Blackbeard Marshall D. Teach roared, rallying his crew to attack Whitebeard and Victor.
He didn't care whether Whitebeard was bluffing or how strong this young man named Victor truly was.
Both had to die. Whitebeard was a crucial obstacle in his plans, and Victor — young but terrifyingly powerful — was a dangerous threat to his future.
Victor and Whitebeard, two men from different eras, smiled at one another.
Their masculine aura was undeniable. Even if besieged by Blackbeard's crew, neither showed a shred of fear.
But before they could even move, a massive fireball — blazing like the sun itself — descended from the sky, crashing into Blackbeard's group and forcing them to retreat.
Great Flame Commandment: Flame Emperor!
From the sea of fire, a young figure appeared beside Whitebeard, ready to fight.
"Dad! Victor! Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division, Fire Fist Ace, reporting for battle!!!"
Ace had recovered just enough strength after Victor's fight with Shiryu to join in again at this crucial moment.
"Gurarara!!!" Whitebeard's booming laughter filled the battlefield.
He had waged this war for one reason — to save his son. At last, Ace stood free beside him.
"Zehahahaha! Ace, you're still alive! Fortune smiles on us today!"
But then, from the shadows, Blackbeard's laughter returned, darker and heavier than before. His face twisted with rage.
His plan… ruined.
If Ace had been captured, Blackbeard would've never abandoned such a perfect opportunity to crush Whitebeard.
But with Ace freed, reinforcements surged to his side — Marco the Phoenix and several division commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates rushed forward.
And standing among them was Victor, whose terrifying presence weighed heavier on Teach's heart than anything else.
The plan was collapsing. Teach knew if he pressed now, he might kill Whitebeard — but at devastating cost. His crew could be annihilated.
And it was all Victor's fault.
Suddenly, Teach spotted hope again.
Straw Hat Luffy was on the brink of death!
"Oi, Ace! Isn't that Straw Hat your little brother? And Victor — weren't you his ally back in Impel Down? Hah! Look at him now, he's about to die! Are you just gonna watch? Zehahahaha!"
"Luffy!?" Ace spun in shock.
Until now, his back had been turned to the main battlefield. He froze at the sight — Luffy, battered and barely standing, being relentlessly chased by a figure shrouded in rolling magma.
Akainu.
"Luffy!!!"
Ace lunged forward, desperate to help. But Victor grabbed his arm.
"Ace — at this distance, you won't make it in time."
Ace's chest tightened with dread. If he couldn't reach him… then what?
Victor didn't move either. He had no intention of letting Luffy die — but someone else was already moving faster than both of them.
"Straw Hat Boy! You must die here for Fire Fist Ace! Justice must not be violated!"
Admiral Akainu's furious roar shook the battlefield as he swung down with molten fists. His sense of duty, his absolute justice, demanded that Luffy perish here.
And truthfully, Victor felt a sliver of admiration for Akainu. Whatever else could be said, in this war, Akainu had carried nearly the entire burden of the Marines' offense alone.
Aokiji had his hands full fighting Whitebeard, but even then hadn't suffered as Akainu had.
As for Kizaru… Victor thought, with a faint smirk, well… pretty good, I guess.
Boom!
At the last instant, Jinbe threw himself between Luffy and Akainu's strike, blocking the fatal blow.
But Luffy collapsed unconscious, his body pushed past its limit. Jinbe had no choice but to scoop him up and retreat toward the coast, otherwise both of them would die here.
As Victor expected, the sequence unfolded: Jinbe carrying Luffy, then falling under Akainu's relentless pursuit. Crocodile, of all people, appeared to block Akainu briefly, buying time.
Buggy the Clown, who had been scurrying about the battlefield, helped haul them further toward the shore.
And then, fate intervened.
A submarine surfaced. From it stepped one of the Worst Generation — Trafalgar D. Water Law.
"Quick! Hand Straw Hat over to me!"
Law's expression was sharp, but urgent. He'd taken a tremendous risk coming here.
"The hell? 'Straw Hat Master'!? What kind of nickname is that? Who even are you, kid!?" Buggy barked.
"Even if we're destined to be enemies one day, fate is fate. It'd be too boring for him to die here. I'll take him and save his life. For now, leave him to me — I'm a doctor."
Victor observed everything calmly, making no move to intervene. The reason was simple: the system had given him a choice.
[Choice 1: Take Luffy back from Trafalgar Law and secretly use a Finger Gun to cripple his bones, ending his pirate journey. Reward: Perfect-Grade Finger Gun.]
[Choice 2: Allow Luffy to be rescued by Trafalgar Law. Reward: a power pill.]
The decision was instant. The pill was far more valuable. And crippling Luffy in such a cowardly way disgusted Victor.
If he ever wanted to fight Luffy, it would be openly — not through backstabbing.
Besides, Luffy was destined to become a powerhouse. The world's "son of fate." If Victor had to cross him someday, it would be as equals.
"Victor! Ace! Are you really just going to let Straw Hat die!? He's at death's door!" Blackbeard's shout carried feigned desperation.
In truth, he wanted nothing more than for Victor and Ace to abandon Whitebeard and chase after Luffy.
If Whitebeard was left unchecked for even a little longer, his strength could recover. And then Blackbeard's plans would collapse for good.
"Teach! You dare?! You still want to attack Dad!? I'll kill you!!!"
Ace roared, flames bursting around his fists. But Whitebeard lifted a massive hand, halting him.
"There's no need to fight anymore, Ace. Your time to deal with Teach will come. No need to bleed more men now. This war… it's time to end it."
Edward Newgate's cold gaze fell on his former "son," Teach. Every fiber of him wanted to crush the traitor. But his body was broken.
Teach was no longer a weak underling — he had strange new powers, and a crew of monsters behind him. Continuing now would only add more graves.
Then, before anyone could move again, the port shook with fresh chaos.
A Marine's panicked cry rang out:
"F-F-Four Emperors!!! Another one of the Four Emperors has arrived at Marineford!!!"