"Boom!"
The terrifying tremor surged like a tsunami. Even though Aokiji had already elementalized, the force still smashed him back into his physical form. Blood spilled from his mouth as ice rapidly formed beneath his feet, carving a frozen trail across the ground before he collapsed at the end of it, coughing violently, his face pale.
"Ice Ball."
Seeing Whitebeard charging forward like a raging god of destruction, Aokiji forced himself upright. He spread his arms and unleashed a torrent of freezing air, instantly encasing everything ahead in thick ice. Before it could even reach Whitebeard, the frozen mass was shattered by a single punch.
Whitebeard advanced like a primordial beast reborn. Ice crystals clung to his body, mist rolling off him, yet his killing intent was so intense that it felt as though he would not stop until Aokiji was dead.
"Ice Age."
Retreating rapidly, Aokiji slammed both hands onto the ground, unleashing a wide range, indiscriminate attack.
In an instant, the entire grand plaza froze solid. The ice surged outward beyond Marineford, spreading across the shattered sea and refreezing it into desolate mountains and valleys once more.
"Damn it."
"This is Aokiji's Ice Age."
Across the plaza, pirates, Revolutionary Army fighters, and Marines alike were frozen in place. Only a handful managed to leap away at the final moment.
Even Whitebeard was frozen.
But before Aokiji could capitalize on it, cracks spread through the ice like shattered glass.
With a thunderous crash, the ice exploded apart. Whitebeard burst through the frost, icy vapor trailing from his body as he appeared directly in front of Aokiji and threw a punch at point blank range.
"Pfft…"
The overwhelming force caused Aokiji's arms to recoil into his own chest. Bones cracked audibly as he was launched like a cannonball, smashing through icebergs before slamming into the ground in a spray of blood.
A flash of lightning followed.
A golden laser pierced through Whitebeard's left shoulder from behind, narrowly missing a vital point. Kizaru appeared above him, having abandoned Marco, his right foot glowing as though a miniature sun were forming beneath it.
"Whitebeard, have you ever been kicked by light?"
"Speed is power."
A violent explosion erupted.
From the rolling black smoke, Whitebeard raised his arm to shield his face. His feet sank deep into the ground, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth as he retaliated with a punch sent straight through the air.
Kizaru dispersed into particles of light at the last instant. Even so, he was grazed and tumbled across the ground before reforming and ascending into the sky, forming a cross shaped flash.
"Eight Shaku Jewel."
Dense beams of light rained down, bombarding Whitebeard from all directions.
Whitebeard's expression darkened. Armament Haki coated his entire body as he surged upward against the barrage. His eyes burned with killing intent as he reached out with both hands and seized the air itself, forcibly dragging Kizaru down.
In the next instant, Kizaru slammed into the ground in a burst of golden light. The surrounding crust buckled and collapsed, endless canyons tearing open as Kizaru lay at the center, bloodied and motionless.
"Ice Bird."
Aokiji attacked from behind, summoning a massive ice bird that swooped down with shrill cries.
Whitebeard punched upward, cracks spreading across the ice construct. Just as it was about to shatter, Kizaru reappeared, gripping Ama no Murakumo and bringing it down toward Whitebeard's head.
Whitebeard raised his left hand, condensing an air pressure shield to block the strike.
A violent storm erupted as the three clashed, winds and debris spiraling endlessly.
"Old man, it's time for you to sleep."
Kizaru's coat fluttered wildly behind him as he pressed down with Ama no Murakumo. Blood ran from his nose and mouth, his usually relaxed demeanor completely gone.
"If I sleep, I'll drag you all with me."
Whitebeard's voice was low and heavy. He looked at Aokiji and Kizaru as if they were already dead.
"That's truly terrifying."
Kizaru's right foot blazed with blinding light as he twisted midair to launch another kick.
Whitebeard bent low to evade it, then leaned back sharply. His elbow, wrapped in an air pressure shield, smashed toward Kizaru. At the same time, his left hand struck out like a dragon rising from the sea, aimed directly at Aokiji.
Kizaru blocked with Ama no Murakumo. Aokiji formed an ice blade to counter.
One above, one below, the two Admirals resisted Whitebeard head on.
"Pops!"
Marco transformed into his immortal phoenix form and dove down from the sky. Jozu, his body turning to diamond, charged straight in.
Both were intercepted by CP0.
Elsewhere, Tsuru disengaged from her opponent. Belo Betty was held back by a Vice Admiral as Tsuru began cleansing Akainu's injuries.
"The injuries are too severe. I can only remove a small portion."
Tsuru frowned. The Wash Wash Fruit could cleanse wounds, but its limitations were severe.
A person could not be washed twice.
If not for that restriction, her ability would have been terrifying beyond measure.
"No one is leaving today."
Akainu lay sprawled on the ground, staring in Whitebeard's direction with a ferocious expression. Even if it cost him his life, he would ensure they all stayed.
Tsuru said nothing, focusing entirely on stabilizing Akainu's condition.
While the Marines had Tsuru, the Revolutionary Army and Whitebeard Pirates had their own support.
Bartholomew Kuma.
Breaking free from his opponent, Kuma roamed the battlefield, repelling injuries from Revolutionary Army commanders and Whitebeard Pirates alike.
"Thank you."
As his body suddenly felt lighter, Luffy thanked Kuma.
"Luffy."
Sabo finally broke through the encirclement and reached Luffy's side. He looked far better than before, clearly having his injuries repelled as well.
"Sabo."
"Luffy, Kuma is one of ours, a Revolutionary Army cadre."
At this point, Kuma's identity no longer needed to be hidden. The moment he saved Ace, it was exposed.
Losing his title as a Warlord of the Sea after this war was inevitable.
"Sabo, I want to avenge Ace."
Luffy watched Kuma depart, then fixed his gaze on Akainu deep within the Marine formation. His eyes were filled with murderous intent.
Sabo nodded, his own expression just as cold. No matter what, Akainu had to die.
The two brothers moved together, cutting through the battlefield like a sharp awl, their target locked firmly on Akainu.
Marines rushed forward to stop them, one after another.
Elsewhere, Emma, who was still locked in combat with Doflamingo, felt her eyelids twitch violently. The sensation grew stronger with every passing second.
According to her instincts, she should leave now.
Ace was already dead.
More importantly, Luffy had not collapsed as he did in the original timeline. Instead, he had lost all restraint, charging endlessly into the Marine ranks with the sole intention of killing Akainu.
That was an extremely dangerous sign.
The Marineford War had already deviated far from its original course. Emma could no longer predict what would happen next. Worse still, a growing sense of danger lingered at the back of her mind, faint at first, but intensifying with every moment.
Across the battlefield, Zoro, Franky, Nami, and the others continued fighting, all of them injured.
With Ace's death, the war had entered an entirely new phase. Eyes were bloodshot on both sides, and it felt as though the battle would not end until one side was completely annihilated.
On the frozen sea, a green figure wielding a wolf tooth club roared as he charged toward Marineford. The ground within a hundred meters shattered and buckled as he leaped high into the air, descending thunderously toward the battlefield.
"Is he back?"
Silver Dragon, currently fighting Garp, had transformed into a humanoid body of crackling lightning. His face was obscured, but his anger was unmistakable as he looked toward the incoming figure.
"Rumble…"
A violent storm swept through as Silver Dragon and Garp separated.
Ethan emerged from the center of the chaos, gripping his wolf tooth club, advancing step by step toward Silver Dragon.
Silver Dragon said nothing. Lightning spread from his right hand, forming a halberd.
With an earth shattering explosion, the wolf tooth club and lightning halberd collided. A destructive shockwave surged outward, erasing everything within ten thousand meters and forming a massive abyss. The two figures reappeared more than a hundred meters apart.
At the same time, on a distant iceberg, several figures had appeared without anyone noticing.
At the front stood a fat, unattractive woman, a cigarette hanging from her lips. She wore a pink dress and held high powered binoculars, calmly observing the entirety of Marineford.
"The entire sea is frozen."
"It is a bit cold."
"The battle has spread far beyond Marineford. It is even more tragic than expected."
"Master, should we act now?"
Everyone turned their gaze toward the tall, obese figure standing at the very front.
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