Aokiji approached Sengoku and Akainu just as the battlefield trembled from distant explosions.
Both men looked surprised by his sudden arrival.
Sengoku frowned slightly and spoke first, "Kuzan, why are you here? Have you dealt with Fire Fist Ace yet?"
"Not yet," Aokiji replied lazily. "But I crippled his right arm. His injuries are serious. Even if he survives, his threat to us will be greatly reduced."
Akainu's expression darkened with irritation. "Why did you not finish him off? With your strength, killing him should have been easy."
Aokiji scratched the back of his head, his tone helpless. "It was not that simple. Too many people were protecting him. I could not get a clean shot. Besides, I came to report something important to Sengoku."
Though Sengoku was also dissatisfied with Aokiji's tendency to hold back, he still regarded him as a future Fleet Admiral.
He chose not to scold him further and asked calmly, "What is it?"
Aokiji's expression grew serious as he repeated everything Marco had told him earlier.
When he finished, both Sengoku and Akainu fell silent.
Doubt was clear in their eyes.
Still, if even part of this report was true, then Blackbeard's threat far surpassed that of Fire Fist Ace.
Akainu spoke coldly, "If that is the case, then we should eliminate him immediately."
Sengoku shook his head. "No. If this is true, then Blackbeard's body has enormous research value. We must capture him alive. For now, we let Whitebeard and Blackbeard decide the outcome between themselves."
---
On the plaza, the battle between Whitebeard and Blackbeard had turned fierce.
At first, Whitebeard had suffered because he did not yet understand Blackbeard's abilities.
But with his vast combat experience, he quickly discovered a flaw.
With a powerful roar, Whitebeard swung Murakumogiri and slashed Blackbeard brutally.
"It hurts, it hurts so much!"
The surrounding darkness dispersed instantly.
Blackbeard crashed to the ground, screaming in agony.
Before he could even roll away, Whitebeard was already upon him.
He drove Murakumogiri straight through Blackbeard's palm and crushed him to the ground with his foot, sealing his ability to use Dark Water.
Whitebeard then seized Blackbeard by the throat.
White vibration waves formed around his hand as he stared down at him with killing intent.
"Overconfidence and recklessness are your greatest weaknesses. Teach, go to hell and apologize to Thatch."
Panic flooded Blackbeard's face.
He shouted desperately, "No, Old Man, I was wrong. Spare me. Do you really intend to kill me? I am your son!"
Boom.
Another violent vibration wave exploded from Whitebeard's palm.
Blackbeard's body convulsed, blood spraying from his mouth.
However, after his earlier battles with Sengoku and Akainu, Whitebeard had already drained nearly all his strength.
Even this full-force attack was not enough to kill Blackbeard instantly.
Blackbeard coughed violently, trembling as blood streamed down his face.
Terror filled his eyes.
"This monster… he is already this badly injured, yet he still will not fall…"
Whitebeard swayed where he stood.
His body had reached its absolute limit.
The moment Blackbeard recovered his breath, he abandoned all thoughts of a fair duel.
He turned toward his crew and screamed, "Attack him together. Kill this old monster right now."
His companions, treacherous and ruthless to the core, did not hesitate for even a second.
Seeing Whitebeard barely able to stand, they raised their guns and cannons and opened fire without mercy.
---
Outside Crescent Bay, Marco noticed Aokiji's departure.
His sharp eyes narrowed.
This was the opening he had been waiting for.
With Aokiji gone, only Admiral Kizaru remained guarding the area.
Marco turned sharply toward Jozu and shouted, "Jozu, now is the time."
Jozu's face lit up with excitement. "Leave it to me."
With a powerful leap, Jozu charged forward.
His remaining arm turned into diamond as he slammed his fist into the frozen sea.
Cracks spread rapidly through the ice, widening into a massive circle.
He tried to tear the ice apart further, but with one arm missing, digging out such a huge block was far more difficult than before.
"Let me help you," Marco said at once.
He flew to the opposite side and joined forces with Jozu.
Together, they pried loose a massive block of ice.
"Leave the rest to me," Marco said.
His feet transformed into sharp talons as he lifted the enormous sphere of ice into the air.
With all his strength, he hurled the thirty-meter-wide block downward toward the Marines.
"It's giant ice!"
"Run!"
The Marines scattered in panic as the massive ice block crashed into their formation.
Marco hovered above the battlefield, scanning the scattered Pirates.
His voice rang out with authority and urgency, "All members of the Whitebeard Pirates, regroup immediately."
At once, the division commanders began moving toward Marco.
The lower-ranking Pirates hesitated in confusion.
Weren't they supposed to fight to the death?
Marco continued shouting, "Move quickly. We are preparing to retreat."
"Retreat?"
"Do we really still have a way out?"
"Since it is Captain Marco's order, we follow it. He must have a plan."
With that, the Pirates disengaged from the Marines and rushed toward Marco.
One of the crew shouted up at him, "Captain Marco, what is happening?"
Marco replied loudly, "Have you forgotten? The old man left us a ship."
At that reminder, realization struck.
Excitement rippled through the ranks of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Beneath the sea, their escape route still waited.
The Marines also heard Marco's words and sneered with anger.
"Hmph, they still dream of escaping at a time like this. Pirates will always be Pirates."
"Do not let them get away. Chase them down."
Marco turned to Jozu again.
"Jozu, widen the opening even further."
"Understood."
Jozu struck the ice again and again.
Together, he and Marco tore out enormous slabs of ice and hurled them into the Marine ranks.
The Marines were forced to retreat and dodge repeatedly, their formation thrown into complete disorder by the continuous bombardment.
Above them all, Marco stood firm in the air, guiding the retreat with steady resolve.
---
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