He had never expected the Dawn Faction members to be this terrifying. Every single one of them possessed strength comparable to Marco, some even surpassing him.
The moment Marco crossed his mind, Whitebeard's eyes turned red.
He had originally planned to ambush the Dawn Faction and create an opening for Jozu and Vista to escape.
Instead, his arrival had only accelerated the deaths of his sons.
Now, Marco was the only one left.
"Marco, run!"
Whitebeard swung Murakumogiri with overwhelming force, driving back the Dawn Faction members as his roar shook the battlefield.
"Pops!"
Marco's voice trembled.
If not for the blue flames covering his half-phoenix form, his tear-filled eyes would have already been visible.
The Whitebeard Pirates had never suffered such a catastrophic defeat.
Because he had been fighting in the air, Marco had the clearest view of the battlefield.
After Sali withdrew, his opponents became Fidel and McKinley. Even though there were now two enemies instead of one, the pressure on Marco actually eased slightly, allowing him brief moments to observe the battlefield around him.
But those glances nearly shattered him.
One companion after another fell before his eyes.
Some collapsed into pools of blood, their bodies broken beyond recognition.
That was already considered fortunate.
Nearby lay Kingdew, half his body blown apart.
Blamenco's skin had turned green from poison gas, foam spilling from his mouth as his corpse convulsed.
Tsuki had been beaten into a mangled mess.
Fossa's burned corpse still smoldered from the flames that consumed him.
Every familiar face was reduced to a gruesome sight that made Marco's body shake uncontrollably.
Then he saw Jozu explode into shattered flesh.
He saw Vista pierced through by a lightning spear, twitching weakly on the ground while waiting for death.
Then came Whitebeard's desperate roar ordering him to flee.
Marco finally broke.
"Pops!"
A burst of blue flames erupted as Marco forcefully blasted Fidel and McKinley backward.
"If we leave, then we leave together!"
At the same moment Whitebeard drove everyone back with another massive swing, Sali's unstable transformation finally ended on the ruined island behind the Dawn.
He returned to normal, though green-blue flame clouds now swirled around his body.
Ash knew this phenomenon well.
Unlike Logia and Paramecia awakenings, awakened Zoan users developed flame clouds around their bodies.
Most ordinary awakened Zoans possessed black clouds, like Rob Lucci and Kaku.
Mythical Zoans varied depending on their abilities.
Ash's own flame clouds burned gold with crimson edges.
Still, aside from appearance, they served little practical purpose.
At that moment, Kirk transmitted new information.
Several unidentified pirate ships were approaching the battlefield.
Soon after, Ash heard the exchange between Whitebeard and Marco.
Without abilities related to spatial transmission, conversations across the battlefield could only be done through shouting.
Marco had barely finished speaking when a cold chill crawled down his spine.
The two opponents he had forced back suddenly relaxed.
Danger exploded in Marco's instincts.
He thought Sali had returned.
Instead, a calm voice sounded behind him.
"Leave together? None of you are leaving."
Marco instantly lunged forward.
After creating distance, he turned around sharply.
Ash stood there with both hands in his pockets, smiling casually.
"Ash!"
Marco's voice carried endless hatred and killing intent.
Ash ignored it.
He had no interest in explaining why he despised pirates.
"To be honest, I actually like your personality," Ash said casually. "Always looking half asleep, yet strangely popular."
Marco could not understand a single word.
Suddenly, his vision blurred.
Ash vanished.
In the next instant, a kick slammed toward Marco's abdomen.
Marco instinctively tried to block.
Too slow.
He could only watch the kick blur into an afterimage.
The only thought left in his mind was:
'My regeneration should survive this... right?'
Then his eyes bulged.
Before pain could even register, Marco's body folded in half like paper before being launched backward at terrifying speed.
A streak of golden fire instantly caught up to him.
"This golden flame... beautiful..."
The next moment, Ash's True Fire of the Sun completely engulfed Marco.
Nothing remained.
Not even ashes.
Whitebeard witnessed nearly the entire scene.
Ignoring the wounds inflicted by Tsuki and Wyper, only one thought remained in his mind.
'All my sons are dead.'
"Ash!"
Whitebeard roared with madness.
Murakumogiri slammed into the deck as he twisted his upper body into an unnatural position, gathering every last ounce of strength into a final attack.
Wyper and Tsuki immediately moved to interrupt him.
Five seconds was enough to finish Whitebeard.
But Ash suddenly appeared in front of the old pirate.
"You all handle the battlefield," Ash said calmly. "Leave him to me."
The words were directed at Wyper, Tsuki, Pini, Youki, Jason, Conis, and Kirk.
Everyone had already received Kirk's warning about the approaching ships.
If Marines arrived alongside the pirates, the situation could become troublesome.
No one wasted time.
They immediately dispersed.
Ash quietly looked at the battered Whitebeard.
His body was covered in scars and blood.
Ash could never fully understand him.
Whitebeard had never cared about treasure or becoming Pirate King.
With his strength, he could have simply protected his homeland and lived peacefully.
No one would have dared provoke him.
He could have raised a family, adopted countless children, and spent his years surrounded by loved ones.
Instead, he chose the sea.
He became a pirate.
And now everything had ended in tragedy.
Ash did not attack.
He simply stood there and waited.
Ten full seconds passed.
Then Whitebeard moved.
With a furious roar, his body snapped back into position.
Dark red lightning crackled from his eyes.
This punch carried everything.
Haoshoku Haki.
Advanced Armament Haki.
The full destructive force of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
And Whitebeard's remaining life itself.
The attack smashed toward Ash's head.
Clap!
Ash casually raised one hand and stopped the punch.
"BOOM!"
The surrounding air exploded.
Space itself cracked apart.
Shockwaves tore through the battlefield.
Yet neither man moved an inch.
Fist and palm remained locked together.
Ash looked into Whitebeard's eyes.
There was rage.
Hatred.
Pain.
Grief.
And acceptance.
Just like when he first met Garp, Ash once again realized how complicated human emotions truly were.
Whitebeard was already dying.
Not because of Ash.
But because that final attack had burned away the last of his vitality.
In Whitebeard's mind, if this punch failed, then revenge was impossible.
If so, he would rather die here and reunite with his sons.
Ash let out a quiet sigh.
The light within Whitebeard's eyes slowly faded.
Faintly, it was as if Ash could hear the old pirate's final thoughts.
'My sons... forgive me...'
'It was I who led you into the abyss.'
'But soon... I'll see you again.'
'Thank you... for staying by my side all these years.'
'Now... it's my turn to walk with you.'
The legendary pirate, Whitebeard Edward Newgate, fell in battle.