Near the execution platform, Fleet Admiral Sengoku observed the battlefield with full control, every moment unfolding before him. He could not fathom why Whitebeard had dispatched Marco, such a formidable fighter, to support just one pirate crew. Nonetheless, his plan remained in motion.
Suddenly a series of piercing screams echoed from the sky: "Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah…" The cries cut through the roar of battle, forcing both Marines and pirates to look upward.
On the execution platform, Ace's eyes widened as he saw a figure falling from above. In shock he shouted, "Luffy, is that really you…"
At the same moment, the falling figure steadied, and Luffy looked up to Ace, calling out, "Ace, I've come to save you!"
Veteran Garp, watching this unfold, muttered under his breath: "Luffy…"
Sengoku's face turned red with rage upon seeing the arrival of unexpected allies alongside Luffy — Crocodile, Jinbe, Ivankov, and others — descending toward Marineford. He clenched his fist and spat bitterly, "Damn Garp, it's your family again making trouble…"
Meanwhile, attention shifted to falling warships descending from the sky.
"Is that Straw Hat Luffy?" Marco thought to himself. In the original story, the Straw Hat had indeed appeared in just such a dramatic way. For Marco, this whole Marineford war had been a Marine conspiracy against the Whitebeard Pirates — and rescuing Ace depended heavily on Luffy's arrival.
At that moment, Jozu looked upward at the skyborne vessels, brows furrowed. "Warships falling from the sky? Is this some Marine backup plan?" he muttered in disbelief.
Vista, standing beside Jozu, couldn't help but grin. He studied the scene and said, "I don't know who those people are, but judging from the way they're shouting that they came to save Ace, even if they were once our enemy, as long as they fight beside us now, we can treat them as temporary allies."
Nearby, Aokiji — who had been locked in combat with Jozu and Vista — frowned and studied the newcomers. "Is that really Straw Hat? How did he show up here?" He recalled that Fire Fist Ace was Garp's adopted grandson and had a close connection with Luffy. Aokiji wondered quietly if this boy had truly come all the way to save Ace with such limited strength.
Then with a deafening boom, one of the warships crashed downward — yet instead of smashing into the ice below, it plunged into the sea in the area where Jozu had earlier cleared thick ice blocks.
The Marines and Whitebeard Pirates alike stared at the submerged vessel, stunned.
On the deck of the fallen ship, Luffy rose to his feet on the mast, his voice booming through the chaos: "Ace, I've come to save you! Hang on!"
Below, fear and confusion spread across the Marine formation. These were no ordinary Marine forces. Prisoners clad in prison uniforms, pirates, members of the Revolutionary Army, former and present Seven Warlords — the sight was bewildering, outrageous.
Sengoku recognized them instantly. The prison uniforms alone revealed their identities: escapees from Impel Down led by Straw Hat, Crocodile, Jinbe, Ivankov, and others. Sengoku had expected them to flee far away after escaping, not to storm into Marineford like it was nothing. Furious, he bellowed at Jinbe, "Jinbe, is this your choice? Are you betraying the Marines and renouncing your Warlord title?"
Jinbe's face remained calm, his voice firm. "Yes, I relinquish the title of Seven Warlords of the Sea. I came here solely to save Ace."
Sengoku's face drained of color. He grabbed a transponder snail, shouting an order to the entire Marine army: "These are all criminals — escapees from Impel Down. Anyone witnessing them must execute them on the spot. Take no prisoners."
A chorus of marine voices responded: "Yes, sir!"
As chaos erupted, events began to follow the original storyline. Crocodile attempted an ambush on Whitebeard, but Luffy intercepted in time. Standing before Whitebeard with aggressive posture, Luffy declared loudly his ambition to become Pirate King.
Whitebeard didn't respond with anger; instead he laughed. "So bold, you brat. As long as you don't get in my way."
Luffy's expression hardened with resolve. "I will save Ace." With that, he leaped off the Moby Dick's deck.
Whitebeard's lips curved slightly, deep in thought. This changed everything. He wondered silently whether Sengoku's plan would shift now — though the Admirals had not yet made a real move. Likely they intended to wait, preventing the pirates from landing on the plaza until the moment to erect their encircling walls. Once that happened, it would be the Marines' opportunity — and also Whitebeard's chance to counterattack.
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Crescent Bay, Marco continued to relentlessly hunt down Marine soldiers, fighting alongside Little Oars and the forty‑three captains under his command.
Though the Marines had nearly seventy thousand troops in the area, the Whitebeard Pirates and their allies gathered over fifty thousand fighters — not a huge difference in numbers. More significantly, the highest‑ranking Marine in this zone was only a Vice Admiral, posing relatively limited threat to Marco.
Marine Vice Admiral Momonga roared with fury, raising his sword to strike at Marco. But before he could land a blow, a member of Marco's group stepped forward: Doma the Rescuer blocked Momonga, his voice calm yet firm: "Please do not interfere with Captain Marco's actions."
Under Marco's command, the allied pirates ripped a gap in the Marine defensive line outside Crescent Bay. Soon waves of pirates surged forward, assaulting the Marines' outer defenses.
"Pirates are landing in Crescent Bay!" "Keep them away from the plaza at all cost!" "Intercept the pirates now!" Marines shouted as they gripped their weapons. Even with the surprise landing, Marineford's defensive formation held firm. The shape of Crescent Bay — the ice field — curved like a crescent moon, with the execution platform guarded at its center by over thirty thousand elite Marines under full command of an Admiral. The plaza remained nearly impregnable.
Then, a deafening roar cut through the clash of swords: "Inugami Guren!" A massive magma dog's head, as enormous as a Giant Race warrior, suddenly lunged at Little Oars. Every soldier witnessing the monstrous attack felt dread claw at their hearts.
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