"What a show-off old geezer."
"That guy Newgate..."
Upon sensing this, the two Emperors of the Sea both voiced their disdain.
Then, everyone saw a colossal battleship shaped like a whale suddenly emerge from the sea.
That was the Whitebeard Pirates' main ship, the [Moby Dick]!
Alongside it appeared four escort ships with the same design but smaller in size.
"Whitebeard is already here! All fourteen division commanders are present!"
Compared to the Beast and Big Mom Pirates, who might only have their main members present, the Whitebeard Pirates were truly going all out this time.
Even Namur, responsible for guarding Fish-Man Island, was among them.
Whitebeard's exposed chest wasn't plugged with the usual IV tubes. Clad in his captain's cloak, holding his naginata Murakumogiri, he stepped forward one by one toward the Moby Dick's bow.
As if sensing the gaze of two familiar pairs of eyes, Whitebeard glanced at Kaido and Big Mom before speaking.
"Charlotte Linlin, Kaido... why did you two come here? Unnecessary."
Facing his two former colleagues from the Rocks Pirates, Whitebeard's tone wasn't exactly friendly.
"Ha? Don't flatter yourself, Newgate."
The Queen Mama Chanter took the 'VIP channel' to a spot not far behind the Moby Dick.
"I came here to give the Marines trouble. If you get in my way, I will deal with you first!"
Big Mom's aura was astonishing, and Kaido's side was no less impressive.
"Old man, just sit quietly to the side. Otherwise, when the fighting starts, I'm afraid I might 'accidentally' hit you."
Kaido's ship slowly docked beside the Queen Mama Chanter. The three ships formed a triangular formation.
"What audacious brats! I haven't forgiven you for Oden yet-"
Conqueror's Haki surged wildly from this man toward his surroundings.
Kaido and Big Mom also emitted terrifying Conqueror's Haki.
Three powerful auras collided and fused at this moment, even completely altering the weather, dispersing the sea fog.
Among the reinforcing pirates, some with weaker strength or willpower couldn't hold on and fell unconscious.
Similarly, the Marines weren't faring much better.
"Th-that... that's the [Four Emperors]?"
A Marine Rear Admiral gulped.
Even he, sensing those three terrifying auras from such a distance, found it hard to control his limbs… his arms unconsciously trembled.
The ordinary Marines were even worse.
Except for battle-hardened warriors like the G-5 ruffians, many Marine 'elites' without much combat experience fell unconscious from just this wave of Haki clash.
They couldn't let them continue showing off like this.
Sengoku looked at the visible Haki shockwaves in the distance, then shouted below.
"Begin."
This 'begin' naturally didn't mean executing Ace, because another crucial target in their plan still hadn't appeared.
The three Admirals seated below all stood up. Akainu, the most impatient, charged out first.
Aokiji closely followed.
Kizaru, unhurried, remained in place, observing his surroundings.
In fact, Kizaru's initial assigned task was to guard the execution platform.
"You dare cause trouble at Marine Headquarters, one after another? Then stay here forever! Great Eruption!!"
After using Geppo to reach the air, Akainu's severed arm continuously extended scorching, searing lava.
The lava formed a fist comparable to an oversized warship, turning dark red due to Haki coverage.
Aokiji was even more 'audacious', initiating attacks against the other two Emperors alone.
"Ice Time!"
Two streams of freezing cold air assaulted Kaido and Big Mom, rapidly freezing the seawater along their path.
"Piss off!"
"Don't interrupt me!"
"Shut up, all of you!"
Sensing the incoming attacks, the three Emperors immediately ended their Haki conflict and almost simultaneously attacked the two Admirals.
"Haa!"
Murakumogiri covered in white light representing tremors struck at the massive lava fist.
Behind him, Kaido and Big Mom swung their weapons, slashing together.
"Supremacy Sea!" x2
That was a special attack the two used, mimicking the Giant race's [Spear of Elbaf], utilizing their colossal bodies.
Compared to the original Spear of Elbaf, Hakoku Sovereignty, their combined [Supremacy Sea] was no weaker, perhaps even stronger.
Terrifying Conqueror's Haki slashes almost instantly scattered the cold air, continuing unabated toward Marineford.
If hit by this move, the rescue operation probably wouldn't need to proceed… Ace would be 100% dead.
However, the Marines naturally wouldn't just watch.
A tall, white-haired figure silently walked toward the execution platform, then emitted an intense Conqueror's Haki.
He leaped up, his Haki-imbued fist striking fiercely at the incoming Supremacy Sea slash.
"Galaxy Impact!!"
The moment they collided, nearby Marines momentarily felt deafened.
Even without being directly hit by the attack, just affected by the residual shockwaves, Marineford's ground and walls cracked with many fissures.
"It's Vice Admiral Garp!"
"The Marine Hero!"
"Vice Admiral Garp!"
After the impact subsided, many finally saw the majestic figure landing again, unconsciously exclaiming in awe.
Monkey D. Garp, known as the [Marine Hero], refused promotions to Admiral, so his rank remained Vice Admiral, but his combat strength was far beyond ordinary Vice Admirals… even Admirals.
But hearing these survivors' praises, Garp remained silent.
He never considered himself the so-called [Marine Hero], especially now, when he couldn't even save his own grandson.
But he also identified with his Marine identity… it was his lifelong conviction.
Torn by this contradiction, Garp still chose to act, but after one strike, he found a spot to sit down again.
Just like thirty-eight years ago at God Valley, Garp, Edward Newgate, Charlotte Linlin, and Kaido became opponents on the battlefield once more.
This moment, just like that moment.
"Vice Admiral Garp..."
Kizaru, looking at the man who had taken his seat, wanted to say something, but upon meeting the other party's gaze, he immediately shut up.
"Hey, you two!"
Seeing Garp intervene, Whitebeard finally felt somewhat reassured, immediately turning, wanting to say something.
But Akainu's [Great Eruption], after being shattered by his tremor slash, turned into scattered lava clumps, raining down toward the pirate ships behind.
"Tch... such a troublesome guy."
Whitebeard simply planted Murakumogiri aside, punching the void with both fists.
Crack-
A harsh 'cracking' sound came from the air, followed by powerful shockwaves spreading outward.
Seawater instantly surged, forming terrifyingly high tsunamis rushing forward.
Normally, such tsunamis were nightmares at sea, but today, they became 'shields' for those pirate ships.
The menacing lava, after being cooled and slowed by seawater, lost much of its lethality.
This level of attack meant little to those New World pirate crews.
They each took action, displaying their skills, successfully blocking the attack.
Seeing the tsunami rushing toward Marineford, Aokiji couldn't continue slacking off.
He spread his arms, two ice pillars extending toward the seawater.
"Ice Age."
Merely finger-thin ice pillars could instantly turn the overwhelming tsunami into ice sculptures.
The cold continued spreading, even freezing the sea surface, leaving all ships immobilized.
They could no longer approach this way, but that didn't stop them.
Hordes of pirates charged off their ships, rushing toward Marineford across the ice, even the combatants from the three Emperors' main ships joined the charge.
"Charge!"
"Save Ace!"
"Kill them!"
"Kill! Kill all Marines!"
From these pirates' shouts, it was clear some came to rescue, while others purely wanted to fight the Marines.
Fortunately, for now, their objectives didn't conflict.
Seeing this, the Marines promptly ordered a counter-charge.
Melee combat had begun.