"Brat..." Whitebeard roared, preparing to strike at Kizaru. But the Marines surged toward him again like an endless tide. The moment one wave of soldiers was blasted away, another hurled themselves at him, sabers raised and faces twisted with desperation.
Whitebeard clenched his massive fist, a sphere of crackling tremor energy forming around it. He was about to unleash it, but Kizaru seized the opening. A concentrated beam of light shot from his fingertip, piercing straight through Whitebeard's right arm. The quake energy dissipated instantly.
"Kill Whitebeard!"
Several Rear Admirals rushed in at once. Their blades, coated in Armament Haki, pierced into Whitebeard's already battered body.
"Oh, that must hurt quite a bit, Whitebeard-san..." Kizaru said with a smug grin. A bright golden glow gathered at his foot as he continued, "Next, let this old man help you find release."
Just as he prepared to unleash his attack, a streak of blue fire ripped through the battlefield.
"Phoenix Seal!"
Marco crashed into Kizaru from the side, his flaming kick slamming into Kizaru's leg. The Admiral's incoming attack veered off course and blasted into the stone wall behind them, erupting in a cloud of dust and debris.
"Oh… First Division Commander Marco..." Kizaru drawled lazily, amusement flickering in his eyes.
Marco glared at him. "For an Admiral, you sure don't feel ashamed relying on cheap sneak attacks."
Kizaru's smile widened, though his expression stayed annoyingly relaxed. A laser began forming at his fingertip. "This old man isn't interested in lectures from a pirate."
The laser fired. Marco raised his Armament-coated hand, blocking it head-on. The light shattered into scattered energy sparks, exploding across the ground in brief bursts.
He rushed forward, flames flaring. "Don't underestimate me. Phoenix Seal!"
His kick crashed into Kizaru's guard. Unlike Akainu, Kizaru disliked tanking blows, and he let his body become light, streaking backward in a trail of sparks until he crashed into the ground far behind.
"Admiral Kizaru!" Marines gasped in shock, seeing the Admiral kicked across the battlefield.
Akainu arrived at that moment, witnessing the scene. His expression twisted with irritation. "Tch… that damn Borsalino."
"Pops!" Several commanders broke through the Marine ranks and rushed to Whitebeard's side, forcing a gap between him and the attacking officers.
The encircling Marines backed away, cautious now that the commanders had regrouped.
Namur looked at Whitebeard's injuries—the stab wounds, bullet holes, and burns left by Kizaru and the Marine officers. The sight made his voice tremble with anger. "Pops, they've hurt you badly."
"These are nothing but scratches," Whitebeard replied with a steady, bold tone. He looked toward Vista. "Have the others all withdrawn?"
Vista nodded. "Yes. Most of our men have already retreated from the plaza, but the Marines pursued them. The sea outside has been frozen by Aokiji's ice. And the Marine weapons destroyed all our ships."
Izo added firmly, "But if we seize a few warships, we can still escape. Pops, we need to leave now!"
Whitebeard didn't answer immediately. His eyes settled on Akainu and Kizaru drawing closer, both ready to strike again. Just one Admiral was trouble enough. Facing two at once would make escape impossible for the weaker members.
"Marco," Whitebeard said, voice deep and commanding, "take everyone and retreat first. I'll handle the rear."
Marco's eyes narrowed, scanning the army surrounding them. "Pops, at a time like this, shouldn't we be retreating together?"
"That's right, Pops," the others echoed.
Whitebeard's expression hardened. "I said go. I will cover the rear. Your presence will only get in the way here."
Izo stepped forward anxiously. "Pops! We'll protect you. We're not leaving without you. Everyone else has already escaped. We can hold out together and retreat—"
"Protect me? I am WHITEBEARD!" His voice thundered across the battlefield. "I don't need anyone's protection. Leave! Don't make me repeat myself."
Marco stared at the two Admirals closing in, at the thousands of Marines encircling them, and at the battlefield Whitebeard was slowly turning into rubble. He knew exactly how destructive Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit could be. Even injured, the old man could reshape the land itself.
Marco's jaw tightened. "Then… be careful, Old man."
As Marco and the others retreated, Whitebeard let out a low, satisfied laugh. Before him stood only Marines—no sons, no one to hold back for. He tightened his grip on his bisento, a massive smile forming beneath his mustache.
"Good. Now come! From here on… your opponent is me."
"Damn it, Whitebeard… planning to die, are you?" Sengoku growled, face darkening.
"Don't let the Whitebeard Pirates escape!"
"AAAAHHHHH!"
Whitebeard unleashed a roar that shook the air itself. His punch plunged into the ground, and the tremor that followed dwarfed every previous quake. The plaza split open like fragile glass. Deep fissures tore across Marineford, and seawater surged into the widening cracks.
Sengoku's expression twisted. "He's trying to sink Marineford! STOP HIM!"
"Whitebeard! Stop destroying Marineford!" Akainu charged forward, fist erupting with molten fury as he swung.
Kizaru's usual laziness vanished. He drew the Ama no Murakumo blade of pure light, joining the assault.
The quake subsided. Whitebeard looked toward the fault line now separating him from his fleeing sons. Then he roared, voice echoing through the battlefield:
"ALL MEMBERS OF THE WHITEBEARD PIRATES, LISTEN! THIS IS MY FINAL ORDER AS YOUR CAPTAIN!"
Marco froze mid-flight. A tight, sickening feeling twisted in his chest. He had suspected it the moment Whitebeard chose to stay behind… but hearing it confirmed left him cold.
Whitebeard's injuries were nowhere near as severe as in the original history Marco remembered. He wasn't dying.
But even so…
Whitebeard clearly had no intention of leaving Marineford alive.
____
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