"A strong person like that, and there are still six of them on the other side here today."
Sengoku straightened his already upright figure, his gaze complicated as he looked at Marineford before him, a place he had once known extremely well, but where everything had changed now.
There was a trace of indescribable loss in his expression.
If they had not chosen to leave the Marines back then, if they had chosen to submit, then perhaps he would be the one standing in Sakazuki's position now.
But unfortunately, because of the choices of their close friends, because of that unwillingness to compromise in their hearts when it came to justice, they had ultimately parted ways with the World Government.
Even though the facts had proven time and time again that the World Government of today was indeed walking on the right path.
Even though reality had cruelly told them that these people were ultimately old, and could no longer keep up with the pace of this era.
But so what?
Since Rosse had already accomplished everything they had wanted to do in their lives, all in his own way.
Since this world really was more orderly than it had been ten years ago.
Then they had no regrets.
At least, in the final moments of their lives, they could still fight once for the people they cared about.
"That old bastard Zephyr, sitting there, is still exactly the same. He doesn't look human at all."
Garp grinned and laughed carelessly, squeezing his iron fists covered in calluses, a trace of fighting spirit flashing through his eyes as he stared straight at Zephyr on the first level of the execution platform.
He had always been an impatient man with a hot temper. He immediately jumped high into the air from the side of the ship, shouting excitedly, "Juste! Grandpa is here to save you!"
"Grandpa!"
On the execution platform, seeing Garp's familiar figure leap high into the air, Juste, who had already been somewhat emotionally overwhelmed by everyone's appearance and had desperately held himself back from crying, could no longer endure it. Tears burst from his eyes like a broken dam.
"Garp, you old bastard, how are you still not dead? Your life really is tough enough to make people envious!"
Zephyr's loud laughter resounded throughout the entire scene.
When everyone looked in the direction of the voice, they were surprised to discover that Zephyr had already disappeared from his original seat.
BANG!
The next second, a deafening, heavy impact suddenly exploded in midair.
Zephyr's iron fist collided fiercely with Garp's iron fist in midair.
The collision of the two terrifying forces created a pressure wave that swept outward like a solidified shockwave, crazily scouring everything around them, while even the air was compressed into a sharp howl.
Seeing that this shockwave was about to affect the neatly arranged Marine formation below, Gion, standing at the highest point of the execution platform, merely narrowed her eyes slightly and slowly drew the Konpira at her waist.
Only an inch.
Shing!
The next moment, under the horrified gazes of everyone, the sky was torn apart.
No, rather than saying it was torn apart, it was more as if the entire world had truly become a huge canvas in this instant, forcibly cut into two clearly separated halves by a blade.
The upper half was the battlefield where Garp and Zephyr were fiercely fighting in midair, fists colliding, thunder roaring and lightning flashing.
The lower half was the solemn and dignified plaza of Marineford, with one hundred thousand Marines standing silently, completely motionless.
And since the world itself had already been so violently cut apart, all the aftermath produced by the battlefield in the upper half naturally could no longer ripple into the isolated world in the lower half.
They were clearly not far apart, yet it was as if two worlds had been separated.
"Hey! Hey... Isn't this a little too ridiculous... Is that the current world's strongest swordsman? She's really not just being hyped up, huh."
Marco could not help swallowing with difficulty, his Adam's apple rolling violently.
These people had indeed come with the determination to face death without hesitation and die generously.
But merely the disparity in strength displayed at the very beginning had already made him somewhat afraid to continue imagining what came next.
'You've got to be kidding!'
Ten years ago, the gap between everyone clearly wasn't this outrageous.
What exactly happened during these short ten-odd years?
"Gurararara, after all, it's the World Government of today. You can't underestimate them."
Whitebeard was still laughing boldly, but his laughter carried a little more heaviness, "What's more, she is one of only two SS-rank existences among all the powerful figures the World Government has publicly revealed to the outside world. You should know, even this old man's old bones were only rated as S+ rank."
As Whitebeard spoke, he leaped into the air, his enormous body jumping high from the ship before landing steadily on the ground at the harbor, sending clouds of dust into the air.
"Juste, my foolish son! I'm here to save you!"
Garp had already made his move, so how could he, as a father, continue to stand by and do nothing?
"Old man!"
Watching one after another of the people he was closest to and cared about most step without hesitation into this desperate vortex, a death trap that had long been destined, all just to rescue an incompetent son like him, Juste's eyes had already been completely moistened by scalding tears, blurring his vision.
His heart felt as though it were being cut by a knife.
Back then, before he was captured by the Marines, he should have killed himself without hesitation.
It was him, his cowardice and hesitation, that dragged the old man into this.
It was him, his incompetence, that dragged Grandpa into this.
It was him who had caused everyone who cared about him to have to pay with their own lives for his life.
"Foolish boy, what use is crying! Gurararara! Wait for us up there. Wait for us to come and rescue you!"
Whitebeard shouted at the top of his voice, his booming voice full of boldness and warmth.
Holding his bisento in his hand, he spread his enormous legs like two mountains and strode toward the execution platform, every step making the ground tremble slightly.
"Yo, I can't let you go over that easily," A lazy, languid voice suddenly rang out, "Whitebeard, have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
A flash of golden light swept past.
Borsalino appeared out of thin air in front of Whitebeard at a speed almost like teleportation.
The speed was so extreme that almost no one present could react to how exactly he had moved.
Even someone as powerful as Whitebeard failed to react in time.
But strangely, when Borsalino finished speaking this provocative sentence, his right leg, flashing with dazzling light, had clearly paused in midair for quite some time, and had yet to actually kick.
It was this brief pause that allowed not only Whitebeard himself, but even Marco in the distance, to barely react.
"Hey, hey, I won't let you interfere with Old Man!"
Blue flames suddenly blazed.
The Phoenix Marco intercepted him at the waist, blocking Borsalino's path forward.
The azure flames of the Phoenix roared upward, instantly wrapping around Borsalino's body and carrying him along as they shot upward, charging straight toward the battlefield high in the sky.
Only after Borsalino had been carried away did everyone else at the scene belatedly react to what had just happened.
At precisely this moment, the famous sword Konpira in Gion's hand was drawn another inch.
Slash!
The sky was once again divided by an invisible slash.
This time, following the crack that had already been cut open before, it once again divided the battlefield high in the sky into two.
On one side was the battlefield of Zephyr and Garp.
On the other side was the battlefield of Marco and Borsalino.
The two battlefields were isolated from each other, neither interfering with the other.
"Honestly, Borsalino is slacking off and fooling around again."
Beside the highest throne, Stella slightly furrowed her delicate brows, her tone carrying a trace of helplessness.
Borsalino's true strength was definitely not weak.
Although the World Government had never publicly announced his specific combat rating, who among the people inside did not know it perfectly well?
Borsalino, who had followed Rosse for so many years, had long since become a genuine SS-rank combatant as well.
Let alone dealing with a Marco, even if he directly faced Whitebeard at his peak, he could easily take care of him in just a few moves.
Today, Rosse had deliberately lifted the strength restrictions on all of them. The only purpose was to use this to express his final respect for Whitebeard, this legend of the old era.
"Let him play. Anyway, today, there is no need for him to truly display his strength, is there?"
Rosse chuckled, lazily leaning against that supreme throne, his expression completely calm and unconcerned.
His gaze merely fell lightly upon the warship at the harbor flying the flag of the NEO Marines.
There really weren't that many people who had come to rescue him today.
Among those aboard that ship, the only combatants who could truly catch his eye were Kuzan and Sengoku.
As for the Revolutionary Army, neither the expelled Dragon nor Moa and the others seemed to have any intention of getting involved this time.
Among the Four Emperors, two of the positions belonged to his people, while the remaining Big Mom had no intention whatsoever of getting involved in this mess.
He had originally thought that Blackbeard and the other core members of the Whitebeard Pirates would most likely come along this time.
But contrary to his expectations, even after the battle had already begun, those people were still lingering in the New World, with absolutely no intention of coming over to provide support.
Was it because they did not want Whitebeard's other sons to collectively fall into a calamity beyond redemption just to rescue a single person, Juste?
If so, then at least in this timeline, Whitebeard really could be considered a qualified good father.
Looking at Whitebeard, who continued striding firmly forward without caring about anything else, the corners of Rosse's mouth slowly curled into a meaningful smile.
At the same time, a cold female voice rang out across the battlefield.
"Whitebeard, as the former world's strongest, His Majesty has specially prepared a grand and dignified funeral for you today. I just wonder whether your performance today will be worthy of this honor."
Cherry blossoms leisurely drifted down from the clear sky.
Kozuki Hiyori, dressed formally today, was as light as a falling petal, silently appearing in front of Whitebeard.
Almost at the exact moment she appeared, she drew her sword without hesitation and slashed fiercely at Whitebeard.
Her slash was fierce and decisive, leaving not the slightest room for holding back.
Apart from Whitebeard himself catching the blade's light, no one else present could react to when this slash had been unleashed.
"Gurararara! Rosse actually thinks this highly of the old man, and even specially arranged such a funeral. Looks like these old bones of mine really should feel honored!"
Whitebeard laughed boldly, turning his bisento horizontally and fearlessly meeting her head-on.
The two blades collided.
Blinding collision light suddenly tore across the plaza, with waves of air shooting in all directions.
At the same time, two pitch-black, deep cracks suddenly cleaved down from the highest point of the execution grounds, forcibly opening a long, narrow passage on the plaza that was completely isolated from the outside world.
This passage began at the large ship docked at the harbor and extended straight ahead all the way to directly in front of the execution platform.
It looked as though this was a road of death that Rosse had specially and carefully prepared for Whitebeard and his group, leading all the way to the end.
The Marines who had originally been fully prepared to step forward and provide assistance saw this scene and also tacitly stopped in their tracks, restraining their auras.
Looking at this scene, they completely understood.
For today's execution, the World Government apparently did not need any of them to step in and help at all. Their task was merely to be good spectators.
Or rather, if today's purpose really was simply to kill the enemy and silence them.
Then perhaps with only the world's strongest swordsman on the execution platform casually delivering a few slashes, there would be no one present capable of withstanding them.
"That sword is very fast. You little girl, you should be the descendant of Oden and Toki, that husband-and-wife pair, right? Gurararara!"
Facing Kozuki Hiyori's fierce sword strokes as swift and violent as a storm, Whitebeard was clearly handling them with ease, and even had enough leisure to distinguish her identity and origins.
"Hmph! You're nothing special either," Kozuki Hiyori snorted softly, her eyes full of disdain, "I really can't find what exactly those two scumbags did to deserve being so revered by others."
Before her voice had even fallen, the speed of the sword in her hand clearly became several times faster, its fierce momentum even greater than before.
The two people she hated and despised the most in her entire life were precisely her own biological parents.
They had cruelly abandoned their own biological daughter to be raised by the very enemy who had killed them.
No matter how you looked at it, wasn't something like this absurd beyond belief?
Moreover, the difficulties Kozuki Oden had faced back then, in her view now, clearly had countless ways to break out of the situation, yet the other party had inexplicably chosen the most foolish one.
And that Amatsuki Toki, since she had made a choice that could not be brought into the light, why did she have to put up a chastity memorial arch?
Since she did not dare to face it, wouldn't suicide have been enough? Why choose to run away while clinging to an unrealistic hope?
There was less than two years left until the moment that person returned.
When that time came, she absolutely would not easily let go of that woman who had abandoned her.
All her life, she had felt deeply ashamed of having such a pair of parents.