At this critical point in the battle, every division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates and executive of the Revolutionary Army found themselves locked in individual combat with Marine officers.
The Marines were absolutely determined not to let their enemies break through the defensive lines easily and provide assistance to Ace and the others.
Everyone present understood that the battlefield where Ace, Luffy, and their group were now trapped in the center of the plaza represented the highest priority target.
Whether they could escape successfully would be the key factor determining the ultimate direction of this war.
Among the Seven Warlords, Hawkeye and Boa Hancock—while not particularly enthusiastic—still couldn't be ignored, as they were tying up significant portions of the Whitebeard Pirates' combat strength.
Even worse, Doflamingo, who was eager to create worldwide chaos, was actively restraining Diamond Jozu and other Whitebeard commanders, adding to the battlefield's confusion.
Combined with the dedicated efforts of numerous Marine officers, they had successfully managed to block the pirates and Revolutionary Army members who were attempting to mount deep rescue operations.
"BOOM!" A thunderous crash suddenly echoed across the plaza, drawing the attention of countless fighters.
Then Whitebeard's voice rang clearly throughout the entire battlefield: "Listen up, Whitebeard Pirates!"
"Our next battle is to do everything in our power to rescue Ace and his brothers! Let's return to the New World together!"
"YEAH!" The pirates responded in unison, their morale soaring to new heights.
For a moment, they seemed to gain invisible strength, with many temporarily overwhelming their opponents.
Sengoku's expression grew serious as he shouted to his own forces: "Everyone listen! We've trapped these supremely evil criminals in the core area! They're at the end of their rope! Let's maintain our momentum and wipe them out completely in one decisive strike!"
Obviously, words spoken by the Fleet Admiral himself could dramatically boost Marine morale, causing the battlefield to suddenly erupt into even more intense fighting.
After Whitebeard issued his orders, he no longer remained in the rear as before, but took massive strides and advanced boldly forward.
Seeing Whitebeard raise his supreme-grade blade Murakumogiri and easily cut down numerous Marines with just a few steps, Sengoku no longer hesitated and immediately stepped forward to engage him.
He knew he could no longer count on his longtime partner Garp to fight normally in this war.
And due to the alliance between the Whitebeard Pirates and Revolutionary Army, the Marines' middle, high, and top-tier combat forces were stretched dangerously thin, with both sides evenly matched.
If Whitebeard joined the battle at this moment without facing opposition, Marine casualties would skyrocket rapidly.
Even an aged and weakened Whitebeard wasn't someone ordinary Marine officers could easily defeat.
Therefore, after surveying the battlefield, Sengoku immediately initiated the ultimate showdown between old titans.
The collision of earthquake vibrations against Buddha shockwaves, the confrontation of supreme Haki against supreme Haki—the battle between Whitebeard and Sengoku immediately became the new focal point of the entire war.
With a tremendous crash, a figure that had been charging forward while occasionally emanating blue flames was suddenly sent flying backward.
Marco wiped blood from the corner of his mouth and stared intently at the brown-uniformed figure who had appeared in a flash to knock him back. "Damn, where did this guy come from? He's really troublesome!"
"Marco of the Whitebeard Pirates—we can't let you break through so easily," Tokikake replied in a deep voice, hands in his pockets as a gleam flashed in his squinting eyes.
"Then give it your best shot!" Marco cracked his neck, stretched his body, transformed into his phoenix hybrid form, and took flight, searching for another route.
Tokikake bent his waist and legs with a grin. "As you wish!"
After speaking, he leaped upward and began a fierce aerial battle with Marco.
Elsewhere, the high-speed duel between Cavendish and Gion continued with breathtaking intensity.
Incredibly, Cavendish not only possessed Hakuba's amazing speed but had also incorporated the ability to rapidly shift between lightning elemental form, making his movement speed completely beyond ordinary human sight.
Many nearby observers could only see bright flashes of lightning constantly weaving and darting through the air at speeds too fast to follow.
In contrast, while Gion—fighting at full strength—was slightly disadvantaged in movement speed, her attack speed was equally amazing.
After this high-speed duel continued for some time, both fighters simultaneously unleashed massive sword strikes that illuminated the entire arena while moving at tremendous velocity.
The two crossing blade beams tore through the sky in an instant, as if rending space itself.
Two figures appeared back-to-back on the plaza, their breathtaking confrontation causing nearby combatants to pause their own fighting.
Blood poured from Cavendish's mouth as he clutched his left hand tightly over his chest and ribs, his originally white clothing now stained crimson.
But a smile gradually appeared on his face. "This time... I didn't lose outright! Cough!"
Cavendish staggered half a step forward, his right sword instinctively supporting him against the ground as he maintained his stance, unwilling to fall.
Behind him, Gion—more than ten meters away—was also half-kneeling, her left hand pressed against her bleeding abdomen as she struggled to stand again.
Obviously, their fierce battle had ended in mutual defeat.
When allied forces around both fighters saw this, they immediately rushed forward to protect their respective champions and began cautious retreats.
In the center of the plaza, Ace and Akainu exchanged several brief moves before their fists collided, forcing Ace to retreat involuntarily more than ten meters.
"Son of Pirate King Roger and son of Revolutionary Dragon—your very bloodlines constitute serious crimes! Today, neither of you will escape!" Akainu quickly steadied himself, looking down at them with narrowed eyes as he spoke with righteous authority.
Then he turned his head to stare directly at Luffy before stepping forward deliberately. "I heard you still want to become the Pirate King. How ridiculous and absurd!"
"If someone refuses to follow the righteous path, there's no value in their continued existence! That meaningless title is nothing but a disgraceful label for a loser who brings harm to the world. You actually regard it as an honor? How foolish!"
After finishing that declaration, Akainu glanced at Robin again and spoke with contempt: "Nico Robin—you're just a rat that should have disappeared years ago. Since you're fortunate enough to survive, you should live humbly in the dark gutters where you belong."
"You should understand there's no place for you under the sun!"
Hearing these words, Luffy's already overflowing rage could no longer be contained and rushed straight to his head.
"Luffy! What are you doing? Let's go!"
Seeing Robin's face suddenly turn pale as she bit her lip and helped Zoro up with difficulty, while Skull pulled Sabo to his feet, Ace shouted at Luffy, who remained frozen in place.
"You bastard! What did you just say?! Apologize to Robin!" Sanji, who had quietly approached, was absolutely furious. He rushed forward and launched a powerful kick at Akainu.
"Collier Strike!"
"Sanji, don't!" Robin screamed as she watched Sanji charge forward, only to be blasted away by Akainu in the blink of an eye.
"Damn stinking magma! You can mock my dream all you want, but I'll never let you talk about Robin like that! I won't tolerate you hurting my friends!" Luffy glared at Akainu with burning intensity.
At that moment, Akainu's mouth curved slightly upward as a cold light flashed across his eyes. Massive amounts of magma erupted behind him as he suddenly accelerated forward.
"If you think you can protect your friends, then try it!"
Perhaps triggered by Akainu's contemptuous words and disdainful expression, Luffy's face filled with rage as he crouched low. The muscles in his bent legs overlapped, his entire body turned red, and steam poured from his form.
In a flash, his figure vanished from sight.
"Gomu Gomu no Jet Pistol!"
Luffy's form flickered as he appeared directly in front of Akainu.
The attack, accompanied by tremendous wind pressure, struck Akainu directly, causing part of his body to transform into magma with a section blown away.
However, despite the seemingly impressive results, it failed to cause any real damage to the Admiral.
"What? Is that all you've got? And you dare claim you can protect your friends and become Pirate King?!"
Facing Luffy who had approached on his own initiative, Akainu spun around and locked the young pirate's arms with searing magma, then raised his giant lava fist to smash downward with devastating force.
"Let me show you how to throw a real punch!"
Witnessing this scene, Ace's eyes became bloodshot. His already moving body accelerated instantly as he rushed forward recklessly, determined to save his brother.
"Stop it! Let go of Luffy!!"
The desperate cry of the older brother echoed across the battlefield as the moment of ultimate crisis arrived, with both sworn brothers now facing the Admiral's overwhelming power.