The ground shook beneath Marineford as legends clashed and the sky itself cracked with thunder and fire. The war raged on, but amid the chaos, destiny worked to fulfill a single truth:
The brothers D. would not be kept apart.
Base of the Execution Platform
Luffy, panting heavily and bleeding from multiple wounds, stood defiantly before the stairs. Dozens of marines lay unconscious behind him, felled by brute force and sheer will.
He looked up.
Ace.
Still bound. Still waiting.
"I'm almost there…" Luffy gritted his teeth.
Then, a wall of flame erupted beside him.
Luffy turned—only to see Arkan land beside him, cloak scorched, blade drawn, breathing heavy.
"Little brother," Arkan said.
"Big brother," Luffy smiled through the pain.
They nodded to each other.
"Let's finish this," Arkan declared.
Together, they charged.
Atop the Platform
Sengoku and Garp blocked the stairs.
"This ends now," Sengoku thundered, transforming into his giant Buddha form.
Garp, fists trembling, stood firm but silent.
Arkan stopped mid-run and looked directly at Garp.
"Move, old man. Don't make me do this."
Garp clenched his jaw. "I raised you all… but duty—"
"Duty didn't stop you from loving us," Arkan snapped. "This is your last chance to choose family."
Garp's fists lowered slightly.
Sengoku roared and lunged.
Arkan met him head-on.
Their clash shook the platform. Luffy leapt over the blast and landed beside Ace.
"I told you I'd come!"
Ace's eyes welled with tears. "You idiot…"
Luffy grinned. "I brought back-up."
He snapped the keys into the cuffs. They fell with a clink.
Ace stood.
The crowd froze.
Three brothers now stood together.
Elsewhere on the battlefield
Whitebeard continued to tear through the navy lines. His power split the ocean itself. Marco and Jozu rallied what remained of their forces, holding off Admirals and vice admirals alike.
Jinbe battled with full fury beside Ivankov, protecting civilians and allies in the chaos.
Buggy stumbled over a marine commander and accidentally knocked him out. The prisoners behind him cheered like he was a war hero.
Back at the platform
Sengoku rose from the rubble, bloodied but furious.
"You fools think this changes anything?!" he roared.
Arkan stepped beside his brothers.
"It changes everything."
The three of them faced the army.
Ace: Flames swirling around his fists.
Luffy: Gear Second pumping steam.
Arkan: Haki flaring like a black sun.
From afar, Akainu saw them.
"No. Not again."
He charged.
But this time, he was met by Whitebeard himself.
"You've burned enough," Whitebeard growled, bisento crashing down.
In the sky, a ripple appeared.
A red-haired ship approached. A familiar flag.
Shanks had arrived.
Sengoku looked up. "This war… is spiraling beyond control."
Amid it all, Arkan turned to his brothers.
"There's no going back."
Ace smirked. "Didn't plan to."
Luffy punched his fist into his palm. "Let's show them what D. really means."
And as the three brothers leapt into battle, side by side for the first—and perhaps last—time, the world witnessed a storm not seen since the Pirate King ruled the seas.