He knew that Little Oars Jr. had become like this because he was trying to save him.
But he didn't want Little Oars Jr. to lose his life because of him. He would rather be executed himself than see his comrades harmed.
However, Little Oars Jr. shook his head. With great effort, he lifted his head and looked toward Ace on the execution platform. His voice was weak but exceptionally firm:
"No… I must save you… Ace… I can't let you be executed…"
He knew he could no longer approach the execution platform or rescue Ace with his own hands, but he refused to give up just like that.
Slowly raising his massive fist, he turned his gaze toward the Seven Warlords of the Sea not far away. A flash of determination crossed his eyes as he thought to himself:
"Even if I can't reach Ace, I'll take down one of his enemies. Even if I die, I'll do one last thing for him!"
With that, Little Oars Jr. mustered all his remaining strength, raised his fist, and swung it fiercely toward Doflamingo.
His fist carried his final power, determined to crush Doflamingo into pulp.
But how could the severely injured Little Oars Jr. possibly match Doflamingo's strength?
Seeing the incoming fist, Doflamingo's face revealed a disdainful smile.
He flashed away, disappearing from his spot in an instant, and the next moment, he appeared behind Little Oars Jr.
Immediately after, he formed several sharp threads in his hand, his eyes cold, ready to use the power of the String-String Fruit to sever Little Oars Jr.'s leg.
But just as the threads were about to land on Little Oars Jr., a petite figure suddenly appeared behind him, effortlessly blocking Doflamingo's attack.
It was a girl wearing a lightning-patterned mask, dressed in a simple white top and blue skirt, with faint blue electric currents swirling around her.
She was none other than Misaka Mikoto, a core member of Shadow Garden.
At that moment, she extended her fair, delicate hand and gently intercepted Doflamingo's sharp threads.
Threads capable of slicing through rock seemed to meet something as hard as Seastone when they touched that small hand, unable to move it even slightly.
Doflamingo's pupils suddenly contracted, his eyes filled with extreme wariness.
He instinctively took a few steps back, unable to believe what he was seeing:
"You… you're Misaka Mikoto. Weren't you supposed to be fighting Admiral Akainu? How did you get here?!"
He had clearly seen Misaka Mikoto locked in combat with Akainu earlier. How could she suddenly appear here?
Misaka Mikoto shook her head lightly, a hint of helplessness in her tone as she slowly explained:
"Whitebeard asked me to save him. I couldn't just stand by and watch him die.
After all, we're allies now. When an ally is in trouble, I naturally can't ignore it."
She had indeed been fighting Akainu, and the two were evenly matched for a time.
But just moments ago, upon hearing Whitebeard's request, she temporarily disengaged from Akainu, teleported here, and saved Little Oars Jr.
With that, Misaka Mikoto wasted no more words. She slightly raised her right hand, flicked her index finger, and a dazzling blue electric current instantly gathered at her fingertip.
Immediately, a terrifying Railgun shot forth from her fingertip, piercing the air with a sharp shriek as it hurtled straight toward Doflamingo.
The Railgun moved at incredible speed, ionizing the air along its path and emitting a crackling sound.
Doflamingo's expression changed drastically. He quickly gathered a large number of Threads, forming a solid defensive barrier in an attempt to block the Railgun.
Boom!
The Railgun slammed violently into the Thread barrier, shattering it instantly. The powerful impact sent Doflamingo flying backward.
Tumbling through the air, he crashed heavily onto the icy surface, spitting out a mouthful of blood as a pained expression crossed his face.
He never expected Misaka Mikoto's strength to be so formidable—a single Railgun strike had injured him.
After all, he was one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!
At that moment, a figure quietly appeared on the other side of Little Oars Jr.
Moria gazed at the heavily injured Little Oars Jr., a greedy glint flashing in his eyes. He gathered a shadow in his hand, preparing to seize the opportunity to launch a sneak attack and kill Little Oars Jr.
But his movements were still a step too slow.
Just as the shadow in his hand was about to strike Little Oars Jr., Misaka Mikoto flashed into view, appearing directly in front of Moria.
Facing the stunned Moria, she raised her hand slightly and gently flicked her index finger against his forehead.
What seemed like a light tap carried terrifying force.
Moria felt a powerful electric current surge through his entire body, sending him flying backward uncontrollably. He crashed onto the ice, vomiting blood and unable to rise again.
After dealing with Moria and Doflamingo, Misaka Mikoto flashed onto Little Oars Jr.'s shoulder.
She patted his shoulder and said:
"Alright, you've done well enough. Leave the rest to us."
With that, a dazzling blue electric current enveloped Misaka Mikoto, and a faint halo of light surrounded her and Little Oars Jr.
In the next moment, the light flashed, and Misaka Mikoto, along with the heavily injured Little Oars Jr., vanished from the spot, far away from the dangerous battlefield.
This scene shocked the entire battlefield.
Everyone stared dumbfounded in the direction where Misaka Mikoto had disappeared, utterly astonished.
No one had expected Misaka Mikoto's strength to be so overwhelming—she had effortlessly repelled Doflamingo and Moria.
This level of power was even greater than that of an Admiral!
On the execution platform, Sengoku stared in the direction where Misaka Mikoto had vanished, his expression turning exceptionally grim.
The strength of Shadow Garden far exceeded what he had imagined.
Misaka Mikoto's sudden intervention undoubtedly made the Navy's situation even more difficult.
If Misaka Mikoto fully committed to rescuing the pirates, it would be hard for them to achieve any results.
In that case, even if they executed Ace, what would it matter?
Wouldn't they just become the laughingstock of the world?
On the Moby Dick, Whitebeard looked at Little Oars Jr., who had been rescued by Misaka Mikoto, and said gratefully:
"Gurararara, thank you, Misaka Mikoto."
Misaka Mikoto shook her head lightly, her tone calm:
"No need to thank me. We are allies—this is what I should do.
However, the battles ahead will be even more difficult. Be prepared."
Ace is beside Sengoku, and with Seastone on him, even I cannot teleport him away. We must defeat the Marines head-on to save Ace!"
Whitebeard nodded, his gaze once again fixed on the execution platform at Marineford, a resolute gleam in his eyes.
He knew that the battle ahead would be even more brutal and devastating.
But no matter what, he would save Ace, even if it cost him everything. He would never retreat.