The chaos on the battlefield finally drew the attention of the busy Marines. Shock spread through their ranks as the truth beca clear, Fire Fist Ace had escaped. The realization struck hard, shaking their confidence. Did this an the Marines had already lost the war?
Morale dropped sharply, but Vice Admiral Tsuru quickly took action. Holding a Den Den Mushi, she issued orders in a steady voice.
"As long as the pirates remain within Marineford's range, we can still annihilate them. Victory will belong to the Marines."
A few voices responded, but the effect was weak. The soldiers' spirits did not recover as she had hoped.
Tsuru frowned slightly, but she accepted the situation. She was a strategist, not a symbol of strength. anwhile, the pillars of the Marines, Monkey D. Garp and Sengoku, were still locked in battle with their greatest enemies.
"Those two are being far too reckless," she muttered under her breath.
Even so, she continued issuing commands, keeping the battlefield from falling into complete disorder.
"Cage of Feathers!"
Nearby, Hina fought fiercely, her frustration clear. With her Devil Fruit ability, she bound pirates to the ground one after another, restricting their movents.
When she turned her head and saw that man's so called "son" safe and unhard, her expression darkened.
"How is this possible? Fire Fist Ace actually escaped? Is that bastard planning to run?"
Whether driven by resentnt or sothing more complicated, Hina kept her focus fixed on Aether, watching his every move.
...
On the other side, the pirates were filled with excitent. Their objective had been achieved, Ace had been rescued. Many of them began preparing to retreat, convinced they had already won this war.
Then, everything changed.
A figure fell from the sky.
Marco, the First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, crashed to the ground. The sight instantly shattered the pirates' rising morale.
It was far too early to celebrate. The Marines' strongest forces were still standing.
Marco struggled to his feet, his face twisted in pain. Three wounds pierced through his chest, and strange blue flas lingered around them. Even with his Mythical Zoan regeneration, his healing had slowed drastically.
Before he could recover, a beam of light shot toward him.
Kizaru moved to finish him off.
But a wall of flas erupted between them.
Fire spread across the ground as Ace stepped forward, placing himself between Marco and the incoming attack.
He reached Marco's side in an instant.
"Marco, are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Marco replied, forcing a breath. "Pops gave the order. Now that you've been rescued, we retreat imdiately. Don't worry about him, he has his own way out."
Ace hesitated. The order felt strange, but this was not the ti to question it.
With both commanders standing together, Kizaru paused. He had just taken down Marco and had not yet secured a decisive injury before Ace arrived.
"How troubleso," Kizaru said lightly. "The commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates truly are monsters."
...
At the center of the battlefield, the real clash continued.
A thunderous impact echoed as Whitebeard's Murakumogiri collided with Sengoku's Buddha form.
This ti, Whitebeard failed to react in ti. The force drove him back several ters.
His condition had worsened. His face was pale, sweat dripped from his chin, and his movents had grown stiff.
Then, danger struck.
Whitebeard turned just in ti to see a massive fist of magma rushing toward him.
It slamd into his chest.
The heat burned through flesh, leaving a deep hollow wound. Even the blood within it was scorched dry.
The attacker was Akainu.
After injuring Diamond Jozu, Akainu had not chased after Ace. From the beginning, he had focused on one goal, eliminating Whitebeard.
He had waited patiently for this mont.
Whitebeard dropped to one knee, blood spilling from his mouth. Akainu looked down at him, a cold smile forming.
"Whitebeard, relic of the old era, there is no place for you in the future. Marineford will be your grave."
Whitebeard let out a low laugh.
"Marineford may suit as a burial ground, but you brat, you're not the one who can take my life."
His blade, coated in his Devil Fruit power, swept through Akainu's body. Magma scattered across the ground, but the attack passed harmlessly as Akainu transford into magma.
Despite that, Akainu pressed forward, launching repeated magma strikes into Whitebeard's chest.
Wounds accumulated. Whitebeard staggered, his reactions slowing further.
Seeing an opening, Akainu leapt into the air.
"Hellhound!"
His magma arm transford into a massive hound head and tore into Whitebeard's side, ripping away flesh and blood.
For a mont, it seed over.
Then Whitebeard moved.
His hand shot forward and grabbed Akainu's arm.
Armant Haki surged, locking Akainu in place and preventing him from transforming fully.
Whitebeard's pale face twisted into a fierce grin.
"Got you, brat."
Even weakened, his power had not disappeared.
His body twisted with force as he drove his fist forward, the vibration power distorting the air itself.
The blow slamd into Akainu's side.
Blood burst from Akainu's mouth as his body spun through the air.
Whitebeard did not stop.
He drew in a deep breath and delivered another devastating punch, this ti smashing Akainu downward.
The impact drove him straight into the ground, his body unable to resist.
"Gurarara... you should stay down."
The force of the attack shattered Marineford.
The island cracked apart, and a massive fissure spread outward, splitting the battlefield. The chasm stretched nearly a hundred ters wide, separating the Marines from the pirates.
On one side stood the Marines.
On the other, the pirates.
Even Sengoku was stunned by the sheer scale of destruction.
"Whitebeard... even now, you still have this much strength."
He had already begun organizing a counterattack, believing Akainu had succeeded.
Now, that plan had been completely destroyed.
With the battlefield split apart, pursuit beca nearly impossible. Sending only high ranking officers forward would risk them being surrounded.
And Akainu...
After taking Whitebeard's full force head on, his body fell into the abyss below, his face bloodied and his consciousness fading.
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