Saint Jaygarcia Saturn—one of the Five Elders, the highest authority of the World Government!
Why was he here?!
Sengoku couldn't understand. He asked instinctively,
"Lord Saturn… did you come here to ensure… the execution of Fire Fist Ace goes smoothly?"
But the bloated, cane-bearing old man—Jaygarcia Saturn, a presence like something clawed out of hell—didn't even glance at him.
Instead, those hollow eyes devoid of human emotion swept across the battlefield, now transformed into a rubber wonderland.
Finally, his gaze locked firmly onto the pure white, laughing figure of Nika Luffy!
"Fire Fist Ace?"
"That no longer matters."
"What?!"
Sengoku was utterly stunned.
Before he could react—
Saturn's cold, inhuman voice echoed across all of Marineford, carried by some unknown power.
"All Marines, hear me!"
"From this moment forward, I will personally take command of this battlefield!"
"CP0 and Commander Kong's reinforcements will arrive shortly!"
He paused, then pointed his cane toward the two focal points of the battlefield:
One was Straw Hat Luffy, just reunited with Ace.
The other was the white figure of the "Sun God" leaping freely across the rubbery terrain!
"Abandon Fire Fist Ace!"
"All forces, change your target to Monkey D. Luffy!"
"No matter the cost—both of these Monkey D. Luffys must be executed here at Marineford!"
"And another thing—"
Saturn's voice grew colder, biting to the bone.
"Shut down all visual Den Den Mushi! Cut off all external communications!"
"From this moment on, no one is allowed to leak a single detail of what happens in Marineford!"
Dead silence.
Every last one of the tens of thousands of elite Marines froze.
No more executing Ace?
Instead, the entire army was to focus on eliminating the Straw Hat kid who had just stirred up some chaos?
What kind of order was that?!
But a Five Elder's command was the highest order of the World Government—
Higher than even the Fleet Admiral!
"Yes, sir!"
"Understood, Lord Saturn!"
After a brief moment of stunned confusion, the unified response of the entire Navy echoed through Marineford.
The tides of war turned instantly.
"Akainu!"
Saturn called out coldly.
"Here!"
Akainu, his body flowing with magma, responded without hesitation.
"You, take half the men. I want that white one encircled completely!"
"Yes, sir!"
Without pause, Akainu turned and waved his hand. Tens of thousands of elite Marines and Pacifistas instantly turned their barrels, forming a magma-and-steel net rapidly closing in on Nika Luffy.
"Sengoku!"
"…Here!"
"You take the rest and block the other one! Don't let him escape!"
"…Understood!"
Sengoku personally led several Vice Admirals and over ten thousand Marines in a sweeping net, closing in fast on the Luffy of this timeline—who had just rescued Ace and was breaking through the encirclement!
The battlefield shifted in an instant!
"Luffy!" Ace, moments from escaping, saw his brother being surrounded again.
Without hesitation—
"Flame Ring: Pillar of Fire!"
BOOM!
A blazing column of fire erupted skyward, forcing back the Marines temporarily.
Ace's figure vanished like a blink, reappearing right at Luffy's side!
"Luffy!"
"Ace!"
Back to back, the two brothers faced the endless tide of Marines rushing in from all directions.
"Bastards! I thought I was your target?!" Ace roared at Sengoku.
But Sengoku only grimaced, saying nothing.
He could only obey the command of the Five Elders!
Meanwhile—
Saturn's gaze remained fixed on the Warrior of Liberation, Nika Luffy.
In his eyes burned a twisted mix of dread, disgust, and a murderous resolve.
"Eight hundred years…"
"The Sun God… and the will of Joy Boy…"
"I will not allow you to stir the seas again!"
As he spoke—
Saturn's body began a horrifying transformation.
A black, ominous aura surged skyward. His body swelled like an inflating balloon, limbs transforming into grotesque spider legs. His upper half retained a demonic bull-headed form.
Gyuki!
Saturn revealed his true form!
"ROOAARR!!"
The inhuman bellow shook the very air.
Transformed into the monstrous Ushi-Oni, Saturn's eight spider legs kicked off—his massive frame shot forth like a bolt of black lightning, crashing toward Nika Luffy with destructive force!
The scene was so sudden that even the retreating Whitebeard Pirates froze in their tracks.
"Gurararara… So even one of the Five Elders is stepping onto the field now?"
Old Whitebeard looked at the demonic form with no fear in his eyes—only blazing battle spirit.
Peak Whitebeard slammed Murakumo Giri into the ice with a thunderous crack!
"Gurararara!!"
"Boys!"
Both versions of Whitebeard roared in unison, their voices shaking the heavens!
"Ace's brother is our brother too! He's family!"
"Now!"
"Go! Protect our family!!"
"Protect the Straw Hat boy!!"
"OOOOHHHH!!"
The Whitebeard Pirates' eyes blazed with a fire a hundred times stronger than before!
"Yes, Pops!"
"Ace's brother is our brother!"
Marco turned into a blue phoenix and soared forth as the first to charge!
"Diamond" Jozu and "Flower Sword" Vista followed close behind!
Jinbe, Crocodile, Ivankov—all of them dashed forward without hesitation, rallying beside Ace and Luffy to fight shoulder to shoulder!
The battlefield shattered into two fronts:
One led by Sengoku and the Navy—encircling Luffy, Ace, and the Whitebeard division commanders rushing to support them.
The other led by Saturn and Akainu—focused on eliminating the liberating Sun God Nika with overwhelming force!
"This is getting more and more interesting."
This time-travel was worth it!
A shadowy figure reappeared like a ghost in front of Sengoku, blocking his path—
Peak Dark King Rayleigh.
But now—
The sword in his hand had already been drawn, and a playful smile was on his face.
"Not so fast, Sengoku."
"You and I have unfinished business."
"Damn you, Silvers Rayleigh!!" Sengoku roared.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the battlefield—
"Gurararara!!"
"Let me test the so-called 'king' of this world!"
Both versions of Whitebeard, one on each side like twin deities, charged straight at the transformed Saturn and Akainu!
The power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit exploded forth without reservation!
Crack! Crack!
The space around them shattered like glass!
An unprecedented war was now fully underway!
High above the battlefield—
Lucian Thorn stood with his arms crossed, quietly observing it all.
His gaze swept to the clash where the two Whitebeards and Nika Luffy were facing off against Saturn and Akainu.
Then to the other side, where Rayleigh and the Whitebeard division commanders were holding off a portion of the Navy under Sengoku's command.
"So Kizaru and Aokiji really are just lying in the rubble, playing dead after getting flung by Nika? Those two old actors…"
Lucian's lips curled into a playful smirk.
"The reinforcements from the World Government—CP0, Kong, and possibly the remaining four Elders—haven't arrived yet. The top-tier power levels are… in a temporary balance."
"For now… there's no need for me to act."
His gaze finally shifted away from the battlefield and landed on a solitary figure standing at the edge of the plaza.
The Hero of the Marines—Monkey D. Garp.
There he stood, unmoving.
On one side, the "Justice" of the Navy.
On the other, his two grandsons—soon to be eradicated by the full might of the Navy.
What will you choose?
A flicker of amusement passed through Lucian's eyes.