you rushed here together to die…"
The energy of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit finished gathering.
Whitebeard's trademark grin spread across his face.
"Then all of you can die together!"
As he spoke, cracks exploded outward from the tip of his bisento.
Crack!
Crack!
The sound resembled glass shattering.
The shockwaves instantly spread across the battlefield.
The nine Giant Vice Admirals were completely enveloped by the tremor.
Boom!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Like balloons bursting, their bodies twisted violently.
In the blink of an eye, all nine were killed by the devastating power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
"Strong…"
"Too strong!"
Everyone watching the battlefield was stunned.
The reporters at the outer perimeter had gone completely insane.
They did not care who won between the Marines and the Whitebeard Pirates.
All they wanted was the newest, most explosive news.
Their pens, which had barely stopped since the war began, moved even faster.
Some of them even captured the moment when Edward Newgate stood beneath the rain of blood created when the Giant Vice Admirals exploded.
It looked strangely beautiful.
A perfect example of violent aesthetics.
Whitebeard appeared like an undefeated general who could never be conquered.
"Old man has made his move. I can't just stand around."
At this moment, the Whitebeard Pirates had already surged toward the Marine forces.
Before the elite Vice Admirals could reinforce the front line, the Whitebeard Pirates led by their division commanders tore through the Marines like wolves entering a flock of sheep.
Anyone they encountered was cut down.
Their advance was unstoppable.
Marco scanned the battlefield.
His body suddenly became wrapped in blue and golden flames.
In the next instant, he transformed into the legendary creature known as the Phoenix.
His eyes locked onto the execution platform where Portgas D. Ace was being held.
This was his plan.
Rescue Ace directly.
The entire reason the Whitebeard Pirates had come to Marineford was to save him.
As long as Ace could be rescued, they could immediately retreat.
Even if they had to abandon the frozen Moby Dick, it would not matter.
Outside the bay were the ships of the Whitebeard allied fleets, along with vessels from the territories and nations under Whitebeard's protection.
Those ships had not been frozen.
They could use them to escape Marineford.
"Ace, I'm coming!"
Marco flapped his phoenix wings.
He had been watching the battlefield carefully.
The elite Vice Admirals had rushed forward to reinforce the front lines.
They were now engaged in fierce battles with the Whitebeard commanders and their deputies.
At the same time, the Admirals were occupied with their own fights.
Marco had chosen the perfect moment.
The rear defense of the Marine forces was completely exposed.
This was the best chance to rescue Ace.
"Shriek!"
A piercing cry echoed across the battlefield.
Marco had already reached the front of the execution platform.
A massive wave of phoenix flames burst forward.
"Not good!"
Everyone immediately noticed Marco's move.
The fastest to react was Borsalino.
He instantly broke away from his opponent and rushed toward Marco at incredible speed.
Marco did not have long to celebrate.
Kuzan was already rushing toward the execution platform as well.
Even if they could not stop Ace from being rescued, the Admirals at least intended to trap both Ace and Marco near the platform.
"It's over… Even Admiral Borsalino can't reach him in time!"
"Does this mean Ace is really going to be rescued?!"
Despair spread among the Marines.
From the very beginning of the war, the Marines had been suppressed.
Their strength and numbers clearly exceeded those of the Whitebeard alliance, yet they were constantly being pushed back.
Every clash ended with the Whitebeard Pirates gaining the upper hand.
Meanwhile, the pirates erupted into cheers.
"As expected of the First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates!"
"That level of strategy… there are barely a few people in the world who could match it!"
The cheering of the pirates and the despair of the Marines did not reach Marco.
His focus was entirely on the figure ahead of him.
Looking at the shackled Portgas D. Ace, Marco's usually calm expression finally showed excitement.
"Ace, I'm here to save you!"
Seastone shackles could suppress Devil Fruit users.
But that did not mean they were indestructible.
And as for accidentally hurting Ace?
Marco had absolute confidence in his control over his phoenix flames.
He would not make such a mistake.
"It's done!"
Marco had already reached within three meters of Ace.
Even he believed the rescue had succeeded.
"Whoosh!"
Suddenly, a figure appeared above the execution platform.
The speed was several times faster than Marco's.
For a moment, the figure moved so quickly that no one could even see it clearly.
"You brat… you think you can storm the execution platform?"
A rough voice echoed across the battlefield.
The figure finally became visible to everyone present.
It was none other than the Marine hero himself.
Monkey D. Garp.
"Garp!"
The Marines, who had been drowning in despair moments earlier, suddenly erupted in excitement.
Kizaru and Aokiji, who had been rushing toward the platform, slowly stopped.
With Garp present, nothing could go wrong.
That was a belief shared even among the Admirals themselves.
"He's the 'Hero of the Marines'!"
In an instant, the atmosphere reversed.
The pirates fell silent.
The Marines were filled with renewed confidence.
Garp raised his right fist.
Dark purple Busoshoku Haki gathered around it, swirling like a vortex.
"For a youngster like you…"
"You'd better behave yourself!"
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