Whitebeard wielded Murakumogiri, and swung it with the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. The very air in front of him shattered, and the massive shockwave distorted space itself, sending a violent blast outward. Countless marines were blown away like dandelions caught in a storm.
"Monster!"
"Even after being wounded, he's still this strong—and he hasn't even fallen yet!"
"Whitebeard! The legendary monster!"
Countless marines stared at the mighty figure of Whitebeard, who was clearing the battlefield with Murakumogiri in hand. He looked like an invincible god of war — unshakable, even after taking the fatal blow from Squard and being stabbed by seven different marines. Seven blades had pierced his body.
And yet, Whitebeard still stood tall. Towering over six meters, like a small giant, he inspired awe in the marine and courage in his pirate crew.
To the marines, the word most often used to describe Whitebeard was monster.
And truly, he was the monster among monsters.
"Whitebeard!"
Sengoku's brow twitched. He knew Whitebeard was an unstoppable force. These ordinary soldiers stood no chance. Without top-tier fighters, they couldn't contain him.
And yet...
Whitebeard's condition wasn't ideal either. He had suffered from old injuries, and although Squard's stab didn't seem to affect him at first, the damage was taking its toll as he continued to fight. The burden on his body grew heavier with each movement.
The three Admirals and Tsuru were busy holding off other powerful enemies.
Garp remained at the execution platform.
Truthfully, Sengoku hadn't expected Garp to fight in this war. He only hoped that Garp wouldn't interfere with the execution.
After all, Sengoku understood who was being executed — Ace. Garp raised him as a grandson, just like Luffy. Sengoku thought of his own personal loss — Rosinante, Doflamingo's younger brother — and could understand Garp's conflict.
But Garp wasn't just any marine. He was a symbol of the Marine — perhaps even more respected than the three Admirals. Any sign of disloyalty from him could damage morale. Sengoku just hoped he would stay put and let the execution proceed. The idea of Garp stepping in to fight hadn't even crossed his mind.
He glanced sideways at Garp. Though Garp was often unpredictable, he was one of Sengoku's oldest comrades. They had fought side by side countless times.
"Whitebeard, die!"
Suddenly, a random Vice Admiral roared and charged Whitebeard with a massive battle axe.
Whitebeard remained calm and swung his blade.
BOOM!
The clash echoed through the battlefield. Murakumogiri smashed into the axe, shattering it with ease. The force nearly made the axe fly from the giant marine's grip.
"What?!"
Even without using the devil fruit, Whitebeard's raw strength was terrifying.
With a leap, Whitebeard appeared before the giant marine and slammed a fist — charged with the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit — into his head. The marine wore a steel helmet, but it didn't matter. The impact caused a violent concussion, and blood exploded from his head.
BOOM!
The giant collapsed immediately. One punch was all it took.
"You brat, go back to the East Blue and catch some small-time pirates!"
"I am Whitebeard!"
He roared, slamming the ground, which cracked under the sheer force.
"Pops!"
Marco flew in, blocking an incoming sneak attack and taking down a marine with ease.
The current war atop Marineford was far more chaotic than the original timeline. The Admirals were too tied up to suppress the Whitebeard Pirates.
Akainu was fighting Dragon.
Kizaru was up against Elior.
Aokiji was clashing with Bullet.
With the Admirals occupied, it fell to Vice Admirals and others to deal with the Whitebeard Pirates.
"Damn that Whitebeard... and the Shichibukai..."
Sengoku gritted his teeth in frustration. He couldn't leave the execution platform.
As for the Shichibukai—
Mihawk, the strongest among them, was wasting time cutting down Whitebeard's underlings.
Hancock attacked indiscriminately — marines and pirates alike. Truly the most capricious woman in the world.
Doflamingo was casually sparring with Crocodile.
Kuma... was missing.
Unbeknownst to Sengoku, Kuma had left the battlefield after whispering something to Dragon. But now, the Pacifistas had arrived.
Elsewhere, Moria had locked onto Luffy, but was intercepted by Jinbei.
Despite their strength, Sengoku found the Shichibukai to be highly unreliable. As Akainu had said — they were still pirates at heart, driven by self-interest, not loyalty to the navy.
Then came the booming footsteps of the Pacifistas.
Sent by Sentomaru, ten Pacifistas arrived at the scene.
"PX-1 to PX-10! Eliminate all enemies!"
With only one arm remaining, Sentomaru shouted commands. His gaze locked onto Elior. This was personal — he wanted revenge.
Though Shiryu was there too, it was Elior who bore the brunt of his hatred. It was personal. But in the context of war, personal grudges meant little.
The Pacifistas charged, overwhelming everything in their path—unless they ran into a true powerhouse.
"Straw Hat! PX-1, take him down!"
Spotting Luffy charging toward the platform, Sentomaru barked the order.
BOOM!
"AAAH!"
Luffy was blasted back. This wasn't the Luffy from two years in the future. That version could one-shot Pacifistas. But now, he was completely outmatched — instantly knocked back.
"Galaxy Wink!"
Ivankov jumped into action, blasting a Pacifista away with one blow.
Sabo also joined the fight, holding off several Pacifistas — but couldn't destroy them.
"The Revolutionary Army... siding with pirates to build a so-called better world?!"
Sentomaru laughed coldly.
"We're here to save Ace!"
Sabo didn't bother arguing. He simply dodged Sentomaru's axe and kept fighting.
Sentomaru now wielded a mechanical arm built by Vegapunk — similar to what former Admiral Zephyr had used. It was reinforced with Seastone.
Seastone!
Sentomaru's axe struck near Sabo, missing direct contact but forcing a defensive retreat with an explosion of force.
"If you want to save Fire Fist Ace, you'll have to go through my corpse!"
Angered, Sentomaru ordered six Pacifistas to continue attacking the Whitebeard Pirates, while the remaining four surrounded Luffy and the Revolutionary Army.
"Ace! Damn it — why are there so many Kuma clones?!"
Luffy was once again blown back, getting farther from the platform. He was furious — and time was running out.
Ahead of him, two Pacifistas opened their mouths, charging a laser.
Luffy was lucky these were just clones. If they had Bartholomew Kuma's real power, he'd be finished.
Freeing Ace wouldn't be easy. Though Sabo had stolen the key to Ace's Seastone cuffs, and Revolutionary Army officer Lightning could cut them with his ability, they still had to get to him.
And that wasn't going to be simple.
Meanwhile, the battle between Kizaru and Elior.
Kizaru wielded the sword Ama no Murakumo, but his skills with it were poor. Against a real swordsman like Elior, he was clearly at a disadvantage.
They exchanged blows at blinding speeds. To the naked eye, only afterimages could be seen. Haki was needed to track the true movement.
Kizaru had the speed advantage with his Glint-Glint Fruit...
"What a troublesome guy!"
Elior slashed again. Kizaru's hands shook, and Ama no Murakumo nearly flew from his grip. Elior's strength was monstrous — his raw physical power forced Kizaru to retreat.
"It's only been a few days—how did you get this strong?!"
Kizaru was baffled. Elior launched another slash — a dark red crescent of energy. Kizaru dodged just in time, but the attack carved a deep trench in the ground.
Don't be fooled — elemental abilities won't fully protect you from Haki-enhanced attacks.
Kizaru had learned that the hard way. His abdomen still bore a wound.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru — attack from the right! I'll go from the left!"
The two had been battling Elior for nearly half an hour. Yet Tsuru hadn't been able to use her Wash-Wash Fruit against him even once.
Elior's defense was unbreakable. Every time Tsuru attempted to activate her ability, an ice wall formed to block it—shielding Elior just in time.
Tsuru, calm as ever, was beginning to lose her composure.
"What a tricky opponent!"