The towering Admiral Kizaru, standing over three meters tall, rose to his full height with unnerving poise.
Black curly hair, a yellow-and-white striped suit, a neatly trimmed beard, orange-tinted sunglasses, and a perpetually lazy expression…
He looked completely out of place amidst the chaos of war, blood-soaked corpses, and flying debris.
Like an uncle who'd accidentally wandered onto a battlefield while buying ice cream.
But anyone who underestimated him because of his casual demeanor was about to get schooled—hard.
SWISH!
Invisible, instantaneous.
A faint yellow streak suddenly appeared in the sky, a straight line cutting across the horizon.
Kizaru had launched himself from the high platform, aiming directly at Ace soaring above.
"What!?"
Ace's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't sensed the attack with his Observation Haki at all!
"Oh~yo~"
Kizaru lazily waved at Ace.
"Hey there, kid. Ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
Despite his laid-back demeanor, Ace immediately sensed danger.
He wrapped a layer of hardened Armament Haki around his elbows and prepared to block, moving at top speed toward Kizaru.
Golden light burst from Kizaru's leg as he used his slender body like the most precise weapon imaginable.
The powers of the Glint-Glint Fruit were pushed to their absolute limit.
His entire body flipped with inhuman speed—so fast that Ace couldn't even react.
Centrifugal force slammed Kizaru's radiant leg into Ace's arm.
BOOM!!!
Ace was sent hurtling toward the ground with terrifying velocity.
Even upon impact, his rubber body bounced uncontrollably toward the sea—but he used his Devil Fruit abilities to spring back, landing safely beside Whitebeard, who grabbed him in one hand.
"You okay, Ace?"
Huff…
Ace shook his head and spoke softly:
"I'm fine, Papa…"
"Because I'm a rubber man!"
Indeed.
Kizaru's fearsome strike hadn't used any Haki—only the pure force of his Devil Fruit.
Thus, rubber man Ace suffered no harm and returned safely to Whitebeard.
If Luffy were present, he would have found the scene eerily familiar.
On the ground, Akainu slowly retracted his magma, which had been aimed at Ace, letting out a deep breath.
With Kizaru now in the fray, the battle became much more manageable…
Akainu's righteous gaze shifted toward the heart of the conflict.
If he could take down Whitebeard here and now, the Marines would emerge victorious without question.
"Whitebeard!!!"
Akainu roared, his voice billowing with rage:
"All three Marine Admirals are here!"
"You can't escape!"
"Today! Here!"
"Your Whitebeard Pirates meet your end!!!"
WHOOSH!
Lava spewed from his body, enveloping him in a molten shell.
He stomped down, each strike sending his magma-laden fists hurtling toward Whitebeard with supersonic speed.
Falling lava burned pits into the ground along the way.
On the high platform, Aokiji transformed into ice.
Two massive wings sprouted from his back, crystalline and refracting sunlight into a dazzling spectrum.
He leapt into the sky like a falcon, racing toward Whitebeard, slicing through the air with a whistling roar.
Kizaru, meanwhile, had fully elementalized, radiating blinding light in all directions, like a 360° spotlight.
Even the sun seemed dim in comparison to the brilliance of his Devil Fruit.
The light-speed Admiral surged toward Whitebeard like a living arrow.
In an instant, the sky split into three colors:
Fiery red, icy blue, and eerie pale yellow.
All three Admirals unleashed their full power, showing the world the pinnacle of Marine combat capability.
Whitebeard Pirates watched in horror as these three forces of nature cut the sky itself in three.
Even Whitebeard, proud and arrogant, grew cautious.
At his current state, he could no longer sustain prolonged combat.
Facing all three Admirals at once could be fatal—he might collapse before the battle's end.
Akainu sneered.
This time, let's see how you handle it!
"Whitebeard!!! Die today!!!"
BOOM!!!
THUD!!!
Just as Akainu assumed victory, two deafening impacts erupted across the battlefield.
Kizaru's light and Aokiji's blue suddenly fractured—the tri-colored sky collapsed into a single dark red streak.
Gear Fourth Ace had intercepted Aokiji's path!
A massive elastic fist collided with the ice admiral, stopping him in his tracks.
Aokiji squinted, shifting his body into a wisp of flowing ice, retreating to give distance.
"Portgas D. Ace…" he whispered.
Ace bounced like a rubber ball, exhaling a long breath that stretched across the frigid battlefield.
"Here I am!"
Haa…
Aokiji exhaled a blast of icy air, his eyes sharp as daggers.
"Rumor has it… you're Monkey D. Luffy's older brother?"
Because of Ace's repeated flaunting of Luffy, even the New World knew parts of the story of Ace and Luffy.
"So what if I am?" Ace frowned.
"Then…"
"I can take revenge!!!"
A massive ice sword appeared in Aokiji's hands, swinging fiercely at Ace!
…
Elsewhere, Kizaru returned to human form, stepping onto solid ground.
"Hey~ hey~ so it's… Diamond Jozu, huh?"
The light-speed Admiral spoke slowly, casually noting his opponent.
He glanced at Jozu's diamond coating, then at Whitebeard, muttering:
"Oh my…"
"Seems like I can't pass through…"
…
Meanwhile, Akainu's searing magma formed a colossal fist, bearing down on Whitebeard.
Gurrr…
Whitebeard bent his massive frame, roaring:
"Akainu… save your flames for my birthday cake!!!"
SWISH!
He grabbed the magma fist in one hand, instantly burning a charred patch into it.
Akainu's arm was now firmly under Whitebeard's control.
"What…!?!"
Akainu's eyes widened in disbelief as Whitebeard lifted him into the air.
"Ah!!!"
Whitebeard's voice thundered, and his massive arm swelled with power.
Tremor-Tremor Fruit power surged into his fist.
"You're a hundred years too early to defeat me!!!!"
BOOM!!!
The entire island of Marineford shook violently.
The shockwave sent Marines and pirates flying dozens of meters.
Chasms opened across the island, deep as the abyss.
Centered on Whitebeard's position, Marineford itself seemed cleaved in two.
Beneath Whitebeard's fist lay Akainu, bloodied, stunned, and utterly defeated.
His twisted, enraged face trembled as if whispering:
"You… two… tricked me…???"