Aside from the forty-three pirate crews that appeared in the original story, the Straw Hat Pirates had also arrived at Marineford, sailing in on the Thousand Sunny.
Moreover, aboard their ship was an elderly man with white hair and beard, yet still exuding an aura of immense strength.
He was none other than Silvers Rayleigh, the "Dark King", former first mate of the Roger Pirates and known as the right-hand man of the Pirate King.
The Straw Hats had learned about Ace's impending execution only after returning to Sabaody Archipelago, where Shakky had informed them.
Coincidentally, Rayleigh, having been drawn back to Shakky's bar due to the Navy's commotion, crossed paths with Luffy and his crew.
After learning from Luffy that Ace was the son of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, Rayleigh made a decisive choice—he would join the Straw Hats in their journey to Marineford to assist the Whitebeard Pirates in rescuing Ace.
Meanwhile, Whitebeard stood at the bow of the Moby Dick, locking eyes with Sengoku on the execution platform, as the war was on the verge of breaking out.
Although the Voyage had arrived in the Marineford region, it was still some distance from the bay.
Moreover, since the Navy's full attention was fixated on the Whitebeard Pirates' sudden appearance, no one had noticed the Voyage yet.
During this time, Eriri had been chatting with the group members, informing them about the Summit War and the presence of Reincarnators.
The chat group members showed great interest in the unfolding events.
As a result, Eriri had initiated a live broadcast in the chat group just moments ago.
Unlike the direct frontal approach taken by the Whitebeard Pirates, the Voyage had arrived at Marineford from the side.
Eriri also noticed that the Supernovas, who had previously gathered in Sabaody Archipelago, were hiding in the shadows, secretly observing the war.
However, she didn't bother with them.
Unlike those Supernovas, who lurked in the dark too afraid to reveal themselves, Eriri intended to spectate openly and boldly.
And if anyone was foolish enough to provoke her, she wouldn't mind making the war even more chaotic.
At that moment, Whitebeard, standing at the bow of the Moby Dick, threw a punch into the empty air on either side.
Immediately, the sky itself cracked like shattered glass, sending shockwaves through the air.
A moment later, amidst the startled cries of those present, the surrounding sea erupted into violent tremors, causing the waters to surge chaotically.
Then, two colossal tsunamis, each hundreds of meters tall, formed and surged toward Marineford's plaza, ready to crash down upon the Navy's stronghold.
Naturally, the Navy's higher-ups wouldn't simply allow the tsunamis to hit them.
Without hesitation, Admiral Aokiji leaped into the air, positioning himself between the two incoming tidal waves.
"Ice Age!"
From both of Aokiji's palms, two massive ice beams shot forth, striking the towering waves.
In an instant, the colossal tsunamis froze solid, transforming into gigantic ice walls.
Simultaneously, the entire bay was frozen over, providing both sides with a solid battlefield to fight on.
The ice walls, formed from the frozen tsunamis, also blocked the Voyage from entering the battlefield.
However, this was perfectly fine for Eriri, as it provided an excellent vantage point for watching the battle unfold.
As both the Navy and the Pirates were still reeling from the display of raw power by Whitebeard and Aokiji, a sudden glow appeared in the middle of one of the ice walls, catching the attention of some observers.
"Everyone, look! What is that?!"
Amidst the startled exclamations, those who hadn't noticed before turned their gazes toward the mysterious glow—including the Navy's top brass, the Whitebeard Pirates' commanders, and the 100 Reincarnators mixed among them.
For a brief moment, even the imminent war itself seemed to pause.
Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, the rectangular glowing light on the ice wall began to rapidly contract. As it shrank, the illuminated parts of the ice wall vanished into thin air, as if the frozen seawater had simply evaporated.
The speed of the contraction was incredibly fast, and within just a few seconds, what was once a hundred-meter-long and several-meter-high strip of glowing light shrank into a single point—before disappearing completely.
What remained was a rectangular hole, perfectly resembling a grandstand, right in the middle of the massive ice wall.
Immediately after, another white light filled the entire empty space, but unlike the previously contracting light, this one passed directly through the hole, illuminating the battlefield.
As the white glow faded, Eriri and her group appeared, sitting on the rectangular opening in the ice wall—each of them seated in luxurious chairs.
At the very center, Eriri sat on her majestic throne, with Ophis and Scarlet sitting on either side of her, as usual.
Beside each seat, there was a small tray filled with various snacks and neatly sliced watermelon.
Their entire setup screamed "spectators enjoying a show."
Faced with this absurd yet imposing scene, the Navy, the Pirates, and even the civilians watching the live broadcast all fell into stunned silence.
However, it didn't take long before someone recognized Eriri and her group.
"Isn't that the one who killed a Celestial Dragon and then defeated an Admiral? The one with a 2 billion bounty?"
"They don't look like they plan to interfere in the war."
"I really hope so. If they do, the Navy's chances of winning will plummet even further."
"But speaking of which... she's incredibly beautiful. And the people around her are all super cute too."
"Not gonna lie, she might really be the most beautiful woman in the world."
"Agreed."
Over at Sabaody Archipelago, where many people were watching the live broadcast, the conversation quickly derailed.
Nearly everyone became mesmerized by Eriri's breathtaking beauty.
Meanwhile, the chat group members, also watching the broadcast, were utterly blown away by Eriri's extravagant entrance.
[Ruri Gokou (Level 6, Stage 6): This move is pure class. Damn, the presence is off the charts.]
[Chika Fujiwara (Level 6, Stage 6): Hmm, I've learned something today. Next time, I totally wanna make an entrance like this too!]
[Adele (Level 4, Stage 6): Hahaha! Look at the faces of those pirates and marines down below! They look hilarious!]
[Milim (Level 7, Stage 2): Right?! Right?! I knew we looked super cool! Wahahaha!]
[Arifureta (Level 6, Stage 8 / Group Leader): Cough cough... Why do I suddenly feel kinda embarrassed about this...?]
[Fumino Furuhashi (Level 6, Stage 3): Uh... is that ice wall gonna hold up?]
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 9): Of course! I reinforced it. Even though I only did it casually, no one in the One Piece world could possibly break through it.]
[Honjou Kaede (Level 4, Stage 4): Hey, Eriri, Yue-chan, we can hear you talking in real-time… so why are you still typing in the chat?]
[Arifureta (Level 6, Stage 8 / Group Leader): Uh… this…]
[Elaina (Level 6, Stage 7): Because chatting in the group is more fun, obviously!]
[Honjou Kaede (Level 4, Stage 4): Oh, true.]
[…」
Aboard the Thousand Sunny, the Straw Hat Pirates also took notice of Eriri and her group, who exuded an air of overwhelming presence.
However, Luffy, too preoccupied with worry for Ace, merely glanced at Eriri's group before immediately shifting his focus back to Ace on the execution platform.
As for Sanji, he once again froze in place, seemingly petrified. Seeing so many beautiful girls at once completely exceeded his limits.
"Robin! It's Eriri and the others!" Nami excitedly grabbed Robin's arm, her voice filled with excitement.
It had been nine days since they had last seen Eriri.
At first, Nami had been somewhat afraid of Eriri, but after spending time together, her fear had completely vanished. In fact, after not seeing Eriri for several days, she actually found herself missing her.
"I didn't expect them to come to Marineford as well… If Eriri were to help Luffy rescue his brother, our chances of success would skyrocket." Robin said, sounding a bit regretful.
Although their time with Eriri had been brief, Robin had already grasped some understanding of her personality—which was why she knew that convincing Eriri to help Luffy was next to impossible.
"Oh? You two know those people up there?"
Rayleigh, standing beside them, curiously asked Nami and Robin.
"Their identities are extremely mysterious. Even Shakky couldn't find out anything about them… Not even the World Government knows their real names."
As someone who had been following Eriri's movements, Rayleigh naturally knew about the super rookie with a 2 billion bounty.
However, what surprised him was that the Straw Hat Pirates had some sort of connection with such a powerful figure.
"Yeah, back on Sabaody Archipelago, Eriri saved us." Robin explained.
"I see." Rayleigh nodded but didn't say much more.
For him, the most important thing right now was rescuing Ace. As for whether or not Eriri would help, he had already figured out the answer from Nami and Robin's expressions.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, all 100 Reincarnators had their eyes locked onto Eriri's group.
Among them, many had expressions filled with both obsession and greed.
With the exception of a few who still retained some level of morality, most of the Reincarnators were plunderers, descending upon each world with the intent to seize, kill, and exploit.
As their powers grew, so did their darkness, making them bolder and more reckless in their actions.
From Eriri's perspective, at least 70% of the Reincarnators present were as good as dead.
Even if they didn't die in this war, they would never make it out of the One Piece world alive.
At the execution platform, Admiral Kizaru, who had been sitting lazily on the left side, immediately lost his usual carefree expression upon noticing Eriri.
Even his casually crossed legs subconsciously uncrossed as he sat up straight.
This subtle yet instinctive reaction did not go unnoticed by Akainu, who was seated in the middle.
Akainu, who had always been skeptical about Eriri's strength, suddenly found himself growing more serious.
Though Akainu had immense confidence in his own power, he also knew Kizaru's capabilities well.
For someone like Kizaru to show fear, especially in a situation like this, was something unheard of.
At the very least, until today, Akainu had never once seen an expression of fear on Kizaru's face.
What puzzled him even more was that when Kizaru had recounted what had happened on Sabaody Archipelago, his face had retained its usual playful and indifferent look.
This was one of the reasons why Akainu had doubted his story back then.
On the execution platform, standing beside Ace, Sengoku anxiously watched Eriri and the others.
"Damn it, what are they here for?"
Apart from Eriri and her group, he had naturally also noticed Hancock's presence.
There were a total of seven Warlords of the Sea, but only four had actually responded to the Navy's summons.
They were the world's greatest swordsman, 'Hawk Eyes' Dracule Mihawk, 'Tyrant' Bartholomew Kuma, 'Moonlight' Moria, and 'Blackbeard' Marshall D. Teach.
'Knight of the Sea' Jinbe had been imprisoned in Impel Down for attempting to save Ace, while 'Heavenly Yaksha' Donquixote Doflamingo had been missing for several months, with even the Donquixote Family unable to contact him, let alone the Navy.
Now, Hancock was clearly siding with Eriri's group, having outright rejected Vice Admiral Mole's summons just a week ago.
Holding onto a final shred of hope, Sengoku loudly called out to Hancock, "Boa Hancock, why did you reject the Navy Headquarters' summons? Do you not want to keep your Warlord title? If you refuse, the agreement between you and the Navy will be nullified. You should think carefully about this—think about your country, think about your people."
"Sengoku, are you threatening me?" Hancock said haughtily. "The mere title of Warlord means nothing to me."
Her tone was filled with disdain. The situation was different now. In the past, she had to cooperate with the World Government to protect her people, but now, her strength alone was enough to surpass the entire Navy.
For instance, the 100,000 elite marines gathered at Marineford—Hancock was confident she could wipe them all out with ease.
Seeing that he wasn't getting the answer he wanted, Sengoku's expression darkened even further.
However, compared to Hancock, he was more concerned about Eriri and her group. According to the intelligence brought by Kizaru, Eriri's strength was far beyond Whitebeard's, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her the strongest in the world.
If Eriri decided to help Whitebeard fight against the Navy, then this war would essentially be lost before it even began.
"So, what is your purpose in coming here today? Don't tell me you're just here to watch."
As he asked this question, Sengoku didn't look at Hancock but instead focused on Eriri, who stood at the center.
"Why are you all looking at us? Hurry up and start fighting. We're just here as bystanders, no need to worry about us interfering," Eriri said casually.
After speaking, she picked up a slice of watermelon from a nearby tray and took a bite, clearly demonstrating her role as a mere spectator.
Hearing Eriri's statement, Sengoku, Kizaru, and Vice Admiral Tsuru, who stood near the execution platform, all let out a sigh of relief.
However, Garp, who stood beside Tsuru, clenched his fists tightly, a deep sense of disappointment flashing in his eyes.
As a Vice Admiral of the Navy, it was his duty to endure the pain of watching his adoptive grandson be executed and even stop others from rescuing him.
But deep in his heart, he still desperately hoped that Whitebeard would succeed in saving Ace.
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