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Amidst Whitebeard's unscrupulous laughter, the faces of the Marine generals all darkened.
In hindsight, they all understood.
It was also true that Ace did not admit it!
"All Marines! Target the Square!"
Sengoku clutched the Den Den Mushi tightly, issuing a frantic order.
He wanted all Marines to attack and use crowd tactics to wear down the Whitebeard Pirates!
Ace's mind was racing, trying to find a way to break the deadlock.
However, the entire battlefield was in utter chaos, with Marines and pirates tangled together, and it seemed there was no way out but to fight.
"Oz—hold the entrance to the bay and don't let the Marines take it!"
Ace took a deep breath and called out to Oz.
The entrance to the bay was critical for their retreat, making it a key location!
So, Ace entrusted Little Ozzy with guarding it.
A low voice responded to Ace, "Yeah, I'll kill whoever comes!"
Just in that single sentence, Little Ozzy's unwavering trust in Ace was clear—even his eyes didn't waver.
"All pirates, move closer to Little Ozzy!"
Ace gave the order again.
Instead of showing any dissatisfaction, Whitebeard shouted specifically, "You guys, follow Ace's orders!"
The goal of gathering near Little Ozzy was so that Ace could bring everyone together to leave on the Moby Dick, even including the foreign ship still hidden underwater.
However, gathering in a chaotic battlefield was even more challenging.
Among them, there were still a few not fully in sync.
"Captain Buggy, he said all pirates—should we obey?"
The upper half of Buggy's body floated in the air, puffing up:
"Your captain doesn't take orders from him!"
"Wow~~ Captain Buggy is so cool; he doesn't even acknowledge the Four Emperors Whitebeard!"
"Long live Captain Buggy!"
The pirates who followed Buggy's lead cheered with excitement.
Number 3, Gal Dino, hid in the shadows, silently weeping, "What's up with this group? He clearly meant for them to scatter and escape, so why are they gathering? Don't they know the Marines will capture them!"
Honestly, the one who understands the Clown Emperor best is Number 3.
But as the cheers here grew louder, a chilling frost descended.
It seemed that Aokiji, who preferred quiet, found their group too noisy, so he froze them.
The glimmering ice sculptures were a striking sight across the entire battlefield.
"It's... it's over... we... we... are... frozen... to death..." Number 3, Gal Dino, uttered his last words in despair, each word trembling.
Ace, cloaked in golden flames, surveyed the pirates.
To strengthen the forces against the Marines, he still chose to help these people.
After all... the Clown King and Number 3 were among them.
A line of fire trailed along Ace's arm.
Swish!
The sound of breaking wind echoed.
A bitterly cold chill approached.
Several icy thorns, flashing with a cold glint, shot towards Ace.
Clearly, Aokiji wasn't about to give Ace the chance to meddle in his business.
Ace didn't even look back, simply dodging the attack with seamless elementalization.
At the same time, a massive blaze wrapped around the group of pirates, flames raging fiercely and radiating an intense heat.
"How could you so easily rescue enemies we finally captured!" Aokiji's voice echoed from afar.
Immediately after, cold air began to surge across the ground, causing the surrounding temperature to plummet.
In an instant, ice took hold.
While the surrounding golden flames continued to flicker, they were frozen solid, making it difficult for the fire's effect to reach its full potential.
"You think this is over?"
With a smirk, Ace dismissed the frozen flames and turned around.
Then—
Frost spread everywhere as golden flames surged upward.
Ace and Admiral Aokiji clashed directly.
Ace launched a punch wreathed in golden flames, shattering the massive ice shield blocking him once again.
Aokiji's expression twisted with a mix of frustration and shock.
"What the hell is going on with your flames!" he muttered, nearly gritting his teeth.
After several exchanges, Aokiji was caught off guard by the evolved intensity of Ace's flames.
The ice, which had previously been strong enough to withstand the impact, now shattered with surprising ease.
It wasn't that his ice had weakened—Ace's fire had grown stronger.
Aokiji could clearly sense a heat comparable to Akainu's magma, something far beyond what ordinary flames could radiate.
How on earth had Ace become this powerful after just a short imprisonment?
Aokiji felt a headache forming.
In that moment, he wished he could coast along like Kizaru.
"Yeah! We're saved!"
"It's blazing hot and freezing cold!"
"Damn it, Ace! Are you trying to burn me alive? Can't you turn down the flames a bit?" shouted the Clown King, who'd just broken free from the ice, loudly complaining.
But the pirates around him were filled with admiration.
Number 3, trembling, couldn't even begin to describe the absurdity of this group; he felt utterly defeated.
"How is this even possible?!"
At that moment, rage surged within Aokiji.
The entire battlefield could feel the sudden plunge in temperature!
He had clearly frozen the flames, so how had these people managed to escape?
Marine Admiral Aokiji was furious!