"Mr. Ace, be careful!" Chopper shouted, his small voice barely audible over the roar of combat as he struggled to maintain his footing.
Sanji, thinking quickly, scooped up the little reindeer and carried him away from the danger zone. "This is way out of our league, Chopper. Let's give them some room to work."
The confrontation between Admiral Akainu and Fire Fist Ace had immediately become the focal point of the entire battlefield. From the moment Sengoku had revealed Ace's true parentage, it was inevitable that the son of the Pirate King would become the center of this war's storm.
Correspondingly, Akainu's sudden entry into direct combat drew the attention of every fighter present. This was no ordinary skirmish—this was an Admiral facing off against a Division Commander, with the weight of history behind every blow.
Feeling the overwhelming heat and killing intent radiating from Akainu's molten hound attack, Ace's expression grew deadly serious. His aura exploded outward, and for those with the sensitivity to perceive it, black lightning began crackling around his flame-wreathed fist.
"Flame Commandment!" Ace roared, his voice carrying across the frozen harbor. "Hibashira!"
The golden-white flames around his fist intensified, touched now with the dark energy of Conqueror's Haki. This was no ordinary fire technique—this was the culmination of years training, enhanced by the awakening power that only the truly elite possessed.
When the two attacks collided, the world seemed to pause.
BOOM!
The explosion that followed dwarfed anything the battlefield had seen so far. A sphere of incandescent energy erupted from the point of impact, expanding outward like a miniature sun. Heat waves and molten fragments scattered in all directions at terrifying speed, while the very air seemed to catch fire.
Both were hurled backward by the tremendous force. Ace skidded across the ice for dozens of meters before managing to roll back to his feet, while Akainu's boots carved deep furrows in the frozen surface as he fought to maintain his balance.
Where they had clashed, the ice had been completely vaporized, leaving a crater nearly a hundred meters across. Seawater rushed in to fill the void, hissing and steaming as it met the superheated residue of their battle.
Most of the fighters in the immediate area had wisely retreated when they realized what was about to happen. Those who hadn't moved fast enough found themselves caught in the devastating aftermath, adding to the chaos as both sides rushed to aid their fallen comrades.
From his position in the harbor, Whitebeard watched the exchange with visible satisfaction. His massive hands, which had been clenched in unconscious tension, slowly relaxed as he saw the result.
"Gurararara! Ace, you've grown this strong?" The world's strongest man's laughter boomed across the battlefield. "That's my son for you!"
Whitebeard's experienced eyes had caught what many others missed—the telltale black lightning that marked Conqueror's Haki coating. Ace had achieved something that even many veteran pirates never managed, combining his Devil Fruit powers with the rarest form of Haki enhancement.
Ace pulled himself fully upright, breathing heavily as he assessed the situation. The massive crater now blocked his direct path to the execution platform, and Akainu was already preparing for another assault. Steam rose from both their bodies as residual heat dissipated into the cold sea air.
"Damn... looks like I'll have to find another route," Ace muttered, his strategic mind working despite the adrenaline flooding his system.
He could have attempted to fly over the obstacle, but doing so would expose him to concentrated fire from every Marine in the plaza. Given his newly revealed identity as Roger's son, he was already the highest-priority target on the battlefield.
"Ace! Let me help you!"
A voice like rolling thunder echoed across Marineford as Little Oz's massive form became visible on the horizon. The giant descendant of the legendary demon was nearly forty meters tall, making him an impossible target to miss.
"Oz!?" Ace spun around, horror replacing tactical calculation on his features. "No! Don't come any closer! You're too big—they'll focus everything on you!"
If Ace was a high-priority target due to his bloodline, Little Oz would become the most obvious target on the entire battlefield simply due to his size. Every cannon, every sniper, every Marine with a grudge would focus their attacks on the giant.
"But Ace, I want to help—" Oz began, his voice carrying the simple loyalty that had made him beloved among the Whitebeard Pirates.
"Oz, stay where you are!" Ace interrupted, his voice carrying the authority he'd learned as a Division Commander. "I need you to be our backup! Attack their ships from the outside!"
"That's right, my son," Whitebeard's voice carried easily across the water. "Your role is crucial, but it's out there, not in here."
The Emperor picked up a Den Den Mushi and began issuing rapid orders to his various fleet commanders, coordinating the overall assault while trusting his sons to handle their individual battles.
Seeing that both Ace and Whitebeard agreed, Oz reluctantly accepted his assignment. The giant turned his attention to the Marine warships surrounding Marineford's outer perimeter, his massive fists beginning to rain down on the ships with devastating effect.
On the Execution Platform
"Did you see that, Robin?" Luffy's voice was filled with genuine excitement as he watched his sworn brother's incredible display. "Ace is amazing, isn't he?"
Robin had been lost in her own thoughts, wrestling with the guilt and self-blame that had plagued her since their capture. Memories of Professor Clover, of Saul, of everyone who had died because of her existence warred with newer memories of acceptance and friendship.
It took Luffy's cheerful voice to pull her back to the present. Despite everything—the chains, the approaching execution, the massive battle being fought for their sake—his tone remained optimistic.
"Yes," she said softly, a small smile touching her lips. "He really is."
Luffy's grin widened as he noticed the change in her mood. "See? So don't worry about anything! We'll just wait here for him to rescue us!"
"Straw Hat!" Sengoku's stern voice cut through their conversation. "You don't seriously believe you're going to be saved, do you?"
Luffy tilted his head, considering the question with the same seriousness he might give to choosing what to have for lunch. "Well, yeah! Ace and everyone else are super strong, so they'll definitely make it up here. You should watch more carefully, Mr. Goat-Beard!"
Sengoku's hand froze in the middle of stroking his distinctive facial hair. His expression darkened as he processed the casual nickname, and he turned away without responding.
The Fleet Admiral had witnessed Ace's clash with Akainu, and unlike Luffy, he understood exactly how dangerous these young pirates were becoming. Each display of power, each sign of growth, represented a threat to the World Government's control that could last for decades.
Still engaged in his elaborate dance with Bartholomew Kuma, Jerry continued to dodge the cyborg's relentless shockwave attacks with casual ease. His enhanced Observation Haki allowed him to anticipate each strike, while his superior speed kept him just out of reach.
But Jerry's attention was divided. Part of his focus remained on Akainu, and he caught the subtle moment when the Admiral began to withdraw from direct combat.
Interesting, Jerry thought, a knowing smile crossing his face. Some things really are inevitable, aren't they?
At that moment, Kotatsu's voice reached him through their private communication channel—a unique application of Jerry's advanced Observation Haki that allowed him to receive the Cheshire's reports from anywhere on the battlefield.
Jerry's aura fluctuated slightly as he processed the information, then he murmured under his breath, "Perfect. Tell everyone they can begin the ascent now."
He deliberately led Kuma toward the edge of the plaza, keeping their fight contained to a small area near the harbor's retaining wall. The positioning was intentional—close enough to monitor the main battle, but isolated enough that most observers had stopped paying attention to their seemingly endless duel.
Across the frozen harbor and plaza, the war raged on multiple fronts simultaneously. Dragon and Aokiji continued their intense battle, neither able to gain a decisive advantage as ice met wind in spectacular displays of elemental fury.
Kizaru found himself increasingly pressed by the combined efforts of Marco and Cavendish. The phoenix's regenerating flames provided perfect cover for the lightning prince's high-speed attacks, forcing the light Admiral to fight more defensively than he preferred.
Vice Admiral Gion led a squad of elite officers against Revolutionary Army commanders Karasu and Ivankov, their battle a masterclass in tactical coordination and individual skill. Steel rang against claw and blade as the two sides tested each other's limits.
Hawkeye continued his measured duel with Vista, both master swordsmen displaying techniques that would have been legendary in any other context. Here, they were merely part of the greater tapestry of conflict.
Throughout it all, thousands of ordinary Marines and elite pirates clashed in countless individual battles, each convinced that their personal fight held the key to ultimate victory.
In the midst of this chaos, subtle movements were taking place behind the lines.
"Hey, brother, where are you heading?" A Marine corporal called out to a soldier with a distinctive scar across the left side of his face. "You know we're not supposed to fall back!"
The scarred Marine turned with a casual smile. "Orders from the Vice Admiral—I'm carrying urgent intelligence back to command. You know how it is."
"Ah, right." The corporal nodded understandingly. "Military intelligence. Go ahead, brother."
"Thanks for understanding." The scarred Marine continued his purposeful march toward the rear of the plaza, moving with the confidence of someone who belonged exactly where he was.
High on the execution platform, Fleet Admiral Sengoku surveyed the battlefield with calculating eyes. The battle wasn't proceeding exactly as he'd hoped, but it was still within acceptable parameters.
"Though it's not achieving the perfect result I wanted," he murmured to himself, "we'll have to make do."
He lifted a Den Den Mushi to his lips and spoke with crisp authority: "Begin the operation."
The response from the other end was brief and professional. Sengoku put the communication device away and returned his attention to the battle below, his experienced gaze tracking multiple conflicts simultaneously.