"First Division Commander, Marco the Phoenix!"
"Third Division Commander, Diamond Jozu!"
"And Flower Sword Vista… aside from Thatch, all fourteen division commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates' main force have arrived!"
Along the bay's coastline, a Marine Headquarters Captain put down his binoculars, his voice trembling with tension.
"And on the right… that ghostly ship—that's Kaido of the Beasts, and his Three Calamities!"
Thud… thud… thud…
Kaido's gigantic figure stepped forward toward the edge of the deck, arms crossed, face expressionless as he swept his gaze across the plaza ahead. Behind him, Queen the Plague, Sena the Drought, and the newly recruited King the Wildfire followed closely in a straight line.
"As for the ship on the left—the one standing on the deck is…"
The Captain's pupils shrank violently when he saw the figure clearly.
"...Patrick Redfield! That guy is still alive!?"
Patrick … Redfield?
Many of the younger Marines nearby had no idea why their superior reacted so strongly. Confused, they followed his gaze.
What they saw was a thin, white-haired old man dressed in wine-red clothing, wearing black leather shoes with golden trim, and draped in a wide blood-red cloak.
Noticing the Marines staring, the old man curled his lips, licking the corner of his mouth as a sinister, wicked smile spread across his face.
"Patrick Redfield,"
A giant Vice Admiral—the oldest among them—spoke in a deep, heavy voice:
"Do not underestimate that old man. He was a pirate from the same era as Roger, known as Red the Aloof! His strength is terrifying—back in the day, he alone stood on equal footing with Roger and Whitebeard!"
He once rivaled Roger and Whitebeard!?
Many young Marines who had never lived through the old era turned pale, gasping sharply.
The Pirate Alliance had managed to secretly enlist a monster of that level!?
"This really is unexpected…"
On the Admirals' platform, Akainu narrowed his eyes and spoke indifferently.
"It seems this war is going to be far more troublesome than anticipated…"
Nao glanced at Aokiji.
If he remembered correctly, this old man and Aokiji had quite the grudge. Not only had several important missions failed because Redfield intervened—Aokiji's beloved ship, the Blue Dog, had been personally sunk by Redfield.
"I searched all over the New World for years to settle the score," Aokiji murmured, staring coldly at Redfield.
"Never found a trace of him. Didn't expect him to walk right into my hands today. He's mine—don't any of you try to steal him."
The atmosphere inside Crescent Bay grew increasingly suffocating.
Then, within the dead silence—clank… clank…—heavy footsteps echoed from the Moby Dick, growing louder and closer…
THUD!
The clanking stopped.
A massive Naginata slammed down into the deck—
and the one holding it, tall and draped in a billowing white cloak—
was none other than the Strongest Man in the World—Whitebeard!
"GURARARARARARA!!!"
Even with 150,000 Marine elites' eyes locked onto him, Whitebeard showed not the slightest fear. He lifted his head toward the execution platform and grinned broadly.
"Sengoku, it's been decades since we last met, hasn't it?"
"Whitebeard…"
Sengoku's expression darkened, his right hand subconsciously tightening beneath his sleeve.
"Is my beloved son alright?"
Whitebeard turned his gaze to the execution platform.
"Thatch, just wait a little longer…"
"Pops!"
On the platform, Thatch jerked his head up, tears streaming uncontrollably.
"Why did you come!? You should've stuck to the original plan! You should've ignored us!"
"That's right, Pops! This is all a Marine trap!"
The other Fourth Division members, also in prison uniforms, screamed with grief and anger.
"What nonsense are you talking about…"
Whitebeard's grin widened.
His right hand released the Naginata, and he crossed his massive arms.
Then—with both fists clenched—he swung them outward with explosive force!
"My foolish sons!"
Crack!!
The space around them suddenly shattered like broken glass, thick fractures spreading in all directions. A terrifying force—like the earth itself shaking—burst outward from the point of impact!
"With just a casual punch… he made the air itself crack open…"
Among the crowd, Hina stared in shock, cigars trembling between her teeth. A moment later he pointed toward the west.
"Look over there!"
Many Marines turned instinctively—and immediately froze in disbelief.
The sea to the west was heaving violently… and then, as if lifted by invisible hands, the ocean surface surged upward, rising within moments to a towering height of more than a hundred meters.
"The water level... the water level has become extremely abnormal!"
"No...look to the east too!"
At the exact same time, the eastern sea rose in the same terrifying manner. Two colossal waves—like the hands of an apocalypse—lifted high into the sky and then came crashing down toward the plaza from both sides.
For that instant—
Even the massive Marine Headquarters fortress looked pitifully small before the waves, as if it could be swallowed whole at any moment.
Though every Marine present was at least of ensign rank—battle–hardened and elite—countless soldiers still trembled, minds blank from the sheer scale of destruction.
Then—
Whoosh!
A blur suddenly flashed out from below the execution platform. The Marine elites in the plaza only saw a blur in their peripheral vision, and a tall figure wearing a Justice Cloak had already appeared above their heads.
It was none other than one of the Marine Headquarters Admirals, Aokiji.
He glanced gravely at Whitebeard, then suddenly uncrossed his arms, shooting out beams of icy air from each palm towards the two giant waves crashing down on either side.
"Ice Age!"
In a low voice, boundless icy air, centered on his two palms, spread out in all directions.
Crack-crack-crack!!
The frost spread madly. In the span of just a few blinks, the terrifying waves that were about to engulf the entire Marine Headquarters were frozen into two crystal-clear walls of ice, towering majestically on both sides of the plaza.
"We're saved!"
"As expected of Admiral Aokiji..."
Countless Marine elites breathed a sigh of relief, regaining their composure. On the Moby Dick, Diamond Jozu, standing behind Whitebeard, crossed his arms and snorted:
"The power of a Logia… really convenient, isn't it?"
"Aokiji…" Whitebeard narrowed his eyes, looking up. "You little brat…"
Aokiji's gaze remained calm and icy. Even while meeting Whitebeard's eyes head-on, not a trace of fear appeared on his face.
He crossed his arms again—and invisible shockwaves formed instantly, carrying freezing winds as they plunged downward toward the Moby Dick's deck.
"Ice Time Capsule!"
Hsssshhh—!
The roar of freezing wind exploded downward.
Whitebeard snorted and casually threw a punch to the side. The very air fractured again—cracks spreading like lightning, swallowing all the freezing energy in their path before smashing straight into Aokiji.
Fsshhhhh—
Aokiji's body instantly shattered into drifting snow and ice fragments. They fluttered down toward the sea—but just before touching the water, all the fragments gathered together and swiftly reformed into his full body.
Expression unchanged, Aokiji pressed his right palm downward.
An extreme cold burst outward—flooding the entire Crescent Bay. In an instant, the whole interior of the harbor froze solid!
"It's time."
At that exact moment, Sengoku tightened his grip on the Den-Den Mushi and shouted:
"Transmit my order! Artillery positions and outer fleets—open full fire! Bombard the enemy fleet with maximum firepower!"
"Yes, Fleet Admiral!"
The voice of a frontline Vice Admiral came through the Den-Den Mushi. Within moments, Sengoku's order was relayed across the entire vast plaza of Marineford.
The war machine roared into motion. Under precise coordination, the battleships guarding both sides of the bay turned simultaneously, their cannons aiming inward toward the pirate ships.
The artillery positions—already fully loaded—also began firing at that exact moment.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Countless heavy cannons of enormous caliber opened fire all at once, creating a scene of overwhelming destruction.
The deafening explosions and raging bursts of flame pushed back the morning mist. Looking up, the sky was dark with countless shells—dense, endless, blotting out the sun in a terrifying display.
Such a barrage would pulverize even pirates with bounties over 100 million; many instinctively leapt aside to dodge.
But the seven massive pirate ships had no room to evade.
Some masts snapped, railings exploded, and one of the whale ships even had its sails ignited into burning flame.
Amid the firelight, the Whitebeard commanders stood unflinching. Instead of fear, they drew their weapons—faces blazing with fighting spirit.
"The bay is frozen—get off the ships and charge!"
"Push through the Marines! Save Thatch and the others!"
"OOOOOOHHHHHH!!!"
A thunderous roar erupted as the fourteen division commanders led the Whitebeard crew off the decks, sprinting across the frozen bay toward the plaza.
However—
Before they had advanced far under the rain of bullets, a line of overwhelming presences blocked their path.
Seven figures.
Jinbe the Knight of the Sea, Boa Hancock the Empress, Dracule "Hawkeye" Mihawk, Bartholomew Kuma, Gecko Moria, Crocodile, Buggy the Clown…
The Seven Warlords of the Sea—equals to Marine Headquarters under the World Government banner!
"So we finally get to make our move, huh?"
Crocodile exhaled a cloud of smoke, glancing coldly at Whitebeard in the distance.
"Watching that man stand there spouting emotional nonsense so long… disgusting. I've been itching to get started."
"Disgusting?"
The nearest to him was the hot-tempered 13th Division Commander, Water Buffalo Atmos. Upon hearing that, his fury exploded and he charged with both blades drawn.
"You bastard! How dare you insult Pops in front of me!"
Whoosh—!
The blades slashed through air—only for Atmos to find himself striking nothing but falling sand.
He skidded to a halt, teeth clenched, turning sharply—
Behind him, the drifting sand gathered into human form again.
Crocodile flicked ash from his cigar and narrowed his eyes.
"So impulsive. No manners at all."
"Since you're so eager, I suppose I'll play with you first."
A storm of yellow sand surged upward and collapsed toward Atmos like a crushing wave.
Meanwhile, Moria leaned toward Mihawk with a crooked grin.
"Geh-heh-heh-heh… who'd have thought? You, of all people—Mr. Lone Wolf, who never bothers with outside affairs—showing up to join the fun…"
"I simply haven't seen Mr. Nao in a long time," Mihawk replied blankly. "I wish to gauge how large the gap between us has grown."
His gaze then shifted to Vista.
"Of course, if there's a strong swordsman available to entertain me in the meantime… then my trip will not be wasted."
Swish!
One of the twelve Supreme Grade Blades—the black sword Yoru—was drawn from its sheath. Moria barely registered a blur before Mihawk, who had been beside him only a moment ago, vanished into a residual afterimage and shot straight toward Flower Sword Vista!
"A clash between the world's greatest swordsmen, huh…"
Moria squeezed the layers of fat on his chin, clicking his tongue.
"If this were any other time, I'd love to sit back and watch… but not today. Since that guy Nao personally invited us, I can't slack off forever…"
Just then, 12th Division Commander Haruta rushed past.
Moria grinned, extending his shadow along the ground toward Haruta's legs…
They're all starting to fight now?
At the far right end, Hancock cast a dreamy glance toward the Admirals' seats. When she turned back, her cheeks were flushed and her heart was pounding.
Oh dear, Lord Nao can see this side from his vantage point!
I can't lag behind. I must put on a good performance. If I achieve a great accomplishment, I can logically use the opportunity to claim credit to go see him after the war ends…
With this thought in mind.
"Slave Arrow!"
She let out a cold shout. Hancock's face was icy as she drew her pink heart-shaped bow—she was attacking two of the Whitebeard Division Commanders simultaneously, all by herself!
On the other side.
Jinbe, Kuma, and the others had also each selected a Whitebeard commander as their opponent, and battles erupted instantly.
Within moments, the row where the Shichibukai had stood now had only one figure left unmoving.
"You've… you've gotta be kidding me…"
Buggy the Clown stood with arms crossed, trying to look stoic and fearless—yet beneath his cape, his legs trembled like wet noodles.
Each one of them was a monster—both the Shichibukai and the Whitebeard commanders alike.
Fight them?
Buggy didn't care how many lives he had—he'd run out before noon!
But standing here frozen wasn't an option either. Gritting his teeth, then gritting them even harder… he finally ripped out his dagger and charged into the Whitebeard ranks.
He wasn't stupid enough to challenge a commander-level monster.
His plan from the start was simple: find someone who looked weak, drop them instantly, then fight while retreating, drifting toward some unnoticed corner.
But everyone here was a Whitebeard main-crew elite. Even the ordinary members were nothing to mess with.
So Buggy scanned desperately left and right, searching for an easy target. After a long search, he finally spotted a guy cowering timidly in the back.
He looked weak—definitely a newbie.
"You're the one!"
Buggy's eyes lit up with joy.
Whoosh, whoosh!
With a vicious grin, he lunged—dagger aimed right at the back of the pirate's head.
Hearing the whistle of air, the pirate turned around, revealing a face Buggy found disturbingly familiar.
Messy hair, bare chest, thick body hair, a few teeth missing—
It was him.
Buggy's eyes widened as over ten years of memories flashed through his mind.
Teach stared blankly at the rapidly approaching Buggy. Seeing the dagger's glint, his right hand clenched instinctively into a fist—and he swung it straight into Buggy's chest.