"I didn't expect to see you again so soon," Admiral Kizaru drawled, watching the young man with mild surprise. They had only just crossed paths on the Sabaody Archipelago a few days prior.
"I honestly don't know whether to call him incredibly brave or just plain reckless, charging into a war zone like this," Aokiji remarked, scratching his head. On a battlefield filled with the world's most dangerous fighters, what could a rookie like the Straw Hat hope to accomplish alone?
Admiral Akainu remained silent, but the cold killing intent in his eyes was unmistakable. To him, the more potential a pirate showed, the more vital it was to extinguish their spark before they grew too powerful. Monkey D. Luffy was exactly that kind of threat. His father was the world's most heinous criminal, and just like Portgas D. Ace, he carried the blood of a bloodline the world could not allow to exist.
"Jinbe, is this truly the path you've chosen?" Sengoku questioned, his voice booming as he looked at the former Warlord.
Though he didn't know how Magellan, the warden of Impel Down, had allowed these fugitives to escape, it was clear that the Great Prison had fallen into chaos. Otherwise, there was no way such a motley crew of criminals would be standing here.
"That's right. This is my choice. I officially renounce my position as a Shichibukai," Jinbe responded firmly. He had crossed the point of no return.
Sengoku's expression turned to stone. "Then there is nothing left to discuss. Status on the enclosure walls?"
"Reporting, Fleet Admiral! They are ready for activation!" a subordinate shouted.
"Don't wait. Activate them now!" Sengoku ordered.
"Yes, sir! Raise the walls!"
At that moment, the very foundation of the harbor began to groan and tremble. The wreckage of the warships shifted as the trap was sprung.
"What's going on?" the pirates on the ice cried out, a chill of dread washing over them. Even the Marines who hadn't yet retreated looked pale as the ground beneath them shook.
Massive, thick iron walls rose rapidly along the harbor shore, encircling the pirates like a cage. The path to the plaza was being sealed shut.
"I didn't think the Marines would have a trick like this up their sleeve. They've blocked the way. If they melt the ice now, we'll be sitting ducks in a boiling pot," Marco said, his face grave as he hovered in the air. He turned his attention to the giant. "Oars! Can you find a way to break through those walls?"
"I'll try!" Oars roared. He raised his massive blade and brought it down with a thunderous strike against the iron.
Clang! The metal groaned, and a deep gouge appeared, but the wall held firm. Oars didn't stop; he hacked at the barrier again and again. Clang! Clang! Clang! Sparks showered the ice, but his sword began to chip and bend under the strain.
"It's no use! These things are too thick!" Oars grunted, looking at his ruined weapon.
"Oars, change tactics! See if you can just push them over!" Marco suggested, observing the structure from his vantage point.
Oars paused, then nodded. He took several heavy steps back, let out a guttural roar, and charged, slamming his massive shoulder into the iron plating.
Boom!
The section of the wall shuddered and tilted back a few degrees.
"It's working! Keep going! Knock it down and clear a path for everyone! We have to get off this ice!" Marco instructed.
Oars threw himself into the task, repeatedly ramming the wall with his colossal weight. The metal began to buckle and lean further with every hit. With one final, earth-shaking shove, Oars let out a roar of pure effort.
With a deafening boom, both Oars and the massive section of the enclosure wall toppled forward, crashing onto the shore. The Marines waiting behind the barrier scrambled in terror, desperately trying to avoid being flattened by the falling metal.
"How did he knock the wall over?!" the fleeing soldiers cried out, their morale plummeting as their "impenetrable" defense collapsed.
"Well done, Oars!" Marco sighed in relief. He immediately relayed the situation to his captain.
"A wise judgment, Marco. I fear Akainu is about to make his move," Whitebeard said, his voice echoing over the harbor. "Men! Move to Oars's position! Get off the ice and charge the plaza!"
"You heard the Old Man! Assault the plaza!"
The pirates, who had been panicked by the rising walls, immediately rallied. They rushed toward the gap Oars had created, desperate to reach solid ground.
"That Oars again! That damned ogre actually breached the enclosure wall," Sengoku snarled, his face darkening until it looked like it could drip ink. "We can't wait. Sakazuki, begin the bombardment."
Sengoku no longer cared about the newcomers from the sky. If they weren't wearing Marine white, they were targets. The priority was the total annihilation of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Akainu nodded, his arms shifting into churning, bubbling magma that gave off thick plumes of black smoke. "Meteor Volcano!"
He launched massive fists of magma high into the atmosphere, where they disappeared into the clouds.
"What is he doing? Why is he firing at the sky?" the pirates wondered, looking up in confusion.
"Don't stop! Keep running!" the division commanders screamed, pushing their men toward the shore.
Seconds later, the sky turned a hellish red. Countless magma meteors began raining down on the harbor.
"Whoa! It's raining fire! That Fleet Admiral has a mean streak, doesn't he?" Yamato remarked, watching the swarm of magma fists. "Uncle, the battle is moving to the plaza. Staying here is pointless. What about your ships? Do we leave them?"
Whitebeard looked down at the Moby Dick. A flicker of complex emotion crossed his face before he hardened his gaze. "Don't worry about the ships. I've prepared for this. The Moby Dick has served its purpose."
"Then let's go."
Yamato veered away just as the magma began to strike. She flew with Whitebeard toward Oars's breach, leaving the airspace above the flagship.
BOOM!
The magma shower struck the ice with the force of a thousand bombs. The thick frozen layer began to hiss and melt instantly. The Moby Dick and the other pirate ships were struck directly, erupting into massive pillars of flame. The seawater in the bay began to boil.
Fortunately, most of the pirates had reached Oars's position in time. They scrambled onto the plaza, engaging in a bloody struggle with the Marine elites. Only a few stragglers were left behind, falling into the scalding water.
"Oars, fish them out!" Marco barked. Oars reached down with his massive hands, scooping his allies out of the sea and depositing them safely on the shore.
On the execution platform, Sengoku watched the scene with a vein bulging in his forehead. A perfectly orchestrated trap had been ruined by a single giant. The entire second phase of his plan was in tatters.
"What's the move now, Sengoku?" Kizaru asked, glancing back. Aokiji and Akainu waited for the word.
Sengoku's face was grim. The plan had been to trap the pirates in a "jar" and destroy them at leisure. Instead, the Whitebeard Pirates had successfully stormed the plaza with their numbers largely intact. As the commander, Sengoku felt the stinging shame of the failure.
"The enclosure wall operation is a bust. We are moving up the execution," Sengoku announced coldly.
Kizaru and Aokiji exchanged a startled look, their eyes instinctively darting to Garp. The old hero sat in silence, but the weight of his misery was palpable to everyone nearby.
Sengoku didn't hesitate. "Announce it to the entire army: The execution of Portgas D. Ace is moved up immediately! Executioners, take your positions!"
Meanwhile, Yamato and her group arrived over the right side of the plaza. Below them, the battle had reached a fever pitch. Marines surged forward in an endless tide, desperate to hold the line.
"Don't let them near the platform!" the Marine officers screamed.
"Save Ace! Charge!" the pirates roared back.
"Fufufu... there's no stopping it now!" Doflamingo laughed, weaving through the chaos and cutting down pirates with his strings. The Shichibukai were now fully engaged, turning the plaza into a three-way slaughterhouse.
"Oars, take care of the Marine Giant Unit!" Marco directed.
"Leave it to me! Ace, just hold on! We're almost there!" Oars shouted, swinging his chipped blade at the giant Vice Admirals.
"Who is that kid at the front?" Marco asked, surprised to see the straw-hatted youth leading the charge. Beside Luffy were Jinbe and Ivankov, acting as his shield.
"Don't let a rookie show us up! Push forward!" the division commanders rallied their men.
"Monkey D. Luffy... he was at Sabaody only days ago," Haruko said, her eyes wide with disbelief. "How did he get here from Impel Down so fast? It doesn't make sense."
"So that's Ace's brother? He has spirit," Whitebeard noted, watching the boy.
Swish, swish!
A whirlwind of sand suddenly shot into the sky, coalescing into the form of Sir Crocodile.
"Whitebeard!" Crocodile snarled, his golden hook gleaming as he lunged at the old man.
"Back off, you insolent fool!" Haruko cried. She drew her Kodachi, blocking the hook with a sharp ring of steel and forcing the former Warlord back toward the ground.
Crocodile landed firmly, frowning up at Haruko. Whitebeard barely spared him a glance.
"Should I call you Crocodile, or Sir Crocodile?" Yamato asked with a tilt of her dragon head.
"Call me whatever you like, Onihime. But why are you here?" Crocodile asked, showing no fear despite the massive dragon before him.
"To save my disciple. Or just for the fun of it," Yamato replied with a smirk.
"Disciple?" Crocodile looked toward Ace, a trace of confusion in his eyes. He wisely decided not to press the attack on Whitebeard again.
"Got him!" a Marine Lieutenant Commander shouted, appearing behind Crocodile to strike. Crocodile, being a Sand-Sand Logia, simply let the blade pass through him before effortlessly dispatching the officer.
"Crocodile is an enemy! Kill him!" the Marines shouted, swarming toward him.
"Pops, look! The executioners are in position!" a pirate screamed.
Two men had ascended the platform, standing over Ace with their blades ready.
"Sengoku... do you really think I'll let you do it?" Whitebeard's gaze turned razor-sharp, locked onto the Fleet Admiral.
"Whitebeard, if you think you can stop it, then try," Sengoku challenged.
Whitebeard narrowed his eyes. The Whitebeard Pirates were still being held back by the Marine elites. If they didn't break through now, they would be too late. He knew they were at a disadvantage, but the goal was simple: Save Ace. If they failed here, the era of the Whitebeard Pirates would come to a bloody end.
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