Marineford was engulfed in war!
Even with Luffy's involvement, Marineford's dominant position remained unshaken.
When Whitebeard gave his final Captain's order, even with all their unwillingness, the pirates could only flee.
Having lost the courage to fight to the death, coupled with the relentless advance of the Pacifista... the pirates suffered a complete rout!
Smoker, covered in blood, cut off Squard's head. He weaved through the pirate crowds, slaughtering them en masse!
In the center of the battle, fire and ice enveloped an area, but compared to Ace's pale expression, Aokiji was relaxed and composed.
Crack—
A faint cracking sound suddenly came from the ground.
Rip!
The ground behind Whitebeard shattered and tore, spewing forth a pillar of surging crimson magma.
A grim figure with a formidable aura leaped out from the boiling magma, like a hellhound pouncing on its prey, his entire right arm swelling and twisting as he delivered a fatal punch!
"Dog Biting Red Lotus!"
Whitebeard wielded Murakumogiri, its blade trailing black and red lightning, as he slashed at the magma fist.
With the two of them at the center, the ground within a hundred-meter radius simultaneously collapsed several meters, dust erupted, forcing the surrounding Marine Soldiers to retreat repeatedly, their eyes filled with horror.
"Go to hell! You pirate scum who've lived for decades!"
"Gurararara, you're not good enough for that!"
A milky-white aura enveloped his left fist; as he lowered his stance, his white Captain's cloak billowed behind him, and the muscles of his entire left arm bulged, powerful and knotted.
He punched Akainu directly in the face!!
Crack crack... The milky-white aura suddenly expanded, Akainu's entire face rapidly twisted, and blood overflowed from his mouth and nose.
"You want to kill me? You're a few hundred years too early, brat!"
Akainu was sent flying again.
Whitebeard once again brandished Murakumogiri, the space vibrated, sweeping Aokiji away!
—Boom!
Whitebeard's colossal figure appeared before Ace, gazing at him gently.
Ace knelt heavily on the ground, various emotions like shame, worry, and happiness surging in his heart. "—Pops!"
"Ace, let me ask you a question!... Was I a good enough Pops for you?!"
Ace's eyes widened, tears streaming down his face, and he slammed his head to the ground, roaring, "—Of course you were!"
"Gurararara, Gurararara!"
Whitebeard laughed heartily, his voice no longer holding any regret.
Looking at the two Admirals approaching, Whitebeard brandished the bisento in his hand, his aura growing with the wind.
"Since that's the case, then let Pops escort you for the last leg of the journey!"
...Countless pirates lost the courage to fight again. They remembered Pops's command and frantically rushed towards the sea.
The Captains, one by one, confronted the Pacifista, covering their comrades' retreat.
The Marines, meanwhile, charged headlong towards the pirates.
Countless pirates were slaughtered, and naturally, some Marines also perished.
The entire battlefield turned into a giant meat grinder!
Koby stood frozen in place.
He watched as vibrant lives fell one by one.
He looked around.
The Marines undoubtedly held the absolute upper hand.
At the execution platform, the strategic "Tactician" Fleet Admiral Sengoku was overseeing the entire situation.
However, pirate after pirate fell, and Marine comrade after Marine comrade was injured, or even died.
Every minute, every second, lives were vanishing.
—Is this truly justice?!
—"Ah!"
Koby clutched his head, his mind a chaotic mess.
Countless screams invaded his mind.
No!
This is not it!
Justice should be about protection, not slaughter!
Koby's gaze grew firmer. He looked towards the figure on the execution platform.
Yes, there's still a chance!
He suddenly turned and rushed back against the flow of people.
"Hey, Koby, why are you running?!"
"Aren't we supposed to annihilate the Whitebeard Pirates?!"
"Koby, you're not thinking of being a deserter, are you?"
"Koby, you deserter!"
"I, Wang Tiedan, look down on you! Bah!"
Koby's act of desertion instantly provoked the anger of the Marines.
However, he had only one goal!
...Finally, he arrived at the base of the execution platform.
He looked up at Sengoku on the high platform and, using all his strength, let out a heart-wrenching shout.
—"That's enough!"
—"Stop the war! Don't fight anymore!"
—"You are squandering lives!"
This heart-wrenching cry, like a sudden clap of thunder, instantly reverberated throughout Marineford.
The clamor of battle cries, the roar of cannon fire, the screams of despair, all ceased at this moment.
Countless eyes, whether they belonged to Marines in pursuit or pirates fleeing for their lives, unconsciously stopped their actions and looked towards the source of the sound.
Finally, everyone's gaze converged on the pink-haired youth standing below the execution platform, his body trembling violently from emotion, with two lines of tears on his face.
"A Marine!"
The pirates were somewhat incredulous; could there actually be Marines who spoke up for them?
"Who is that brat?!"
Akainu's magma-formed face was filled with rage and confusion.
In his opinion, such trash, who showed mercy to enemies on the battlefield, was utterly unworthy of wearing a Marine uniform!
—"Arararara, this is quite troublesome, isn't it?!"
Aokiji was also a bit helpless; Koby's shout would surely cause Marine morale to plummet!
—"Gurararara, I'm truly grateful!"
Whitebeard naturally saw this scene. He waved his large hand, and tremors spread.
—"Damn it!"
Akainu punched Whitebeard back and roared at Aokiji, "Kuzan, leave this old man to me... Don't let those bastards leave Marineford!"
Akainu's rage had reached its peak. He had originally planned to team up with Kuzan to eliminate Whitebeard, but now he had no choice but to do this.
In Akainu's mind, that pink-haired brat's level of damnableness had surpassed Whitebeard's.
"You scoundrel!!!"
Sengoku looked at the pink-haired recruit who was spouting nonsense, trembling with anger, and golden Buddha light uncontrollably spilled from his body.
The rampant Haoshoku instantly knocked Koby unconscious. If he weren't Garp's disciple, he would have already turned to ash.
But even if he didn't die, his fate would certainly not be good!
Sengoku looked at the somewhat bewildered soldiers around him.
He suddenly realized he had been too lenient; truly, one bad apple spoils the barrel!
He took a deep breath, and his voice echoed throughout Marineford.
—"Soldiers, grip your weapons! Pirates are not worthy of mercy!"
—"Think about it, when these pirates were burning, killing, looting, and massacring civilians in the Four Seas, on the Grand Line, and in every corner of the world!"
—"Did they ever show even a shred of mercy!"
—"To avenge the innocent dead, to be worthy of the uniform you wear!"
If you still have strength, please continue to fight!!"
—Boom!
Sengoku's words were like an invisible sledgehammer, striking heavily at countless Marine Soldiers.
The soldiers unconsciously tightened their grip on their weapons. They remembered their hometowns, and the happiness destroyed by pirates.
They gritted their teeth, like maddened beasts.
—"Kill! We must leave these scumbags here forever!"
One could only say that Sengoku was indeed worthy of being called the "Tactician" and the Fleet Admiral.
He managed to restore morale with just a few words!
At the same time, Sengoku's gaze fell on Marco, who was desperately providing cover.
Golden light erupted, and a powerful shockwave blasted towards Marco!
—"Die, pirate!"
Marco was momentarily stunned, then spread his wings, and blue flames formed a barrier.
"Boom!!"
Gold clashed with blue, and Marco was instantly sent flying.
With Sengoku's intervention, Marine morale surged again!!
PS: Because the first volume was written so poorly, the author plans a major revision in the end!... So, extra updates are unlikely, but two updates a day will still be maintained, rest assured!