"Straw Hat Boy has really reached the execution platform!!!"
The moment those words spread across Marineford, an invisible weight pressed down on everyone present.
Did they ultimately fail to stop him?
The Marines' expressions darkened. Hands tightened around weapons as bitterness and fury surged in their chests. Too many comrades had fallen, yet the execution had still been delayed. To them, it felt as if those sacrifices had been rendered meaningless.
Worse still, they had failed to stop the pirates from breaching the plaza itself.
"Damn pirate scum! How dare he reach Ace, the criminal's son!"
"Fire! Blow the execution platform to pieces! We cannot allow the bloodline of the former Pirate King Roger to continue!"
"That despicable pirate tricked the Fleet Admiral with that fake sword! Otherwise, he never would have made it this far!"
"Stay calm! The Fleet Admiral, the Admirals, Vice Admiral Garp, they are all still here! Ace, the Son of Darkness, and Straw Hat Luffy will not escape!"
In stark contrast, the pirates were electrified.
Their exhaustion vanished as excitement surged through their veins, like a powerful stimulant jolting them back to life.
"Well done!!! Straw Hat Luffy! As expected of Captain Ace's little brother!"
"Idiot, he's the captain! Arrogant Emperor Shirogai is his vice captain!"
"Oh? Is that so? Hahaha, it doesn't matter! Straw Hat Luffy, save Captain Ace! We'll carve a path for you and provide support!"
"Charge!!! The captains have broken free from those strange enemies, and Whitebeard has shaken off the two Admirals! As long as we bring Captain Ace back, victory is ours!"
"Damn it, those bizarre Shichibukai cyborgs destroyed so many of our ships!"
"Don't panic! Whitebeard is making his move!"
CRACK!!!
While the battlefield buzzed with chaos, Whitebeard did not hesitate for even a second.
Less than four minutes remained.
"I'll use what little time I have left to clear a retreat for my sons," he thought calmly.
Sensing the final countdown of his life, Whitebeard turned without hesitation and swung Murakumogiri with both hands.
"Hmph!"
WOO!
Murakumogiri roared as it descended, its blade coated in overwhelming Haki.
CRACK!!!
Space itself shattered once more.
A void-tearing slash surged forward, its vibrations distorting the air as it flew straight toward the World Government's secret weapon, the Pacifista units that blocked the pirates' rear, sealing their escape route.
CRACK!!!!
"Warning. Detecting S-rank threat approaching…"
The PX Pacifista, modeled after Kuma, reacted instantly the moment Whitebeard attacked.
BZZZZZ!!!!
"Defense shield activated. Preparing to withstand impact…"
Photon shields condensed around their mechanical bodies as they raised their hands and opened their mouths, firing powerful laser beams in response.
Defense and counterattack happened simultaneously.
BOOM!!!
The air twisted violently. The entire zone occupied by the Pacifista warped under the force of the strike.
The light shields of more than a dozen Pacifista shattered instantly, exploding into fragments of light. Their bodies twisted and crushed midair like crushed metal cans.
CRACK!
With a single strike, Whitebeard completely disabled over a dozen Pacifista, reducing them to scrap.
"Mal…func…tion…"
The wrecked Pacifista fell heavily to the ground. The red glow in their eyes flickered erratically before fading out.
Sizzle, sizzle…
Sparks burst from their torn frames as their bodies twitched a few more times. After several dull explosions, they finally went silent.
"Damn it!" Sentomaru shouted, gripping his massive axe as he stared at the destroyed Pacifista, his face twisted in pain. "Old man Whitebeard, do you have any idea how much those machines cost?!"
His mouth twitched as he continued angrily.
"I'm the man with the tightest lips in the world, but I'll say this much. Each Pacifista costs as much as half a year's food supply for a medium-sized country! They could have saved countless lives! And now they're gone, all because of you!"
"All because of me?" Whitebeard echoed.
Then he burst into laughter.
"Gurarahaha! Kid, then tell me something. You Marines don't grow food yourselves, so where does all that funding come from?"
Before the Marines could even respond, Whitebeard launched his final, all-out assault against Marineford.
---
On the execution platform.
ZAP!
A beam of light struck with perfect precision.
The key in Luffy's hand, just as it was about to enter the Sea Stone handcuffs, was instantly vaporized by Kizaru's laser.
"Oh no!" Luffy shouted. "The key she gave me got destroyed!"
His eyes bulged as he stared at the smoking residue in his palm.
"…"
Ace stared at him in silence, equally stunned.
Had they really failed at the very last step?
Regaining his composure, Ace clenched his teeth and forced a bitter smile. Looking at the remains of the key, he spoke urgently.
"Luffy, get out of here! It's too dangerous! They're about to bombard this place!"
Ace could clearly sense the cannons in the distance shifting their aim. The barrage was imminent.
"No! I'm saving you!" Luffy shouted stubbornly. "Key! Key! Key!!!"
He refused to leave, his mind racing frantically.
His entire body was steaming with heat. Soot covered him from head to toe, sweat pouring down as if he were on fire.
Ace felt his resolve waver.
What is he doing? I can't understand him at all…
Suddenly, Ace noticed something strange.
Above Luffy's head, three small circles and a white box appeared.
Inside the box, a key identical to the one that had been destroyed rotated endlessly, surrounded by countless question marks.
"Luffy," Ace said hesitantly, "there's something weird above your head…"
"Huh? What?"
Luffy looked up instinctively. The moment he saw the imagined key within his thoughts, his eyes lit up.
"Hehe, that's the key!"
Laughing excitedly, Luffy reached up and grabbed the illusory key from his own imagination.
He actually took it.
Without hesitation, he inserted the key into the Sea Stone handcuffs on Ace's wrist and twisted it gently.
CLICK!
…
"Why does the World Government never truly fear the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, the Magma-Magma Fruit, or the Ice-Ice Fruit?"
Shirogai Yamikuro calmly caressed the crimson fruit in his hand, a faint smile on his lips.
"Because people do not fear what they can understand. They fear what they cannot comprehend or predict."
"A power that makes people laugh together, breaks barriers, and unites hearts."
"An absurd ability that completely defies logic."
"These are things you so-called descendants of the creator can never understand."
…
SWOOSH!
At the same time, Marine cannonballs reached the execution platform.
BOOM!!!!
Flames erupted skyward.
Already battered and unstable, the execution platform finally succumbed.
RUMBLE!
Engulfed in fire, it collapsed completely.
CREAK, CREAK…
Within the towering flames and thick black smoke, silence followed.
"Is it… over?"
"Definitely. No matter how strong they are, they're still flesh and blood. They can't withstand artillery fire."
"They're dead! We eliminated the Son of Darkness and Straw Hat Luffy together!"
"Long live justice!!!"
Seeing the execution platform struck repeatedly, the Marines erupted into cheers.
Then, two voices echoed calmly from within the smoke.
"Honestly, not only is your personality reckless, even your Devil Fruit ability is ridiculously reckless. You really give me, as your older brother, a headache."
"Hehe! Ace, I told you I could save you! Ah hahaha, we did it!!!"
From the blazing flames, a black object was casually tossed out.
CLINK…
A broken chain hit the ground, ringing sharply.
"…"
The Admirals and Fleet Admiral, who had not intervened earlier, watched in silence, their expressions complicated.
In the end, he still escaped.
Damn it.
Where did everything go wrong?
___
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Milestone
100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
200 Power Stones = 3 Bonus Chapters