Chapter 188 – In the Name of Justice
BOOM!!
The gathering darkness condensed into a massive sphere before exploding in a chaotic storm.
When the darkness finally dissipated, there was no trace of Marshall D. Teach – Blackbeard, nor of Fleet Admiral Sengoku, whom he had dragged into the abyss.
"Sengoku!!"
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku!!"
No one had expected Blackbeard to suddenly release Whitebeard—whom he had nearly swallowed whole—only to turn and attack the Navy itself, dragging the Fleet Admiral into death alongside him.
By the time they realized what had happened, it was already too late.
When Blackbeard unleashed the full suicidal pull of the Yami Yami no Mi, targeting one man with all-consuming darkness, even Sengoku—Buddha of the Navy—could not resist.
Not even the Three Admirals nor Garp could reach him in time; all they could do was watch as Sengoku was consumed by the abyss.
And so, in his final madness, Blackbeard—a man who had clawed his way to power through betrayal—dragged the Navy's supreme commander into the darkness, and the two were lost together.
---
"Did that bastard Teach… suddenly find a conscience at the end? Was that his way of atoning for his sins?" Marco muttered, staring at the last traces of swirling blackness over Marineford's plaza.
"Baka."
From Marco's back, Edward Newgate – Whitebeard, though wounded, still stood tall. He looked at the fading darkness and gave a rough laugh.
"That fool never once thought he'd done anything wrong. Atone? Hah! It was nothing but a final act of selfish willfulness."
"Dad, are you alright?"
Marco carried Whitebeard back to the deck of the Moby Dick, where the gathered pirates rushed to surround him in concern.
"Idiots—who do you think I am? I'm Whitebeard!!" Newgate roared with laughter, then raised his voice to the sky:
"Listen well, my sons—retreat!!"
"We've won this war!!"
"Retreat!!"
"Set sail! Back to the New World! Tonight, we celebrate!!"
The pirates erupted into cheers. Though many comrades had fallen, there was no doubt—they had survived, and they had won.
---
"Ice Age!"
A chilling voice cut through their celebration.
The temperature plummeted as Admiral Aokiji released a wave of freezing power, the ice spreading in an instant.
"Victory? Don't make me laugh." His calm, cold voice echoed across the bay.
"This war is far from over. From here on… we will bury every last one of you pirates, and offer your corpses in honor of our fallen Fleet Admiral!!"
On the frozen sea stood the Three Admirals, side by side: Aokiji, Kizaru (Borsalino), and Akainu (Sakazuki).
Behind them assembled dozens of Vice Admirals and countless Navy soldiers, the special Pacifista force led by Sentomaru forming the rearguard.
The death of Sengoku had unified their resolve like never before.
This was now a fight for justice itself.
---
Thud… Thud… Thud…
Heavy footsteps rang out across the frozen square.
Monkey D. Garp strode to the very front of the Navy formation, his face grim.
None were surprised. None objected.
"Gramps!! You—" Ace began, his voice strained.
But Garp cut him off with a thunderous roar.
"Shut your mouth, Ace!!" His eyes burned as he raised his head high. "Don't forget—you're a pirate!! And I… I am a Marine!!"
Ace froze. He understood. His words could change nothing now.
---
"Finally taking this seriously, Garp?" Whitebeard's deep voice rumbled from the deck of the Moby Dick as he watched his old rival step forward.
"You said our era is over… and you're right."
Garp tore the cloak of justice from his shoulders and flung it aside. His battle-worn arms flexed as he rolled up his sleeves, fists clenched.
"You and I are both remnants of a dying age. And here, today, it ends!"
He raised his fist, the very fist that had once cornered the Pirate King.
"Come, Whitebeard! In the name of justice… with this last iron fist, I'll bury you myself!!"
---
"Gurararara!!" Whitebeard threw his head back in laughter, then gripped his massive bisento—Murakumogiri.
"Bury me? Don't make me laugh. I am Whitebeard!!"
He leapt from the Moby Dick, the ground cracking under his landing.
With a thunderous roar, his blade swung down.
Garp met it head-on, his fist colliding with the quake-forged steel.
BOOM!!!
The impact blasted apart the ice beneath them, leaving a massive crater in the bay.
"He actually blocked it!!"
"And with his bare fist… against Dad's blade?!"
The Whitebeard Pirates stared in disbelief. The iron fist of Garp was truly monstrous.
---
"Where are you looking?! Garp isn't the only one here!!"
"Yasakani no Magatama!!"
From above, a storm of dazzling light bullets rained down—the attack of Kizaru.
"Damn it, it's Kizaru!!"
The pirates panicked as beams of light cut through their ranks.
"Don't panic!!"
Marco spread his wings, transforming fully into a blazing phoenix. He intercepted the barrage, his flames shielding the crews.
"Admirals are strong… but we are not weak!!"
Kizaru narrowed his eyes, his body flickering. In the next instant he appeared before Marco, his leg glowing with light.
"Too slow."
BAM!!
The Admiral's light-speed kick sent Marco hurtling from the sky, crashing down in a burst of flames.
---
On another battlefield, Ace clashed with Aokiji, fire against ice in a desperate stalemate.
But none could halt Akainu.
Not Crocodile. Not Jinbe. Not Ivankov. Not even all of Whitebeard's commanders together.
The Magma Admiral advanced like a one-man army, cutting down pirates with relentless fury. His rage burned hotter than ever, his justice absolute.
The fall of Sengoku had turned the entire Navy into demons. Their ferocity surged, driving the pirates back in every corner of the battlefield.
Aside from Whitebeard and Garp's clash, and Ace's duel with Aokiji, the rest of the pirate forces were steadily being overwhelmed.
---
From atop the surrounding fortress walls, the remaining Shichibukai stood in silence.
Hawkeye Mihawk, Boa Hancock, Donquixote Doflamingo, and Bartholomew Kuma watched the chaos unfold, their intentions unreadable.
None made a move.
The war had shifted once again.
---
And then—
BOOM!!!
A thunderous roar tore through the sky, drawing every eye upward.
Something was descending from above.
The battlefield froze for just a moment, as both Marines and pirates turned toward the heavens.
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