The group that had just appeared—
Was none other than Marshall D. Teach and his crew.
The one Tina had just shot down was Van Augur, who had attempted to snipe them from afar.
But against Tina Sprout—
Another sniper stood no chance.
The moment Van Augur aimed his rifle—
Tina had already locked onto him.
And she fired without hesitation.
The instant Whitebeard saw that man—
His previously bright mood vanished.
"Teach!!"
The Whitebeard Pirates erupted in fury.
They charged forward all at once.
Even the Marines, seeing this, retreated instinctively.
No one wanted to get caught between those monsters.
Sengoku watched coldly.
He made no move.
The Marines had already lost.
They had even lost an Admiral.
They couldn't afford further damage.
As long as those girls remained—
No one dared to act.
Enju tilted her head.
"Mister, is that guy an enemy?"
"Aren't you going to help?"
After all—
Blackbeard wasn't weak.
Yet Whitebeard stood still.
Whitebeard laughed.
"No need!"
"I trust my sons!"
"As long as I stand here… that man won't cause any trouble."
As he spoke—
His presence surged.
A terrifying pressure locked onto Teach.
Just as he said—
With Whitebeard watching—
Teach didn't dare go all out.
Right now, his mind was filled with only one thought:
Escape.
The moment Ace had been rescued so effortlessly—
Teach knew.
His entire plan…
Had failed.
And worse—
Whitebeard had returned to his prime.
No one understood better than him—
Just how terrifying that meant.
The girls exchanged glances.
Then Rita spoke calmly:
"Tina-nee, eliminate them."
"Let's proceed to the next phase."
"We still need to go back for dinner."
Everyone nodded.
Flandre Scarlet acted first.
She reached out—
And lightly squeezed.
BOOM!!
One of Teach's crew exploded into a cloud of blood.
The rest followed.
In less than a minute—
The entire Blackbeard Pirates were wiped out.
With the battle over—
Rita turned to Whitebeard.
"Our mission is complete."
"The rest is up to you."
"We have other tasks to handle."
Whitebeard nodded.
"My thanks."
"I'll come visit once everything here is settled."
He was genuinely grateful.
Without these girls—
Saving Ace wouldn't have been so simple.
After a few words—
The girls each took out a device.
In the next moment—
Sleek blue motorcycles materialized before them.
They mounted up in pairs—
And launched into the sky.
Heading straight toward the Red Line.
These vehicles—
Were created by Bronya during her Herrscher state.
Ever since then—
The girls had fallen in love with them.
Each of them had one.
Sengoku's expression changed drastically.
"They're heading for the Red Line?!"
He was about to give orders—
But—
Whitebeard stepped forward.
"And where do you think you're going?"
His voice fell.
Haoshoku Haki flooded the battlefield.
A crushing pressure locked everyone in place.
Sengoku's face darkened completely.
"Whitebeard!!"
"Do you even realize what you're doing?!"
From their trajectory—
It was obvious.
Those girls were heading for the Celestial Dragons.
And Whitebeard—
Was stopping him.
Whitebeard snorted.
"Of course I do."
"So stay right where you are."
"Or whatever happens next… won't be my concern."
He knew exactly what chaos would follow.
But he didn't care.
After all—
Wasn't there still the Revolutionary Army?
Destruction—
Was sometimes necessary for rebirth.
Sengoku clenched his fists.
Whitebeard smirked.
"Or what?"
"You Marines really plan to keep being the Celestial Dragons' dogs forever?"
"This is your chance—and you won't take it?"
Sengoku trembled with anger.
He wanted to strike.
But he couldn't.
If he did—
The Marines here would be annihilated.
...
Meanwhile—
High above the Red Line—
The girls had arrived.
Looking down at the city below—
Tina frowned.
"What now?"
"Do we just charge in?"
Rita shook her head.
Her eyes were ice-cold.
"No."
"I'll handle this alone."
She stood up on her motorcycle.
Raising her hand—
A strange sniper rifle materialized.
She calmly assembled it.
The moment the others saw it—
Their expressions changed.
"Run!!"
Enju immediately sped away.
Even Tina retreated.
They knew that weapon all too well.
Strategic-Class Magic CAD: Third Eye.
A device developed by Asagi Aiba—
Then mass-produced.
Rita was one of the few who could use it.
A magic capable of decomposing matter into energy.
Even a tiny mass—
Could release energy equivalent to massive explosives.
This—
Was true nuclear-level magic.
One shot—
And the Red Line itself might sink.
From a distance, Tina muttered:
"…Is this really okay?"
"If she sinks the place, we won't get any Devil Fruits…"
But then—
A voice echoed.
Izumi.
"It's fine."
"Let her have her fun."