"Thunder Dragon!"
"Dog Biting Crimson Lotus!"
The moment their figures clashed, Chiyu and Akainu unleashed their fiercest attacks—pure, explosive power colliding in a blinding instant.
Chiyu's crackling thunder dragon and Akainu's molten hellhound smashed together with earth-shaking force. One roared with lightning fury, the other snarled in molten rage. It was like two mythic beasts—gods of storm and fire—colliding head-on.
The sky lit up with bolts of lightning, the ground bubbled with magma. Marineford was instantly swallowed by the chaos. Lightning struck indiscriminately, lava spilled out violently. Marines and pirates alike were caught in the crossfire—electrocuted, burned, torn apart.
Panic spread fast. Soldiers scattered in every direction to avoid being caught in the wake, clearing a massive battlefield for Chiyu and Akainu to fight without restraint.
Their abilities were monstrous—wide-range, high-output, and completely unrelenting. Even those who thought they'd escaped to safety weren't spared the shockwaves.
At this point, they weren't fighting for the war anymore. They didn't care about Marineford. It was personal now. They were going all in—a fight to the death.
Up high on the command platform, Fleet Admiral Sengoku saw the tides turning and made a split-second decision.
"All marines—kill Ace! No matter the cost!"
"Don't let him escape alive!"
"If he does, the Navy will become a joke—and the world itself will be at risk!"
"Because…"
"That man carries the blood of a devil."
"Portgas D. Ace…"
"…is the biological son of Gol D. Roger—the Pirate King!"
He didn't just announce it to Marineford.
He declared it to the entire world—live.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Gol D. Roger.
The Pirate King.
The name hit like a shockwave. The world froze for a heartbeat… and then erupted.
From Marineford to every corner of the world, people screamed in disbelief, anger, and chaos. Roger's legacy—the age of pirates—had only ever brought pain and destruction to the common people.
Now that legacy had a face—and a target.
Marines howled in rage and charged. Ten Vice Admirals closed in on Ace.
Ace, though powerful, had just been freed from Seastone cuffs. He'd been locked up and tortured for days—his strength nowhere near full. Even at his best, he might not survive ten Vice Admirals. Now? He was completely outmatched.
He quickly found himself surrounded and in deep danger.
His crewmates wanted to help, but the Navy outnumbered them two to one. They were already overwhelmed.
Whitebeard saw it—and exploded with rage.
"ACE!!!"
With a thunderous roar, Edward Newgate swung his bisento—Quake Shock!
The very air split apart. All of Marineford trembled violently. The sky cracked, the earth heaved, the sea convulsed. Vice Admirals and marines nearby were blown away, coughing blood.
But it came at a cost. Whitebeard had forced that attack while still fighting Sengoku. It left him wide open.
And Sengoku didn't miss.
"So you finally slipped, Whitebeard!"
"Buddha Fist!!"
In his colossal golden Buddha form, Sengoku launched a divine punch. It landed squarely on Whitebeard's back with a deafening boom.
Even the world's strongest man couldn't tank that.
Whitebeard staggered. His massive body nearly crumpled under the impact. Bones cracked. Blood burst from his mouth.
"POPS!!!"
The Whitebeard Pirates panicked, shouting, ready to rush in.
"Help him!"
"Kill them!!"
But Whitebeard knew what would happen if they tried.
"STAY BACK!" he bellowed. "That's an order!"
"Anyone who disobeys is a traitor!"
Silence. No one moved.
Whitebeard locked eyes with Sengoku. His white beard was stained red.
"Heh… You never miss your shot, huh, Sengoku..."
Sengoku's voice was cold. "Either you die or I do. I won't risk the Navy's future."
Whitebeard laughed through the pain. "Then we're both playing the same game."
But no one felt the weight of this moment more than Ace.
If it wasn't for him… none of this would've happened.
If it wasn't for him… Pops wouldn't be on the brink of death.
"POPS!!!" Ace sprinted toward him, tears in his eyes.
Whitebeard saw him—and snapped.
"ACE! Do you want to betray this crew?!"
Ace froze.
"I… I just can't watch this happen..."
Whitebeard cut him off with a roar:
"As your captain—this is my final order!"
"Whitebeard Pirates…"
"Get ready to retreat!"
For a moment, Marineford fell completely silent.
They were… retreating?
Now?
In the middle of all this?
Sengoku roared, "Don't let them confuse you! All marines—keep attacking!"
But Whitebeard raised his weapon again.
BOOM!!!
His most devastating quake yet shattered Marineford's central tower—the symbol of the World Government's "justice." The battlefield exploded. Marines screamed, blood flew, bodies scattered.
"GO!!!"
Whitebeard roared. He was staying behind.
All eyes turned to him.
Marco gritted his teeth. He was the first to shout it:
"Whitebeard Pirates… Retreat!!"
And with that, they obeyed.
Step by step, they moved toward the ships.
Of course, the Navy wasn't about to let them go that easily.
But Whitebeard stood tall, his strength blazing like a final meteor. He alone held them back.
Marco led the breakout. Aokiji, now free, joined Sengoku to take Whitebeard down.
"Buddha Shockwave!"
"Ice Age!"
Whitebeard fought back with everything he had—and held his ground.
"Quake Shock!!"
The ground exploded again. Sengoku and Aokiji were blasted away—wounded and forced to retreat.
"Dammit… this guy still has power left?!"
Blood trickled from Aokiji's lips.
"Tch… no wonder they call him the strongest man alive..."
Meanwhile, Chiyu had seen enough. His mission was to rescue Zephyr, not to get bogged down in a slaughter.
"Undying Legion—fall back!"
At his command, Law, Smoker, Blade, and the others pulled their troops out toward the gate.
The Navy moved to intercept—
Until Franky rolled in with the War God battleship.
"Heh—this baby's got one shell left. Wanna test your luck?"
Marines froze. They remembered the last shot.
Still, Franky didn't wait.
"Firing final shell—War God Cannon—GO!"
BOOOOM!!!
The shell detonated midair, shaking the entire battlefield. Marineford trembled. Fire exploded into the sky. Shockwaves ripped across the ground.
Hundreds of marines were vaporized.
Those farther back were flung into walls, knocked out cold.
Under cover of the blast, the Undying Legion escaped to their ships.
They weren't as large as Whitebeard's crew—but they were sharper, more disciplined. Trained by Zephyr himself—ex-Navy elite turned soldiers of justice.
With most of them evacuated, Chiyu finally exhaled.
He had wanted this fight with Akainu, but not like this—not now.
"Akainu," he said. "This fight isn't over—but it ends another day."
Akainu scowled. "You think you can just leave? This isn't some backyard you can stroll through!"
Chiyu smirked. "Marineford? You mean that pile of rubble?"
Akainu turned. All around him—collapsed towers, burning ruins, rivers of blood.
Chiyu's words cut deep.
"You disgraced Marineford!" Akainu raged. "You think I'll let you walk?!
But Chiyu didn't answer.
He was already gone—a bolt of lightning shooting into the sky.
Akainu gave chase, but couldn't match his speed. Kizaru, the only one fast enough, was still locked in combat with Rayleigh.
"DAMMIT!!!" Akainu could only scream in frustration.
Meanwhile, both Whitebeard's crew and Chiyu's army began mass evacuation.
With Whitebeard holding the line…
With Franky's War God blasting a path…
Even the Navy couldn't break through.
Law, Hancock, Jinbe, Ace—they all fought while falling back, slowly exiting the bay.
Only a few remained in the heart of the battlefield: Whitebeard, Rayleigh, and a few others.
Akainu's fury boiled over.
He poured it all into one final assault—on Whitebeard.
Now, Whitebeard stood alone against three monsters:
Fleet Admiral Sengoku
Admiral Aokiji
Admiral Akainu
Even one would be a nightmare.
Three?
They had the power to wipe out cities.
Whitebeard fought on. Barely.
"POPS!" Ace cried out again, devastated.
Marco grabbed him again. "Ace! If you die here, then Pops' sacrifice means NOTHING! Don't waste it!"
Ace sobbed, powerless.
And then—the final blow came.
Sengoku. Aokiji. Akainu.
"Buddha Shockwave!"
"Ice Age!"
"Dark Hound!"
The force was overwhelming.
Even the world's strongest man—Whitebeard—was finally consumed by the combined might of three legends.
"POPS!!!" his crew screamed in agony.
But it was already over.
Edward Newgate, Whitebeard…
…was destined to die here.
Maybe this was always how it had to end.
This… was his fate.