While Whitebeard laughed heartily, Sengoku was being held back by Dragon. Seeing the pirates about to escape, he roared in fury:
"Garp, Borsalino, Kuzan, defeat Whitebeard quickly!"
"Sakazuki, Taro, you two continue the pursuit of Ace!"
In his great anger, Sengoku issued order after order, "All fleets, blockade the sea! Do not let a single ship escape!"
After his laughter subsided, Whitebeard looked toward Dragon. "Although I don't know why you've appeared here..."
"I'll count the rescue of Ace as a personal favor I owe you."
"Though, it's possible I might never be able to repay it."
As air currents surged to withstand Sengoku's heavy blow once again, Dragon responded calmly, "I've already stated my reason for being here."
"As for Ace, that was merely incidental!"
Taro's heart sank upon hearing Sengoku's order. Did Sengoku order Akainu to pursue because he knew of Akainu's hawkish nature, or because he saw that Taro was holding back? Perhaps it was both!
Akainu's execution of orders was swift; before Sengoku's voice had even faded, he had already transformed into magma and given chase.
"Running as soon as Fire Fist Ace is rescued—the Whitebeard Pirates really have gathered a bunch of cowards!"
Akainu landed beside Taro and switched into group taunt mode as he watched the fleeing pirates.
"Don't fall for his obvious provocation, keep running!"
There were still sensible people among the pirates who immediately spoke up to advise the others.
"But then again, it's unavoidable when even the Captain is of that sort."
"After all, Whitebeard is nothing more than a loser from the previous era."
As soon as those words were spoken, Taro knew things were going south.
Sure enough, Ace, who had already run some distance away, came to a halt. Flames erupted from his hands as he turned back, staring at Akainu with a vicious gaze.
"A loser? Take back what you just..."
Before Ace could finish his sentence, Taro had already closed the distance like a bolt of lightning, raising his right leg for a kick.
Armament Haki instantly enveloped his leg, followed by Internal Energy condensing into a mass of vibration energy attached to his foot.
"Flash Kick!"
Taro let out a low cry as his straight kick landed squarely on Ace's neck.
You damn idiot, you still think that a burst of anger alone can change anything at this point.
Wake up, you're not the freaking protagonist!
Cough
Ace coughed up another mouthful of blood and was sent flying by Taro's kick. With a loud clang, he slammed into the iron wall of the Siege Wall before falling down.
Taro's kick was fueled by anger—not just at Ace's stubborn choices, but also at his own frustration and sense of powerlessness.
With the war having reached this point, it was impossible for it to end without someone dying.
The World Government needed an account, and the ordinary civilians whose lives were threatened by pirates also needed an account.
If Whitebeard died here, those civilians wouldn't feel the slightest bit of sadness; instead, they would drink to their heart's content and celebrate wildly.
This world is just so messed up!
If he were to switch sides right now, would it really stop people from dying?
Garp had earnest expectations for them; Ace and Luffy could choose to follow their own paths for the sake of their dreams.
But Taro had come to this world alone, and it was Garp who brought him into the Marine and helped him gradually integrate into this world.
This debt of gratitude was, in his eyes, heavier than the Red Line; how could he let Garp down?
As long as Garp remained in the Marine, Taro would not abandon his identity as a Marine. This, too, was the path he had chosen.
A flash of determination crossed Taro's eyes.
Behind him, Akainu was quite dissatisfied with Taro's sudden move and was about to speak when he heard Taro speak first.
"Admiral Sakazuki, why waste so many words on a pirate? This isn't like you!"
Taro was terrified that Akainu would continue his taunting and that the hot-headed Ace would recklessly charge back again. If Ace wanted to die then, no one would be able to save him.
Hearing this, Akainu's face darkened. He didn't believe that the usually shrewd and capable Taro couldn't see his intentions, and he stared intently at Taro's back.
Taro didn't dare look back, secretly circulating his energy to maintain a facade of composure. He only breathed a sigh of relief once Akainu looked away, then he slowly walked toward Ace.
Seeing Ace being kicked away, Luffy immediately rushed over to check on Ace's injuries.
However, Ace forced himself to crawl up, ignoring the attempts of Luffy and his pirate comrades to stop him, and staggered back a couple of steps.
Taro felt like dying of frustration. Are you freaking done yet?!
Seeing this, Akainu was delighted and started yapping again. "Your father, Gol D. Roger, conquered the Grand Line..."
"Compared to him, what is Whitebeard..."
"In other words, he will never surpass Roger and will always be a loser. That is Whitebeard..."
Akainu's taunts were so grating that not only the Whitebeard Pirates, but even Taro felt like wanting to slap him.
Ace was even more infuriated. He clenched his fists as flames rose across his entire body. He dropped into a crouch and crossed his hands in front of his chest.
Instantly, dozens of rings of spiral flames appeared, covering a range of dozens of meters around him.
"Great Flame Commandment: Flame Emperor!"
Ace let out a furious roar from within the flames.
"Whitebeard is a great pirate who created this era. I will not allow you to insult my savior!"
"This era is named Whitebeard!"
Countless flames gathered in his hands, forming a massive fireball that looked like a sun, which he then hurled at Akainu.
[Great Flame Commandment: Flame Emperor learned successfully]
Seeing Ace force out this move despite his heavy injuries, Taro knew that this was Ace's desperate, final strike.
After this attack, Ace would likely lack the strength to even move a muscle.
The spectacle on this part of the battlefield also drew the attention of others.
Under the combined assault of two Admirals, over a dozen Vice Admirals, and countless Marine Soldiers, Whitebeard was already covered in wounds. Seeing Ace unleash this strike, his gaze darkened, understanding that Ace's current situation was not good.
Facing Ace's visually spectacular attack, Akainu showed little panic.
He stepped down hard, causing several cracks to instantly spiderweb across the ground. From those cracks, scorching magma erupted as he transformed into magma and threw a full-force punch with his right arm.
"Great Eruption!"
This Great Eruption was much larger than the previous ones. The massive magma fist collided with the sun-like fireball, and two violent powers erupted, whipping up a howling gale.
Boom
The magma fist exploded violently like blooming fireworks, as countless magma projectiles fell like rain.
The massive sun of fire was also split in two; its core was pierced, and flames splattered in all directions.
Half the square was affected by the splashing magma projectiles and flames, as countless Marines and pirates scattered for their lives, wailing as they dodged the attacks.
After this strike, Ace could no longer hold on; his legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground.
In a panic, Luffy tried to rush over to grab Ace, but as soon as he reached Ace's side, his own legs buckled and he fell to his knees.
The side effects of the forced 'Tension Hormones' injection manifested, and the exhaustion of total physical collapse left Luffy unable to move.
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