This was a terrible turn of events for the Marines. Sengoku had finally found a weak point in Squard, and Akainu had successfully manipulated him, but at the crucial moment, Carl had interfered and ruined everything.
Gion and Chaton were simply too weak to stop Carl, leaving him with enough energy to meddle in other battles. But Sengoku couldn't blame them, not when Carl was strong enough to fight Akainu. Even if they had teamed up, they couldn't have stopped him. With their plan now a failure, it was time to move on to the next one.
On the Moby Dick, Whitebeard glanced at Carl, who was in the middle of the plaza, then turned his sleepy eyes to the large sword still in his chest.
The two small black blades were no longer holding it back. Squard was now trembling, unable to push the blade any further. He knew that with Whitebeard's attention on him, there was no chance of a successful surprise attack. He was a dead man.
Just then, Marco, who had shaken off Aokiji, flew back to the ship. Furious, he slammed Squard against the bow. "Squard, you bastard! How dare you attack Pops?! He won't forgive you!"
Squard cried out in protest, "Why not?! Pops and the Marines made a deal to sacrifice us forty-three pirate crews in exchange for Ace's life!"
His words were loud enough to be heard across Marineford. The allied pirates looked at each other, some in disbelief, others with suspicion. After all, if it weren't true, why would Squard risk his life to do this?
Whitebeard's eyes narrowed. "Who told you that?"
Squard roared back, "Isn't it obvious?! The Marines' cannons have only been targeting us, while hardly touching the bay at all! And you knew Ace was Roger's son, and you knew about the grudge between Roger and me, so why would you keep it a secret?!"
"You fool! You attacked your father! Do you have any idea of the consequences?!" Whitebeard bellowed, reaching out a hand toward Squard. Squard shut his eyes in horror, waiting for death to come.
Instead, he was pulled into a large embrace. Whitebeard spoke in a low voice, "Even if you are a fool, you are still my precious son!"
That single sentence caused Squard to burst into tears.
"Stop joking! You clearly wanted to trade our lives for..."
"Squard, who was it that led your honest heart down this dark path?"
"...It was Akainu! He told me if I assassinated Whitebeard, all our allied pirate crews would be spared!"
"This is what Akainu said. Squard, I know the hatred you have for Roger, but how ridiculous it is to pay the father's debt. Ask yourself, what has Ace ever done to you?! Haven't you two lived and fought together? You're both my sons! Ace isn't the only one who's special; you are all my family!"
Squard cried uncontrollably, his mind a complete mess. He had just tried to assassinate the kindest man he knew—his father. What had he done?!
Whitebeard let him go and then, with his Murakumogiri in hand, jumped off the ship. "My sons! Follow me and charge! Let's save Ace!"
"Ohh!!!"
With Whitebeard now leading the charge, everyone was filled with renewed fighting spirit. Whether they were a captain or a regular crew member, they all rallied behind him and rushed toward the plaza.
At that moment, from his high position, Akainu's hands turned to magma. He began to launch a barrage of volcanic bombs into the sky.
"Great Eruption!"
Bang! Bang! Bang! The volcanic bombs rained down on the ice, melting it and blasting it apart. Many pirates were hit, dying instantly. The apocalyptic scene was being broadcast live, and people all over the world watched in terror. Even the most lawless rookie pirates were silent, and even Kid didn't dare utter a word.
Before long, almost all the ice in the bay had melted. Whitebeard looked back and saw that many of the volcanic bombs had hit the Moby Dick, destroying it. Fortunately, it seemed someone had grabbed Squard and pulled him off the ship, saving him from the attack.
"Sorry, old friend. This is where we part ways," Whitebeard said sadly, looking at his destroyed ship. But he had to save his son; there was no time to mourn.
Suddenly, a ship's shadow appeared under his feet. Marco, Jozu, and the other captains immediately called for everyone to swim over to it.
The next second, the remaining ice was pushed aside by a ship. Almost everyone on the battlefield instantly grabbed on, successfully boarding.
"There's another ship!" Sengoku's face was ashen.
"Gurara! We never said all our ships were gone!" Whitebeard laughed, standing at the ship's bow and punching the surrounding wall with a white halo of vibration around his fist. The wall exploded with a violent tremor.
Boom! The wall shattered from Whitebeard's punch, and the excess shockwave rippled across the plaza, sending hundreds of Marines flying.
"He actually broke the surrounding wall! What a monster! It was made of thick steel! Not even Admiral Sengoku's shockwaves could do that!" Akainu's expression darkened even further. He was right; Squard's failure to assassinate Whitebeard would greatly affect the battle.
Even though Whitebeard was old and sick, he was still incredibly strong without an injury. His ability to release Armament Haki externally could easily destroy thick steel. If only we'd made it out of Seastone! Akainu thought. The Marine's science division would have cried, knowing there wasn't nearly enough Seastone for something so massive.
Taking advantage of the gap in the wall, Oars Jr. roared and, with the large ship in his arms, crashed into the plaza. The pirates who had successfully reached the plaza let out a thunderous cheer.
"My sons! Follow me!" Whitebeard led the charge, his Murakumogiri gathering a white ring of light. With a forward swing, he cracked the very space in front of him. The crack shattered, unleashing a violent shockwave that swept away the Marines hundreds of meters ahead.
Carl watched, letting out a sigh of relief. As long as Whitebeard was unharmed, he had nothing to worry about. He shifted his attention to the Straw Hats. He scanned Zoro, Sanji, and the others, relieved to find them all safe and sound. He didn't want to save Whitebeard only to have his friends get hurt.
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