Many people had doubts.
Could Marco really stand up again?
Could this kind of treatnt really heal him?
No one knew.
The Whitebeard Pirates didn't know.
Rayleigh and the others didn't know.
They could only glance from ti to ti at the man who seed already dead, their eyes filled with hope.
But Vir knew.
Marco couldn't get up now.
It was too early.
At the very least, he needed to wait two more minutes.
Vir hadn't told him, but Old Ma knew anyway.
That was their unspoken understanding.
Right now, Vir had a massive amount of negative points with nowhere to spend them.
After saving so many people along the way, his negative points had climbed back above five million.
From Impel Down all the way to Marineford, the biggest loss had been the Vibro-Blade.
After facing Bullet and Marco, its durability had taken another hit.
From 81 after healing Shiki, it had dropped to 59.
Those two alone cost him 22 points of durability.
Sure, it wasn't as bad as Shiki's toll on the blade, but at this rate, it wouldn't last much longer.
He needed to find a way to get a replacent.
He couldn't keep relying on the blade's vibration mode forever.
But with negative points, anything was possible.
*BOOM!*
An explosion rang out.
Vir turned his head and saw a massive man wearing a bear-eared cap, holding a book in his hand, slaughtering pirates not far from him.
This made Vir change his target.
Ace's situation wasn't urgent yet—he hadn't even started fighting.
First, he'd plug a USB Drive into Kuma.
It'd be quick!
Vir imdiately sprang into action.
Thanks to his mimicry ability, Kuma would recognize him as an ally.
All he had to do was climb onto Kuma's head and insert the USB Drive.
"Ace!"
A voice suddenly called out—it was Yamato's.
But her voice was filled with unease and urgency.
The mont she spoke, Ace was sent flying by a single punch from Akainu!
The clash between the Fire Fist and the Magma Fist ended with Ace being overpowered.
Worse, Akainu's magma had burned him, leaving a scorched mark on his arm.
Exhausted beyond asure, Ace had no strength left.
But when he looked up, he saw Akainu's fist hurtling toward Luffy, who was now defenseless.
"Luffy!!"
Ace scread, but his body felt as heavy as lead.
There was no way he could make it in ti.
But Luffy wasn't completely helpless.
"Gear Third!"
He blew hard into his thumb, and his tiny fist instantly ballooned into a massive one.
He swung it straight at Akainu's magma fist.
From his perch on Kuma's shoulder, Vir could only shake his head in dismay.
This idiot...
Rubber against magma?
What, was he trying to burn holes in his precious hands? He wouldn't be able to use them again if he kept this up.
Sure enough, the mont they collided, Akainu overwheld Luffy with sheer force, pushing his giant fist back effortlessly.
Luffy's hand split open instantly, the air inside violently escaping.
But at least the force of the deflation sent him flying backward—otherwise, taking Akainu's punch head-on might have been the end of him.
*BOOM!*
Luffy bounced across the ground a few tis before Ace finally caught him.
"Go! Get out of here! I'll hold him off! Run toward the old man!"
Despite the dire situation, Ace instantly assessed the safest route.
He pointed Luffy toward what seed like the most dangerous spot on the battlefield—but for Luffy, it was the best possible escape.
But Luffy clearly didn't want to leave.
"Go! If you don't leave now, you'll end up needing treatnt!"
Ace's shout triggered sothing deep within Luffy.
His body shuddered violently, an inexplicable chill running down his spine.
He was scared, sure—but not enough to abandon Ace.
Then he rembered—Vir was here too!
He was the one who brought Luffy here in the first place.
With him around, Ace would be fine!
Thinking that, Luffy turned and sprinted toward Garp's position.
But Akainu wasn't about to let him go.
He lunged forward, attempting to bypass Ace and strike Luffy down.
"Fla Commandnt: Fire Pillar!!"
A torrent of fire erupted from Ace's body, shooting straight into the sky with trendous force.
Akainu, caught directly above, was forced to halt mid-air.
He took off his Marine cap, ran a hand through his hair, and put it back on.
"Fine. I'll start with you, then."
Ace didn't respond.
His already burned hands ignited once more with raging flas.
Glancing briefly at Vir in the distance, a faint smirk tugged at Ace's lips.
The flas on his right arm grew brighter, larger—until they blazed like a miniature sun.
"Great Eruption!"
"Fire Fist!!"
*BOOM!!*
Two blinding flashes of light erupted.
The deafening roar and scorching heatwave followed instantly.
The intense heat made nearby fighters recoil in agony.
The sheer force of the collision sent both combatants flying backward.
Within a radius of several dozen ters, everything was incinerated—utterly annihilated by the overwhelming temperature.
Every eye on the battlefield turned toward the explosion.
Even Luffy stopped running.
Every Den Den Mushi was fixed on the scene. Yоur suppоrt аt МV^LЕМР^YR kееps thе sеriеs gоing.
For a brief mont, the clash seed almost even.
But soon, Akainu overpowered Ace completely.
The flas died.
The magma prevailed.
A massive wave of molten rock surged toward Ace!
"ACEEEE!!!"
Luffy's scream tore through the air.
Yamato, locked in combat with Kong, could only watch in horror.
The magma engulfed Ace, sending him flying, his body covered in severe burns.
He had nothing left.
Not a shred of strength remained in his battered body.
After days of exhaustion, facing Akainu was like fighting a losing battle from the start.
Was this his limit?
Had he truly reached the end?
As he flew backward, Ace couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
He knew—this was where he'd fall.
How did he know?
The dark red glow in Akainu's eyes was answer enough.
Akainu gave him no quarter.
"igou!"
The molten fist hurtled toward Ace's face.
'Ah... What a sha.'
'I've let everyone down.'
'I've failed to repay Pops' kindness.'
'And I've wasted all of Vir's efforts.'
'If I could just survive... if I could make it back... I'd have the chance to make things right.'
'But now... There's no chance left.'
"ACE—!!"
The desperate cries of his friends echoed in his ears.
Among them, two idiots charged toward him without regard for their own safety.
'Those two... really are fools...'
But—
It was too late.
As ti seed to slow, Ace's gaze swept across the battlefield.
Finally, it settled on one figure—tall, unwavering.
In the past, nothing had ever shaken that man's composure.
As if no challenge in the world could ever faze him.
But now, for the first ti, Ace saw raw grief and fury on that face.
And that stubborn old man...
'Thanks... for everything.'
'I'm sorry.'
'Thank you... for caring for all these years.'
'This... is as far as I go...'
"POPS!!"
After a brief pause, he shouted again—louder than ever.
"GRANDPA!!!"
For the first ti in his life, Ace called Garp by the na the old man had always wanted to hear.
But it would also be the last.
Garp froze, his expression twisting with unbearable emotion.
For a single, fleeting mont—he hesitated.
Then, in an instant—
Both he and Whitebeard vanished from their spots.
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