After a moment of silence, Whitebeard turned his gaze toward Yamato. "You should stay out of this fight. Once Ace is safe, if things turn south, just help me cover the retreat of my foolish sons."
In truth, Whitebeard had made his resolve long before the first shot was fired. Had he still been in his youth, such a thought would never have crossed his mind; he would have been fearless and unstoppable. But he was no longer that man.
Yamato blinked in surprise. "Uncle, isn't it a bit early to be talking like that?"
"Wororororo! It is just a precaution. I hope it never comes to that," Whitebeard laughed.
Ever since Yamato arrived, the old pirate had been weighing his options. A father's love means planning for a future he might not see. Whitebeard was already prepared to stand as the shield for the next generation. If his long life were to end here, he wouldn't feel a single regret. What mattered was ensuring the young lived on to forge a better world. Even though Yamato's strength was a massive asset, Whitebeard didn't want to drag her into the center of the storm since she wasn't a member of the Whitebeard Pirates.
"Well, we'll see when the time comes, Uncle," Yamato replied, neither agreeing nor refusing. "Just be careful. If things get bad, I'm going to act on my own instincts. We're all pirates, aren't we?"
"We're all pirates, huh? Wororororo! Well said," Whitebeard roared with laughter.
Yamato used her Flame Clouds to gently lower Whitebeard down to the plaza below. As they descended, she looked over at the first division commander. "Marco, take good care of your Pops."
"Don't you worry. I'd do that even if you didn't ask," Marco replied. He took to the skies the moment Whitebeard's boots hit the frozen ground of the battlefield.
"Get out of my way!" Oars Jr. bellowed. Seeing Whitebeard join the fray, the giant unleashed his full strength, swatting the remaining Giant Vice Admirals aside like flies. He began striding toward the center of the plaza. "Pops, I'm here to help!"
Whitebeard glanced back over his shoulder. "Oars, don't be reckless. Stay back and be ready to provide support when needed."
"But Pops, I can help!" Oars insisted, ignoring the warning.
Whitebeard didn't waste any more breath. "My foolish sons! If you aren't afraid to die, follow me and charge!"
He gripped his supreme-grade blade, Murakumogiri, and led the assault from the very front. With a single, massive swing of the polearm, the Marines blocking his path were scattered like dust in a gale.
"Whitebeard is moving!"
The faces of the Marines turned pale. The sheer pressure of his advance nearly knocked them off their feet. Seeing their father figure lead the charge, the Whitebeard Pirates felt a massive surge of adrenaline. They threw themselves forward with renewed ferocity, breaking through the Marine lines with unstoppable momentum.
"He's finally getting impatient," Fleet Admiral Sengoku muttered, his expression darkening. He knew better than anyone that once Whitebeard entered the fray personally, the body count would skyrocket.
Akainu stood his ground, his eyes scanning the chaos for a specific target. "What is that guy doing? Can't he see Whitebeard has joined the fight? Utterly useless."
The secret operation to turn the pirate allies against each other had clearly failed. Akainu's gaze turned icy as he watched Whitebeard toss Marines around like beans. "We can't let him run wild. This is Marineford, the bastion of justice!"
"Agreed," Aokiji nodded. "That man can only be stopped by us."
In an instant, the two Admirals moved. One transformed into flowing magma and the other into jagged ice as they closed the gap between them and the Yonko.
"Clear the way! Admiral Akainu and Admiral Aokiji are moving out!"
The rank-and-file Marines scrambled to get out of the path of the three titans. Whitebeard punched the air, the Tremor-Tremor Fruit cracking the very atmosphere and sending a wave of shockwaves through the Marine ranks. He looked ahead at the approaching smoke and frost.
"So you're coming for me?" Whitebeard laughed, his eyes sharpening. "If you think you can stop me, then come and try!"
"Don't forget about me, Admirals," Marco said, flying close behind Whitebeard. He kept one eye on the enemy and the other on the execution platform, ready to strike the moment an opening appeared.
Up on the frozen waves, Kizaru watched his fellow Admirals join the battle. "I suppose this old man should keep an eye on that Oni Princess. We can't leave a monster like that unattended; it would be far too dangerous." He blurred into light and reappeared near Yamato.
"Kizaru, you old geezer," Yamato teased. "Slacking off at a time like this? Aren't you worried Sengoku will hold you accountable?"
Yamato was genuinely amused. She had heard rumors that the Light-Human was incredibly lazy, but seeing him actively avoid the main fight was something else.
"Now, now, don't talk like that," Kizaru replied with his signature slow drawl. "I am working very hard. You're a monster with a bounty of 1,800,000,000, which is basically the same as a Yonko. Keeping an eye on you is a very important job."
"How much of that is actually true?" Yamato asked.
"Every word of it," Kizaru answered instantly.
"So you're just going to stand there and stare at me?" Yamato asked, unable to tell if he was being serious or just playing the role of a career slacker. "If we don't exchange a few blows, aren't you afraid your bosses will start asking questions?"
"That is a fair point," Kizaru admitted. "Staring isn't enough. We should probably fight a little. Could you cooperate with me? I really don't want to deal with a lecture later."
Yamato smiled. "I could, but aren't you worried I'll suddenly ditch you and jump into the fight down there?"
"You're underestimating me. My greatest strength is my speed. That isn't arrogance; it is just a fact. Besides, you aren't actually a member of the Whitebeard Pirates, are you? As the young master of the Beasts Pirates, I'd advise you not to get too involved. Even if you consider yourself Fire Fist Ace's teacher, that is where it should end. If you force your way in, we won't stay back either. This war would escalate into something much worse. You don't want to see that, do you?"
Kizaru kept his hands in his pockets as he spoke. "This way, it's better for both of us, isn't it?"
Until now, the Marines' strongest fighters hadn't gone all out. If the Admirals truly got serious, the conflict would turn into a war of total annihilation. Sengoku and the hero Garp hadn't even moved yet. If the situation demanded it, they would level Marineford just to ensure a victory. To the World Government, the execution of Ace was becoming secondary to the outcome of the war itself. They needed a win, and they were willing to pay any price for it.
"I understand," Yamato said. "The Marines need this victory."
"Exactly. We didn't plan for you to show up, so I have to watch you. Tying down one Marine Admiral is already a huge help to your friends."
Kizaru was perfectly happy with the standoff. He had no personal desire to fight to the death with Whitebeard's crew. In his mind, this whole war was a massive headache. If it were up to him, they would have just executed Ace quietly inside Impel Down and announced it in the papers later. Why go through the trouble of a public execution and a massive war that cost so many lives? Besides, Ace was connected to Garp. It felt a bit ruthless to put a colleague's family through this.
"Kizaru, you see things clearly," Yamato noted. "But that is exactly why you'll never be Fleet Admiral. You're stuck being an Admiral."
"Admiral is plenty," Kizaru shrugged. "Even if they offered me the top spot, I wouldn't take it. I have no interest in sitting at a desk all day staring at paperwork."
"Haha! So you're saying even a dog wouldn't want to be Fleet Admiral?" Yamato laughed.
"I never said that," Kizaru replied, his face a mask of feigned innocence. "Those are your words, not mine."
"One more thing," Yamato said, her tone teasing. "Weren't you at Sabaody Archipelago a few days ago? I heard you didn't capture a single one of those rookie pirates. You're the only person in the world who could slack off that much. How do you explain that?"
"You're being unfair," Kizaru said, spreading his hands. "I only went there because the Straw Hat boy attacked a Celestial Dragon. My mission was to deal with his crew. The other rookies had nothing to do with me."
"So you just let them go?" Yamato asked.
"I didn't let them go; they ran away. I finished my mission, so why would I worry about the rest? That is my brand of justice."
"The justice of a slacker, huh? I like the sound of that," Yamato praised.
Haruko, who was standing nearby, looked between the two with a bewildered expression. A Marine Admiral and a world-class pirate chatting casually in the middle of a war zone was the most bizarre thing she had ever seen. Luckily, the chaos below kept anyone else from noticing.
Shockwaves continued to rock the island. Despite his age and failing health, Whitebeard was trading blows with Akainu, causing the plaza to splinter and crack under the pressure.
"Get back! Don't get caught in the crossfire!"
Both sides scrambled away from the two titans. The entire island of Marineford was trembling. Whitebeard had just used his powers to rip a massive fissure through the ground. Seeing his strength firsthand, many of the Marines who had been shouting for his head were now pale and silent.
"Sakazuki is really going for the kill," Aokiji thought. He was busy holding off Marco and the other commanders, but he kept a close eye on the magma man. Even though Whitebeard was past his prime, he was still a Yonko. A dying tiger was often the most dangerous.
"Ace!"
In the middle of the carnage, a familiar voice rang out. Under the cover of the pirate advance, Luffy had managed to get incredibly close to the execution platform.
"Luffy!"
Ace stared down in shock. He hadn't expected his brother to be the first one to reach him. "Luffy, get out of here! It's too dangerous!"
He could see the elite Marine officers closing in on the boy. Sengoku looked down at the platform. "It is time. Executioners, get ready."
"Yes, sir!"
The two guards stepped forward and crossed their blades over Ace's neck. The pirate ranks erupted in panic.
"No! Ace is in trouble!"
Marco looked up and realized they were out of time. He transformed into his blue-flamed phoenix form and rocketed toward the platform.
"Go, Marco!" the pirates cheered.
Just as Sengoku was about to intervene, a blur of movement intercepted the phoenix.
THUD!
Garp had jumped into the air and punched Marco square in the face, sending him crashing back down to the plaza.
"That's... the Hero of the Marines, Garp!"
The sudden move shocked everyone. Whitebeard glanced toward the platform and prepared to throw a long-range tremor punch to clear the way.
"Do you really have time to look away, Whitebeard?"
Akainu intercepted the attack with his Hellhound, his molten fist clashing against Whitebeard's shockwave. He wasn't going to let the old man help anyone. The battle had reached a complete stalemate. The pirates were being held in place by the overwhelming might of the Marines.
"It looks like Fire Fist Ace is out of luck. The advantage is ours," Kizaru said, glancing at the platform. He looked back at Yamato, a hint of curiosity in his eyes. "Your student is about to die. Aren't you going to do something?"
He expected Yamato to make a move, but she remained perfectly still. She didn't look anxious or even surprised by the turn of events. Kizaru tilted his head, genuinely puzzled by her calm.
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