He crossed his arms, his gaze filled with confidence. Clad in his exclusive Golden Armor, Mock looked down upon the battlefield. The very air seemed to press down with a weight unique to his presence.
His arrival seized every eye. The two clashing forces ground to a halt, heads tilting upward in unison.
When had he gotten here? How had he slipped past Marines and pirates alike to reach the top of the execution platform?
"Worororo! As expected of Roger's son." Kaido resumed his Azure Dragon Form. He coiled through the air, looming over the figure on the platform with a booming laugh. "What a surprise!"
"Pops, he actually showed up!" Marco stopped fighting the Marine Admiral, gazing at the platform with a helpless smile. "I didn't expect him at the last minute. I thought he wasn't coming."
"Gurararara!" Hearing his son, Newgate threw back his head and laughed heartily. "That brat is just like Roger!"
The Marines kept their eyes locked on the sudden arrival.
"What the hell!" Garp, who had been forcefully shoved back by Ace and still sprawled on the broken stone, scratched his head. He stared blankly at Mock. "When did the brat get here?"
"So this is the blood of a demon?" Borsalino lowered his foot, words slurring through his oddly shaped mouth. "How scary~!"
"He's certainly intimidating." Sentomaru, who had trailed Borsalino since Vegapunk's departure, hoisted his Giant Axe. He scratched his head, confusion wrinkling his brow. "But why does he feel familiar?"
For a moment, the entire battlefield fell into an eerie standstill.
However, just as Marines and pirates alike stared at that commanding figure, something shifted in the East Blue Marine's sector.
Dante looked at Mock on the execution platform. His eyes flashed. He poked Enel, who was watching Mock with gritted teeth, and hissed, "Find a way to blast him!"
Enel stared in utter confusion. What was Dante saying?
He froze in disbelief, but a moment later, reality snapped back into focus. Even if he didn't quite grasp the commander's angle, he wasn't going to turn down an order like that.
"You're the one who said it!"
Enel grinned viciously. Lightning crackled across his skin, wrapping around him as he transformed into the massive Amaru. Without hesitation, he bellowed toward the execution platform. "200 Million Volt Amaru!"
He went straight for his ultimate move. As soon as the attack was launched the sky tore open.
*Boom!*
A deafening roar accompanied a massive bolt of pale blue lightning, shattering the eerie silence of Marineford.
*Bam!*
In the blink of an eye, the pillar of electricity slammed directly into the execution platform!
The crowd stared in shock. What was going on?
Everyone watched, dumbfounded, as the execution platform was completely wreathed in roaring electricity. Where did that strike come from?
Even the three Marine Admirals narrowed their eyes at the display.
"Is this a Logia user? From whose crew?"
A moment later, Fleet Admiral Sengoku reacted. Seemingly guessing the truth, he looked directly toward the Marine Rebels area. Intel regarding the bitter feud between the East Blue Overlord and the former 16th Marine Branch resurfaced in his mind.
He quickly snapped back to reality. He was curious where the 16th Marine Branch had found a natural disaster-level Logia Devil Fruit user, but now was not the time to worry about that. He hadn't forgotten his mission.
He turned his head to face the assembled Marines, orders ready on his lips.
"What the hell are you doing?!" a voice bellowed.
Kaido hovered in the air, his dragon face twisted in pure rage. "I haven't even invited the brat to join the Beasts Pirates yet!"
And that wasn't the end of it.
"Damned Marines!" Newgate's shout erupted right after, rattling the air itself. "You've actually pissed me off!"
Unaware that Dante's faction consisted of rogue Marines, the two Yonko unleashed terrifying pressure over the plaza. But before they could strike, a shout cut through the tension.
"He's fine! He's completely fine!"
The shout instantly drew every eye back. Gazes snapped to the execution platform.
As the smoke and flames thinned, the scene came into focus. The platform had been charred by the devastating lightning strike. Flames still clung to the splintered wood, popping and crackling, reducing the once-sturdy structure to a teetering wreck.
Amidst this hazardous ruin, two figures caught the crowd's attention.
One lay flat on his face across the crumbling boards, features distorted, eyes rolled back. Thick smoke rose from his motionless form.
Next to him stood Mock.
He stood proudly upright, arms crossed over his chest, head held high. His face was blank, his eyes shut tight, a stark contrast to the blackened, sprawled figure beside him. It was as if that small island-shattering lightning strike meant absolutely nothing to him. He hadn't even taken a single step backward.
Staring at that silhouette, those who knew him felt a trace of doubt, but everyone else felt a surge of awe well up inside.
He truly lived up to his title!
Silence fell once more. The two forces on the verge of battle halted involuntarily, raising their heads to look at the commanding figure standing amidst the flames.
Sakazuki's eyes narrowed. He pulled the cigar from his mouth, his voice hardening. "Mock!"
Kaido shifted back to his half-dragon form, hefting his giant club over his shoulder. He let out his signature laugh. "Worororo! I'm liking this kid more!"
Newgate rested Murakumogiri on his shoulder. A relieved smile broke across his face, though his tone remained conflicted. "Roger, this era might just belong to your son."
Even Borsalino and Sengoku found their eyes glued to that silhouette. Sengoku had assumed Garp struck some dirty deal with the boy to let him slip away time and again. He never expected the brat's strength was the real deal. Maybe he really had wronged Garp?
He suddenly felt guilty for doubting his lifelong best friend.
However, just as everyone fell silent, a unique laugh rang out from the flames.
"Wahahaha!"
The laughter snapped Sengoku back to reality. His eyes sharpened. This was no time to space out.
But before he could speak, Mock's voice echoed across the battlefield. He screamed with every ounce of strength in his body, a fury ringing in his tone as he shouted to the entire crowd, "THE BOOTY IS REAL!?"
The plaza went dead silent. Every Marine's expression instantly hardened.
Sengoku couldn't hold back anymore. His face twisted into a snarl as he screamed, "All Marines! Take him down immediately! You must keep him here!"
Following Mock's shout, the already teetering execution platform finally gave out.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
It collapsed into a mountain of burning rubble.
Even in such a perilous moment, Mock tightly hauled his brother over his shoulder. Under the crowd's gaze, he rode the collapsing platform down, landing firmly on the broken ground below.
Those words ignited the entire venue. Especially during a public execution, with countless pirates and underground brokers watching through the broadcast. Sengoku could already imagine the sheer chaos those words would unleash upon the sea.
This scene mirrored the Pirate King's final shout at his own execution years ago. Roger initiated the Great Pirate Era. His son would drive this era into a true frenzy! Was a New Pirate Era truly arriving?
Sengoku had no idea how the Gorosei would reprimand him afterward, nor what punishment awaited the mastermind behind this disaster. But right now, he had to deal with Mock. They had gathered to erode the Demon's bloodline, not to deepen the Pirate King's grip on this era. At this moment, Sengoku understood they could not remain bogged down by the Whitebeard Pirates. They had to go all out and capture Roger's son.
"He absolutely must not escape back to the sea! All Marines, move and intercept him! Stop him!"
However, after fighting this long, how could the war simply stop on command? Sakazuki snapped back to his senses the moment at Sengoku's words. He charged straight over. From a distance, he relentlessly unleashed a brutal wave of magma at Mock.
"Hound Blaze!"
But the instant the lava hound was created, a massive blow smashed it apart.
"Worororo! I waited ages for that kid to show up. Don't you dare kill him!"
Left with no choice, Sakazuki turned back and re-engaged Kaido, magma dripping from his fists.
On the other side of the plaza, seeing Sakazuki's attack fail, Sengoku opened his mouth to issue another command.
"I told you not to hurt a son in front of his father, Sengoku!"
Whitebeard swung Murakumogiri, channeling the Gura Gura no Mi into a devastating shockwave aimed right at the Fleet Admiral. He burst into loud laughter. "Gurararara! My sons, let's cover Mock and Teach's retreat!"
"Damn it! Do you have any idea how much chaos Mock will bring to the sea?!" Transformed into a giant Golden Buddha, Sengoku shouted. He unleashed a shockwave to block Whitebeard's attack, his voice hardening. "If you take your crew and get your sons out of here right now, the Marines absolutely will not stop you. I don't know how your injuries healed, but I wager you won't last much longer. Step aside, Whitebeard! That is Roger's son, not yours. Are you really prepared to sacrifice your entire crew for him?"
Even with such a massive concession, Whitebeard refused to yield.
"Gurararara! Sengoku." Whitebeard laughed, looking at his old rival. "Are you underestimating me?"
He didn't yield an inch, blocking Sengoku's golden palm. In the short timeframe, neither could overpower the other. The ground splintered beneath their feet.
===============
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