Luffy struggled violently, but the grip around his neck was unyielding like an iron vice. Every time he tried to strike back, Akainu just transformed into molten magma, his body shrouded in lethal heat.
"Let me go! I'm going to save Ace!" Luffy shouted, voice cracking with desperation.
Akainu held him higher, his expression as unforgiving as ever. "You and Ace, you inherited the most dangerous bloodlines in this world, so escaping Marineford alive isn't an option."
At that moment Garp stood up, fists clenched so tightly his knuckles were white. Sengoku reacted instantly and forced him back down against the execution platform.
"Garp! What are you doing? Don't be foolish!" Sengoku barked as he restrained him.
Blood trickled from Garp's forehead. He glared at Akainu, voice strained, "Keep me held here or I'll go kill Renn myself!"
When Garp heard that the World Government was going to publicly execute Ace at Marineford, he hit his breaking point. And now, not only was Ace about to die, but his other grandson was being throttled in front of him.
Ace, chained and struggling, screamed in anguish, "Luffy! Damn it!"
He thrashed, the chains clanging with every movement. He wanted nothing more than to rip the hand choking his brother away. Deep down he already knew Akainu was merciless; having Luffy fall into his grasp meant certain death.
"Luffy's brother!"
Seeing this, all the pirates on the battlefield lunged toward Akainu, screaming in rage.
Unfortunately, most of them either lacked Haki entirely or had only weak Haki, which couldn't harm the magma‑hardened Admiral at all. The Whitebeard Pirates who did have strong Armament Haki were tied up by Marine Vice Admirals or blocked by the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
They could barely defend themselves, let alone stop Akainu.
Marco managed to kick Aokiji back and then turned to charge at Akainu himself. As Aokiji taunted him, an ice spear suddenly pierced Marco's left shoulder.
"Agh!"
A bone‑deep chill roared through him as the pain shot upwards.
Whitebeard swung Murakumogiri at Kizaru, but before the blade could connect Kizaru vanished in an instant, reforming behind him in a flash of light.
Whitebeard swung at the empty space, causing cracks to spider over the air itself. Before they could spread fully, Kizaru disappeared again and reappeared to Whitebeard's left.
Kizaru stroked his chin, watching Whitebeard move. "You really are old."
Whitebeard breathed heavily and shot back, "Jumping around like that is like a monkey. No wonder you've got that nickname."
Kizaru just shook his head, "This old man isn't foolish. I know I can't win a straight fight, but I can keep you busy."
Whitebeard's gaze flicked toward where Luffy was still being throttled, worry tightening his chest. Ace's miraculous bean had healed many of his old injuries, but aging wasn't something that could be undone. His stamina was no longer what it once was in his prime.
And Kizaru's mobility, powered by his Light‑Light Devil Fruit, allowed him to avoid fair fights and harass Whitebeard from a distance.
Whitebeard couldn't free himself to protect Luffy right then.
"Luffy!" Jinbe was frantic as he watched the scene, unable to bear seeing Luffy choked by Akainu.
"Jinbe‑san, where are you going?" said a voice that grated against his nerves.
Standing before him was a woman about 1.5 meters tall and incredibly round, weaving with odd charm and a strange Devil Fruit ability.
"Are you Juliet? One of the new Shichibukai, a Teasing Fruit user?" Jinbe asked, brow furrowed.
Juliet winked with seductive mischief, "Oh my, you know me? I wonder, have you seen me in your dreams?"
Jinbe silently recited his own mantra several times to calm his rising discomfort. "Yes, I see you in nightmares."
Just looking at her made his already blue face turn even darker.
"Straw Hat Boy!"
Ivankov roared as he charged, arms pounding forward with absurd power.
"Death Wink!" he yelled as he blasted Marines aside one after another.
"Get out of my way!"
Just then, a blade of sharp energy cut before him. He rolled aside in the nick of time and turned to see the attacker.
A man as tall and thin as a stalk of bamboo stood there.
"Seven Warlords of the Sea Saint Manboshi!" Ivankov muttered under his breath as Benn Bambu walked forward, blade gleaming.
"Oh, I didn't think the famous Revolutionary Army commander would know of this humble one," Bambu said with slow steps.
Ivankov narrowed his eyes and looked toward Luffy again with a heavy heart.
At Makino's bar in Windmill Village on East Blue, the mood was tense.
"Luffy!"
"Luffy's been captured!"
"What are they doing?"
Villagers crowded around the visual Den Den Mushi, faces flush with worry. When the news broke of Ace's pending execution, everyone rushed to the bar because it was the only place in town with a viewing device.
Most villagers hated pirates, but Luffy and Ace were different. They watched them grow up, treated them like their own sons, and now stood frozen in fear, hoping for some miracle.
Back at Marineford, Akainu raised Luffy high before the broadcast Den Den Mushi and announced loudly, his voice booming for everyone to hear.
"Monkey D. Luffy, I have chosen to put this man to death because he carries the blood of the Revolutionary Army's leader Dragon, he is the grandson of Navy Hero Vice Admiral Garp, and most dangerously, he fights without hesitation against absolute justice. For the sake of absolute justice, he will be executed today."
Every Marine, pirate, and spectator watched in stunned silence as Akainu's words echoed over the battlefield.
Then a voice cut through the tension.
"Take your filthy hands off Luffy!"