"Brat—!" Whitebeard roared, just about to lunge at Kizaru—but the Marines surged again like a living tide. One wave had barely been blasted away before another rushed in to replace it, throwing themselves at him without fear.
Whitebeard clenched his fist once more. White tremor energy gathered around it, crackling violently as he prepared to annihilate the attackers—
Biu—!
Kizaru struck at the perfect moment. A laser pierced straight through Whitebeard's right arm, dispersing the half-formed tremor wave in an instant.
"Kill Whitebeard!"
Several Navy rear admirals rushed in, their sabers coated in Armament Haki, stabbing into Whitebeard's massive frame.
"Oh my… that must hurt quite a bit, Whitebeard~" Kizaru smiled smugly. Golden light gathered around his foot as he lifted it lazily. "Next, let I'll help you find some peace."
Just as he was about to unleash his light speed kick—
A blue blur slammed into him.
"Phoenix Seal!"
Bang!
Marco's kick struck Kizaru's shin head-on, sending the charged beam flying off course. The redirected laser slammed into a nearby wall and detonated in a violent explosion of dust and debris.
"Oh?" Kizaru turned his head, amused. "Marco…"
Marco glared at him, fury burning in his eyes. "As an admiral, don't you feel even a little ashamed, relying on sneak attacks like that?"
Kizaru's expression remained loose and indifferent. A pinpoint of light gathered at his fingertip. "I dosn't take lectures from pirates."
Biu—!
The laser shot toward Marco—but Marco met it head-on, his fist coated in Armament Haki. The beam shattered on impact, scattering fragments of light that exploded across the ground.
If he could block Akainu's magma fists, Kizaru's lasers weren't stopping him.
Marco surged forward through the air. "Don't underestimate me—Phoenix Seal!"
Boom!
The kick sent Kizaru flying. He raised both arms to block, but unlike Akainu, he had no interest in tanking the blow. His body dissolved into light, and he was blasted backward, crashing into the ground with an explosive impact.
"Admiral Kizaru…?!"
The surrounding Marines stared in disbelief.
Akainu, arriving just in time to see it, scowled darkly. "Tch… that idiot Borsalino."
"Pops!"
Several commanders charged in, carving a path through the Marines and forcing them back.
With the commanders closing ranks around him, the Marines hesitated and retreated, instinctively widening the distance.
"Pops, you're hurt…" Namur said, staring at the bullet wounds, blade gashes, and burns covering Whitebeard's body. Rage flickered in his eyes.
Whitebeard waved it off with a rough laugh. "Minor injuries. Nothing worth worrying about."
He turned his gaze to Vista. "Have the others pulled back?"
Vista nodded grimly. "Yes. Most have already evacuated the plaza—but Marine pursuit continues. The outer sea has been frozen by Aokiji, and those human weapons destroyed all our ships."
Izo added urgently, "But if we can seize a few Marine warships, we can still escape. Pops, we need to move—now."
Whitebeard said nothing, his gaze fixed on Akainu as the magma admiral strode closer. Holding back even a single admiral was already exhausting—now there were two.
Yet to Whitebeard, this was not misfortune.
If Akainu and Kizaru were tied down here, then Aokiji alone would never be able to stop his sons from retreating.
"Marco."
Whitebeard's voice cut through the chaos. "Take everyone and withdraw. I'll cover the rear."
Marco stared at him, stunned. "Pops… shouldn't we leave together at a time like this?"
"That's right, Pops!" others echoed anxiously.
Whitebeard's expression darkened. "I said, I'll cover the rear. You go first."
Izo's composure finally broke. "Pops! If we're leaving, then we leave together! Everyone's already pulled back—we'll protect you and retreat as one!"
Whitebeard turned on him and roared, his voice shaking the air itself:
"Protect me?! I am Whitebeard!
I don't need anyone's protection! Leave—now! Your presence here is only holding me back!"
Silence fell for a brief moment.
Marco glanced at Akainu and Kizaru advancing, then at the endless ranks of Marines pressing in. He knew better than anyone what Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit could do when unleashed without restraint.
He clenched his teeth and finally nodded.
"…Then take care of yourself, Pops."
As Marco and the commanders turned and retreated, Whitebeard's lips curled into a faint smile.
Now, standing before him, there were no sons left—only enemies.
"Hah… alright then." He laughed deeply.
"Come on, Marines. From this moment on—your opponent is me."
Sengoku's face went deathly pale. "That madman… covering the rear alone? He doesn't intend to survive!"
"Don't let the Whitebeard Pirates escape—stop them!"
"AAAAAAHHHHH—!!!"
Whitebeard roared and slammed his fist forward.
The tremor that erupted dwarfed everything before it. The plaza of Marineford split apart violently, the ground screaming as it was torn open. Gigantic cracks radiated outward from the epicenter, racing across the island like veins. Moments later, seawater began to surge upward through the ruptures.
Sengoku shouted in alarm, "No—he's going to sink Marineford! Stop him, Now!"
"Damn you, Whitebeard!"
Akainu charged in a fury, magma erupting as he threw himself into the fray.
At the same time, Kizaru's lazy smile vanished. His expression turned sharp as he drew his Ama no Murakumo, stepping in to join the battle.
As the tremors finally subsided, Whitebeard looked ahead and saw it clearly—
The massive fault line had completely severed him from his retreating sons.
He raised his voice one last time, roaring across the battlefield:
"All members of the Whitebeard Pirates—listen well! This is my final order as your captain!"
Marco's heart sank.
He had known. From the moment Whitebeard told them to leave, he had sensed it—but hearing those words still felt like a blade through his chest.
Whitebeard's wounds were severe, yet nowhere near the fatal state he had been in during the original timeline.
And yet—It was clear.
Whitebeard had no intention of leaving Marineford alive.
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