Luffy collapsed to his knees, letting out a heart-wrenching shriek. In that moment, he broke down.
"Straw Hat Boy!"
Ivankov was shocked, looking at Luffy's condition: "His spirit has shattered! His life is in danger!"
Gurgle…
Suddenly, intense heat returned. Large quantities of magma rapidly swelled and spread outward, instantly burying several pirates.
"You're next! Straw Hat Brat!"
Sakazuki's upper body coalesced from the magma. He was carried aloft by the erupting lava and lunged toward the unconscious Luffy.
"Don't you dare hurt him!"
Ivankov and Jinbe roared, attacking simultaneously.
"Arabesque Tile Fist!!!"
"Death Wink!!!"
BOOM!
A fierce explosion erupted, and an almost solid-looking wave of air surged forward, transforming into a sweeping gale.
At this point, Marco and the others finally reacted. Ace was dead, but his brother was still alive. The Straw Hat Brat's life was the living embodiment of Ace's will.
Now, large numbers of pirates surged forward, creating a protective barrier around Luffy.
"What are your thoughts, Whitebeard?" Aeridar spoke softly. "You must be furious."
Whitebeard's eyes were hidden in shadow, making his gaze impossible to read. But the silent, yet terrifying aura, like a volcano on the verge of eruption, made everyone feel a chilling sense of deadly peril.
Just as he was about to step toward Sakazuki, Whitebeard suddenly paused, turning his head to look toward Marine Headquarters.
"Hey, what is that?"
"It looks like something is behind the Headquarters fortress!"
Behind the dust-shrouded Marine Headquarters, a gigantic shadow was spotted by many Marines.
"Ah~ We've been spotted!"
A colossal monster, with a pointed head, bloated face, thick beard, and spiky long hair, its enormous head almost half the size of its body, emerged with half its body exposed from behind the Marine Headquarters fortress. It was wearing the uniform of Impel Down.
Sanjuan Wolf the Colossal Battleship!
"Not only that, who are those people standing on the execution platform?" A Marine pointed toward a group of figures on the platform.
"Zehahahaha~ You finally noticed us!"
Teach grinned, his eyes wide, looking down at everyone below.
"You scoundrels, how did you get here?!" Sengoku roared in fury.
"You traitorous scum!" Seeing that person on the execution platform, Whitebeard involuntarily tightened his grip on his naginata.
The group on the execution platform appeared in the view of everyone, including Sanjuan Wolf behind the Marine Headquarters fortress, making a total of ten people.
The person at the forefront was the newly appointed Warlord of the Sea who had yet to appear on the battlefield, the source of this entire war, the traitor of the Whitebeard Pirates: Blackbeard - Marshall D. Teach.
And his crew, the Blackbeard Pirates.
Excluding Sanjuan Wolf, there were several unfamiliar faces among them, many wearing the prison uniforms of Impel Down.
There was a muscular man with upward-curving crescent-shaped sideburns and large, outward-bending horns, his long, bushy hair resembling a lion's mane and covering his eyes. The former Impel Down Level 6 prisoner, Avalo Pizarro the Corrupt King!
A bizarre fellow wearing a clown-like hat, with a perpetually drunken face and a large, unforgettable sausage-like nose, who carried a large liquor bottle. The former Impel Down Level 6 prisoner, Vasco Shot the Heavy Drinker!
And the only woman, heavily made-up, with a high nose, wearing an Impel Down prison uniform and draped in a pink coat, looking like a sorceress. The former Impel Down Level 6 prisoner, the most heinous female convict in history, Catarina Devon the Crescent Hunter!
And finally, a man wearing an Impel Down guard's cap over an aviator's helmet, smoking a cigar, and holding a red-handled katana. The former Impel Down Head Jailer, Shiryu of the Rain!
"Zehahahaha!"
"Long time no see! It's a pleasure to see you before you die, old man!"
Teach laughed wildly, greeting Whitebeard on the plaza without the slightest fear.
"Teach…"
Whitebeard's eyes were chillingly severe.
"Blackbeard... so it's his turn to make an appearance." Aeridar narrowed his eyes, looking thoughtfully at Teach on the execution platform.
"Shiryu, you bastard!"
Looking at the group of people before him, Sengoku was furious, his eyes nearly popping out. He demanded, "What happened to Magellan? What happened to Impel Down? How did you get here?"
"Can't you tell, Fleet Admiral Sengoku? The fact that they're here is the answer to your questions," Aeridar said flatly.
Sengoku was indeed thrown into confusion, because the appearance of so many major criminals from Level 6 of the Deep Sea Great Prison meant that the infamous 'Iron Wall' of Impel Down had likely been breached.
Moreover, he couldn't believe that Shiryu of the Rain, the Head Jailer of Impel Down, was mixed in with this group. It was clear that he had defected.
Puff…
Shiryu grinned, blowing out a smoke ring. He said, "That's right, Fleet Admiral Sengoku. If you want the specifics, go confirm them yourselves later. In any case, I've teamed up with these guys. I look forward to working with you all!"
"...~ Zehahahaha..." Teach roared with laughter, crossing his arms.
Sure enough, Shiryu confirmed that he had joined forces with Blackbeard Teach, casting a shadow of gloom over Sengoku's heart.
"Tsk tsk~ All notorious pirates, major criminals locked up in Level 6, and even one of Impel Down's two trump cards, Shiryu of the Rain, has defected! It looks like this incident is far more serious than Shiki the Golden Lion's escape!" Aeridar feigned surprise, though the schadenfreude in his tone was audible to everyone.
"Stop your sarcasm, you bastard!" Sengoku shouted back furiously.
Aeridar just curled his lip, still wearing a gleeful expression.
Regardless of Sengoku's angry demands and Teach's explanation of his purpose, Whitebeard could not hold back any longer.
"None of that matters."
"Teach…"
Whitebeard suddenly raised his arm, his muscles bulging, and punched toward the execution platform.
Crack—
The terrifying Tremor Power immediately cracked the atmosphere. Dense fissures appeared in the air, and the visible tremor impact instantly shattered the ground, tossing countless Marines into the air.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Under the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, the entire execution platform was instantly shattered and collapsed. The residual force even violently cracked the Marine Headquarters fortress behind it, and the surrounding ground shook violently as air currents raised a sky full of dust.
In the midst of the dust, the Blackbeard Pirates emerged, with Teach single-handedly flipping over a massive chunk of stone.
"You really don't hold back, do you! But I wouldn't expect any mercy," Teach shook his head, grinning widely.
"You alone are unworthy to be called my son, Teach!" Whitebeard pointed his naginata at Blackbeard Teach, stating grimly, "You violated the single iron rule on my ship; you murdered a comrade!"
"It is my duty to take your wretched life to honor the memory of the Fourth Division Commander, Thatch!"