After a while, the battle grew more and more complicated.
Even though the pirates were furious and fighting like trapped beasts, with the Marines having twice their numbers, the pirates finally began to show signs of collapse.
"Ice Breath!"
Aokiji swept his arm, and a torrent of frigid air surged toward the pirates clashing with the Vice Admirals.
The division captains who had besieged him earlier had long since been dealt with, and now he was free to support Marine officers across the field.
Akainu chose the high-profile route, defeating Whitebeard to earn glory, so he won the support of the Marine brass.
It was also a merit that reduced casualties among his comrades.
The surging cold spread in all directions, leaving those men no room to flee.
The scant moisture in the air condensed into icy flakes, and the chill turned the very air into a weapon.
"Khah…"
The pirates suddenly struggled to breathe.
The once gentle air had become lethally hostile.
Each breath felt like a blade stabbing into their lungs.
Their organs would freeze into shards of ice.
As their bodies slowed, the cold closed in from outside.
In moments, they became lifelike ice sculptures.
The officer he saved saluted Aokiji, thanking him for his swift support.
Aokiji gave a slight nod, then moved to Garp's side.
He looked at Garp, who was still roughhousing with Luffy, and reminded him, "Vice Admiral Garp, restrain that kid first. This isn't a place for him to run wild."
A Navy hero and a rookie pirate were locked in a heated bout.
It had not stood out earlier amid the chaos, but now that the battle was entering its final phase, it was far too obvious.
Never mind what the surrounding Marines thought, the Five Elders were also watching from above.
"…"
Garp glanced at Aokiji, a struggle flickering in his eyes.
"Vice Admiral Garp, if we seize him now, he can be kept alive. If someone else makes a move, we can't say the same."
Aokiji sighed, offering another warning.
He understood Garp's state of mind. Watching both grandsons face death in the same day would drive anyone to the brink.
"Fine."
Garp answered dully.
He knew Aokiji was right. If Luffy kept fighting, no one could save him.
He was agitated by Luffy's recklessness and by the despair of Ace's impending execution.
That hardened Garp's heart, and he finally made up his mind.
"You old man, what are you going on about? I'm going to beat you and save Ace!" Luffy shouted, oblivious to his limits.
His brawl with Garp had boosted his confidence.
Aside from brute strength, the old man's moves felt non-threatening.
As for the pirate captains who had been half-killed by a single punch from Garp, he chose to ignore that.
"Luffy, today I'll show you what real strength is," Garp said in a low voice. "Don't dream about being a pirate until you are stronger than my fist."
"Bring it on! I'm not afraid of you!"
Luffy yelled, defiant.
Garp flickered and appeared in front of Luffy in an instant.
"Gum-Gum Rocket!"
Luffy threw a panicked punch.
With rubber elasticity, the fist shot like a cannonball with tremendous force.
"You're too weak, Luffy. This sea isn't a playground for you."
Garp slapped Luffy's fist aside and lectured him.
He seized Luffy's shoulder with his left hand and lifted him high.
"How is this happening? Put me down!"
Luffy still had not grasped the seriousness of the situation, still thinking of continuing the fight.
He did not understand that a grandfather's patience had limits.
In Garp's grip, Luffy felt like a toy, unable to resist at all.
He was shocked, and thought the Garp from moments ago had not been like this.
With his left hand, Garp flung Luffy toward the ground.
The overwhelming force stretched the rubber boy grotesquely mid-air, twisting face and limbs out of shape.
"Fist Impact!"
Garp clenched his right fist, jet-black Armament Haki coating it, and drove it into Luffy's abdomen.
Boom.
As Luffy crashed into the ground, the Haki-laden fist struck at the same moment.
In an instant, a pit ten meters deep opened in the earth.
"Khah…"
Luffy coughed blood.
Each of Garp's blows felt like being crushed by a mountain.
Even with the Rubber Fruit's ability to absorb force, the damage was too much for him to stand.
He lay in the crater, limp as a rag doll.
He could not understand how his grandfather, who had just been trading blows with him, could suddenly be this strong.
Before he could think further, his consciousness blurred, and he fell into a coma.
Garp tucked Luffy under his arm and charged back into the battlefield with a cold face.
His fists were lacquered in dark Haki, each punch filled with killing intent.
Luffy stared dazedly. No pirate could withstand Garp's fists. One punch, and their fate was uncertain.
Pirates he had fought evenly, pirates who had overwhelmed him, were all helpless before Garp.
Luffy understood that it was not he who was strong, but Garp who had allowed it.
As time passed.
Senior officers defeated the foes before them by fighting two-on-one or three-on-one, then moved to reinforce other sectors.
The more they fought, the fewer pirates remained, and the more tightly the Marines encircled them.
The pirates went from fighting one-on-two, one-on-three, to one-on-five, one-on-ten, until they could no longer resist.
Marco was once again pierced by Kizaru's beams. His body, wrapped in blue flames, failed to recover. With a light-speed kick, Kizaru finished him.
Whitebeard, locked in a desperate duel with Akainu, fared no better.
His body was covered in burns. There was a gap where his right arm had been, and part of his crescent mustache had been burned away.
The effect of the life-risking drug was limited. He was still an old, terminally ill man with little vitality left to burn.
His vision began to blur, and his body trembled.
Whitebeard could no longer stand.
He looked toward the execution platform and shouted, "Ace, I'm sorry. I can't get you out!"
"Pops!"
Ace saw Whitebeard's miserable condition and burst into tears.
"Are those your last words, Whitebeard?"
Akainu sneered, completely ignoring the bloody wounds riddling his body.
Whitebeard, raging on borrowed time, was in agony and severely injured.
But it no longer mattered. In a worldwide broadcast, he would take the life of a Yonko.
What an honor.
He would use this to ascend to Fleet Admiral and lead the Marines toward absolute justice.
"Gurarara!"
Whitebeard ignored Akainu's taunt and shouted toward the live Den Den Mushi, "One Piece is…"
"Hell Hound!"
Akainu's arm became magma.
He drove his fist into Whitebeard.
He had been watching Whitebeard closely. If the old man wanted to say some other final words to pad Akainu's accomplishment, fine. But if he meant to imitate Roger, he would die quickly.
The blazing magma surged toward Whitebeard with crushing force.
"Air Shock!"
Whitebeard tried to invoke the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
But there was no strength left to support it, and nothing came out.
If he had been ten years younger, he would have torn this lava brat to pieces.
But he was old, so old he could only rely on drugs to fight.
Whitebeard watched the incoming lava, powerless.
I am a remnant of the old era. There is no ship in the new era that can carry me.
Boom.
The magma shattered half of Whitebeard's body and blasted him backward.
The rest of his body could no longer sustain him and fell to the ground.
The strongest man in the world, Whitebeard, died.
(To be continued.)