I pointed my sword at Sengoku, who was writhing in pain.
"Do you have any last words?"
"Grrr... I hope this will be enough for you to forget your grudge against the Navy. The Navy already has its hands full fighting pirates. If the rchant's Island joins in, the Navy may no longer be able to cope."
At those words, I was incredulous. If it were true, that would be one thing, but it was clearly a lie. He was probably saying this to prevent another alliance between pirates and the rchant's Island. Even at death's door, Sengoku was still calculating.
"If only those words had co from your true feelings."
I raised my sword to strike at Sengoku's neck. Suddenly, a Navy soldier rushed forward, arms spread wide, sobbing as he blocked my path.
"Stooooop!!! Let's stop fighting here!!! Don't waste lives anymore!!!"
BAM!!!
"Gwak!!!"
I simply kicked the crybaby away. But that wasn't the end. Sothing flew toward quickly — I looked up to see Garp, his fist coated with Conqueror's Haki, flying at .
"Stoooop!!!"
CRASH!!!
"Ugh!!"
I quickly raised my sword with both hands, coating it with Conqueror's Haki to block Garp's attack. Garp had been fighting Whitebeard, but when the situation here beca urgent, he seed to have rushed over.
"Enough! I understand why you're doing this, but Sengoku is still indispensable to the Navy. We've lost, so just take Thatch and go! Let's end this here and stop creating more casualties."
Sengoku, lying on the ground, scowled. "Garp, what are you doing! You don't have the authority to decide that alone!"
"Sengoku, look around. We've already been pushed this far, and Whitebeard is still standing. We've practically lost. Fighting any further will only create unnecessary casualties."
"If we admit defeat here, pirates will run even more rampant!"
Sengoku shouted, then suddenly took out a Den Den Mushi from his coat and urgently called out.
"Sentomaru!!! Deploy everything we've prepared!!!"
As Sengoku's shout ended, Pacifistas erged both behind the Whitebeard Pirates and in front of Navy Headquarters, surrounding the pirates. This was certainly different from the original. In the original, they only surrounded them from behind, but the number of Pacifistas seed four tis greater. This was likely due to the Navy's heightened sense of crisis after I had killed Kizaru at Impel Down.
The pirates gathered in the center murmured and panicked.
"What are those things?"
"Kuma???"
Even Garp was flustered. Since Garp didn't know about them either, it seed the Navy had prepared them in extre secrecy.
"What are those..."
"A secret weapon created with the World Governnt's support. They're called Pacifistas. We probably can't catch everyone here, but we can certainly reduce the pirates' strength."
Sengoku smiled even though he was in danger of dying from blood loss. I hadn't seen this side of him in the original — he was just as relentless as Sakazuki.
Just then, Whitebeard urgently shouted.
"Taejin!!! I leave Thatch to you!!! Everyone, break through to the rear!!!"
Whitebeard quickly gave orders to the division commanders around him, and they began retreating in perfect order. Whitebeard's Observation Haki was exceptional — he seed to have given the order before taking heavy casualties. The Pacifistas didn't stand idle either — they began attacking.
FLASH! KABOOM!!! BOOM!!! CRASH!!!
The Pacifistas opened their mouths and fired powerful lasers, devastating the area. Pirate casualties rapidly increased. The Whitebeard division commanders rushed forward to block and counter the Pacifistas' attacks. But there were too many of them — they couldn't break through easily. And the Pacifistas and Marines behind them were also closing in, tightening the noose on the pirates.
"Hahahaha! This does it!!"
Sengoku laughed loudly, sprawled out on the execution platform. Even Garp frowned at the sight.
I first swung my sword, cutting the chains binding Thatch, and freed him. I considered beheading Sengoku, but Garp was blocking .
"Can you move on your own?"
At my words, Thatch stood up from where he had been bound and answered.
"Yeah, I think I'm fine."
"Then follow . I'll clear the way."
"Got it."
We descended and began running toward the retreating Whitebeard Pirates. As we ran, I slashed through the Pacifistas blocking our path and stored them in my inventory. There were Marines as well, but they kept their distance and didn't try to fight.
SWOOSH!!! CRACK!!!
Thatch, watching cut through Pacifistas, followed behind with a surprised look.
"You're really strong. When did you get this strong?"
"I don't know. I had more to protect, so I trained hard, and it seems I ended up like this."
"I see. Anyway, thank you. Thanks to you, I think I can rejoin the crew."
"Save that until we're safe."
As we fought like that, quickly clearing a path, I noticed so unusual Pacifistas. They were few in number, but when attacked, they used strange bubble‑like shields to block. Looking closer, I saw "PX-II (Mark 2)" written on their bodies. It seed that the Whitebeard Pirates hadn't been able to break through not just because of the numbers, but because of those guys.
'How much did they invest to already have Pacifistas using bubble shields? I heard each one costs as much as a battleship…'
As I cleared the path, I stored one of the PX-IIs in my inventory as well.
In the Whitebeard Pirates' formation, each division commander was breaking a path to the sea, while Whitebeard alone held off the enemy forces from the rear. However, his condition didn't look good. Even before coming here, his body was in such bad shape that he had already sensed his own death. And after fighting fiercely with Garp — who, despite his age, was still vigorous — he was breathing raggedly. He was blocking the Pacifistas' attacks with his own body so they wouldn't reach his crew, continuing a desperate fight.
"Father!!!"
"You brat, making worry."
When we arrived, Whitebeard urgently asked for help.
"Taejin, I leave the exit to you. The kids seem to be struggling. I'm sorry to ask this after you've fought so much already."
"Not at all. I need to escape anyway."
Thatch asked worriedly, "What about you, Father!?"
"Don't worry! I can still hold on. Now hurry and secure the escape route!"
At Whitebeard's command, Thatch reluctantly moved forward with . The Whitebeard Pirates welcod Thatch back warmly.
"I'm glad you're safe, Thatch!"
"Welco back!"
"How I've missed your cooking!"
"Don't ever get captured again!"
Thatch briefly greeted them, then quickly moved forward with to where they were securing the escape route. Many Pacifistas and division commanders were fighting there. Pacifistas were difficult to fight without Haki, so the Whitebeard Pirates fought with their division commanders at the center, supported by the other combatants. The sa was true for Ivankov's group.
"These things are a real pain. Never mind how tough they are — the lasers they fire are so strong that casualties keep mounting, yoi!"
When we arrived, I heard Marco's complaint.
I drew my sword to join the fight — when suddenly, massive walls began rising densely around us. The Navy seed to intend to trap us here.
"Oh no! We'll be surrounded!! Oz!!!"
Marco urgently called for Oz. Oz was a giant belonging to the Whitebeard Pirates, a descendant of the great pirate once known as 'Oz the Puller'. His size was overwhelming, incomparable to ordinary giants.
"KROOOO—!!!"
Oz roared, grabbed a section of the rising wall on the path to the sea with both arms, and pressed down with his feet. The wall stopped rising. But the Navy wasn't about to let that slide — cannons and Pacifista attacks began concentrating on Oz.
CRASH!!! BOOM!!!
"GYAAAH!!"
As Oz endured the attacks with his bare body, preventing the escape route from being sealed, Marco urgently shouted.
"Protect Oz!!"
At Marco's shout, the Whitebeard Pirates and the Impel Down prisoners attacked the Pacifistas and Marines targeting Oz with all their might. Of course, I helped them, quickly slashing through Pacifistas.
SWOOSH—!!! BOOM!!! CRACK!!!
Then Ivankov urgently asked Crocodile, who was beside him.
"Crocodile boy! Can't you use your ability on those walls?"
"I tried. They seem to contain sea prism stone — my ability doesn't work!"
Ivankov was shocked. "No way. No matter how much money the Navy has, to put sea prism stone in walls this large..."
"Damn it. If I'd known this would happen, I wouldn't have agreed to a one‑on‑one after the war — I would have targeted Whitebeard from the start."
Hearing Crocodile's muttering, I finally understood what Whitebeard had said to Crocodile. That was why he had been helping us without complaint.
I stepped forward in front of them and spoke.
"Everyone, step back!"
When I said that and took a stance, gripping my sword with both hands as if to use a large technique, Ivankov shouted loudly, warning everyone nearby.
"Everyone, get back!!"
Then the people around quickly moved away, making space.
"Ultimate Divine Blade, Fourth Form — Blade's Absolute Break!!!"
I coated my sword with Conqueror's Haki and mana and swung. The slash cut through space itself, slicing through the Pacifistas in front of and horizontally cutting through three walls beside Oz simultaneously.
SWOOOOSH—!!!!
CRUMBLE!!!
"Gasp! How can that be!!!"
"He cut through space!!!"
"So this is the power of the [Space-Space Fruit]!"
When the three walls simultaneously fell backward and collapsed, the people were horrified. What I had used was pure swordsmanship, but they mistook it for a Devil Fruit ability. Crocodile, watching from behind, seed so shocked that he dropped his cigar.
While they were still in shock, I shouted loudly.
"The path is open!! Everyone escape!!!"
Only then did people snap out of it and quickly move along the path I had cleared. Oz also let go of the wall and climbed out. Unfortunately, the Moby Dick and its sister ships had been so damaged by Pacifista and Navy attacks that they were inoperable, forcing them to escape using the pirate ships of the allied crews waiting outside.
Suddenly, a loud shout ca from Whitebeard's direction, where he had been holding off the Pacifistas and Marines.
"Father!!!!"
Drawn by the shout, we briefly looked back. In that mont, the Blackbeard Pirates were attacking Whitebeard as a group. But Whitebeard, having reached his limit, seed to be simply standing there taking all their attacks.
STAB!! PUK!! CRACK!!
The Whitebeard division commanders were shocked and tried to rush to him, but Whitebeard stopped them with his hand.
"This is the captain's final order! You and I part ways here!! Everyone!! Survive no matter what and return safely to the New World!!!"
"Father!!!"
"You don't an to die here?!!!"
"No, Father!!!"
Despite his many wounds, Whitebeard coated his fist with the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power and struck down Blackbeard Teach.
CRAAAACK—!!!!
"GUAH!!!"
So powerful was the blow that Teach was driven into the ground, and the entire floor of Navy Headquarters cracked apart.
Then Whitebeard spoke again. "I am a remnant of an old era!!! There is no ship for in the new era!!! Go!!! My children!!!"
"I won't, Father!!!"
"Father!!!"
"It's the captain's order!! We have to go!!!"
Following their captain's order, the Whitebeard Pirates gathered their fallen crewmates, forced them onto the pirate ships, and prepared to escape.
Then Whitebeard, planting his weapon, the Great Naginata, into the ground, standing tall like a great tree, shouted in a voice that seed to shake all of Navy Headquarters.
"One Piece is real!!!!"
Whitebeard's declaration struck every pirate and Marine present like a thunderbolt. Those words shook the very air of the battlefield, and no one could deny their truth. The pirates' eyes glead as they embraced their dreams anew. The Marines stood in shocked silence. In that mont, the fla of the Great Age of Pirates was reignited.
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