208: The Might of the Marines

At this moment, among the Seven Warlords of the Sea, only Boa Hancock and Bartholomew Kuma had yet to join the battlefield.

Kuma stood silently, his gaze filled with a sorrowful melancholy as he watched Sabo and the others fighting.

Meanwhile, Hancock's deep-blue, captivating eyes were fixated on a lone figure floating in the sky, as if he were an outsider, untouched by the chaos below.

Her heart fluttered with longing and admiration.

This war…

Compared to what he was about to do, it was nothing more than a mere appetizer.

When he made his move, the entire world would be shaken to its core.

…

"That guy still isn't making a move? What's he planning?"

From below, Kizaru looked up at Ron, his expression filled with doubt.

"Wasn't his goal to rescue Ace?"

But before he could dwell on the thought any longer—

"Try blocking this!"

From Whitebeard's side, Diamond Jozu heaved a massive chunk of ice, as large as a mountain, and hurled it toward the execution platform.

"N-No! This is bad!"

"Run!"

The Marines on the platform looked up at the incoming monstrous ice boulder, their eyes wide in sheer terror.

BOOM!

Just as it was about to crash down, a calm voice cut through the air.

"This won't do at all."

Standing beneath the platform, Fujitora slowly unsheathed his cane-sword.

A deep purple glow radiated from the blade as rippling gravity waves spread outward.

Before the stunned eyes of the Marines—

The massive ice chunk froze in midair, completely suspended!

"Ohhh, so this is the ability to control gravity? It's kinda similar to Ron's Float-Float Fruit, huh?"

Garp mused, watching the display of power.

But Tsuru, arms crossed, shook her head.

"No. His power is on a whole different level."

Without any wasted movement, Fujitora swung his blade again—

A second gravity wave pulsed through the air, and the colossal ice boulder shifted direction, plummeting straight toward the densely packed Whitebeard Pirates!

"Damn it! He turned our own attack against us?!"

"Another freakish monster?!"

"Damn the Marines!"

The pirates cursed as the terrifying mass came hurtling toward them.

Even among the Marines, some stared in awe.

"This is the power of Fujitora, an Admiral Candidate…"

"Incredible!"

A Marine officer's eyes burned with fanaticism as he clenched his fist.

"This is the might of the Marines! Whitebeard's crew? Ron the Traveler? They're nothing compared to us!"

"That's right! The Marines are the true justice of this world!"

The surge in morale spread like wildfire, and the bloodthirsty Marines charged forward, their spirits ignited by their overwhelming confidence.

Seeing his chance, Marco took advantage of Aokiji being held up by Jozu and soared into the sky, heading straight for the execution platform.

But before he could get close—

"Since everyone's getting involved, I suppose I'll take the stage as well."

Fujitora's face remained calm as he stepped forward, his cane-sword slicing through the air.

"Gravity Blade."

A crushing force descended on Marco.

"Damn it—!"

Caught off guard, Marco was slammed down to the ground by the overwhelming gravity, unable to resist.

"Gahaha! As expected of Fujitora!"

From the other side of the battlefield, Aramaki let out a loud laugh.

At that moment—

A massive black-green slash, stretching over ten thousand meters, sliced through the air, splitting the frozen tsunami in half!

The sheer force of the cut sent shockwaves across the battlefield.

"Such a slash…"

Standing nearby, GIon turned toward Mihawk, her voice carrying a hint of admiration.

"As expected of the World's Greatest Swordsman."

…

Zzzt!

Lightning crackled as golden arcs of electricity surged around Kuina's body.

She was nothing less than a streak of light, vanishing and reappearing around Mihawk in a relentless storm of sword strikes.

From every direction, her Haki-infused, golden slashes rained down like a thunderstorm, aiming to break through Mihawk's guard.

Gion's eyes widened in shock.

Even she wasn't certain if she could withstand such an assault.

"That blue-haired girl swordsman from the North Blue…" Gion muttered.

"To think she's grown this powerful…"

"The woman fighting him is no joke either!" Aramaki chuckled. "Damn, this war's insane! There are strong people everywhere!"

…

High above the battlefield—

Ace stood frozen, his eyes locked onto the two figures battling below.

"Luffy… Sabo…"

A complex whirlwind of emotions churned inside him.

His younger brothers had thrown themselves into this battle—

And now, even Ron was here.

"Didn't expect even Sabo to come…"

Beside him, Garp slowly walked up the execution platform, sitting down beside him.

"With Ron here, that makes four of you."

…

Whitebeard had pushed his forces to their limits, revealing his full power.

Yet, the Marines still had plenty of strength left to spare.

Standing on the execution platform, Sengoku crossed his arms, his gaze sweeping across the battlefield.

"Borsalino, Aramaki, Gion… Plus you, me, and Garp."

His voice was filled with absolute confidence.

"Even if that guy decides to make his move, he won't be able to turn the tide."

"This war is already ours."

Hearing Sengoku's words, Garp glanced toward the sky—

At Ron, who had remained eerily silent throughout the entire battle.

"That's assuming… nothing unexpected happens."

…

In the very center of the chaos—

Two figures clashed, shaking the entire island.

Whitebeard.

Akainu.

And as they collided—

The true turning point of the war was about to begin.

Whitebeard took a devastating blow from Akainu, his abdomen pierced through by the admiral's magma fist. Yet, in return, he seized Akainu with his massive hand. As the admiral's eyes widened in shock, Whitebeard gathered an earth-shattering shockwave in his fist and slammed it directly into Akainu's body.

BOOM!

The entire battlefield trembled violently! A massive fissure split the plaza, so deep and wide that it threatened to tear Marineford apart. Akainu was sent crashing straight into the depths of the earth itself, vanishing from sight!

Blood dripped from the corner of Whitebeard's mouth, but his towering figure stood firm. He reached out with both hands, his wild hair and beard billowing in the wind, and his aura surged to an unstoppable peak. A force of pure destruction erupted from his fingers as he clenched the air itself.

CRACK!

Like shattered glass, the very space before him fractured!

RUMBLE—!

Marineford shook violently, the tremors spreading in every direction. Cracks snaked up buildings, splitting them apart from their foundations. Massive chunks of stone crumbled down. The ocean itself surged unnaturally, as if the entire world was being torn apart.

For a moment, the entire battlefield fell into a stunned silence.

Marines, pirates—everyone—froze in place, their faces filled with disbelief.

Even those watching through the Den Den Mushi broadcast across the world could only stare, mouths agape, utterly dumbfounded.

This… This wasn't just war anymore.

This was a myth unfolding before their very eyes.

"He's going to sink Marineford at this rate," Sengoku muttered grimly.

"Yare yare… can't let that happen now, can we?"

A flash of golden light streaked across the sky.

Admiral Kizaru had made his move.

"It's Kizaru!"

"The admiral is going to stop Whitebeard!"

Fear spread through the pirate ranks as Kizaru raised his glowing hands towards Whitebeard.

"Eightfold Jewel Flash—"

"Desert Spada!"

Before Kizaru could fire, a razor-sharp sand blade sliced toward him from below.

The admiral effortlessly phased into light, dodging the attack. He glanced down, his ever-lazy tone tinged with amusement.

"Oh? Crocodile?"

Sengoku frowned. "That man… did he join the Whitebeard Pirates?"

Whitebeard shot a glance at Crocodile, his sharp gaze narrowing.

"Who told you to interfere, sand brat?"

"Tch." Crocodile turned away, his coat billowing. "Don't get the wrong idea. I didn't do it for you. Whether it's you, the Marines, or that guy—you're all my enemies."

Whitebeard let out a deep chuckle. "Big words for someone who lost to me, brat."

Meanwhile, at the execution platform—

Luffy's crew fought fiercely.

Zoro clashed with Smoker, his blades sparking against the seastone-tipped jitte.

Sanji engaged a Marine vice admiral skilled in Six Powers, trying to clear a path.

"Ace!" Luffy roared, punching away a wave of Marines.

"Luffy!" Ace's voice was filled with both hope and disbelief.

Sabo, standing beside Luffy, grinned. "Let's go."

"Cover them!" Jinbe shouted.

"Don't need to tell me twice!"

Ivankov, having just forced Moria back, joined the charge.

Their path to the execution platform was now clear—they were the closest ones to Ace!

"Defend Straw Hat!"

"Don't let the Marines stop them!"

"Push forward!"

The Whitebeard Pirates, the Revolutionaries, and Luffy's allies rallied together. The momentum shifted, and the battlefield roared with renewed energy.

Sengoku, observing from the execution platform, turned to Garp. His voice was heavy with meaning.

"Garp… all of these troublemakers—Luffy, Sabo, even that damn Ron—they all came from your teachings."

Garp scratched his head, a bitter smile on his lips. "What can I say? I always hoped those brats would join the Marines… but here we are."

Ace turned to him, his emotions in turmoil. "Gramps…"

Just as Luffy and Sabo neared the execution stand—

"Ice Age!"

A massive wall of ice erupted before them, cutting off their path.

Aokiji stood in their way.

Half of his body had turned to ice, and his gaze was as frigid as ever. "This is where your journey ends."

Behind him, Jozu—completely frozen—lay on the ground.

BOOM!

On the other side of the battlefield, Crocodile was blasted away by Kizaru's light-speed kick, tumbling across the frozen bay before crashing down, blood splattering across the ice.

At the same time—

Lava erupted from the massive fissure in the ground.

From the molten depths, Akainu reemerged.

Blood trickled down his chin, his expression filled with rage and bloodlust.

"Whitebeard…!"

At that moment—

The full strength of the three admirals was unleashed upon the world.