The roar of battle finally reached the ears of the marines, who were absorbed in the fight. Their hearts tightened at the incredible news: Fire Fist Ace had been freed! Could it be that the Marines had lost the battle?
"Have the Marine lost?" they whispered, "Is it all over?"
This was a blow to their morale, but Vice Admiral Tsuru, wasting no time, tried to boost the fighting spirit of her soldiers using the Den Den Mushi.
"As long as the pirates remain within Marineford's reach, we can destroy them!" she proclaimed, her voice sounding firm and confident, "Victory will inevitably be ours!"
"Ah..." the marines mumbled faintly, though there wasn't much enthusiasm in their voices.
Noticing that her words had not had the desired effect, Vice Admiral Tsuru sighed. She was merely a staff officer giving advice, while the legendary figures of the Marine Patrol, who were still battling their old enemies, made all the decisions.
"Garp and Sengoku, those old men… they're playing a dangerous game," she whispered, thoughtfully watching the battlefield.
Despite the worsening situation, Tsuru continued to execute her plan clearly.
"Hina, who was still battling the users of the Ji Yu Kan Fruit—which bestows the ability to manipulate iron—seemed to be taking out her anger on other pirates," Tsuru described the situation. "The power of the Kan Kan Fruit was binding them, pinning them to the ground one by one."
However, when Hina turned and saw that the "son" of that scoundrel was alive and well, her heart tightened with even more anger.
"How could Ace, Fire Fist, have escaped?" she growled, "Could that scoundrel be trying to flee?"
It didn't matter whether it was out of hatred or for another reason, but Hina always kept an eye on that scoundrel's movements...
On the other side, the entire pirate fleet was rejoicing. Having achieved their goal, they could prepare for a retreat.
"We did it!" the pirates shouted, "We defeated the Marines!"
Suddenly, a green figure fell from the sky. The vice-captain of the Whitebeard Pirates had been struck down. This unexpected turn of events doused their excitement like ice-cold water. It was too soon to celebrate. Three Admirals and two legendary marine figures still remained as opponents.
Marco, pain etched on his face, collapsed to the ground. Three deep wounds gaped on his chest, oozing green flames. The fruit that enabled him to heal was working slowly.
Before Marco could catch his breath, a beam of light swiftly approached him. But just as Kizaru was about to finish him off, a fiery barrier—Fire Fist Ace—separated them, leaving a long trail of flames in its wake.
The fire, like a living creature, moved closer to Marco.
"Marco, are you okay?"
"Yes, everything's fine," Marco replied, "Father said that as soon as we freed you, we should prepare for a retreat. Don't worry about him, he'll find his way back on his own."
"This is..." Ace's voice carried a hint of worry, but with enemies nearby, there was no time for lengthy explanations.
The captains of the first and second divisions of the Whitebeard Pirates joined forces and forced Kizaru to retreat. He had just defeated the first division captain, and before he could deliver the final blow, the second division captain, Fire Fist Ace, appeared.
"They're terrifying!" the marines whispered, "The Whitebeard Pirates' captains are as strong as monsters!"
Meanwhile, on the actual battlefield...
"Boom!" echoed a powerful hit. Whitebeard, struck by Sengoku's "Buddha Fist," was knocked back several meters. He felt increasingly fatigued, his skin paled, sweat dripped from his chin, and his limbs became as heavy and lifeless as wood.
Suddenly, he sensed danger. Whitebeard managed to look back just as a lava-covered hand grew in his vision. The scorching fist penetrated his massive chest, leaving a deep crater, with the blood in the wound evaporating from the heat.
The attacker was Akainu, who had previously defeated Diamond Joz but had not pursued Ace. From the onset of the war, he was acutely aware of the victory the Marines needed and meticulously planned every move.
He paid no heed to his Marine colleagues' troubles, but patiently awaited his opportunity. Now, with Whitebeard vulnerable, he delivered a crushing lava fist blow.
The towering Whitebeard, standing six meters tall, dropped to one knee, blood seeping from the corners of his mouth. A mocking smile finally appeared on Akainu's face.
"Whitebeard," Akainu hissed, "a remnant of the past! You have nowhere to sail, and I will personally send you on your way! Marineford is where you will die!"
"Gu-la-la! Marineford is the perfect place for my grave!" Whitebeard roared, "But you're not worthy of taking my life!"
Whitebeard concentrated his vibrating power into his blade and pierced through Akainu. Magma spilled onto the ground, but Akainu, transforming into an element in time, evaded the strike.
The attack's power was immense, but the exhausted Whitebeard was like a target in Akainu's eyes.
He continued striking Whitebeard with his lava fists, inflicting wounds of varying sizes.
Whitebeard retreated slowly, seemingly dazed, and didn't even consider responding immediately.
Akainu seized the opportunity, swung his lava hand, transformed it into the head of a dog, and lunged at Whitebeard's waist, tearing away massive chunks of muscle and internal organs from his magnificent body.
"Hellhound!"
At the moment Akainu thought Whitebeard was powerless against him, a strong hand grasped his fist. A powerful inner will prevented him from immediately transforming into an element.
A sly smile appeared on Whitebeard's face, pale from his wounds.
"I've caught you, Akainu!" he said with disdain.
Whitebeard was indeed at the brink of his strength, and his reaction had become exceptionally slow, but to underestimate his lethal strikes could come at a terrible price.
Strong arms stretched out with force from his waist, and Whitebeard's fists, gathering vibrational power, looked dangerous in Akainu's eyes.
However, Whitebeard didn't want to give his enemy time to escape and struck Akainu directly at the waist. The force of the blow was so terrifying that it seemed to distort the space around it.
Akainu, the target of the attack, spat out a torrent of blood from his mouth and flipped through the air. Whitebeard's chest expanded as he took a deep breath and struck Akainu again on the head with his charged hand. The vibrational power drove him into the ground, and his facial features were contorted from the impact.
"Gu-la-la! Akainu, stay down already!"
As soon as Whitebeard finished his attack, the entire island collapsed, and a crack larger and wider than before spread through Marineford. A deep chasm, almost 100 meters wide, separated the harbor from the rest of the island.
The Marines found themselves on the inner side of the fractured island, while the pirates were on the opposite side, leading to the harbor. The astonishing control stunned even Sengoku.
"Whitebeard, I didn't expect such power from you!" Sengoku said with undisguised amazement, who was already ready to organize a pursuit of the pirates through the Den Den Mushi, assuming Akainu had succeeded. But Whitebeard's attack disrupted all his plans.
The enormous fissure blocked a significant portion of the Marine Patrol's pursuit. If only the Admirals were allowed to pursue, they could end up encircled by the pirates, and the losses would outweigh the victory.
Akainu, who had been struck by the powerful blow, experienced such impact that his eyes rolled back, and with blood streaming down his face, he fell into the chasm.
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