"Father! I'm back!" Ace cried out, collapsing to his knees in front of Whitebeard. Tears streamed down his face, a mix of relief and exhaustion.
Whitebeard's eyes were also red-rimmed. "It's alright, son. You're safe. Who saved you?"
Ace glanced at the scattered buildings behind the execution platform. "It was Luffy's crew!"
Luffy's crew? The words brought confusion to everyone, not just Whitebeard. Most of the Straw Hat crew was right there in front of them, so who else could it be? But a few people, like Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Tsuru, had a nagging feeling they knew the answer.
A moment later, a handsome man in a mottled pattern hat appeared, holding a large, sheathed sword. A polar bear and two men in diving suits followed closely behind him.
"Trafalgar Law! It really is him!" Sengoku and Tsuru's expressions were a mixture of complicated emotions.
Law was a child who had been saved by Rosinante, and later by Tsuru herself. Now he had become a pirate and joined the Straw Hat crew. And today, he had the audacity to ruin the Marine's grand event by saving Ace.
Law's gaze swept over Sengoku and Tsuru, but he didn't say a word. He led Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin down to the main square where they were immediately met by the rest of the Straw Hats.
"Trafalgar D. Water Law! You finally made it!" Zoro said with a grin.
"Nice work!" Sanji added, a rare moment of genuine praise.
"Law, you did it!" The others cheered, and Law's face flushed slightly with embarrassment.
In truth, his submarine had arrived at Marineford much earlier, but he hadn't made a move. Instead, he had navigated through the chaos, quietly approaching the platform from the back, where the civilian houses were located.
He had waited until the Marines had cleared the area and the entire crowd was focused on the imminent execution. That was when he used his power, Room, to quickly swap places with Ace, saving him in the nick of time. But before Law could even do anything else, Ace had simply thanked him and dashed off.
Law didn't mind. He had completed his mission and made his presence known. He knew his actions would put a massive target on his back, and his bounty was sure to skyrocket, but he didn't care.
His eyes were fixed on one person in the crowd: Donquixote Doflamingo. Doflamingo's scheme of faking his resignation from the Warlords had failed, but Law had also sent back Diamante and others.
He still held their hearts, giving him all the leverage he needed. Doflamingo was completely trapped, forced to choose between his compromised subordinates or Law's next demands.
Luffy, having left Kizaru's side, ran over to Law. "Trafalgar D. Water Law! Thanks for saving Ace!"
"Straw Hat-ya, it's a bit early for you to thank me," Law replied, waving a dismissive hand. "The Marines have us completely surrounded. It won't be easy to get out of here. Let's just hope none of us die today."
"Nah, we're all super strong!" Luffy said with a cheerful smile.
Law almost rolled his eyes at the ridiculous answer, but he stuck to his cool, collected persona and remained silent.
At that moment, Whitebeard lifted Murakumogiri. "Listen up, everyone! We're retreating now! We're all going to leave here alive!"
Fleet Admiral Sengoku seized the opportunity and addressed the Den Den Mushi. "Marines, don't panic! Justice will not be defeated! This is still under our control. We will achieve a complete victory once we kill all the pirates and prisoners here!"
"Oh!!!" The shout echoed from both the pirates and the Marines, and the battle intensified.
The pirates began to fall back, while the Marines pushed forward. But retreat was no simple matter. The Marines had surrounded the square from the front, left, and right, and the back was blocked by the bay walls. The only remaining ship, the Adventure, was stranded, and the other pirate ships couldn't get close.
"This is gonna be tough," Whitebeard muttered to himself.
Sengoku continued to issue orders. "All Marines, block every possible exit! All Pacifistas, deploy now! Cut off the live Den Den Mushi broadcast!"
With the order, the Marine forces moved. The live feed was cut, and the battle was no longer visible to the outside world. The Marines began to tighten their blockade, trapping the pirates and prisoners. Then, on both flanks of the square, figures that looked identical to Bartholomew Kuma appeared, sealing the square off completely.
"Are those the Pacifistas?" Whitebeard's expression grew grim. The Marines were clearly more prepared than he had anticipated.
A barrage of lasers sliced through the air, mowing down pirates and prisoners in an instant. The ordinary crews and prisoners stood no chance, falling one after another.
"Whoa! What's that? It's so cool!" Luffy and Chopper said in unison, their eyes sparkling.
"It's a robot! Man, they're even stronger than me, Franky! The Marines are really trying to wipe out the Whitebeard Pirates!" Franky said, looking at the Pacifistas with an envious glint in his eye.
Franky was a real cyborg, but these Pacifistas were on a whole other level.
Luffy put his hat on and grinned. "Alright, everyone, let's head for the Going Merry! We're getting out of here!"
They all looked toward their ship. Usopp, Chopper, and Tashigi were barely holding on, exhausted from defending the Merry. They could collapse at any moment.
"We need to go help Tashigi-chan!" Sanji yelled, charging toward the Merry without hesitation.
But he was quickly intercepted by Marine Vice Admirals, including Onigumo and Mole. Several Pacifistas also joined them, all moving to block the Straw Hat crew's path.
"Straw Hat crew, none of you are leaving!" Kizaru's voice rang out as he approached. "Vice Admiral Mole, Vice Admiral Onigumo, I'll take on Straw Hat Luffy. You can handle the rest. I don't care if you kill them on the spot!"
"Sir, yes, sir!" Mole and Onigumo answered, their expressions serious as they and the Pacifistas encircled the Straw Hat crew. A fat man in a red bellyband, carrying a giant axe, also stepped forward.
"What are these guys who look exactly like Kuma? And who's this guy with the red bellyband?" Luffy asked, bewildered.
"As the most tight-lipped man on the sea, I, Sentomaru, will not tell you a thing! These are robots created by Dr. Vegapunk, modeled on Bartholomew Kuma and equipped with Master Kizaru's laser abilities. It'll be nothing to defeat you pirates!" Sentomaru declared with a proud and dignified air.
"You just explained everything!" the Straw Hats groaned in unison.
Even Kizaru, Mole, and Onigumo couldn't help but facepalm.
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