When Crocodile finished speaking, guilt flickered across Ace's face.
He knew better than anyone that this catastrophe had begun with his own stubbornness.
If he had not insisted on chasing Blackbeard alone, the Whitebeard Pirates would never have been dragged into such a desperate situation.
His father would not have been forced to gamble his life for everyone's escape.
At this moment, there was only one thing left he could do
Follow his father's final will and lead as many people as possible back to the New World, alive.
"I will not die here," Ace shouted toward Kizaru, his voice filled with unwavering resolve.
"Pops, Marco, everyone, and Luffy, they all risked everything to save a hopeless fool like me.
Even though I was wrong from the very beginning, they still protected me without hesitation.
For their sake, I must live"
His life no longer belonged to himself alone.
It carried the hopes of the entire Whitebeard Pirates.
Faced with such sacrifices, he had no right to fall here.
Kizaru adjusted his stance slightly, his tone still lazy but merciless.
"That will not do
We have our own reasons for being unable to fail
The purpose of this war is to execute you, the man who carries the bloodline of the Pirate King
If we allow you to escape, then for us Marines, this battle becomes a complete failure."
Jinbe stepped forward without hesitation, placing himself in front of Ace.
"Ace San, you move first.
Kizaru's target is you
We will hold him back"
Ivankov followed at once
"That is right, Ace boy
Too many people have fallen in this war already
You evacuate first
We will stop Kizaru"
Luffy clenched his fists, his voice shaking with urgency.
"Ace, go first"
Ace shook his head firmly
"Even if I wanted to leave now, where could I go
The sea around us is completely frozen
There is nowhere to run
Instead of fleeing blindly, I would rather fight with everything I have and carve out a path to survival"
A resolute smile formed on his lips.
"And besides, if I run away… who will protect my little brother"
With that, he pulled Luffy behind him once more and spoke in a steady voice,
"Luffy, step back
You have already done more than enough in this battle
It is my fault as your older brother for dragging you into something this dangerous
I will bring you back safely
No matter what"
"Fire Fist…"
As his low murmur faded, Ace surged forward and launched his attack
"Oh," Kizaru said calmly, his figure dissolving into golden light as he easily evaded the oncoming flames
The lenses of his glasses glinted faintly
"So you have no intention of surrendering
Unfortunately, I also have a duty I cannot abandon"
Light gathered in his palm
"Ama no Murakumo Sword…"
A blade of pure golden light condensed in his hand
Jinbe's eyes widened as he shouted at once,
"Be careful
Admiral Kizaru is attacking"
On another battlefield, Marco and Kuzan were still locked in fierce combat
Kuzan glanced toward the distant clash between Kizaru and the others and let out a lazy sigh
"Ara la, it seems Fire Fist Ace has been completely targeted by Borsalino
But you, you do not look worried at all"
Marco steadied his breathing and met Kuzan's gaze with a solemn expression
Although Kuzan had not previously used his full strength, Marco was already under immense pressure
He knew that resisting Kuzan even at this level required everything he had
He followed Kuzan's line of sight toward the frozen battlefield, where Ace, Crocodile, Vista, Ivankov, and Jinbe were jointly fighting Kizaru
A faint, wry smile appeared on Marco's face before his eyes hardened with resolve
"I believe they can handle Kizaru
My task is simple
I stop you here
If you also enter that battle, Ace and the others will truly fall into despair"
Marco had done everything within his power
Whitebeard was holding back Sakazuki
Kuzan was restrained here by him
That left only Kizaru on the other front
If Ace still fell despite that, then it could only be called fate
Moreover, Marco was already pushing himself to the limit just to restrain Kuzan
If he tried to switch targets, Kuzan would immediately chase Ace down
He did not have three heads or six arms
Stopping one Admiral was already his absolute limit
A hint of surprise crossed Kuzan's face
"You really are giving it your all"
He paused briefly, then his tone sharpened
"But I cannot be held back here by you forever"
In that instant, Kuzan's presence changed
The lazy air around him vanished, replaced by sharp, biting cold
After seeing Kizaru draw the Ama no Murakumo Sword, Kuzan chose to abandon all restraint
He understood his colleague well
Borsalino only used that sword when he was truly serious
Marco felt the pressure spike immediately
In a blur of motion, Kuzan leaped forward
Frost rapidly condensed around his fist as Armament Haki surged, hardening the ice into a massive gauntlet
Using Soru, he vanished from his original position and reappeared before Marco like a streak of white lightning
"Ice Fist"
The speed was terrifying
Even compared to Sakazuki, it was faster
Marco did not retreat
Phoenix flames erupted violently from his body as he met the incoming strike head on
"Phoenix Flame…"
Their fists collided with thunderous force
At the point of impact, frost raced up Marco's arm at a terrifying speed, freezing everything it touched
Marco reacted instantly
He twisted his body and raised his leg, slamming it toward Kuzan
"Crane Claw"
Just as his kick was about to land, a violent wave of freezing air exploded outward from Kuzan's body, swallowing Marco whole
Even wrapped in Armament Haki, Marco's body was rapidly encased in ice, layer by layer, until he was completely sealed inside a massive transparent sphere
In the blink of an eye, a five meter wide ice ball formed around him
Kuzan stared at the frozen Marco without lowering his guard
He knew all too well that this alone would not restrain Marco for long
Cold gathered once more in his palm
"Ice Ball"
As cracking sounds echoed across the battlefield, wave after wave of freezing power surged into the already formed ice sphere
The five meter ice ball continued to expand, growing larger and heavier, until it finally became a towering ice mass nearly twenty meters wide
Only then did it slowly come to a halt.