BOOM... BOOM... BOOM...
The very ground trembled, sending a shockwave of confusion through the entire battlefield.
"What... what is that!?"
Rhythmic, thundering footsteps echoed from the distance. Through the thick fog, a titanic silhouette gradually loomed into view.
"It's Little Oars Jr.! Charge! Keep charging, Oars!" The Whitebeard Pirates erupted with renewed morale.
"With a body that massive... what kind of creature is that?" The Marines were frozen in sheer awe.
"That's..." Sabo looked on from his vantage point, equally stunned. Even as a Revolutionary, he had never seen a creature of this magnitude. However, the legends of the Oars Clan—the legendary "Ancient Giants"—surged to the forefront of his memory.
"Ace..." Little Oars Jr. slowly opened his massive, fanged maw, his voice rumbling like thunder. "Ace... I'm coming to save you."
BOOM... BOOM... BOOM...
Whitebeard watched Oars charge forward, his grip tightening on his Bisento. On a battlefield this crowded, Oars' colossal size made him an impossible-to-miss target. This wasn't strategy; it was a brutal war of attrition. The distance he gained would be paid for in blood.
"Oars..." Whitebeard murmured, his face grim. He raised his voice: "There is a difference between recklessness and bravery."
"I have to save Ace, Pops. Don't stop me." Oars ignored the warning, tearing through the defensive lines like a runaway train.
After a moment of silence, Whitebeard nodded. "Cover Oars!"
BOOM! Oars hefted his massive blade, crushing warships and shattering fortified gun emplacements with single strikes. The ordinary Marine soldiers were powerless against his strength, and he quickly breached the inner harbor.
"Stopping him is our job!" The Giant Squad Vice Admirals mobilized. Even they, massive as they were, had to look up at Oars. The size difference was devastating.
But Oars brushed past them, ignoring the resistance. His focus was singular: Ace, at the very top of the execution platform.
The giant straw hat on his head was the symbol of their unbreakable bond. In a world full of hard-bitten pirates, true loyalty shone brightest. Oars, feared as a "demon," was nothing more than a simple, honest, and loyal soul beneath his terrifying exterior.
Ace had noticed the little things—Oars' massive height and how the sun beat down on him mercilessly. And so, he had hand-woven the giant straw hat as a gift. That simple act of kindness had deeply moved Oars, and the bond between them had only grown stronger.
"Ace... just wait. I'm almost there."
At that moment, an emotionless figure stepped forward to meet him. Bartholomew Kuma raised both palms, a bubble of highly compressed air forming between his hands.
"Bartholomew Kuma of the Seven Warlords!"
As the onlookers watched in confusion, Kuma slowly expanded his hands, releasing the small paw-print bubble. It floated lazily forward like a drifting balloon, looking so weak it seemed almost comical.
Oars didn't even register the "attack." The bubble drifted to his chest and, upon contact, detonated in a massive, devastating shockwave. A distinct paw-print was blasted into Oars' torso.
"Ursus Shock!"
"ARGH!" With a single strike, Oars was practically crippled.
"Kuma..." Sabo stared at the Warlord, who showed not a single trace of emotion. He was momentarily stunned, though now was not the time for a reunion. He didn't know that this was no longer the Kuma he once knew; this was now a completed Human Weapon, a Pacifista of the World Government.
In Sabo's moment of hesitation, Oars collapsed. Powerful as he was, he was helpless against the combined might of the Warlords.
"OARS!!" Ace's eyes widened in horror and agony, a raw scream tearing from his throat.
"Oars... is he gone...?" The Whitebeard Pirates' morale faltered. Grief washed over them, quickly followed by a tide of pure, unadulterated rage.
"Brothers, charge! Don't let the path Oars carved go to waste!"
"Boys!" Whitebeard roared, his expression furious. "Trample over Oars! Keep moving!"
"CHARGE!"
The war intensified. At the same time, Fleet Admiral Sengoku's orders began to ripple through the Marine ranks.
"What!?" Sabo couldn't believe his ears. Standing before them was the very man they had fought just days ago—Admiral Akainu. And they had just overheard a horrifying secret: the order to execute Ace ahead of schedule!
However, Akainu hadn't noticed them. He was here to execute a deserting Marine, a stark reminder of his philosophy: "Absolute Justice."
For the sake of Justice, any price was acceptable. Sacrifice was necessary. Sacrificing a few Marines was a small price to pay for the right outcome. That was Akainu. A cold shiver ran down their spines; they finally realized how right they had been to try and take this man out, logic be damned. It was a damn shame he'd escaped.
Watching Akainu walk away, Sabo's limit broke. His voice was cold. "We're moving."
"Right." Kenshin stepped up to his side, drawing his sword. He understood. Ever since he'd joined Drake, he'd accepted his fate as a pirate. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Revolutionary second-in-command... that wasn't a bad way to start.
"AAAAAH!" "AAAAH!" "You went too far!" "It's her fault for winking!" "Crocodile, you blame me for everything!" "Do something! It's all ice down there!" "We're going to fall to our deaths!" "I don't want to die like this!" "Oh, I'm rubber, so I'll be fine." "You think you're the only one!? Do something!!" "AAAAH!"
A chaotic cacophony erupted from the sky. A tiny speck appeared, rapidly expanding as it plummeted toward the bay.
"It's a warship!" "A Marine ambush!?"
The pirates' hearts sank. If this was a Marine reinforcement, they were in serious trouble.
"A-A-A-Ace..." Luffy's raw scream tore through the sky, vibrating with all the emotion of their shared past.
Beside him, Garp, who was already struggling with the news of the early execution, stared up at his grandson falling from the heavens, completely speechless.
Family is different... He had crawled up to the execution platform after hearing the order. No matter how many times he told himself pirates deserved their fate, the reality before him was breaking his heart. The "Marine Hero" was utterly helpless.
"Garp! It's your family again!" Sengoku roared.
"Luffy!" Looking up at his vibrant, chaotic younger brother, Sabo allowed a genuine smile to cross his face.
The four brothers were finally together. It's been too long... Luffy!