...
Seeing Ace get blasted away, Roger's brows couldn't help but furrow. Even though there was stamina depletion involved, Ace and this Marine Admiral were simply not on the same level!
Devil Fruit suppression was one thing, but individual ability was another… Ace was being completely and utterly overwhelmed.
"Roger… your son really makes people feel heartbroken!"
Young Whitebeard saw how Ace was protecting him so wholeheartedly, and the corners of his mouth lifted. He genuinely felt happy from the bottom of his heart.
Hearing Whitebeard's words, Roger nodded symbolically, but immediately afterward, he quickly shifted his gaze to the sky screen…
His intuition told him that something bad might happen soon.
This feeling lingered in Roger's heart, making him feel extremely stifled, and the arms holding Shanks and Shamrock tightened slightly.
Noticing Roger's expression suddenly turn so serious, Whitebeard also put away his smile and stared straight at the light screen.
Watching Ace kneel in front of Sakazuki, Whitebeard suddenly felt an inexplicable tightness in his chest for some reason, and so did Garp, who was sitting on the ground nearby!
The three powerhouses who had connections to Ace seemed to share a telepathic bond, sensing that something was wrong with Ace's current situation.
[The outcome of this clash ends with Sakazuki's victory. Ace's flames are strong, but Sakazuki's magma is even stronger!]
[As virtue rises one foot, evil rises ten. Ace's stamina gives out, and he kneels in pain before Sakazuki…]
[Seeing Ace in danger, Luffy wants to rush forward to rescue him, but his body has already reached the brink of collapse. After taking no more than two steps, his legs refuse to obey!]
[A card flies out from Luffy's chest—this is the life card Ace gave to Luffy. Luffy tries to grab it, but his hands also start disobeying him, leaving him completely unable to move!]
[At this moment, Sakazuki notices Luffy's situation. Instead of continuing to attack Ace right away, he glares murderously at Luffy kneeling over there!]
Akainu's roar explodes like thunder, every word carrying scorching hatred like magma: "The bloodline of the Pirate King, the bloodline of Revolutionary Dragon—you two are actually sworn brothers!"
"Roger may be dead, but Dragon is still alive! All of you sinful bloodlines must be completely eradicated!"
The air on the battlefield instantly froze.
Sakazuki's eyes, burning with absolute justice, locked dead onto Luffy, surging with deep loathing for the era of pirates.
The Pirate King's bloodline connected through Ace, and the Revolutionary Dragon's bloodline coursed through Luffy's veins.
To Sakazuki, this was a double unforgivable sin.
"Anyone can escape, but you and that Straw Hat brat must die!"
Sakazuki's voice was like a summons from hell. The magma around him began to boil, filling the air with the pungent smell of sulfur.
His right arm had fully elementalized, scorching magma dripping to the ground with a "sizzle," burning one charred pit after another.
Ace immediately realized the gravity of the situation. He swiftly turned around, trying to take Luffy and retreat before Sakazuki could launch his attack.
But Sakazuki's speed was beyond imagination.
He precisely predicted Ace's movement trajectory, deliberately feinted once, then burst with astonishing power to bypass Ace and lunge toward the exhausted Luffy.
"Luffy!"
Ace shouted in horror, watching helplessly as that fatal magma fist drew closer and closer to his little brother.
Time seemed infinitely stretched at that moment.
Luffy's body, overwhelmed by extreme fatigue, couldn't dodge at all. He could only watch death approach.
Behind them, Jinbe, Ivankov, and the others tried their hardest to rush forward to rescue him, but the distance was simply too great—they couldn't make it in time!
At this critical juncture, Ace didn't even think—he instantly made the most important decision of his life.
"I will never let you hurt my little brother!"
Ace roared, his body erupting with unprecedented speed.
The tattoo of the Whitebeard Pirates on his back stood out especially vividly—that was the symbol of his true belonging, proof that he had found his "family" in this world.
In an instant, Ace had flashed in front of Luffy, using his own back to block this devastating blow for his brother.
Sakazuki's magma fist mercilessly pierced through Ace's chest. The searing magma met flesh with a bone-chilling sound.
The red beaded necklace Ace wore on his chest snapped from the massive impact, beads scattering everywhere like his rapidly fading life.
At this moment, the life card began to slowly burn…
"Damn it!"
Seeing Ace's life card and the sight of his chest pierced through, Roger seemed to lose control, his Conqueror's Haki starting to leak out!
Many Marine soldiers were hit by this Haki and instantly fainted.
Garp, seeing Ace like that, felt his heart nearly shatter, but he still stood up and shielded the innocent Marines behind him.
"Roger, calm down!"
Garp shouted at Roger while protecting the Marine soldiers. At that moment, those Marines were too scared to speak and could only hide behind Garp.
As for the Celestial Dragons, they didn't dare make a sound and had long hidden trembling behind Saint Garling.
"Roger, you really need to calm down…"
"Yeah, yeah, that weird thing said no killing intent is allowed!"
Seeing Roger starting to lose control, Rayleigh and Scopper Gaban began soothing his emotions, but at this point Roger was trembling all over, tears already welling up.
Though he had never met Ace or spoken to him, Roger could feel an extreme sorrow!
This feeling was unprecedented.
"Waaah!"
Seeing Roger's tears, Shanks reached up to wipe them. When he found he couldn't wipe them away, the little boy started crying too.
Strangely, only Shanks was crying along with Roger. His older brother Shamrock remained unaffected, just looking at the scenery outside by himself.
"No crying, no crying… I'm fine now…"
Hearing Shanks' cries and seeing his tears, Roger bit his lip tightly and restrained some of his Haki.
"I'm fine! It's just that for some reason earlier, my heart suddenly felt so painful… I suddenly really wanted to cry…"
Roger comforted Shanks. Though the tears had stopped, his tone still clearly showed how utterly terrible he felt right now.
"Hm?!"
Seeing Roger in such a state, Rocks turned back and gave a deep look at Whitebeard beside him, who was holding Murakumogiri.
Whitebeard's back was very tall and imposing, but Rocks was bold yet careful. He still noticed the faint trembling in the other's body!
"Newgate…"
Rocks handed Teach to Eris, then stepped forward and patted Whitebeard's shoulder.
Even Roger, who had never met Ace, was reacting this way—imagine what kind of emotions were hidden beneath Whitebeard's quiet exterior right now!
...