From the execution platform, Ace grew frantic upon seeing Whitebeard's arrival.
He shouted, "Pops, don't mind me! This is a trap!"
During his imprisonment, Ace had gathered substantial information about the execution from the conversations of guards and naval officers.
He clearly understood how formidable the Marine forces truly were.
Even someone as powerful as Whitebeard stood no chance of rescuing him under their watch.
While guarding Ace, Garp had informed him that Sengoku was serious this time.
After the initial probing, the Admirals would no longer hold back.
According to Garp's description, the Whitebeard Pirates would be completely annihilated within just one hour.
...
Ace watched the towering yet gentle 'father' before him, tears streaming uncontrollably.
"Pops, take the brothers and leave! Before they encircle us completely."
Though unaware of the Marines' specific tactics, Ace knew retreating before encirclement offered the best chance of success.
Unfortunately, the entire Whitebeard Pirates crew paid no heed to his plea.
Marco and the division commanders chuckled. "Don't be foolish, Ace. Just wait there quietly."
"Not even the World Government can bully a member of the Whitebeard Pirates."
"That's right, Ace. Wait for us."
"Rest assured, Marineford alone is no match for us."
"The Whitebeard Pirates will prevail!"
"YEAHHHHH~~~~"
Ace looked at his brothers' determined faces with a helpless expression, 'Persuade them? How could that possibly work? When they urged me not to chase that bastard Teach, I didn't listen to them either.'
This was the Whitebeard Pirates—always acting on principle.
Family comes first.
No matter how strong you are, if you harm our family, you must pay the price.
When Blackbeard killed a family member, he faced Ace's relentless pursuit.
Now, the Marines wanted to execute Ace? Naturally, the entire Whitebeard Pirates would come fighting with their lives on the line.
Some might question whether sacrificing numerous 'sons' to save one Ace showed favoritism.
But what if it were another insignificant 'son' of Whitebeard on that platform? The situation would remain unchanged.
The Whitebeard Pirates would still answer the call in full force.
It wasn't about how many would be sacrificed, but about upholding the foundation that kept them at the pinnacle of the pirate world: 'Family Above All.'
It was precisely because of Whitebeard's protective nature that the Marines had never actively killed core members of his crew.
But today was different.
...
Sengoku observed the smiling Whitebeard and responded with equal confidence.
"Whitebeard, you've prepared yourself for death, haven't you?"
Hearing Sengoku's words, Whitebeard burst into his characteristic "Gurararara" laughter.
"The ones who should be prepared are you, Sengoku!"
Crossing his arms before his chest, muscles bulging, dragon spine curving—Whitebeard's entire body radiated absolute power.
Seeing Whitebeard's stance, Sengoku turned off his loudspeaker and addressed Aokiji below.
"It's up to you, Kuzan."
"Mm."
Both sides stood ready for battle.
As spatial shattering sounds echoed from the Moby Dick's direction, the great war began.
Whitebeard activated his Tremor-Tremor Fruit ability, unleashing terrifying shockwaves that caused a massive tsunami.
Cataclysmic waves, far more terrifying than Water 7's Aqua Laguna, surrounded Marineford.
If these colossal waves were to crash down, not only would numerous weapons be destroyed by seawater, but nearly half of the 100,000 elite soldiers would go missing or perish.
Under the threat of natural forces, humanity appeared extremely insignificant.
Yet, facing such a disaster, the high-ranking officers of Marine Headquarters remained calmly seated.
It was only when the waves blocked their vision that Aokiji finally took action.
The Ice Admiral leaped into the air, using Ice Age to freeze the tsunami, creating a spectacular ring-shaped iceberg around the island.
Observant individuals could already tell that the key to victory in this battle would lie with those few capable of confronting natural disasters.
...
After freezing the tsunami, Aokiji followed the original plan and launched an attack toward Whitebeard.
Whitebeard instinctively counterattacked defensively, sending a shockwave attack that knocked Aokiji down, causing him to fall toward the inland bay where the Moby Dick was anchored.
Seconds later, the plan succeeded.
The bay was completely frozen, providing a landing point to charge forward.
The pirates grew excited upon seeing this.
They inwardly mocked Aokiji, thinking he was either a great guy or a complete clown.
He didn't harm their father and had even created such an excellent offensive environment for them.
Thus, except for the 1st and 3rd Division commanders, Marco and Jozu, who remained on the ship, all the other division commanders led their subordinates in a charge.
Following closely, the forty-seven subordinate pirate crews also began attacking the Navy's shoreline defenses.
War had become inevitable.
Subsequently, Mihawk attempted to challenge Whitebeard, unleashing a massive slash that was intercepted by the 3rd Division Commander, Jozu, who transformed into diamond.
Right after, Kizaru also prepared to test Whitebeard's reaction speed.
Soaring over the battlefield, he fired Yasakani no Magatama directly at the world's strongest man. But this shower of golden light was blocked by a large bird enveloped in blue flames—"Marco the Phoenix."
Then, as planned, Kizaru was kicked backward by Marco, crashing straight through the outer wall.
In the eyes of the Whitebeard Pirates' members, a direct path to Ace's execution platform had unexpectedly appeared.
"Commander Marco is amazing!"
"The Admirals are nothing special, hahaha!"
This scene greatly boosted pirate morale, pushing the Navy into a continuous retreat.
With the entrance of the 38-meter-tall ancient giant, Little Oars Jr., Marineford's outer defenses were completely breached by the Whitebeard Pirates' fleet.
At this moment, the Whitebeard Pirates' main crew of 1,600 members, along with approximately 50,000 from the subordinate crews, had all gathered on the ice.
Sengoku and Akainu—one staying on the execution platform and the other seated on the Admiral's chair below—coldly watched the gradually retreating Navy.
"Sakazuki, wait a little longer."
Akainu nodded in response.
"Yes, let them come closer."
...
Next, Little Oars Jr. faced attacks from Moria and Doflamingo, losing his right calf and having his throat pierced by shadow spikes.
But using his massive body, he managed to destroy part of the wall as he fell, with one side of his body crashing into Marineford Plaza.
Whitebeard watched his 38-meter-tall foolish son with heartache.
But he didn't help, because this was Oars' own choice.
...
Flashback
Before departing from the New World, Little Oars Jr. had spoke to Whitebeard and the other commanders.
"I must use my body to create a passage for everyone to break through."
No matter how Whitebeard, Marco, and the others tried to persuade him, Oars remained stubbornly determined.
He only repeated one sentence: "Pops, we must save Ace."
Little Oars Jr. looked at the straw hat in his hand and showed a sincere smile.
After witnessing his resolve, everyone else could only silently shed tears.
This war concerned matters far too significant to be determined by one or two lives.
Before this incident, Whitebeard had already encountered Ray.
The entire Whitebeard Pirates crew was prepared to sacrifice themselves.
Especially Whitebeard, who had recently been frequently recalling his past conversations with Roger.
For him, this war concerned not only Ace's life but also the future of the world.
...
Returning to the present, Whitebeard looked at the severely wounded Oars, who was now pretending to be dead, his heart aching unbearably.
'Oars, I won't let you sacrifice yourself.'