Impel Down.
Level Six.
The alarms suddenly blared throughout the facility.
Sean didn't even need to ask Magellan to know what was happening. He could already guess.
Blackbeard—that bastard had finally arrived!
"Are we not going up to help?" Hawkeye asked, looking at Sean's lack of reaction with a hint of confusion.
"No need. Blackbeard's ultimate destination is here anyway. If we make a proactive move, we only make it easier for some rats to sneak in while we're distracted. We'll just wait for him here," Sean replied with a wave of his hand before casually sitting back down.
'''
At the same time, at Marine Headquarters.
Because Whitebeard had appeared in a location that defied all expectations, the Marines were thrown into significant chaos.
According to Sengoku's initial deployment, the majority of their forces had been stationed facing the open sea. However, the Whitebeard Pirates had appeared within the inner bay, effectively bypassing the outer defenses and striking straight into the heart of the base.
To make matters worse, Whitebeard had cleverly sent over thirty allied pirate crews to attack from the outer sea, forcing the Marines to stay put so they couldn't fully withdraw to regroup their lines.
It had to be said that Sengoku had been completely played by Whitebeard.
However, this was not the original timeline...
On the surface of the water, the thirty-plus pirate ships continued to close in, but the fleet from the 16th Branch sailed directly to meet them.
They were still far apart... far beyond the known effective range of standard cannons. And yet...
The 16th Branch fleet opened fire!
'Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!'
Three cruisers and eight destroyers unleashed nearly eighty shells in an instant, immediately drawing everyone's attention.
At that moment, the faces of nearly everyone present were written with astonishment.
They were still four or five kilometers away. Was it even possible to hit anything?
Were the Marines in that fleet simply panicking and firing blindly?
However, to everyone's shock, ten seconds later, those shells actually rained down upon the pirate fleet.
While perhaps not every single shell was on a direct collision course with a ship, every one of them landed squarely within the target area.
Even though these were merely allied crews, they were still under Whitebeard's banner, and many of them were powerhouses from the New World. Therefore, it was unlikely that the shells could bypass their defenses to sink the ships instantly, or that the Marine fleet could be wiped out from this distance in a short amount of time.
Short term, perhaps. But in the long run...
One only had to look at the fate of Whitebeard's 4th Division to know the answer. After all, human endurance has its limits.
Standing atop the execution platform, Sengoku's eyes lit up.
Once these Steel Warships were deployed on a larger scale, they were incredibly useful. As long as they maintained a certain distance and utilized their superior speed, they could effectively kite the enemy.
The only downside was the waste of ammunition.
Sengoku began to wonder if he should place an additional order with the Galley-La Company after the war. Even if funds were tight, he would find a way to secure ten or so destroyers to pair with four cruisers into a dedicated fleet.
If he could add Akainu's and Gion's warships to the mix, he could potentially form two such fleets. Just thinking about it made him feel a surge of excitement.
'But alright... I need to focus on the war first.'
Shaking his head, Sengoku looked back toward the inner bay.
While surprised by the range of the steel fleet, Whitebeard wasn't overly concerned. After all, those were just cannons. Satch had suffered a heavy blow, but that was simply because Satch's abilities weren't suited for that specific situation.
If Marco took the lead and charged through the air, he should be able to take down that fleet with ease.
After a brief thought, Whitebeard stopped dwelling on the matter. He had more important things to do.
Break through the Marines in front of him and reach the execution platform. Then, save Vista!
Whitebeard clenched his fists tight as the Tremor-Tremor Fruit activated. Spheres of white energy became visible around his fists.
He then struck out violently to both sides. The empty air shattered like tempered glass under a hammer, creating a web of massive cracks.
A moment later, the sea on both sides of the Headquarters became turbulent. The water surged and rose rapidly.
In just ten seconds, two colossal tsunamis, hundreds of meters high, formed and swept toward Marineford.
Given the momentum, these terrifying waves looked poised to swallow the entire Marine Headquarters in an instant.
"Hey, hey, hey... do we really have to start with the ultimate move right away?"
"What happens if Marineford actually gets destroyed?"
To the right of the execution platform, sitting in one of the three prominent seats, Aokiji complained lazily. He then stood up and blurred forward.
To his right, Akainu, who had also been preparing to move, sat back down. In this situation, Aokiji's abilities were indeed far more suitable than his own.
Below, the sight of the hundred-meter waves sweeping in sent the Marines into a panic.
This was a natural disaster! It wasn't something mere mortals could resist.
'Are we going to die here?'
A wave of despair washed over many of the soldiers. In their eyes, such catastrophic power was something that even the Fleet Admiral might not be able to stop.
The strongest man in the world was simply too terrifying.
"Look! It's Admiral Aokiji!" a soldier suddenly screamed, pointing toward the sky.
Everyone turned to look and spotted the figure of their Admiral.
Was Admiral Aokiji about to act? Was there still hope?
In the air, Aokiji spread his arms wide, creating two pillars of ice that extended horizontally. They grew further and further until they touched the oncoming tsunamis.
"Ice Age!!"
In the next instant, from the point of contact between the ice pillars and the waves, everything froze instantly. The frost spread with blinding speed.
Within seconds, the two massive waves were completely frozen solid. But it didn't stop there.
The ice traveled through the waves and across the ocean, freezing the entire sea surface for over ten kilometers.
In that moment, every ship was immobilized.
This included the thirty-plus pirate crews under Whitebeard and the 16th Branch's steel fleet. With the sea turned into a layer of ice dozens of meters thick, movement was impossible.
"Aokiji, eh? The brat did a decent job!" Whitebeard remarked.
"Father!!"
"It's fine. This actually works in our favor. Since the inner bay and the seas around Marineford are now frozen, it will be even easier for us to attack."
"Yes, Father! We're going!"
"Go. Break through the Marine lines and bring Vista back!"
Whitebeard nodded.
A moment later, thousands of pirates from the three main ships leapt onto the ice, charging forward.
Just as Whitebeard had predicted, Aokiji freezing the ocean actually made things more convenient for the pirates. The once-fluid surface of the sea had now become a solid foundation for them to stand on.
"Kill! Kill every last one of those damned Marines! Rescue Captain Vista!"
"Hold the line! Do not let a single pirate break through our defenses! For Justice!"
The two forces clashed almost immediately, their battle cries echoing throughout all of Marineford.
At the same time, the waters surrounding Marineford had been transformed into a massive sheet of ice dozens of meters thick. The pirates from the affiliate fleets found themselves in the same position as those in the inner bay; they now had solid ground under their feet. One by one, they leaped from their ships and began their charge.
'You thought you had the advantage because of your sturdy ships and heavy cannons while we were forced to huddle on our decks in a passive defense?'
'Now that we have a foothold, it's our turn to strike back!'
The pirates were brimming with excitement. However, they were blissfully unaware that this "advantage" would only lead to their swifter demise.
On the side of the 16th Branch fleet, out of the 700 Marines, only those manning the main and secondary cannons on the ships. The remaining 400-plus Marines had descended onto the ice, establishing a defensive line in front of the fleet to meet the pirate onslaught.
To put things into perspective: an average Marine from Headquarters typically has a Doriki of around 10, while the elites range between 12 and 15. In contrast, crew members of pirate fleets from the New World usually possess a Doriki of 20 or more, and many members of Whitebeard's direct divisions can even exceed 30.
In terms of low-end individual combat power, New World pirates were significantly stronger than the average Marine. Of course, when considering the Marines' sheer numbers and superior equipment, the balance shifted heavily in the Marine's favor.
The pirates of the affiliate fleets had no idea that the few hundred Marines standing before them were not ordinary soldiers. While the most recent batch of graduates had a Doriki of only 300 to 400, the previous groups all started at 700 to 800 at the absolute minimum.
Furthermore, not a single one of the original 100 men Sean had taken from Headquarters to the East Blue had a Doriki lower than 1,000.
What did this mean? It was essentially a group of children charging toward a wall of adults.
They weren't charging into a line of Marines; they were charging into a horde of monsters.
If one were to look closely at the Marines forming the defensive line in front of the 16th Branch fleet, they would notice something peculiar. Facing more than 8,000 New World pirates, there wasn't a hint of fear on their faces. Instead, they looked abnormally excited.
The look in their eyes... was that of predators eyeing their prey.
After all, every single pirate charging toward them was a walking promotion. They were "merit packages"—targets who lacked the actual strength to resist but carried high military value.
'Once this is over, I'll get a promotion, make a fortune, and reach the peak of my career!'
That was the true sentiment echoing in the hearts of the Marines.
'''
Meanwhile, in Impel Down, Level 6.
'Purupurupuru...'
"This is Sean!"
"Vice Admiral Sean, this is Hannibal!" Hannibal replied urgently as soon as the Den Den Mushi connected.
"Vice Admiral, Blackbeard's crew has already reached the Freezing Hell. I fear they will enter the Infinite Hell very shortly."
"That fast? Where is Magellan?" Sean frowned slightly. Logically, it shouldn't have happened this quickly. Magellan was still there, after all. Even if Blackbeard could defeat Magellan, it should have taken a significant amount of time and effort.
Had something else changed?
"Vice Admiral, Warden Magellan has been tied up! The rest of us lack the power to intercept Blackbeard's crew!!"
"Magellan is tied up... by whom?"
"The leader of the Revolutionary Army, Monkey D. Dragon! Their goal seems to be rescuing the Revolutionary Army's Grand Line forces who were captured and held in Level 5.5!"
So that was it. Sean realized there had to be a reason for such a sudden shift in the situation. Every effect has a cause.
Come to think of it, in his quest to capture ten Devil Fruit users, Sean had shifted the blame onto the Revolutionary Army and leaked the existence of Level 5.5. It was likely that Dragon had seized this opportunity to take action.
As for whether Dragon had conspired with Blackbeard, Sean felt that was unlikely. It was more probably a coincidence. The best time to act was during the chaos of the Marineford war, and both parties had simply targeted the same window of opportunity.
"Which level are Magellan and Dragon on?"
"Level 3, the Hunger Hell."
"I see. Don't worry about intercepting Blackbeard; just let them descend. Gather all available forces and deploy them at the entrance of Impel Down to prevent anyone from escaping. We'll trap them like fish in a barrel!"
"Yes, Vice Admiral Sean!"
After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Sean pondered for a moment. Then...
"Hawkeye, your sword, You should be able to truly utilize it now, right?"
"I can..."
"Good. Interested in trading blows with Dragon? He's at least Admiral-level; he'll be the perfect test for your new power."
"No problem." Hawkeye's expression remained stoic, but a thick aura of battle intent began to radiate from him. Although Dragon wasn't a swordsman, Hawkeye had not fought anyone since acquiring this power. Now, as long as the opponent was strong, Hawkeye was interested, regardless of their style.
Smiling, Sean turned to Blueno.
"Blueno, send Hawkeye to the Hunger Hell. Then, while all the guards are occupied at the entrance, begin 'Operation: Devil Hunt'!"
"Yes, Vice Admiral!"
In the next instant, Blueno opened a spatial portal. Without hesitation, Hawkeye stepped through it.
Once they had departed, Sean looked toward the entrance of the Infinite Hell. A moment later, the sound of footsteps approached, accompanied by Blackbeard's signature laughter.
"Zehahahaha! I didn't expect that guy Dragon to show up!"
"But thanks to him tying up Magellan, we didn't have to waste nearly as much time!"