章節 120: This is War
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The war was chaotic.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Massive magma fists crashed down onto the frozen battlefield.
"ARGHHHH!"
"AAAAHHHHH!!"
The devastating impact claimed countless lives in mere moments. The heat from Akainu's magma melted the icy surface, plunging many unprepared combatants into the frigid waters below.
Not even Whitebeard could entirely stop the devastation. Many pirates panicked and attempted to flee.
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RUMBLE!
Thick, fortified walls suddenly rose from beneath the ocean's surface, encircling the pirates completely. The battlefield was now sealed.
Seeing this, Whitebeard clenched his massive fist and unleashed a devastating punch towards the walls.
CRACK! CRACK!
Fractures spread across the very air, rippling with violent tremors as the shockwaves collided with the iron barriers.
"ARGHH!" The impact sent shockwaves that blasted everyone in the vicinity.
But when the dust settled, the walls remained standing, barely dented.
"Th-The walls didn't break!"
"Not even Pops' power could destroy them!"
The pirates stared in disbelief at the resilient iron barriers.
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Sengoku, standing tall atop Marineford, declared, "The operation is proceeding as planned! The execution of Portgas D. Ace will commence immediately!"
The announcement rippled through the broadcast feeds, sparking heated debates among spectators worldwide.
"They're really going to execute him now?!"
"The World Government lied about the timing!"
"Good! Evil pirates deserve no mercy!"
Opinions were divided, but none of it could alter the grim reality. The pirates were trapped, with no escape. The only unsealed gap in the barrier was the section held down by Oars' massive body.
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The naval artillery roared to life, with countless cannons unleashing relentless barrages into the enclosed space.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The Navy's tactic was straightforward but effective—indiscriminate bombardment. Even the toughest warriors clad in Armament Haki couldn't endure infinite rounds of explosive shelling. The pirates, without their ships or a solid foothold, had become sitting ducks.
Suddenly, a pirate ship burst forth from the waters below. It had been concealed beneath the sea, its surface coated in protective bubbles. Pirates stranded in the water immediately swarmed toward it.
"Everyone, get on board!"
"It's a ship! A coated ship! There's still one left!"
Whitebeard grinned, his deep voice rumbling, "I never said those few ships were all we had."
The coated ship, originally reserved for the crew's escape after rescuing Ace, now became their lifeline. Packed with fighters, the massive vessel surged toward the remaining gap in the barrier.
"Damn it! They've breached the perimeter!"
Pirates flooded through the opening, swarming onto the Marineford plaza.
"Attack Marine Headquarters!"
"Save Ace!"
Whitebeard led the charge. Standing at the forefront, his massive bisento radiated seismic energy as he swung it down with earth-shaking force.
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BOOM! BOOM!
"ARGHHHH!!" Screams erupted as waves of Marines were blasted into the air, their bodies crumpling from the shockwaves.
Raising his fist, Whitebeard roared, "Save Ace, boys!"
"YEAHHHHHH!"
"Destroy the Marines!"
"Bring Marineford to its knees!"
As Whitebeard's forces pushed forward, Sengoku rolled up his sleeves. "If that's how it's going to be, we'll fight them head-on. Garp—are you ready?"
Whitebeard assumed a familiar stance, causing many Marines to panic.
"He's going to use that move again!"
The tremor from his previous attack had already wiped out countless soldiers.
Aokiji interjected, creating five massive ice spikes to strike Whitebeard. The icy projectiles pinned him down, encasing him in a block of ice.
"Whitebeard's frozen solid!"
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CRACK! CRACK!
Fractures spread across the ice before it shattered completely. Whitebeard emerged unscathed, plunging his naginata directly into Aokiji's body.
"Did Haki pierce him? Is Aokiji done for?!"
"Don't be stupid!" A Marine snapped. "If Admirals were that weak, we wouldn't stand a chance against these pirates!"
Aokiji froze his own body along with Whitebeard's blade, locking it in place. "Ice Block: Pheasant Beak!" he shouted, summoning massive ice spears to impale Whitebeard.
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Before Aokiji could strike, a figure appeared in a blur of speed. Diamond Jozu rammed into the Admiral, sending him flying. Aokiji's body shattered like ice but quickly reformed, though blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
"Diamond Jozu," Aokiji muttered, recognizing Whitebeard's Third Division Commander.
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Whitebeard swung his blade again, but this time, Akainu intercepted the attack. His magma-coated fist clashed violently with Whitebeard's weapon.
"If we let you rampage unchecked, this island will be destroyed," Akainu said coldly.
"Gurarara! Then stop me if you can!" Whitebeard taunted.
The battlefield erupted into chaos. Whitebeard fought Akainu, Aokiji faced Jozu, and Kizaru battled Marco. Meanwhile, other commanders and pirates clashed with Marines and the Shichibukai, the violence intensifying by the second.
All across the world, those watching the broadcast were left in stunned silence.
"So… this is war…"
Many watching the live broadcast had never experienced or even witnessed the brutal reality of the world. Many of them lived in ordinary regions, only hearing about pirates attacking innocent civilians or meeting them and try to resist. But what they were seeing now, wasn't something could be resisted. Those scenes were rare, and many people who had no real understanding of how cruel the world truly was.
For years, they lived within the illusion of peace crafted by the World Government—a dream of harmony that shielded them from the harsh truths. Those who once knew the cruel reality of the world had long been erased from history's annals.
Now, watching the blood-soaked scenes unfold before them, they began to realize that this so-called peace of world Government was built on a foundation of countless lives and rivers of blood.
Still people were thinking the world Government is justice and pirates are evil. The truth is they both are evil that need to be destroyed.
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Suddenly, Whitebeard clutched his chest, his heart seizing painfully. Unable to stand, he fell to his knees, his face twisting in agony.
"What?! What's happening to Whitebeard?!"
The sight of the pirate emperor collapsing shocked the viewers watching the broadcast.
"Father!!!"
"No, this isn't good!"
Marco's expression darkened as he noticed Whitebeard's condition deteriorating. His worst fears had come true.
Whitebeard's heart had been a constant source of worry, incapable of withstanding prolonged battles. Because of this, his crew always tried to shoulder as much responsibility as possible, sparing their father from unnecessary strain.
However, his earlier clash with Uchiha Akira had drained him of significant strength, leaving him severely injured. On top of that, the intense efforts to push through the naval defenses had taken a toll. Now, his heart condition had resurfaced.
"So even you can't escape the ravages of time, Whitebeard," Akainu said coldly, molten magma swirling ominously around his arm.
Akainu was not the type to hesitate or show mercy, even to a gravely ill old man. If anything, such a weakened opponent only made him more eager to deliver the finishing blow.
"Father!!!"
Ignoring his opponent, Marco rushed toward Whitebeard, his desperation overriding all else.
"Oh? Where do you think you're going? I'm still here~~~!"
Kizaru's light-speed beam pierced Marco's body before he could reach his captain.
"Gahhh!"
"Marco!!!"
Jozu, witnessing Marco's injury, grew visibly anxious and attempted to move toward him.
"You're distracted," Aokiji's icy voice whispered near his ear.
"Damn it!"
Before Jozu could react, Aokiji's hand pressed against his arm, releasing a freezing chill. In an instant, the third division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates was entirely encased in ice.
"Jozu!!!"
Seizing the opportunity, Akainu thrust his magma-coated fist into Whitebeard's chest, burning a gaping hole through it.
"Father!!!"
Ace screamed in anguish from the execution platform. Watching everything unfold, he was consumed by overwhelming guilt.
For the first time in his life, Ace regretted his reckless actions. He had ignored Whitebeard's warnings, and now, his stubbornness had led his comrades to this nightmare.
In the past, Ace had always dismissed the value of his own life, believing that his death would be inconsequential. But now, confronted with the brutal cost of his choices, he finally understood how precious life truly was.
He had been wrong—terribly, irreparably wrong.
Through sheer willpower, Marco endured his pain, activating his Devil Fruit ability to heal his wounds. Just as he prepared to rescue Whitebeard, he suddenly felt cold steel clamp onto his wrist.
Click!
A pair of Seastone cuffs locked around Marco's arm.
"Gahhh!!"
Another laser beam from Kizaru pierced his body. With his Devil Fruit power neutralized, Marco was unable to regenerate, leaving his wound bleeding profusely.
"Captain Marco!!!"
"Looks like it's the end for the Whitebeard Pirates," Aokiji remarked indifferently. With Whitebeard gravely injured and both Marco and Jozu incapacitated, the remaining commanders and pirates posed little threat.
Although Whitebeard was hailed as the "Strongest Man in the World," his crew's overall strength was average. Aside from the top three commanders, the rest could be considered competent but not extraordinary.
The Whitebeard Pirates' status as one of the Four Emperors' crews was largely due to Whitebeard himself. It was his unparalleled might that elevated the crew to heights they otherwise could not have reached.
With Whitebeard and his top commanders neutralized, the pirate crew was as good as finished.
"Don't just stand there! Take Whitebeard's head now!!!"
At Sengoku's command, waves of marines charged toward the fallen pirate emperor.
"Father!!!"
The Whitebeard Pirates surged forward, desperate to protect their captain.
"Stay back! I don't need anyone's help… because I am Whitebeard!!!"
With an earth-shaking swing of his bisento, Whitebeard unleashed a devastating shockwave.
BOOM!!!
"Ahhhh!!!"
Countless marines were sent flying. Using his weapon to steady himself, Whitebeard slowly stood up once more.
"I know what my death will mean," he declared, his voice unwavering despite his wounds. "That's why I won't die—not until I see my sons' bright future with my own eyes. Right, Ace?"
"Then allow me to show you that future!"
Sengoku roared, ordering Ace's execution to proceed immediately.
Whitebeard's expression darkened. He hadn't expected Sengoku to break the promised timeline so openly, especially in front of the entire world.
"Stop this at once!!!"
As the executioners raised their blades to deliver the final blow, a sudden voice erupted.
"STOP IT!!!"
A wave of white mist-like energy swept across the platform, knocking the executioners unconscious. Surrounding marines and pirates alike collapsed under the immense pressure.
"Is that… Conqueror's Haki?"
"No way…!"
Even Whitebeard glanced at Luffy, momentarily taken aback. He recalled asking Shanks how he had lost his arm, and Shanks had replied, "I bet it on the new era."
Could this boy truly be part of that new era?
"Men! Protect Straw Hat Luffy at all costs!!!"
With his body no longer able to move properly, Whitebeard pinned his hopes on Ace's younger brother. If Shanks had been willing to bet on this boy, then so could he.
Upon hearing Whitebeard's command, the remaining pirates rallied to shield Luffy as he charged forward.
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Watching the scene unfold, Uchiha Akira couldn't help but mutter, "As expected of the protagonist of the world. His charisma alone compels others to clear his path."
A faint smirk crossed his face.
"Well… it seems I've helped him too, in a way."
"This… this's the power of the protagonist's halo."
With countless allies paving his way, Luffy fought his way to the execution platform.
"Ace!!! I'm here to save you!!!"
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-- 推薦票
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