A thunderous roar erupted across the plaza.
When the Whitebeard Pirates saw that all-too-familiar ultimate technique, their eyes lit up with unrestrained joy. At the heart of the blazing blue flames, Marco spread his phoenix wings wide, revealing Jinbe—and the freed Ace—standing safely behind him.
"Ace…!"
The Whitebeard Pirates erupted into cheers.
"It worked!"
"Captain Marco rescued Captain Ace!"
"As expected of Captain Marco—absolutely incredible!"
"And Jinbe too… Well done!"
The moment Ace was confirmed safe, the battlefield buzzed with exhilaration. Hope surged through the pirates like a wildfire.
In stark contrast, the Marines' faces darkened.
The encirclement wall plan had failed.
The execution had failed.
And now, the criminal meant to die before the whole world… had been rescued.
For the Marines, it was nothing short of humiliation.
"Ace!" Luffy shouted excitedly as he rushed forward.
"Brat, how dare you ignore this old man?!"
THUD!
Luffy suddenly felt a powerful kick to his backside. Garp had sent him flying straight toward Ace.
"Luffy-kun!" Jinbe caught him midair.
Luffy didn't even care. Grinning from ear to ear, he scrambled to his feet and shouted, "Ace! We did it! You're safe!"
Ace laughed, relief and warmth filling his eyes.
"Yeah… thanks, Luffy. You really saved me this time."
But before the brothers could savor the moment, Marines began closing in from all directions.
Marco's expression hardened.
"Save the reunion for later. We're still deep inside Marine territory. Haven't you noticed?" he warned.
The others immediately sobered up.
Ace grinned fiercely.
"Right. Let's regroup with Pops!"
At that moment, Vice Admiral Momonga barked coldly,
"Do not let them escape! Attack together—execute Fire Fist Ace on the spot!"
"Yes!"
Marine officers surged forward, weapons raised.
"My sons!" Whitebeard roared. "Cover Ace!"
The plaza descended into chaos once more. Marines and pirates converged on Ace's position, but the Marines still held an overwhelming numerical advantage.
Fortunately, Marco and his three companions were no ordinary fighters. Even the weakest among them—Luffy—carried a bounty of three hundred million.
They carved a bloody path forward, cutting down Marine after Marine. Marco fought with ruthless efficiency, his saber flashing as he struck without pause—never missing a chance to thin the enemy ranks.
"Vice Admiral Garp, are you alright?" Nearby marines asked anxiously as Garp pushed himself up.
Garp didn't answer.
His eyes were calm—almost peaceful.
As a Marine, he had been powerless to stop Sengoku.
As a grandfather, the only thing he could do… was fall to Luffy.
Watching Ace and Luffy retreat into the chaos, Garp closed his eyes for a brief moment.
Live…
Both of you—live.
"Damn it!" Sengoku slammed his fist into the ground, his expression colder than ice as he watched Fire Fist Ace escape.
This execution had been meant to erase Ace—and crush the Whitebeard Pirates in one decisive stroke.
After that, Sengoku had planned to retire with honor.
But now…
Everything had slipped through his fingers.
But now, everything had gone wrong.
The encirclement wall plan had failed.
Fire Fist Ace had been rescued.
If the Whitebeard Pirates truly escaped with Ace, Sengoku wouldn't merely be considering retirement anymore. In the best-case scenario, the Gorosei might weigh his past achievements against this catastrophic failure and allow him to resign as Fleet Admiral. But in the worst case… he could be expelled from the Marines entirely, forced to bear responsibility for the humiliation and fallout of this war.
Fortunately, the visual transponder snail had already been cut off.
The Marines had not yet completely lost.
As long as Ace was executed—or Whitebeard was killed—this war could still be salvaged. Even if some pirates escaped, the Marines could still claim victory.
"…I never thought I'd actually have to use this," Sengoku muttered through clenched teeth.
As a master strategist, he had anticipated every possibility—including the chance that Ace might be rescued. Still, before the war, Sengoku had judged that probability to be extremely low. Even so, he had prepared a final contingency.
Reaching into his coat, he pulled out a transponder snail.
"Zephyr, this is Sengoku," he said grimly. "The encirclement wall plan has failed. Fire Fist Ace has been rescued by the Whitebeard Pirates. Immediately dispatch rapid reinforcements to Marineford. Cut off their retreat at all costs."
Meanwhile, Marco and Ace regrouped with the Whitebeard Pirates' captains. During the withdrawal, they clashed briefly with Aokiji. Ace stepped forward without hesitation, unleashing his flames.
Fire overwhelmed ice.
With Mirror Flame, Ace neutralized Aokiji's Pheasant Beak, forcing the Admiral into a stalemate. The sight alone sent morale among the Whitebeard Pirates soaring once again.
"Pops…"
After confirming Ace was truly safe, Marco flew back to Whitebeard's side. To his relief, Whitebeard showed no signs of injury. Without Squard's betrayal from the original timeline, Whitebeard had avoided the chain of events that would have led to his sudden illness acting up and Akainu's devastating follow-up.
"Marco," Whitebeard said warmly, "you did well—exceptionally well."
Then his voice boomed across the battlefield.
"My sons! We came here for one reason—to save Ace. Now that Ace is free, there is no reason to stay. Prepare to retreat!"
"OHHHH—!"
The Whitebeard Pirates roared in triumph.
But Marco hesitated, glancing toward Crescent Bay.
"Pops… our ship…"
The Moby Dick was gone.
Earlier, Akainu's Meteor Volcano had rained molten destruction across the bay. The ice of Crescent Bay had boiled into steaming seawater, and the Whitebeard Pirates' flagship had been reduced to charred wreckage.
Whitebeard stared at the remains for a moment, a trace of nostalgia flickering in his eyes.
Then he laughed.
"Gurararara! It's fine," he said calmly. "We'll just build another one. What matters now is getting everyone home safely."
At that moment, Fossa turned to Ace.
"Oh, right—Ace! Use your flames to thaw Oars. He's been frozen by Aokiji for far too long."
"I've got it," Ace replied immediately.
Looking at the massive ice sculpture that was Oars, Ace spoke sincerely.
"Thank you, Oars. I'll melt the ice carefully… I promise."
Flames gathered in Ace's palm—controlled, precise. He couldn't afford a single mistake.
But just then, a cold, merciless voice cut through the air.
"Great Eruption…"
The temperature of the battlefield spiked once more.
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