At that moment, the expressions of the Three Admirals turned grim.
They had believed victory was assured the instant the encirclement wall activated—yet in the blink of an eye, the entire plan had collapsed. No… this couldn't have happened by chance. Someone within the Marines must have leaked their strategy; otherwise, Whitebeard could never have seized the timing so perfectly.
But suspicion was meaningless now. Whether there was a traitor or not could be dealt with later.
Right now, only one thing mattered—stopping the Whitebeard Pirates at all costs.
"Whitebeard Pirates, don't get cocky!" Akainu barked as he stepped forward.
This encirclement plan had been his stage. He had intended to use it to personally wipe out the Whitebeard Pirates and secure his path to becoming Fleet Admiral. Even though the plan had failed, one thing remained unchanged—
He still wanted Whitebeard's head.
"Great Eruption!"
With a furious roar, a magma fist more than twenty meters wide thundered forward. Facing the devastating attack, Whitebeard didn't retreat an inch.
"Get lost, brat!" he roared back.
CRACK—!
Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit–empowered punch shattered the air itself. Shockwaves exploded outward as it collided head-on with Akainu's magma fist. In an instant, the battlefield became a maelstrom—earthquakes surged like tides, magma and flames erupted like mountains, and the world itself seemed torn between white shockwaves and crimson fire.
The ultimate clash.
Two Devil Fruits of absolute destruction painted the battlefield in opposing colors.
"How is that possible?!"
"Akainu actually blocked Pops' punch head-on?!"
"Get back—stay away from Pops! You'll be crushed by the aftermath!"
"Don't waste this chance!" Another voice roared. "Charge—save Ace!"
Seizing the opening, the division commanders surged forward, racing toward the execution platform without hesitation.
Nearby, Oars, who had fallen earlier, struggled desperately to rise.
His gaze never left Ace.
For someone of his size, the execution platform felt close—close enough to reach. Grinding his teeth, he began crawling forward inch by inch, bloodied hands scraping against the ground.
"Ace… I'm coming to save you…"
"Ara ara… You've caused quite enough trouble, Demon."
A lazy voice laced with killing intent drifted across the battlefield.
"You ruined our perfect plan," Aokiji said calmly. "Now it's time for you to exit."
A chilling aura erupted from his body.
"Ice Age."
In an instant, a torrent of ice surged forth like a frozen waterfall. Frost swallowed Oars' head, racing downward at an absurd speed. Within three seconds, his massive body was completely frozen solid—transformed into a colossal ice sculpture unlike anything seen before.
"Oars…!"
Cries rang out as the Whitebeard Pirates stared in shock.
Aokiji swept his gaze over them coldly.
"Save your screaming. If he's thawed in time, he might survive. But be careful—his body is extremely fragile now. Apply too much force, and he'll shatter into ice fragments."
"…Bastard."
Those few words left the Whitebeard Pirates utterly helpless.
Whitebeard felt it too.
His Tremor-Tremor Fruit could easily shatter ice—but doing so now would mean killing his son with his own hands. They had come to Marineford to save Ace… but Whitebeard could not sacrifice another son to do it.
That was something he would never allow.
"Damn brat…" Whitebeard cursed inwardly, rage boiling in his chest.
"Do you really have time to look elsewhere, Whitebeard?!" Akainu roared, launching another magma fist.
Whitebeard immediately met it head-on, fists colliding as he shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Go—save Ace! Once he's free, use fire to melt the ice around Oars!"
"Yes!" Jozu bellowed, stepping forward. "Don't stop—keep pushing! Save Ace!"
"That's right!" Izo added sharply. "We won't let Oars' sacrifice be in vain!"
With renewed resolve, the Whitebeard Pirates surged forward once more, their path lit by fire, fury, and an unbreakable will to save their family.
Grief transformed into raw strength.
The eyes of the Whitebeard Pirates burned with resolute killing intent as they surged forward like an unstoppable tide, crashing headlong into the Marine ranks with overwhelming momentum.
"Oh my… they really are troublesome," Aokiji muttered, watching the Whitebeard Pirates launch yet another ferocious assault. A trace of helplessness crossed his face. He had expected hesitation after Oars fell—but instead of fear, their rage had only grown more intense.
At the same time, Marco finally shook off Kizaru's harassment. His form shifted abruptly as blue flames erupted around him—Human-Beast Form. In a flash, he shot into the sky, weaving effortlessly through incoming fire. In one smooth motion, he seized Luffy and Jinbe and rocketed straight toward the execution platform.
Seeing this, Whitebeard raised his arm and roared, "All Whitebeard Pirates—cover Marco with everything you've got!"
"Yes, Pops!"
"Protect Commander Marco!"
"Charge! Marco, you must save Ace!"
Their voices merged into a thunderous roar as the Pirates threw themselves forward without hesitation.
Kizaru watched this unfold, a playful smile curling across his lecherous face.
"Oh? So Whitebeard's placing all his bets on you, Marco," he drawled. "But I won't let that plan succeed so easily."
Golden light flickered as his body began to elementalize—moving to intercept.
"Don't even think about it, Kizaru!"
At the critical moment, Vista stepped in. His blade flashed, forcing Kizaru back a step and disrupting his transformation.
"Oh? The Commanders…" Kizaru's gaze briefly sharpened before returning to its usual lazy calm. Vista, Fossa, Rakyō stood firmly in his path.
With a soft click of his tongue, Kizaru abandoned the chase. Facing multiple division commanders at once meant he'd have to get serious—and they would undoubtedly fight him to the death to protect Marco. The cost was far too high, and with all of them blocking his path, stopping Marco was no longer possible.
Over on the other side of the battlefield, Aokiji found himself in a similar predicament. Jozu, Blamenco, and Izo worked in perfect coordination, locking him down and preventing any breakthrough. Meanwhile, the Marine forces were already in chaos—Oars' destruction of the encirclement wall had shattered their formation, and the relentless advance of the Whitebeard Pirates only made matters worse.
Still, as Marco closed in on the execution platform, Marine officers finally snapped out of their shock.
"Fire! Shoot him down!"
"Don't let them get anywhere near the execution platform!"
At once, dense cannon fire filled the sky, raining down toward Marco. But time and again, division commanders threw themselves into the barrage, intercepting shots meant for him.
"Tch…" Sengoku's expression darkened as he watched the scene spiral out of control.
Marco was now less than a hundred meters from the execution platform.
Just as Sengoku prepared to move—
Garp stood up.
Without a word, the Hero of the Marines leapt forward, charging straight toward Marco.