"Biu! Biu! Biu—!"
Countless beams of light rained down, streaking through the air as they tore toward the Whitebeard Pirates, all aimed squarely at destroying the pirate ship.
"Block them!" Jozu roared. "Don't let him sink our ship!"
In an instant, multiple figures leapt forward.
"Sand Shield—!"
"Fire Fist—!"
"Rose Rondo—!"
"Fish-Man Karate: Arabesque Tile Punch—!"
A barrage of abilities erupted simultaneously, forming a layered defense against Kizaru's Yasakani no Magatama.
Boom!
The ship itself remained unharmed—but the sheer scale of Kizaru's attack shattered the surrounding ice into fragments. The frozen surface collapsed beneath the paddle steamer, causing the ship to plunge briefly into the sea, the hull swaying violently.
"Tch… how terrifying," Kizaru muttered. "They actually blocked everything."
Even he seemed momentarily troubled. Facing so many powerful fighters at once, even an Admiral couldn't easily force a breakthrough.
"Everyone, hold on tight!" Vista shouted. "Don't stop—keep moving forward!"
Boom!
The paddle steamer slammed back into the ice. Aokiji's frozen sea was far too thick to break through directly, forcing the ship to grind upward using its massive outer wheels before regaining momentum and racing forward once more.
Watching the Whitebeard Pirates flee yet again, Kizaru sighed helplessly.
But then—
"Huh?" His gaze sharpened. "That's…"
"Look!" the lookout shouted from the ship. "There are people ahead!"
As they squinted into the distance, shocked voices rang out.
"That's…Former Admiral Black Arm Zephyr!"
"And Admiral candidates Momousagi and Tokikake!"
"Why are they here?!"
"Oh my~ reinforcements already?" Kizaru drawled, eyes glinting. "But only Zephyr-sensei, Gion, and Kake?"
He tilted his head thoughtfully. "Ah… must be because of all this ice."
Indeed, Zephyr and the others had originally been dispatched to intercept the Whitebeard Pirates. But Aokiji's frozen sea had stranded their warships several kilometers away, forcing them to abandon ship and advance on foot. None of them had expected to run straight into the escaping pirates.
"They've made it quite far," Zephyr said, grinning as he stared at the massive paddle steamer ahead.
Momousagi frowned slightly.
"I never imagined things would escalate to this extent," she said. "It's incredible… and dangerous."
Tokikake's expression was grave.
"If we don't stop that ship now, they'll definitely escape."
"Then I'll cut it in half."
Momousagi suddenly surged forward, accelerating past both Tokikake and Zephyr. In one fluid motion, she drew her famed blade, Konpira, unleashing a gleaming white slash that cleaved through the air.
Just as the attack was about to strike the hull of the ship—
Clang!
Vista stepped in.
His twin swords crossed perfectly, intercepting the slash and deflecting it skyward. He smiled faintly.
"I'm afraid I can't allow that, Vice Admiral Momousagi. You mustn't damage our ship."
Momousagi's eyes hardened.
"I won't let you escape," she declared coldly. "Pirates."
As the paddle steamer drew closer, Zephyr planted his feet and spread his arms wide—as if intending to stop the massive vessel with his own body.
Seeing this, Tokikake shouted in alarm,
"Zephyr-sensei! What are you doing?!"
"Stopping it, of course."
Zephyr stared straight at the oncoming paddle steamer, not a trace of fear in his eyes.
The Whitebeard Pirates noticed Zephyr's stance and immediately roared,
"Don't slow down!"
"Full speed ahead—run him over!"
"I know!" the helmsman bellowed back. "Maximum power!"
Boom!
The paddle steamer slammed into Zephyr. The ship shuddered violently as its forward momentum faltered. Beneath the massive hull, Zephyr braced himself, his entire body straining as he fought to halt the ship's advance.
"AAAAAAAAAAH—!"
With a thunderous roar, Zephyr forced more strength into his arms. The paddle steamer's speed dropped even further.
Jozu's face changed instantly.
"This is bad!" he shouted. "He's actually stopping the ship!"
"Damn it—more power!"
"That's right! Crush him!"
The pirates yelled desperately—but one man had already moved.
Crocodile's body dissolved into swirling sand as he shot toward the underside of the ship, his voice cold and merciless.
"In that case… I'll finish him."
"Desert Spada."
"What—?!"
Faced with Crocodile's sudden attack, Zephyr had no choice but to abandon his stand. He twisted his body and narrowly avoided the slicing sand blade.
The moment Zephyr disengaged, the paddle steamer surged forward once more.
"Tch…" Zephyr clicked his tongue, watching helplessly as the ship pushed past him.
Behind Kizaru, only a handful of vice admirals were still able to keep up. Under the Whitebeard Pirates' relentless cannon fire, Marines below the rank of Rear Admiral were falling farther and farther behind.
Just then—
A streak of blue flame descended from the sky.
Jozu's eyes lit up.
"That's Marco!"
The Whitebeard Pirates erupted with excitement.
"Captain Marco's back!"
"Look—he's carrying Pops' remains!"
"He really brought Pops back!"
"Slow down—Captain Marco's almost here!"
The paddle steamer's speed eased slightly—but it didn't stop.
Marco's arrival didn't go unnoticed.
From the distance, Kizaru spotted the familiar blue flames. A glint flashed behind his glasses.
"Oh my~ Phoenix Marco," he drawled. "Looks like you've caught up."
His gaze fixed on the figure wrapped in the Justice flag in Marco's arms, his expression turning cold.
"Whitebeard's body is a priceless trophy of this war. There's no way I can let you take it so easily."
In the next instant, Kizaru dissolved into a flash of light and shot toward Marco.
Marco's eyes sharpened the moment he sensed the incoming threat.
On the deck below, voices rang out in unison—
"Marco, be careful!"
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