The air was thick with the scent of blood, smoke, and despair. Bodies littered the battlefield, and the proud figure of Whitebeard — the strongest man in the world — was gone, taken away by Obito before the Marines could claim him.
On the execution platform, Ace's head hung low, his face pale as his strength drained away.
"Begin the execution!" Sengoku's voice boomed across Marineford, his expression grim yet resolute.
The blades fell swiftly this time — no interruptions, no miraculous rescue.
Portgas D. Ace was dead.
The sight of Ace's lifeless body slumped on the execution stand shattered the spirits of the Whitebeard Pirates.
"Ace...?" Marco whispered, frozen in disbelief. The crew watched in stunned silence.
Then, one of Whitebeard's men cried out in anguish. "NOOOO!"
"Stay strong!" Marco barked, forcing his voice to steady. His mind was racing — both Whitebeard and Ace were gone. Their morale was broken, and the Marines were surging forward with renewed strength.
Marco gritted his teeth and shouted, "RETREAT!"
The pirates recoiled in shock.
"Retreat?!" one crewmate growled. "We can't leave Pops behind!"
"Pops isn't here anymore!" Marco's voice shook with emotion. "He's gone... and Pops wouldn't want us to throw our lives away! We have to carry his legacy!"
The pirates hesitated, their hearts heavy. Then Marco roared again:
"RETREAT!!"
With that, the Whitebeard Pirates began their desperate retreat, dragging their injured comrades with them.
Seeing the pirates retreat, the Marines' spirits surged.
"They're running!" one Marine shouted. "Chase them down! Don't let a single pirate escape!"
The Marines charged with ruthless aggression, cutting down pirates without mercy.
"Justice will prevail!" Akainu's voice echoed from the battlefield as magma dripped from his fists, scorching the earth beneath him.
Amidst the slaughter, Koby stood frozen, trembling. The cries of dying pirates filled his ears — men begging for their lives.
"This... this isn't justice..." Koby whispered, his fists clenched. "STOP! THIS ISN'T JUSTICE!"
But no one listened.
Meanwhile, Luffy stirred, his body battered and weakened. His eyes slowly opened — and the first thing he saw was Ace's lifeless body, motionless in a pool of crimson.
"Ace..." Luffy's voice barely escaped his throat.
He tried to move but felt his strength leave him. A wave of cold dread washed over him. His mind spiraled. Images of Ace's smile, his voice, his promise — all crushed in a moment.
"No... no... NO!" Luffy's breathing quickened, his chest heaving. Tears streamed down his face as his trembling hands reached forward.
He couldn't save Ace.
"I... failed..."
His mind went blank, and with his mouth still wide open in a silent scream, Luffy collapsed unconscious once again.
"We can't stay here!" Jinbe muttered, lifting Luffy's limp body onto his back.
"I'll protect him!" Hancock declared, with determination.
The pair hurried toward the coast, weaving through burning debris and fallen soldiers. Marines charged at them, but Hancock struck back with swift precision, turning men to stone with her Mero Mero no Mi powers.
Suddenly, the ground erupted as molten rock spewed from below.
BOOOOM!
Akainu emerged from the molten crater, his body radiating intense heat as lava oozed from his clenched fists.
"Stay right there..." Akainu growled, his gaze fixed on Luffy's unconscious form.
"Dragon's son must die in this war!"
His fist transformed into a blazing mass of magma as he advanced.
"You pirates can never be trusted!" Akainu spat.
"I'll take your heads right here!"
Jinbe tightened his grip on Luffy. "I won't let you harm him."
Hancock stepped forward, her cold gaze meeting Akainu's.
"I am the Pirate Empress," she declared. "Touch my beloved, and I'll strike you down where you stand!"
"Hmph." Akainu sneered. "You pirates think you can stand in the way of justice?!"
With a swing of his magma-covered fist, Akainu launched a deadly lava fist toward Jinbe and Hancock.
The war raged on at Marineford. Flames engulfed the battlefield, while ash and smoke choked the air. The once-mighty Whitebeard Pirates were in full retreat, their morale shattered by the deaths of Ace and Whitebeard. Meanwhile, Akainu, burning with righteous fury, pursued Jinbe and Hancock, determined to erase Luffy from existence.
Beneath the wreckage-strewn waters of Marineford, the Polar Tang submarine drifted quietly. Inside, the Heart Pirates anxiously watched the battle unfold through their viewing scopes.
"Captain..." Bepo muttered, his voice filled with worry. "That guy... Luffy... he's gonna die if this keeps up!"
"Should we really get involved?" Shachi asked. "The Marines are everywhere out there!"
Law stood silently, his gaze fixed on Luffy, barely conscious and clinging to life on Jinbe's back.
"Let's go," Law said firmly, gripping the hilt of his sword. "I can still save that Straw Hat guy."
"Aye, Captain!" The Heart Pirates sprang into action, surfacing their vessel as the crew prepared to join the chaos.
Above ground, Jinbe and Hancock stood side by side, facing down Akainu, who radiated pure menace. His molten fists dripped with lava, each step turning the earth beneath him to scorched glass.
"You're wasting your efforts," Akainu growled. "Step aside, and I'll grant you a quick death."
"I will not abandon Luffy!" Jinbe shouted, his muscles tensing as he clenched his fists. "You'll have to go through me!"
"I won't let you lay a finger on him," Hancock added coldly, her eyes burning with fury.
"Fine." Akainu sneered. "I'll burn you both to ash!"
Akainu lunged forward, his fist swelling with molten rock. "Great Eruption!"
A massive wave of lava surged toward them.
"Fish-Man Karate..." Jinbe planted his feet and drove his palm forward. "...Five Thousand Tile True Punch!"
The water-enhanced strike smashed into Akainu's molten wave. Steam burst into the air as lava and seawater clashed violently, the ground beneath them cracking from the pressure.
"Mero Mero Merrow!" Hancock shouted, firing a heart-shaped beam directly at Akainu's face.
The beam struck his shoulder, briefly petrifying a patch of molten rock. But the hardened stone cracked and crumbled away as Akainu's body sizzled with intense heat.
"That weak power won't save you!" Akainu roared, launching a molten fist toward Hancock.
"Pistol Kiss!" Hancock leapt forward with perfect agility, firing a powerful heart-shaped bullet from her fingertips. The projectile struck Akainu's arm, forcing him to recoil as part of his lava briefly hardened.
Seizing the moment, Hancock dashed in close. "Perfume Femur!" She spun gracefully, delivering a devastating kick directly to Akainu's chest.
CRACK! The blow petrified a portion of his body, spreading across his torso.
"GRAHH!" Akainu roared as his intense heat shattered the hardened stone away.
"You'll need more than that!" Akainu barked. "I AM JUSTICE!"
His fist ignited once more as he launched a deadly punch toward Hancock.
"Ocean Current Shoulder Throw!" Jinbe roared, summoning a torrent of seawater from the air itself. The crashing wave surged toward Akainu, drenching him in a violent burst of water.
For a moment, Akainu's magma sizzled and cooled, steam shrouding the battlefield.
"Don't think that's enough to stop me!" Akainu's voice echoed through the mist. "You're just stalling!"
The steam parted — Akainu's form emerged, burning hotter than before. Lava poured from his shoulders like rivers of molten fury.
"Hell Hound!"
A gigantic magma hound lunged from Akainu's fist, jaws snapping open wide.
"Jinbe, move!" Hancock yelled.
Jinbe barely had time to react before the molten beast struck him head-on.
"GAAAH!" Jinbe's skin seared, smoke rising from his body as he tumbled back, groaning in pain.
Seeing Jinbe fall, Hancock's fury erupted.
"You vile beast!" she spat, her eyes blazing. "Slave Arrow!"
A volley of heart-shaped arrows fired from her fingertips, raining down on Akainu like a deadly storm. Each arrow petrified the ground, turning molten rock into cold stone.
Akainu growled as several arrows struck his arms and chest, briefly hardening the magma. He flexed his muscles, shattering the stone away.
"That's not enough to kill me!" Akainu barked. "I AM JUSTICE!"
His molten fist erupted with intense heat as he prepared to strike Hancock down.
Just before the lava fist could strike, a loud voice rang out:
"ROOM!"