"Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army?"
"And the boy with the straw hat, one of the most notorious members of the Worst Generation… is actually his son?"
"Now the entire might of the Revolutionary Army has entered the battlefield!"
"Oh my god... how can we possibly win this battle?"
The arrival of the Revolutionary Army sent waves of despair through the Marine ranks. The tsunami unleashed by Whitebeard had already terrified countless marines. Now, with the Revolutionary Army — an organization whose power rivals that of the Yonko — joining the fray, how were they supposed to fight back?
In the past, during the time of the former Fleet Admiral, the connection between Dragon and Luffy was mentioned, but the relationship between Garp and the two of them was conveniently left unsaid. And now, that silence weighs heavily on Garp.
At this moment, Garp's position is utterly awkward. Many high-ranking naval officers are aware of Garp's ties to both Dragon and Luffy.
Now, the entire family stands on this battlefield!
"Garp! This time, I won't give you any leniency! Your son and your grandson are both vile criminals who dare defy justice. They deserve nothing but death!"
"If I'd known it would come to this, I would have killed Straw Hat back at Sabaody! None of this would be happening now!"
Watching Luffy push forward, Akainu burned with rage. He leapt from the admiral's seat and plunged directly into the battle.
Kizaru followed soon after, with his usual laziness fading into determination.
Elsewhere, Aokiji was engaged in fierce combat with one of the commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Other pirates had also surged into the bay, clashing with both the marines and the Revolutionary Army.
The fighting between admirals, vice admirals, and commanders from every side was brutally intense.
"Interesting..." Whitebeard chuckled. "Even the Revolutionary Army has joined in."
He hadn't expected this development, and judging by the frantic expressions on the faces of Sengoku and the other admirals, neither had they.
The Marine Headquarters was completely caught off guard. It was now two great forces—the Whitebeard Pirates and the Revolutionary Army—against the full might of the Marine.
"And that kid with the straw hat... the one Ace talked about... is that the same kid who wears the hat Roger once did?"
Whitebeard's eyes focused on Luffy, charging forward alongside Sabo. The familiar straw hat on Luffy's head immediately caught his attention.
That hat—it was unmistakable. The very same hat that once belonged to Roger.
At that moment, Dragon appeared aboard the Moby Dick. Whitebeard raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"You here to save Ace too?" Whitebeard asked, intrigued by Dragon's sudden, non-hostile arrival.
"That's right" Dragon replied. "And there's no need for long explanations."
"Our goals align today. Let's call it a temporary alliance."
Hearing this, Whitebeard felt his confidence in the success of the rescue grow.
"But... leader of the Revolutionary Army... you didn't come aboard just to exchange pleasantries, did you?" Whitebeard asked, narrowing his eyes. "There's another reason you're here."
Whitebeard was nobody's fool.
Dragon didn't waste time. "Whitebeard, we fight together in this battle, but I need to be honest. The New World is on the verge of chaos. If you fall here, the entire balance will collapse. And I fear... the Elior Pirates will take the opportunity to rise."
"Of course, if your Whitebeard Pirates can return safely, then all will remain stable."
Dragon 's tone was heavy.
"The Elior Pirates? That brat who took down Kaido?"
"Exactly."
"I saw him this morning at Impel Down. He's dangerous—far more dangerous than his age would suggest. His ambition... his power... neither should be underestimated. And now, with your absence, many dark forces in the New World are preparing to move. Some are already sharpening their blades, ready to carve up your territory."
"I see..." Whitebeard's eyes darkened, then a grin spread across his face. "But... I am Whitebeard."
"Do those little brats really think they can start a war while I still stand?"
Whitebeard let out a thunderous laugh. His overwhelming presence surged like a tidal wave, releasing a burst of Conqueror's Haki so intense that countless nearby marines and pirates collapsed instantly.
"Then it's settled" Dragon nodded.
With that, Dragon leapt off the Moby Dick and scanned the battlefield. His eyes locked onto Akainu, who was charging straight toward Luffy.
Akainu had resolved to eliminate Luffy today — no matter what. In his mind, Luffy, as the grandson of Garp, should have known better. Becoming a pirate meant accepting the consequences of justice. Worse still, Akainu despised Garp's apparent leniency toward his family, seeing it as a betrayal of naval duty.
For example, after the Enies Lobby incident, Akainu knew full well that Garp had secretly visited Luffy in Water 7 and let him go.
Now, with the Monkey family gathered here at Marineford, Akainu's disgust had reached its limit.
This time, Luffy had to die—and if possible, Dragon as well.
No evil must be allowed to grow.
Akainu didn't care if he offended Garp.
In fact, he wasn't afraid of Garp at all.
Before hunting Luffy, Akainu stuck to his original plan: absolute justice at any cost. In his mind, any tactic—no matter how dishonorable—was justified if it meant eliminating evil.
Soon, Akainu located the Maelstrom Spider. After swiftly crushing him in combat, he exploited the fact that Whitebeard had never told his allied crews that Ace was Roger's son. Stirring resentment and doubt, Akainu sowed seeds of betrayal.
Sure enough, Squard took the bait.
Gripping the blade, Squard stormed forward.
Akainu smirked. "Whitebeard... go to hell."
"The era of pirates should have ended long ago. You all deserve death."
After orchestrating the betrayal, Akainu immediately resumed his pursuit of Luffy.
"Ace!"
On the other side, Luffy was still charging forward, Sabo at his side. The two brothers fought shoulder to shoulder, steadily pushing their way toward the execution platform.
"Luffy, watch out!"
"You be careful too, Sabo!"
Despite not having fought together in years, the two moved with uncanny synchronization. They even managed to knock Smoker aside—thanks in large part to Sabo. With his mastery of Armament Haki, taught by Dragon and the other Revolutionary Army leaders, Sabo was well-equipped to handle Logia users without fear.
"Straw Hat! This is where you die!"
A wave of scorching heat surged toward Luffy—a massive lava fist hurtling straight for him.
"Great Eruption!"
Akainu's fist embodied his seething hatred for the entire Monkey family. He didn't even spare a glance for the Whitebeard commanders; his full attention was on Luffy.
Boom!
The lava fist roared toward Luffy. Luffy tried to dodge but wasn't fast enough. Although he avoided a direct hit, the shockwave sent him flying.
"Luffy!!"
Sabo yelled, desperate to help, but Smoker intercepted him.
"Revolutionary filth! You stop here!"
The two clashed violently.
From the execution platform, Ace watched helplessly, fury and dread mixing in his chest. His brother was in danger, but as a prisoner, he could do nothing but rage against the chains that bound him.
"Luffy..."
Garp watched as well. His fists trembled. Akainu had made Luffy his primary target. Garp's heart boiled with fury—but what could he do?
He was a marine. Luffy was a pirate. Akainu was executing justice.
"Garp, stand down!" Sengoku snapped. "If you dare step out of line today, don't blame me for forgetting our decades of friendship! Your grandson chose this path. Anyone who interferes with this execution is the enemy!"
Sengoku trembled—not with fear, but with the dread of watching Garp, his old comrade, potentially snap. The higher-ups of the World Government, especially the Celestial Dragons, had always despised Garp. They were just waiting for an excuse to crush him.
Meanwhile, Akainu closed in on Luffy again. With no knowledge of Haki yet, Luffy had no way to defend himself against such overwhelming power.
Ivankov and Jinbe tried to intervene, but they were held back by Vice Admiral Onigumo and Moria, while Sabo was still entangled with Smoker.
Akainu roared, his lava fist surging once more.
BOOM!
Suddenly, a violent gust of wind collided with Akainu's attack, neutralizing it mid-air.
"Dragon! You bastard!" Akainu snarled. "You were once a naval prodigy. I misjudged you..."
"Akainu, this war is meaningless. All it will do is create more pointless death" Dragon replied, stepping between Akainu and Luffy.
"Hellhound!"
Akainu wasn't interested in conversation. His lava fist roared again.
Dragon countered, summoning a cyclone crackling with lightning. For a Wind-Wind Fruit user of Dragon's caliber, manipulating thunder was trivial.
BOOM!!
The forces collided—lava against storm. The sheer pressure flattened everything around them. Marines and pirates alike scrambled to flee from the shockwaves.
This was a battle between titans: the iron-fisted Admiral of Absolute Justice versus the leader of the Revolutionary Army.
The sheer scale of the clash left everyone trembling.
At the same time, chaos consumed every corner of Marineford. Garp, Sengoku, Tsuru, Whitebeard, the Shichibukai, the captains... everyone was engaged.
Even Aokiji and Kizaru, who had coasted lazily through earlier battles, now had to fight in earnest. The Revolutionary Army had brought more than enough power to force their hands.
Meanwhile, the giant Little Oz Jr. appeared, charging in to save Ace. But his sheer size made him an easy target. When Doflamingo and Moria teamed up against him, he fell swiftly.
His fall, however, created an opening. Oz's body collapsed against the massive steel walls surrounding the execution plaza, forming a ramp for Whitebeard's forces to storm the square.
"Whitebeard Pirates! Little Oz gave us a path forward! Don't waste his sacrifice! Go! Rescue Ace!" Whitebeard roared, grief and rage boiling over.
His cry reignited his crew's fighting spirit. The first waves of pirates surged into the plaza.
Victory felt within reach.
Sengoku, watching the tide of battle, felt a gnawing dread. This was the largest battle since the infamous God Valley Incident decades ago.
Back then, the Marine had mobilized everything to confront the Rocks Pirates—and won.
Sengoku desperately hoped history would repeat itself.
But with the Revolutionary Army's intervention, the balance had shifted. Victory no longer felt certain.
Sengoku tried to steady himself. "Kong and the others are on their way. Once they arrive, this will end. As long as Whitebeard and Fire Fist Ace die today, it's enough. The rest... don't matter."
Just then,Squard stormed onto the scene.
With a face twisted by betrayal, he thrust the sword straight into Whitebeard's chest—piercing it all the way through.
Silence fell.
Everyone—marines, pirates, revolutionaries—froze.
A captain... betrayed Whitebeard?
From the distance, Elior and his crew had just arrived, witnessing the stabbing unfold.
Even knowing how it played out in the original timeline, seeing it with his own eyes left Elior momentarily stunned.
"Captain... what the hell is happening?" asked Crocodile, disbelief plain in his voice.
"I tried to assassinate Whitebeard for years... but to see him stabbed by his own son...!"
The rest of the crew stood equally shocked.
Elior's eyes narrowed. "This... is what they call a dutiful son raised under Whitebeard."
He knew the Squard had been manipulated by Akainu. But even without him, there might have been others waiting for the chance.
The Whitebeard Pirates were vast—a family of thousands. And within any family that size... there are always cracks.
The entire battlefield stood still—fear, disbelief, anger, and chaos thick in the air.