Aether's answer brought a booming laugh from Whitebeard, even as beams of light pierced through his chest again.
"Gurarararara! Thank you, Roger, for accepting my final wish."
It was rare for Whitebeard to express gratitude. In Aether's mory, he had hardly ever thanked anyone, let alone entrusted soone with a request like this.
SS-rank character Whitebeard has developed positive emotions toward the Host. High Friendliness. Reward: 50,000 EXP.
Special Achievent Completed: The Emperor's Last Wish. Reward: 50,000 Points.
Current Points: 143,896.
The sudden gain pushed Aether's points past one hundred thousand again. Combined with the reward from reaching level seventy, he now had enough for two Purple Draws.
Aether looked at Whitebeard and spoke again.
"Do you have any other requests? For example, asking to take care of your sons?"
"Gurarararara! My sons are my pride. Once they leave my protection, they will grow on their own. Besides, Ace won't disappoint . You... just..."
Whitebeard's voice gradually weakened.
The Marines' attacks grew more intense, leaving him no room to speak. At this stage, even forming words was becoming difficult for him.
Suddenly, the sound of grinding echoed across the battlefield.
A pirate ship driven by paddle wheels charged forward, cutting through the chaos as the other pirates retreated.
Crush, crush.
The ship moved directly across the land, its wheels smashing stone and debris beneath it. At the bow stood Squard, the Maelstrom Spider, gripping a long naginata.
His face twisted with pain and guilt.
He knew that Whitebeard's current state was partly his fault. This desperate charge was his attempt at redemption, using his life and his crew to buy ti for the others.
What stood out even more was that every mber of his crew had agreed to this decision.
n of the sea often made reckless choices when driven by emotion.
"Let's buy ti for Ace and the others! If you want to bla soone, bla ! My stupidity put Pops in this situation!"
"Haha! Captain, what nonsense are you saying? We'll smash the Marines and avenge Pops!"
"You hesitated because of us. Just don't die before we do!"
The ship surged forward with unstoppable montum.
Aether, standing directly in its path, let out a quiet sigh. Whitebeard truly had too many troubleso sons.
With him standing here, there was no need for such a aningless sacrifice.
Before Squard could even react, Aether stepped forward and raised a hand.
He caught the front of the ship with one hand.
The massive vessel shuddered violently before coming to a complete stop.
Creak, creak.
The paddle wheels scread as they strained against the force. The rear of the ship lifted slightly off the ground from the sudden halt.
Aether remained unmoved.
The trendous montum failed to push him back even a single step.
Squard nearly lost his footing from the impact. After regaining his balance, he glared at Aether in frustration.
"Roger! Why are you stopping ? I have to make up for what I've done to the Whitebeard Pirates!"
Aether did not respond imdiately.
He rembered that Squard's original crew had been destroyed by the Roger Pirates before he joined Whitebeard. Under normal circumstances, Aether would not interfere.
But not today.
Not after Whitebeard had just entrusted him with sothing so important.
Aether's gaze sharpened as he looked at Squard and his crew. Even without using Conqueror's Haki, the killing intent in his eyes alone forced several of them to step back in fear.
"Squard, I don't care how you choose to die to satisfy your guilt. Right now, Newgate is buying ti for you with his life. I will not let that sacrifice go to waste."
His voice remained steady, yet carried an undeniable weight.
"If you want revenge, I won't stop you later. But right now, all of you should leave."
Aether released a faint burst of Conqueror's Haki.
It swept over the crew like a cold wind, making their bodies stiffen and their hearts tighten.
Squard took a deep breath, forcing himself to regain composure.
"Roger, our grudge is one thing. But I will rember this. n, turn the ship around. We're heading back to regroup with Marco."
The paddle-wheel ship quickly changed direction and retreated.
Not long after, Marco returned, landing nearby.
As Whitebeard's first division commander, he could not leave without witnessing his captain's final monts.
"Thank you... Roger. Because of you, we saved Ace. Pops was able to leave without regrets. His health had been declining for years. This war only sped things up."
Aether glanced at him.
"Call Aether. Roger is already gone. Besides, Newgate got what he wanted. He had his family, and he died fighting instead of wasting away."
Marco wiped at his eyes, unable to hide his emotions.
For soone like Whitebeard, this truly was the most fitting end.
Boom.
"Yasakani no Magatama."
Kizaru unleashed a rain of light that engulfed Whitebeard completely.
When the smoke cleared, a towering figure still stood in the center of the battlefield.
Despite countless fatal wounds, despite his body being pushed far beyond its limits, Whitebeard did not fall.
For a brief mont, both Garp and Sengoku fell silent.
Watching a legend of the old era reach his end stirred sothing deep within them. Even Sengoku, steadfast in his justice, could not ignore the weight of that mont.
Aether quietly watched the unmoving figure.
They had only t today, yet seeing Whitebeard fall in battle felt like losing soone familiar.
A faint anger began to rise within him.
anwhile, the remaining Whitebeard Pirates successfully boarded their ships and began their escape.
The battle against the Pacifistas ended quickly. Under the joint assault of Rayleigh and the remaining pirates, more than twenty Pacifistas were overwheld and destroyed.
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