"Well, that's it, bye!"
With those words, Blackbeard clenched his fist. The floating Marineford island immediately fractured and began to fall apart, sending both the shattered debris and the people on it plummeting toward the sea. With over one hundred thousand people on the island, many of them Devil Fruit users, it was anyone's guess how many would survive the fall.
Ikki immediately flew to Luffy's side. "Luffy, we saved Ace! There's no point in fighting Blackbeard anymore," he said. "Our crew is waiting for us, let's head back to the Merry!"
"Right, let's go."
Luffy nodded, watching Blackbeard's figure get smaller and smaller as he flew away. "One day, we're definitely gonna fight again," he said. "That guy is one of the final obstacles to me becoming Pirate King, and I have to beat him!"
The two didn't waste any time and quickly located the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates. They found everyone safely gathered on the Merry. Sanji was holding the ship in the air with a series of black spears, which meant they were all perfectly safe. It seemed they had anticipated the situation and prepared in advance. Now all Ikki and Luffy had to do was get back to the ship.
Luffy laughed when he saw this, then looked around at the others. "Ace! Sabo! Grandpa! Uncle Whitebeard! Do you guys need any help?!" he yelled.
What a kind-hearted guy! Even at a time like this, he was still thinking about helping others.
"I'm fine, Luffy!"
Sabo used his Flame-Flame Fruit to create small clouds and caught Ivankov and Inazuma. He continued to help the other Okamas, seeming to do it with ease.
"Luffy, I'm with the Whitebeard Pirates! We rule the seas, we don't need help from a crybaby like you!"
Ace said with a smile, flames erupting from under his feet to lift him into the air. He then joined Marco to rescue the rest of their endangered companions.
As for Whitebeard, he was stepping on the floating rubble from the island, jumping from one piece to the next, saving many of his sons along the way.
He eventually landed on the last remaining whale ship of the Whitebeard Pirates. Whitebeard only glanced at Luffy, but a slight smile still formed on his face, showing how pleased he was.
Garp used Geppo to stay in the air. "Luffy, you little rascal! You should be worrying about yourself!" he called out.
Seeing that no one else needed their help, Luffy dropped out of his Gear Four form and used the giant door-panel sword to fly back to the Merry with Ikki. They successfully reunited with the rest of their crew.
Akainu had originally planned to use this opportunity to kill Ace but was stopped by Sengoku. Marineford had been destroyed, and over a hundred thousand Marine elites had suffered heavy losses.
The Marines were severely injured, and it would be foolish to continue fighting the Whitebeard Pirates and the Straw Hat Pirates. If they kept going, the Marines would face total annihilation.
Sengoku decided it was more important to save lives. He took full responsibility for the outcome of the war.
Blackbeard had calculated everything, and the Marines had been humiliated. In the end, they failed to kill Fire Fist Ace and they also failed to eliminate Whitebeard.
The Marines' prestige would fall to an all-time low. Sengoku would forever be a disgrace. However, the war had to end. If it didn't, more Marines would die.
His personal honor was meaningless compared to saving as many lives as he could, as the Marines had many other enemies besides the Whitebeard Pirates, including the other Five Emperors, and now Blackbeard.
The Marines would have a heavy burden to carry in the future, so every single one of these elite Marines needed to survive.
With the Marines no longer a threat, the escape was easier. The Merry entered the sea, and alongside the Whitebeard Pirates, the Revolutionary Army, and the escaped prisoners, they rushed out through the automatically opened Gates of Justice. They all headed in the direction of Enies Lobby.
Not far from Marineford, the Red Force, the Red-Haired Pirates' ship, was waiting. The entire crew watched the events unfolding at Marineford with surprise. The outcome had completely exceeded their expectations.
Ben Beckman took the cigarette holder out of his mouth. "It's a shame we didn't get to fight," he said.
Shanks laughed loudly and scratched his head. "Hahahaha! I didn't expect this at all. Ace and Whitebeard made it out safely, and Luffy's performance was amazing!"
The crew rolled their eyes. With Whitebeard's appearance, no one was truly safe!
Lucky Roo took a bite of his meat. "Boss, are you really not worried?" he asked.
Shanks's expression turned serious. "To be honest, Teach's ability to become a triple Devil Fruit user is beyond my imagination," he said. "The seas won't be peaceful anymore. Luckily, Luffy has grown, and his crew is incredibly powerful, so I guess I don't have to worry too much."
Ben Beckman glanced at Shanks but said nothing. He could see that Shanks wasn't worried; he was clearly in a bad mood.
Once the Gates of Justice closed, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing everyone slumped on the deck, Ikki didn't say a word. This battle had been exhausting, and even he wanted to get some sleep. However, they were still close to the Marines, so it was best not to let their guard down.
Chopper whimpered as he talked about how the Merry had been hit by a laser. Tashigi immediately bowed deeply to everyone, apologizing for failing to protect the ship. Usopp didn't say anything, but he was clearly saddened.
Franky spoke in a low voice. "I just did some temporary repairs, but the Merry's keel is cracked," he said. "It's a miracle it can still sail."
Everyone was silent.
Luffy grabbed Franky's shoulder. "Franky, you're the apprentice of the greatest shipwright in the world, aren't you?" he said loudly. "Can't you save the Merry? She's our crewmate!"
Franky shook his head sadly. "Even if Mr. Tom were here, the ship is already... A ship's keel is like a person's spine. If the spine breaks, they're going to die. This ship is just tired, Captain."
Luffy froze and slowly let go of Franky's shoulder. He buried his face in his straw hat, lost in thought. A wave of sadness washed over the entire Straw Hat crew.
Law, Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin didn't say anything to comfort them. They understood the feeling. If the submarine they relied on was destroyed, they would be devastated too. The Straw Hats clearly loved their ship dearly.
Just then, the Heart Pirates' submarine surfaced, with Momoo trailing behind. Momoo had been about to cheerfully greet everyone but stopped once he sensed their sadness. He quietly swam behind the Merry, leaving the Straw Hats to their grief.
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