At that moment, Little Oars finally dragged himself out of the sea. His massive body was covered in wide swaths of burns, steam still rising from his scorched flesh. Seeing Akainu retreat, he released a long, shaky breath.
Just now… he had truly been terrified.
Akainu's destructive power was on a completely different level—far beyond mere cannon fire.
"Little Oars, are you alright?"
"Ship doctor, hurry—treat him!"
"Captain Marco said Little Oars will be crucial later!"
The pirates shouted anxiously as they rushed over.
"I'm fine… I can still fight," Little Oars said stubbornly. Ignoring the searing pain, he struggled to his feet and gripped his enormous blade. "Pops ordered me to destroy the Marine warships. I'll wipe them all out."
Marco glanced at him and said solemnly, "The next phase will be even harder. Oars, be careful."
"I understand."
Marco then raised his voice.
"Brothers! Akainu has withdrawn—now's our chance! Push forward and land on Marineford!"
"OHHH—!!"
But just then, a furious roar cut through the cheers.
"Marco! Don't even think about landing on Marineford!"
Vice Admiral Yamakaji charged forward, saber flashing as he slashed toward Marco.
"Claw—!"
Marco kicked out, his leg colliding head-on with the blade. The impact forced Yamakaji back several steps.
"We won't let you advance, pirates!"
Momonga, Onigumo, Doberman, Strawberry, Bastille, Dalmatian—one by one, veteran Marine Vice Admirals stepped forward, forming a solid wall in front of Marco and the pirates.
"Vice Admirals from the HQ!"
"So what? Even an Admiral couldn't stop Captain Marco!"
"Captain Marco, show them your power!"
The pirates shouted excitedly.
Marco scratched his cheek awkwardly, feeling a bit embarrassed. At the same time, he activated his level detection.
Captain Level.
Weak Captain Level.
Strong Vice-Captain Level.
Strong Captain Level.
As expected—most of them hovered around Captain level, with a few slightly weaker.
Marco turned his head toward Whitey Bay.
"You guys handle the Vice Admirals."
"Huh?" Whitey Bay blinked in surprise. "Why? With your strength, you should be more than capable of dealing with them."
After all, he hadn't even flinched against an Admiral just moments ago. Had that fight drained him too much?
Marco grinned.
"I need to save my stamina for what's coming next. This looks intense, but it's not the real climax yet."
"The Admirals still haven't truly moved. Once Ace is rescued, the Marines will go all out to wipe us out. That is when it'll really matter."
"I see…" Whitey Bay nodded. Having sailed with Whitebeard for over thirty years, she knew better than most—only a handful among the captains could truly contend with an Admiral.
"In that case, we'll handle them," Thunder Lord McGuy agreed.
Soon, the allied pirate captains engaged the Marine Vice Admirals in fierce combat, while Marco slipped past the front lines once more—cutting down Marines and steadily gaining attribute points.
For Marco, defeating Vice Admirals was certainly possible. But they weren't weak, and such fights would take time. Worse, the Marines would never allow their Vice Admirals to fall so easily.
'Not worth the delay,' Marco thought.
Right now, every second counted.
On the execution platform
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
A Marine hurried forward to report, his voice tense. "The Whitebeard Pirates' subordinate crews are attacking with abnormal ferocity. Our warships have suffered severe losses—and First Division Commander Marco is among them."
Sengoku's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Hmph. So Whitebeard sent Marco to support his allies…" he said coldly. "That was unexpected."
He paused for only a moment before his tone hardened.
"Very well. To minimize unnecessary losses—begin the plan."
Sengoku issued his orders without hesitation.
"Cut off the video transponder snail. Then proceed with the execution of Fire Fist Ace. The objective of this war is the total annihilation of the Whitebeard Pirates."
His gaze swept across the battlefield.
"What follows will be far too bloody for civilians to witness. There's no need for the world to see the process—only the result. In the end, we will announce a single conclusion."
"A Marine victory."
"Yes, sir."
As Sengoku's command echoed through the ranks, the Marines moved at once.
Boom—boom—boom!
On the outskirts of Crescent Bay, blinding beams of light suddenly rained down from above, slamming into pirate ships and triggering massive explosions.
"What the hell?!"
"Our ships—!"
"They're blowing up!"
"Where did that firepower come from?!"
The subordinate pirate crews spun around in shock, only to realize—
"Thank gods Captain Marco warned us!"
"Everyone already abandoned the ships!"
Though the explosions were devastating, casualties were far lower than expected.
Then, as the smoke cleared, the pirates finally saw the source.
Behind them stood a strange formation—cold, silent, and ominous.
"The Marine Science Unit…!"
"Those look like Bartholomew Kuma!"
"There's more than one?!"
"How are there so many of them?!"
Panic rippled through the pirate ranks.
'So they've finally deployed them,' Marco thought as he stared at the advancing figures.
Fortunately, his earlier warning had paid off.
"These are weapons," Marco shouted loudly. "Human weapons created by the World Government—Pacifista! They're equipped with Admiral Kizaru's lasers!"
"Spread out! Don't cluster together!"
"Aim for the head—that's how you take them down!"
"So the rumors were true…"
"The Marines really built human weapons?"
"But why do they all look exactly like Kuma?!"
The pirates shouted among themselves, fear and disbelief mixing together.
"If it's the head, right?" one pirate roared, charging forward with a spiked club. "Then I'll smash it—!"
Bang!
The club slammed into the Pacifista's head—and shattered instantly.
The Pacifista didn't even flinch.
"What?!"
"My weapon broke?!"
"I thought the head was the weak point!"
"Why is it this hard?!"
The pirates froze in horror, staring at the unscathed Pacifista as fragments of the shattered club clattered onto the ice.
For the first time, a chilling realization set in—
These weren't ordinary enemies.
They were weapons built to slaughter pirates.