Watching the Headquarters building collapse first in half, and then crumble entirely under another surge of Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit power, everything finally fell silent.
Even those attempting to use Observation Haki to scout the area found their senses blocked by something, leaving them unable to perceive what was happening beneath the ruins.
Growing anxious, Akainu immediately utilized Moonwalk to fly toward the wreckage.
"Sakazuki, the situation is still unclear. Don't act rashly!" Aokiji shouted, attempting to stop him.
Akainu ignored him completely, continuing his ascent through the air.
A moment later, Akainu landed atop the ruins. There, he spotted Sean, and lying not far from him, the lifeless body of Whitebeard.
Although Sean appeared somewhat frail, the scene left no doubt: he had won.
Akainu's eyes lit up. "Sean, well done!"
"Ah... Admiral Sakazuki..."
"How are you? Are you injured?"
"I'm not injured, but the toll was heavy," Sean replied, shaking his head. "That final form was incredibly powerful, but it drained my energy in a very short time. It will probably take me eight to ten days to return to my peak."
In reality, this was a complete lie.
While that final trump card did consume a vast amount of energy and caused some physical backlash, Sean had only maintained that state for about ten seconds. Though the cost was high, it was nowhere near enough to deplete his Reiryoku.
As it stood, Sean still had over 23,000 Reiryoku remaining—enough to fight another battle without breaking a sweat.
As for the physical backlash, that part was true. However, he hadn't forgotten that eating the Recovery Fruit had granted him the High-Speed Regeneration ability from the Shinigami world system. By intentionally injuring himself once a day, he had already pushed this ability to Level 6.
While it couldn't entirely negate the damage from the backlash, it reduced the impact to a negligible level—little more than a few superficial bruises. With High-Speed Regeneration constantly active, he would be fully recovered within five minutes.
Of course, he had to put on a performance. His plan wasn't finished yet.
Akainu didn't suspect a thing. Sean's combat power in those final moments had been too overwhelming; it would have been stranger if such an absurd technique had no side effects.
Immediately, Akainu pulled out a Den Den Mushi.
'Purupurupuru...'
"This is Sengoku!"
"Fleet Admiral, Whitebeard is dead!"
"What? Are you certain?"
"Yes. His corpse is right in front of me."
"Good... wonderful! And how is Sean?"
"He isn't injured, but because of that final move, there was a significant backlash. His strength is currently exhausted; he won't be able to fight again for a while."
"As long as he's not injured, we can handle the rest," Sengoku replied. "Bring Whitebeard's body here immediately. We'll use it to break the will of the pirates who are still resisting. This war needs to end!"
"Understood!"
Hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Akainu looked at Sean. "Do you want to rest here for a while, or...?"
"Don't worry about me, Admiral Sakazuki. I'll be fine here."
"Very well. I'll go deal with the remaining pirates."
With that, Akainu grabbed Whitebeard by the collar and flew off. Although Whitebeard's body was massive, it was merely a matter of weight—a triviality for someone of Akainu's strength.
'''
In the inner bay, the tide had turned. Thanks to the deployment of every Marine officer from the rank of Commodore and above, the battlefield was firmly under control.
Most of the Whitebeard Pirates' Division Commanders had already been captured. The few survivors and a few hundred pirates were now compressed into a tiny perimeter.
Everyone knew the end had come. Whether it would take two minutes or five made no difference; the result was inevitable.
Suddenly, Akainu descended over the bay, hoisting Whitebeard's corpse in one hand.
"Whitebeard is dead!"
"All pirates surrender immediately, or you will be executed on the spot!"
Akainu's booming voice echoed across the bay and was broadcasted to civilians all over the world.
The news was staggering. For the first second, many thought they had misheard or that Akainu was bluffing. But the moment they saw the gargantuan figure dangling from his grip, a heavy silence fell.
Whitebeard, the man known as the strongest in the world, was actually dead?
Did that mean the Marine had won?
Suddenly, countless civilians erupted in cheers.
Back in the inner bay, the remaining Division Commanders collapsed the moment they saw their captain's body. Weapons clattered to the ground, and they fell to their knees on the ice.
"Impossible... this can't be!" they murmured. "It's a lie! It's all a lie!"
As for those already captured, like Marco, they broke down in tears, screaming for their "father."
Taking advantage of the pirates' collective mental collapse, the Marines surged forward, securing every single pirate in Seastone handcuffs.
The war was over. The Marine had won.
At that moment, everyone believed it.
But just as they breathed a sigh of relief, the ice in the inner bay suddenly exploded, sending shards of ice flying into the sky.
"What's happening?!" Sengoku shouted from the execution platform.
His expression quickly shifted to one of shock. Through the gap in the shattered ice, a pirate ship was slowly emerging.
The flag flying from the mast was one he knew all too well.
The ship was the Red Force.
The Four Emperors' member, Red-Haired Shanks!
"Why is this guy here...?"
'''
In the inner bay, Akainu's expression grew grim as he looked at the new arrival.
"Red-Hair, what do you think you're doing?"
"I've come to stop this war!"
"The war is already over; there is nothing left to stop," Akainu replied coldly. "You can get lost now, or I won't mind wiping out another of the Four Emperors today!"
Akainu was blunt. Although the Marine's casualties weren't catastrophic, over an hour of intense combat had drained the stamina of both the rank-and-file soldiers and the officers. They were not at full strength.
More importantly, their key asset, Sean, was currently "incapacitated."
If the Red-Haired Pirates charged now and managed to liberate the captured Division Commanders, the Headquarters would be in a precarious position.
Akainu wouldn't back down, but a seed of concern had been planted in his mind.
After being snapped at by Akainu, Shanks looked around and scratched the back of his head.
"Am I late?"
"You stupid captain! If you hadn't insisted on throwing a party every single day on the way here, we wouldn't be late!"
On the deck, several of his officers immediately shifted into mode of pure contempt.
Mocking the captain was a common occurrence within the Red Hair Pirates; Shanks never minded. In fact, he quite enjoyed the atmosphere.
However, his expression suddenly turned serious.
"Then, I will take charge of Whitebeard's body, as well as Marco and the others!"
"The Marine has achieved its goal—don't get greedy!"
He wanted Whitebeard's body? And he expected the Marine to release Marco and the others, who had already been captured?
How could such a request possibly be accepted?
Hearing this, Akainu's explosive temper flared instantly.
But in the next moment...
"The balance of the world should not be completely shattered," Shanks said with absolute confidence. "I believe the Five Elders will agree with this perspective, so... I ask that you do me this favor!"
Shanks knew exactly what this war meant to the Five Elders.
As it stood, the Marine had won far too easily, sustaining almost no losses. This result did not align with the Five Elders' expectations. To prevent the global balance from being utterly destroyed—which would leave the Marine as the sole, dominating superpower—the Five Elders would likely be willing to trade Whitebeard's body and release Marco and the other Division Commanders.
As for whether compromising with the Red Hair Pirates after a clear victory would lead the public to despise the Marine or even the World Government?
That wasn't an issue at all.
The World Government was well-versed in handling such situations. They simply needed to throw a scapegoat to the wolves.
For example... Fleet Admiral Sengoku!
Because of this, Shanks was confident that Sengoku would eventually agree. Even if Sengoku refused, the Five Elders would likely issue an immediate order forcing his compliance.
"Stop dreaming, Red Hair! If you want to fight, then fight! Wiping out one of the Four Emperors is the same as wiping out two. Bring it—"
"Stop!"
Just as Akainu was about to strike, a loud shout echoed from behind him.
Akainu froze for a moment before turning toward the execution platform.
Sengoku was holding a Den Den Mushi, his expression incredibly grim. Seeing this, Akainu's heart skipped a beat.
'Those five old men couldn't have...'
"I agree!" Sengoku announced.
"Fleet Admiral!" Akainu exclaimed.
"Shut up! I will take full responsibility for the aftermath. The war is over. Everyone, begin treating the wounded immediately!"
Akainu let out a cold snort, but he didn't resist. He knew the Five Elders had forced Sengoku to agree.
While he desperately wanted to ignore this absurd order and charge forward to settle things with Red Hair, Akainu held back.
He knew that Sengoku's decision would come with a price—most likely the loss of his position as Fleet Admiral. If he caused a scene now, he might jeopardize his own chance to step into that role as the next Fleet Admiral.
'Endure... I'll handle everything once I become the Fleet Admiral!'
A few minutes later, a group of Marines escorted over a dozen Division Commanders and handed them over to the Red Hair Pirates. This included Vista, who had been on the execution platform.
Across the world, everyone watching the broadcast began to scream in outrage.
The Marine had clearly won! They could have fought another Emperor's crew and likely wouldn't have lost. Yet, the Fleet Admiral had chickened out!
It was beyond absurd.
Across every island, cries for Sengoku to step down erupted.
Yet, no one knew that Sengoku was simply... playing the scapegoat.