"Gods… we're saved!"
"Thanks to Admiral Aokiji! Truly dependable!"
"Yeah! We were as good as dead just now!"
Relief swept over the guards of Impel Down as the towering tsunamis froze solid under Aokiji's power. But the admiral himself didn't share their joy.
His expression was grave.
Before Whitebeard had made his move, they'd barely managed to restrain the captains. But now that the "Strongest Man in the World" had joined the fray, there was no stopping him.
Magellan stepped up beside him, sweat beading his brow.
"Admiral Aokiji, when will Fleet Admiral Akainu arrive with reinforcements?"
Aokiji frowned. Truthfully, he wanted to ask the same. Akainu had taken several top officers to subdue Mundo—yet so much time had passed without word.
Sabaody was close. Something wasn't right.
For a fleeting moment, suspicion crossed his mind: had Akainu delayed support out of spite? But Aokiji quickly dismissed the thought. He knew Sakazuki too well. They had their ideological clashes, yes, but Akainu would never sabotage the Navy's strategy for personal revenge.
Just then—
A navy colonel stumbled onto the scene, face pale with panic.
"Admiral Aokiji! Urgent news—the fleet at the Sabaody Islands… was nearly annihilated!"
"What?!" Aokiji's eyes widened. "What happened? Was it an ambush by another Yonko?"
The colonel shook his head frantically.
"No, sir. It was only Mundo. He singlehandedly destroyed the fleet!"
Gasps rang out.
"Reports say… he wields six or seven Devil Fruit abilities. He can even summon tsunamis. He's… he's a monster in every sense!"
Aokiji's face hardened.
"Ah la la… this is really bad."
Beside him, Magellan stared in shock.
"Six… seven Devil Fruits? Impossible!"
In the distance, laughter thundered from the Moby Dick.
"Gurararara! That Mundo brat—reliable as ever!" Whitebeard roared, clearly pleased by the Navy's misfortune.
The next moment, he leapt from his ship, raising his titanic arms.
"Little ones! With me—rescue Ace!"
"Rescue Ace!"
"Rescue Ace!!"
The Whitebeard Pirates echoed his cry, their morale surging.
Magellan's face turned grim.
"Aokiji… what do we do now?"
The admiral fell silent, then exhaled slowly.
"Director Magellan, I advise we hand Ace over. Without reinforcements, we cannot resist Whitebeard. Besides, Mundo's rise worries me far more. I need to reach Sabaody as soon as possible."
Magellan clenched his fists, but he knew the truth of those words. Two men alone could not stand against the Whitebeard Pirates. Better to concede Ace than risk Impel Down itself falling—and unleashing its monstrous inmates upon the world.
At last, he nodded.
"…Very well. We'll hand Ace over."
When Magellan relayed this to Whitebeard, the old titan only laughed louder.
Ace's shackles were broken within moments.
In the original history, Whitebeard had stormed Marineford itself to save Ace—fighting the entire Navy, only for both he and Ace to fall. The Whitebeard Pirates had nearly been destroyed.
But now, because of Fenric, history itself had shifted.
"Dad!!" Ace's voice cracked with emotion as he rushed into Whitebeard's arms.
"Gurararara! Ace, welcome home!" Whitebeard boomed.
Tears brimmed in Ace's eyes. "You… you brought everyone just to save me. Dad, I—"
Marco clapped a hand on his shoulder, grinning.
"Of course we did! You're our captain. Dad would never abandon you."
"Thank you… all of you," Ace choked out, overwhelmed.
Whitebeard rumbled, "Save your gratitude, boy. The one you truly owe is that Mundo brat!"
"…Mundo?" Ace blinked, startled. "Is he… Dad's new son?"
Whitebeard barked another laugh.
"Gurarara! No, lad. I doubt I'm qualified to call him my son."
Ace froze, stunned. Just who was this Mundo that even his father would say such a thing?
Whitebeard's gaze shifted sharply to the horizon.
"Kuzan! Where do you think you're going?"
Aokiji called back evenly, "Whitebeard, you have Ace. Isn't that enough?"
Whitebeard smirked, though his eyes were steel.
"Mundo asked me to buy him more time. So, Kuzan… you'll be staying right here."
Aokiji's long face seemed to stretch even longer.
"…A major storm is coming," he muttered grimly.
Ace clenched his fists, bewildered. Who is this Mundo… who can command even his father's respect?
—---
Sabaody Islands
The battle raged on.
"Meteor Volcano!!"
Akainu's roar shook the air as his arms turned to magma, spewing blazing meteors that rained down like an erupting volcano. The sea itself burned, transformed into a hellscape of fire and smoke.
Such devastation could wipe out an army.
But Fenric stood tall, unshaken. The flames licked harmlessly against his body, his defenses bolstered by the passive resistance of his own fire.
Of the three facing him—Garp, Akainu, Fujitora—it was Akainu's power that threatened him least.
Fenric raised his trident, eyes gleaming.
"Akainu… try my attack!"
With a mighty sweep of his trident, the sea churned violently. Waves surged, spiraling into a colossal whirlpool that tore open the ocean itself—