In a situation like this, if you aren't running, you're dying.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Countless golden orbs of light stayed glued to Drake's heels, chasing him relentlessly. Kizaru's speed was blinding, but thanks to the high-tech flight unit's all-terrain capabilities, Drake managed to spiral away, evading death by a hair's breadth.
Just as Drake expected Kizaru to close the distance, he noticed the Admiral had simply stopped.
It made Drake's teeth itch with frustration. He had already visualized his counter-moves; he was going to bait that Yasakani no Magatama right into the middle of the Marine ranks. But the opportunity vanished.
Kizaru was true to his nature. Drake had hoped this version of the Admiral might be a bit more diligent.
Alas, they're all the same. If he can slack off, he will. If he can fish for compliments while doing nothing, he'll do it.
Still, Drake thought, this is the real world of One Piece.
"Proceed with the execution!" Sengoku shouted. He couldn't wait any longer; the variables were spinning out of control.
He glanced at Garp, who remained stiff and silent, and barked, "If you have any other ideas right now, I won't forgive you, Garp!"
Garp turned his face away and sat heavily in the center chair below the execution platform—the seat that originally belonged to Akainu.
The sight caused the Marines to breathe a collective sigh of relief.
"Vice Admiral Garp is taking action! The strongest rear-guard!"
The Marines' morale skyrocketed, while the pirates' faces paled. Such was the deterrent power of the "Hero" Garp. Sengoku looked at his old friend, sighed, and said no more.
What they failed to notice was Ace. His eyes were closed, but his mind was replaying a single, ridiculous sentence.
"Don't hit me in the butt! Old man, old man... wahhhh~"
They really are alive!!
In that moment, Ace's will to live reached its peak. In a world where they exist, how could I just stand by and let myself be taken? I want to live!
Two soldiers in brown uniforms snapped to attention and saluted. Regardless of the chaos, the protocol had to be perfect.
"This is bad! They're going for the execution!" The Whitebeard Pirates grew frantic.
Whitebeard's face was ashen as Aokiji blocked his path with cold, clinical efficiency. Meanwhile, Akainu stood before Marco, who was nearing his physical limit. No one could break away in time.
The tide was turning too fast. Third Division Commander "Diamond" Jozu had been ensnared by Doflamingo's strings, turned into a puppet that was now tearing through his own comrades.
"Marco! Go!" Whitebeard roared, slashing at Aokiji before unleashing a shockwave-laden punch toward Akainu. He was attempting to stall two Admirals at once.
"Pops!" Marco gritted his teeth, unfurled his wings, and took to the sky.
"Whitebeard, aren't you being a bit too overconfident?" Aokiji parried the blade and leapt, firing a bolt of ice at the Phoenix.
Whitebeard moved to intercept, but Akainu roared, "Hellhound!" and buried a magma-fist into Whitebeard's chest.
Splatter!
The strike tore clean through Whitebeard's torso.
Crimson blood sprayed onto the ice. Whitebeard's expression darkened as he coughed up a mouthful of gore. Akainu looked up, a triumphant, cruel smirk playing on his lips.
"POPS!!" The Whitebeard Pirates screamed in despair.
Drake's pupils shrank. The scene was sickeningly familiar. Even with the changes he had introduced, was Whitebeard truly going to fall?
High above, Aokiji's ice had encased Marco, sending the Phoenix crashing to the ground. Marco shattered the ice upon impact, but he was forced to one knee, his aura significantly weakened. He was badly hurt.
The weight of impending defeat pressed down on the pirates.
"ACE!!" Luffy roared, kicking a Marine aside. His voice was like that of a wounded beast. He tried to break through, but the Marines swarmed him.
Even though the Siege Wall plan had failed, the Marines still held the geographical advantage, surrounding the bay from the plaza.
"GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Luffy screamed, sending a shockwave of force that knocked back the front line. But the Marines were endless; they surrounded him in layer after layer.
"I said MOVE! CAN'T YOU HEAR ME!?"
A primal roar tore through the air, accompanied by an unparalleled, invisible pressure that erupted from Luffy's body. It rippled across the entire battlefield.
Simultaneously, a prompt flashed in Drake's mind.
[Ding! Skill triggered: Awakening Conqueror's Haki!]
A mysterious, surging power flooded Drake's heart. He glared at the platform, and an equally fierce, crushing aura exploded from him.
Both their wills were locked on the same target!
Since it was an initial awakening, neither could perfectly control the range. The twin waves of pressure swept across the plaza. Thousands of soldiers—both Marine and pirate—collapsed instantly, their eyes rolling back as their wills buckled.
The two executioners on the platform crumpled to the floor.
The entire battlefield fell into a stunned silence.
"You've got to be kidding me..." Aokiji muttered, stunned. Even Kizaru looked genuinely surprised.
Akainu's face darkened with a murderous resolve. Luffy could not be allowed to live; he was too great a threat.
The Marines realized exactly what this meant: the "Qualities of a King." And there were two of them. Both enemies.
"Are you two... as well?" Ace whispered, watching from the platform.
Sengoku's face was thunderous. This was disastrous news for the Marines. "Stop them! Send in new executioners immediately!"
A fresh wave of elite Marines—Captains, Rear Admirals, and Vice Admirals—rushed to bog down Luffy. One officer slammed a spiked mace into Luffy's head.
Blood trickled down Luffy's forehead, but he didn't even flinch. His legs pumped as his skin turned a heated red, steam erupting from his pores.
Gear Second!
Drake saw this and his blood boiled with rage. I can't let him do this alone! He tried to fly toward Luffy, but a blade-flash intercepted him. A Marine officer in a "Justice" coat, radiating a powerful aura, charged him with his sword drawn.
Clang! Drake parried the strike.
In that short distraction, Luffy was hit again. He was panting heavily; Gear Second was draining his stamina at an alarming rate in this war of attrition. He was reaching his limit.
"Damn it!" Drake's face turned livid. Luffy was surrounded right in front of him, yet he was being stalled by these pests.
"Get him! Kill him now!" "This man is a monster; he cannot be allowed to leave alive!"
Because of Drake's earlier mockery and his interference, the Marines were venting all their pent-up fury on him.
"I don't have time to waste on you people!" Drake roared.