Aokiji's killing intent gradually faded as he watched Ace.
From the very beginning, he had never intended to kill Ace outright. His goal had been simple—cripple one arm, give Sengoku a justification, and avoid a direct confrontation with Garp. That was all.
But beneath that calculation lay something deeper: curiosity.
Kuzan wanted to see for himself whether Fire Fist Ace—branded by the World Government as the bearer of the "most evil bloodline"—was truly a villain by nature.
In Kuzan's eyes, there were no people born evil. Even if parents had committed unforgivable sins, their children were innocent. To condemn Ace simply because he was Roger's son was nothing more than prejudice dressed up as justice.
It reminded him of Ohara.
Of the little girl he had once spared—labeled a "Devil's Child" merely because she could read poneglyphs. What kind of justice was that?
The World Government's justice existed only to serve itself and the Celestial Dragons. Kuzan had never believed that such justice was absolute.
He had his own.
"I will never allow you to harm Ace—even if it costs me my life!"
The sudden, resolute shout snapped Kuzan out of his thoughts.
Jinbe stood beside Crocodile, his arms—once frozen solid—now free, his stance firm and unwavering.
Kuzan glanced at the scene and let out a quiet sigh, a trace of helpless irony in his voice.
"This really is unexpected. A former Shichibukai and a Fishman standing together to protect the Whitebeard Pirates… What a joke."
He turned his gaze toward the remaining Shichibukai on the Marine side.
They were nowhere near the front lines.
While the battlefield had shifted from the plaza to outside Crescent Bay, that group still lingered near the ruins, watching Sengoku, Akainu, and Whitebeard clash as if it were some distant spectacle.
"Tch… Pirates really can't be trusted," Kuzan muttered under his breath.
He had never approved of the Shichibukai system to begin with. And now? This farce only confirmed his doubts. When it truly mattered, none of them could be relied upon.
Abandoning any expectations of assistance, Aokiji looked back at Jinbe and Crocodile, his tone growing noticeably lazier.
"Even if you stop me, it's meaningless. As long as he lives, this war won't end."
Crocodile smirked, the corner of his mouth curling upward cruelly.
"Isn't that exactly what makes it interesting?"
Aokiji frowned slightly.
Crocodile continued coldly, "The more people die—Marines or Whitebeard Pirates alike—the better. Old powers must be wiped out before new ones can rise."
Elsewhere, cannon fire thundered endlessly.
Pirate crews poured volleys into the gigantic ice sphere imprisoning Marco. Cannonballs slammed into it again and again, yet only scattered a few shards of ice.
The structure remained intact.
"What kind of ice is this?!"
"Even cannons can't break it?!"
Shouts of disbelief echoed across the battlefield.
"Don't stop!" the Whitebeard Pirates roared. "Keep firing! We must break it and rescue Captain Marco!"
"Don't even think about it!" a Marine commodore snarled, cutting down a charging pirate. "Criminals should accept their fate and rot in prison. That's the only ending you deserve."
Nearby, a Marine gripping a net launcher stared up at the massive ice mountain, panic creeping into his voice.
"Admiral Aokiji ordered us to capture Marco with Sea Stone nets—but that thing's too big! We can't even deploy the net properly!"
His superior barked back without hesitation, "Then use more! If one net isn't enough, deploy several! No matter what, that man cannot be allowed to escape!"
The ice mountain loomed silently between them—unbroken, unyielding.
And somewhere deep within it, blue flames began to stir.
A Marine couldn't help voicing his doubt.
"But… faced with an ice mass that big, can Marco really break free?" He stared at the frozen giant before them. Blue flames still flickered faintly inside the ice, yet Marco looked like a lifeless statue—completely unmoving.
Another Marine echoed the concern.
"Exactly! The temperature of that ice sphere is terrifyingly low. He's probably already frozen to death! And even if he's still alive, escaping should be impossible!"
"Idiots…" the Marine Colonel snapped sharply. "Don't ever underestimate monsters like them. Marco carries a bounty of over a billion Berries. He's the user of the Phoenix Devil Fruit. Earlier, he endured Admiral Akainu's magma head-on and lived. Against a monster like that, even Admiral Aokiji can only restrain him—not kill him. Move it! Deploy Sea Stone nets around the ice immediately. We cannot let Marco escape!"
Just as his words fell—
Crack.
A faint, hairline fracture appeared on the surface of the massive ice sphere.
The Marines froze in disbelief.
The Whitebeard Pirates, however, erupted in excitement.
"Did it work?!"
"That crack—our cannon fire worked!"
"Quick! Aim for the fracture! Keep firing! We're getting Captain Marco out of there!"
"Move faster!" the Marine Colonel roared. "Seal off every possible escape route with Sea Stone nets! Don't give him even a single opening!"
Before he could finish—
"Everyone, move aside!"
A massive figure charged in like a raging beast. Half of his body had already transformed into gleaming diamond.
"It's Captain Jozu!" the Pirates shouted in exhilaration.
"Stop him!" the Marines yelled in panic—but their strongest among them was only a Commodore.
Jozu fully transformed, his entire body turning into indestructible diamond. Like a living battering ram, he plowed straight through the Marine ranks, sending men flying in all directions. Using that momentum, he leapt into the air and roared:
"Marco! I'm coming!"
"Brilliant Elbow!"
The Haki-coated strike smashed into the ice sphere with a shrill, sizzling screech. Cracks exploded outward from the impact point, racing across the surface like spiderwebs. The ice ball swelled, strained—
BOOM!
From within, Marco seized the opening and unleashed his strength. The twenty-meter-wide ice prison shattered violently, exploding into countless shards as Marco burst free, soaring into the sky.
"Captain Marco—!"
"He made it out!"
"We did it!"
Cheers thundered across the battlefield as the Pirates erupted with joy.
Suspended among falling ice fragments, Marco's body ignited in brilliant blue flames. Frost melted away instantly, his injuries rapidly healing. He turned toward Jozu, a grin tugging at his lips.
"I really owe you one, Jozu."
Jozu laughed, his diamond form gleaming proudly.
"No need to thank me. That's what brothers are for."
The flames burned brighter.
And Marco was back in the fight.
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