Chapter 50

Squard, fully ignited with passion, paid no mind to the danger. He pointed at the pirate groups on the outskirts, defeated by the pacifists. They all, like sacrificial lambs, rushed into battle to halt the war machine, to silence the roar of its mechanisms. Each laser beam claimed a life, and bloodied limbs dotted the battlefield.

Squard was astonished. In his view, the peripheral pirate groups should have been crushed. Their resilience, their resistance—all of it was a surprise. He didn't know that the pirates had unexpected reinforcements, that Boundy had joined their ranks.

The surrounding pirates, still fighting, heard Squard's shout and involuntarily paused, listening to the old man's explanations, though deep down, they didn't believe him. Yet they held on, battled the mighty force of the Fleet, inspired by their father, their leader. If the faith in their hearts betrayed them, the end would have been horrible, tragic.

Finishing his speech, Squard spread his arms wide, expecting Whitebeard's punishment, ready for death. His determination wavered, recalling how Whitebeard had saved him, shielding him from a blow. But he didn't dare dwell on that, wanting to hear Whitebeard's explanations, to hear words from the one who had always been their guide, their guiding star. Yet he feared it was all his mistake, his reckless betrayal—he had become a sinner among his brothers.

Crocodile , dealing with minor pirates, suddenly became furious. He didn't know about the connection between Whitebeard and his pirates. He was simply overwhelmed with grief and rage, seeing how weakened Whitebeard had become. Could this really still be the same Whitebeard he always dreamed of killing?

Marco, standing next to Whitebeard, felt mixed emotions. He knew that if it had been the old, mighty Whitebeard, Squard would never have managed such a treacherous strike. But the father had been ill for quite some time, and as the ship's doctor, Marco knew: his close ones were already on the brink of death.

Whitebeard sank to one knee, doing something Sengoku did not expect. He reached out, embraced Squard, and his voice emerged, quiet yet profound:

"Squard, I don't blame you. It's all my fault; I couldn't protect you, let a villain take advantage of the situation. I know many of you hate Roger, but you cannot simply abandon Ace. You are all my children, my pirates, and I love you all. No matter who gets into trouble, I will do everything in my power to save my children."

These sincere words moved Squard. He opened his eyes wide and involuntarily teared up. Regret and anger boiled in his heart. He did not know what to say.

Whitebeard was drenched in sweat from illness and pain. But this could not calm his anger.

He jumped off Moby Dick, clutching Murakumogiri and swung the sword powerfully. The vibration swept across the field, sending all the marines standing before him fleeing.

This gesture by Whitebeard terrified the Marines. No matter how weak this man was, his formidable power was unusual, rare in the world.

Whitebeard took a deep breath and shouted:

"Ro...ger... let's join forces."

The mention of Roger's name instantly calmed the battlefield. Now, only three people thought Sal was Roger. They were all astounded by Sal's powerful royal Haki.

Old rivals, who once fought Roger at sea, knew his Haki well and could no longer consider him a clone.

Pirate King Roger? Could it be? Most people stared at Sal. Wasn't it said that he was a clone of Roger? How could he be the real Roger?

Many fleet officers looked to their leader, Sengoku, hoping he would refute the idea that Sal was not Roger, but unfortunately, they were only met with silence.

[Characters of class A and B experience normal (negative) emotions towards the master, primary and moderate surprise (hostility), and gain +39,246 experience points.]

[Characters of class C and D experience normal (negative) emotions towards the master, primary and moderate surprise (hostility), and gain +199,256 experience points.]

The second wave of experience is approaching, and this is only the prelude.

Sal will not deny his name. In his current situation, no amount of arguing will help. The yellow sludge is in the pants, it's either manure or dung. Let Roger bear the stigma of the old fool using secret methods to escape death and regain youth.

Suddenly, a beam of light struck Sal. It was Kizaru, having freed himself from Marco. Now he wasn't as carefree as he had been at the start.

Sal blocked Kizaru's attack and retreated onto the icy surface of the inner bay. The return of Akainu made the situation not overly aggressive. Two admirals plus two old foes—if they get beaten, it wouldn't be a joke.

Though I'm not sure if Garp will get involved, the word "justice" behind that old man shouldn't be underestimated.

And Rayleigh, the old man, is fighting Aokiji and can't support him. It seems he needs to cooperate with Whitebeard.

When Sal retreated to a safe defensive line, Whitebeard had already approached him and said excitedly:

"Roger, I don't know what your plans for the future are—maybe you want to overthrow the World Government, or perhaps something even scarier. But you're here because you don't want Ace to die at Marineford."

Seeing that he was misunderstood, Sal paused for a moment. If Ace did die, it would be his fate, and he wouldn't be too concerned. At worst, he'd get a reprimand from Rouge in a dream.

Instead, he contemplated Whitebeard's body. Sal looked at the scars Roger left on Whitebeard—in his memory. Despite his pride, Newgate actually asked for cooperation.

"Newgate, you're losing, aren't you?"

"Hmm...

"Then don't hold me back, Newgate."

"Gurarara, you're bold, Roger, I'm Whitebeard."

Once the agreement to cooperate was made, Whitebeard, using his battered body, unleashed his power, the power of a natural disaster.

He bent his hands into claws, directly pulling at the air and distorting it. A terrifying vibrational energy spread around. All of Marineford swayed violently as Whitebeard swung his arms, causing countless people to fall.

The most frightening thing was the sea beyond Marineford. The surface of the sea rose and fell as if split by a blade. The buildings in the center of Marineford began to collapse massively, and cracks appeared on the ground—a scene of Judgment Day.

"Is this the power capable of destroying the world?"

In a moment, the divided and turbulent sea calmed down. Most of the buildings in Marineford had collapsed, and even the streets were covered with cracks.

Sengoku watched as Marineford, to which he had dedicated his entire life, was destroyed in such a manner. Even Sengoku, known as a wise general, couldn't hide his surprise.

His two old foes approached them. Sengoku took a deep breath and said seriously:

"Garp, don't forget the justice you carry, they're coming."

Garp paused for a moment, then stood up, untying his tie with his hands. It was too inconvenient for battle.

The two veterans removed their cloaks and simultaneously jumped off the stone execution platform, moving towards Sal and his company.

"As the Vice admiral , leave Roger to me."

"Garp, do what you want. Remember the justice that the entire Fleet upholds. And Tsuru, now you're in command."

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