When Kuma began to struggle internally and ceased his attacks, Jerry quickly surveyed the battlefield with his sharp eyes.
He noticed that aside from Aokiji and Dragon, who were locked in fierce combat, the rest of the Marines—including Kizaru—were intentionally or unintentionally disengaging from their opponents and retreating toward the edges of the square to establish defensive positions.
Jerry also spotted Akainu quietly returning to the execution platform, where he now stood with imposing authority.
Then Jerry shifted his gaze toward Sengoku's direction.
On the execution platform, the Fleet Admiral was roaring in frustration at a communications officer. "Are you kidding me! What do you mean the broadcast equipment is out of control and the video feed can't be stopped due to 'unknown technical difficulties'?"
"Stop making excuses! I want this broadcast terminated within one minute!"
Although Jerry couldn't hear Sengoku's words directly from his position, Kotatsu's enhanced abilities allowed the Cheshire to eavesdrop and silently relay the information through their special bond.
"Ha! A good show should have a proper beginning and ending. You can't just cut it off halfway through—that's like serving half a meal and taking the rest away," Jerry muttered to himself with amusement.
Jerry had already instructed Kotatsu to secretly take control of the relevant video Den Den Mushi, ensuring that Sengoku's attempts to shut down the live broadcast would be doomed to failure.
Next, Jerry turned his attention toward Whitebeard's position.
Seeing the bald spider-like figure of Squard approaching the World's Strongest Man, Jerry scratched his head thoughtfully. "Looks like they're still using the same tired old tricks."
"Makes sense, though. Even if Whitebeard isn't actively fighting much, just having him standing there makes him the backbone of the entire Whitebeard Pirates. Everyone can feel his presence."
"To catch the bandits, first catch their leader. Deal with him simply and brutally." Jerry stroked his chin as he continued his quiet commentary.
Apparently, Whitebeard's advancing age and declining health weren't exactly state secrets, so it wasn't surprising that the Marines would target him specifically.
In the distance, within Jerry's line of sight, Whitebeard lowered his head and asked with genuine concern, "Squard? What's wrong?"
Jerry could already guess what would happen next without needing to listen to their conversation.
"Ah, it feels so good being a prophet! Too bad I probably won't have many more opportunities to experience this kind of pleasure in the future," Jerry sighed, his expression showing the comfortable satisfaction of someone who'd just finished a relaxing massage.
Then he shook his head, deciding not to dwell on irrelevant thoughts, and casually extended his left hand, making a subtle gesture toward Whitebeard's direction.
At that moment, Squard said something that sounded perfectly normal and took the opportunity to move closer to Whitebeard.
Suddenly, Squard—who had appeared calm on the surface—leaped forward and thrust his long sword directly at Whitebeard's chest.
Whitebeard's pupils contracted sharply. He truly hadn't expected one of his own sons to betray him like this.
Captains like Marco and Jozu, who constantly kept watch over their father and were ready to provide support and protection at any moment, along with Ace fighting on the front lines, were all stunned by the unexpected attack.
"Pops!" they couldn't help but cry out in alarm.
However, the enemies on the battlefield wouldn't pause out of courtesy.
In that brief moment of shock, Marco was kicked hard by Kizaru and sent flying backward. Ace was also struck by the Admiral's light-based attack and fell back, blood spurting from his mouth.
Many members of the Whitebeard Pirates were mentally shaken by the betrayal and found themselves repelled and injured by their opponents.
From the perspective of the entire battlefield, the psychological impact of this treacherous blade was enormous and far-reaching.
"Whitebeard... was he stabbed?"
"I can't tell for sure, but from what I can see on screen, it looks like it."
Not only the fighters present on the battlefield, but people from all around the world watching the live broadcast were staring in amazement and horror.
Whitebeard looked down in disbelief at Squard, who was thrusting his weapon toward him.
"Squard! What are you doing?!" Ace's roar echoed throughout the entire plaza.
As for the attacker himself, Squard felt no sensation of his blade piercing flesh. He shouted in panic, "How is this possible?!"
At that moment, everyone was shocked to realize that Whitebeard didn't appear to be bleeding at all.
Looking more closely, they could see that at the tip of the straight longsword, there was an almost transparent, circular water shield quietly attached to Whitebeard's chest, rotating silently and deflecting the attack.
"Thanks, Jerry!" Whitebeard raised the corner of his mouth in a grateful smile and gave Jerry a casual wave.
Then he lowered his head again to look into the horrified eyes of Squard.
"Don't mention it. You guys handle your family business—I won't interfere," Jerry waved back in response. He untied the large fish he'd been carrying and tossed it to Carina and the others, who were standing confused behind Whitebeard.
After hearing their exchange, everyone finally understood where the "protective barrier" on Whitebeard's chest had come from.
Ace wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, smiled at Marco and the other injured captains, and gave Jerry a thumbs up. "You're amazing! Thank you!"
At this point, many people who had witnessed the scene began to slowly process what had happened.
They listened as Squard engaged in a hysterical argument with Whitebeard. It seemed that after Ace's true identity as Roger's son was revealed, some disagreements and conflicting opinions had emerged within the Whitebeard Pirates. The Marines had then exploited these divisions, leading to the betrayal they'd just witnessed.
"Aokiji!" Sengoku shouted without hesitation.
"Understood!" Aokiji received the order and immediately released intense cold air, freezing all the video Den Den Mushi that the Marines had deployed around the battlefield.
This wasn't a difficult task for him. Even though he'd been slightly injured in his fierce battle with Dragon, it didn't affect his precise control over his Devil Fruit abilities at all.
However, even after Aokiji used his power, the live broadcast continued uninterrupted. The camera's first-person perspective remained focused on Whitebeard and Squard.
Sengoku's pupils contracted rapidly. Based on the angle of the screen, he immediately identified Kotatsu, who was perched on little Bonney's head.
"Damn it! Who is doing this!" Sengoku said through gritted teeth.
Catching Akainu's questioning gaze, a flash of determination appeared in Sengoku's eyes.
He picked up his Den Den Mushi and spoke in a deep, commanding voice: "Activate the encirclement walls! Begin closing the net!"
As soon as Sengoku finished speaking, the thunderous roar of machinery could be heard along the coastline and around the edges of the crescent-shaped harbor's plaza.
"Sengoku! You Marines are really full of dirty tricks, but I'm not someone you can easily manipulate!"
After the situation was clarified and he'd comforted Squard, Whitebeard straightened his massive frame and stared directly at Sengoku on the execution platform.
He clenched his left hand into a fist, as if gathering all the strength remaining in his aging body, then delivered a devastating blow through the air toward the execution platform.
The very space seemed to crack and splinter under that punch. Shockwaves formed by the fractures raced forward in a straight line, and everyone in their path had to either dodge or be caught up in the tremendous force.
"Easy there, old man! Planning to blow away the whole battlefield just to prove a point?" Jerry commented as he walked forward, casually swinging his fishing rod to knock aside a Marine who'd gotten too close. He sighed inwardly at the display.
Watching the members of the Whitebeard Pirates become excited and courageous once again, Jerry shook his head and muttered, "It's true what they say—old men never yield, and young people don't know fear."
The shockwave seemed unstoppable, but it suddenly dissipated into nothing just as it was about to reach the execution platform.
Akainu, positioned beneath the execution platform, and Kizaru, who had somehow returned to that area, could be seen raising their hands forward, discretely releasing powerful Haki to resist the attack from a distance.
"That old man is so scary," Kizaru remarked calmly, though his usual smirk seemed a bit strained.
Akainu glanced at him with cold eyes and replied, "Stop the commentary. We can't let this old man continue acting so arrogantly."