Boom!
The massive island, together with a deluge of seawater, crashed down onto the ocean's surface. The impact violently shook the calm waters, sending colossal waves and dense spray high into the air.
Waves pounded Marineford repeatedly, the entire island trembling beneath the onslaught. For the Devil Fruit users who had just been released from the suffocating vacuum, the sea's touch robbed them of strength again.
Across the plaza, nearly everyone lay sprawled flat, faces pale with shock yet gasping greedily at the air—as if they were tasting life itself for the first time.
As the island finally steadied and the waves began to recede, the survivors staggered to their feet, trembling with the memory of that near-death experience.
"What a terrifying ability… When I was trapped in that endless emptiness, I thought for sure I'd seen my final moment."
"I felt the same… The memory alone makes my skin crawl. It was like drowning in an ocean of nothingness—frozen and helpless, with death pressing in from all sides."
The Marines stared around in horrified silence. Their gazes soon rose skyward, locking onto Jiang Lin.
"The Fleet Admiral… he stood with that pirate. Could it be… that the reason we survived was that they struck some kind of deal?"
"I thought I heard Sengoku say the war was over… Was that the condition?"
Whispers spread, uneasy and fearful. Many had been pushed past their limits, some weaker men already dead from the strain of the vacuum. To have life suddenly returned to them—how could they not wonder what bargain had saved them?
An agreement between Marines and pirates… It was unthinkable.
"You brat… You never cease to amaze me."
Whitebeard alone stood tall in the plaza, unyielding as a mountain. While tens of thousands had collapsed, he alone had never faltered. No matter how the world shook, his massive frame remained upright.
"You damn little brat…"
Akainu glared furiously at Jiang Lin above. His cloak of Justice hung heavy and soaked on his back, his entire body drenched in seawater, his hair plastered against his skin.
Even an admiral looked pitiful, bedraggled as a drowned dog. In the vacuum, his endurance had exceeded that of ordinary men, but not by much. For the first time, even the admirals had tasted death's shadow.
"That boy is too dangerous."
Nearby, Aokiji was in no better state, dripping seawater from head to toe, his once-imposing presence reduced to the same sorry state as the common soldiers. To have the mighty Marine Admirals brought so low—it was almost unthinkable.
"Cough… cough…"
Kizaru's condition was even worse. Hurled into the sea by Jiang Lin, she had nearly drowned. Pinned down by fresh wounds piled atop old, she lay sprawled weakly on the ground, limbs too heavy to lift.
In contrast, Garp sat steady upon the Golden Seat, soaked but composed, radiating a quiet dignity. Above him on the execution platform, the two executioners also gulped down the air like men reborn.
Then—suddenly—one of them moved.
The disguised Mr. 3 struck, sending his "partner" tumbling from the platform with a slash. Without hesitation, he formed a key of wax and unlocked the seastone cuffs binding Ace's wrists.
The moment the shackles fell, crimson flames burst forth, blazing into the Whitebeard Pirates' crest and engulfing the scaffold.
"Jiang Lin—thank you!"
Ace's voice rang across the battlefield, carried on fire and wind.
Yet Sengoku's gaze never once left Jiang Lin. Even as Ace regained his freedom, the Fleet Admiral's eyes remained fixed on the man above.
"Attention, all units!" Sengoku's voice thundered. "Allow the Whitebeard Pirates to withdraw. Then—bring Jiang Lin, the Straw Hats, and every last Impel Down fugitive to justice!"
His golden aura flared outward, showering Marineford in light.
The war had ended. And yet, a new battlefield had opened. The Whitebeard Pirates might leave… but Jiang Lin and his allies would be crushed.
"Eh?"
The Impel Down escapees, still fiddling with Den Den Mushi, froze. As Sengoku's words spread, the eyes of the Marines turned toward them—hungry, pitiless.
Panic seized them.
"C-Captain Buggy!"
They turned toward their leader, only to find him tiptoeing backward, shoes in hand, trying to sneak away unnoticed.
"Ahem! My loyal men—I wasn't fleeing, just… just looking for my shoes, that's all."
He flung the shoes dramatically forward to cover his tracks.
"Declaration of war! Captain Buggy dares to declare war against all of Marine Headquarters!"
"As expected of a legendary pirate! He stands unafraid before the Navy itself!"
"Captain Buggy, banzai!"
The escapees roared in worship, their fear forgotten, swept up in delirium.
Buggy froze. "D-declare war…? Right, of course! I hereby declare war! Men, forward—bring me Akainu's head and Sengoku's skull!"
His knees shook, but his voice rang with false bravado.
The escapees echoed his cry, weapons raised as they charged recklessly into the Marines' ranks, their suicidal courage so fierce it made their enemies flinch back, if only for a heartbeat.
But reality remained: the Marines outnumbered and outgunned them hundreds to one.
"Idiots," Buggy muttered under his breath. "If they want to die, fine. But I won't be joining them."
He tried to slink away, only to find Akainu blocking his path, magma simmering, steam rising where the sea had already boiled away from his skin.
Buggy's body split apart instantly in terror, bouncing backward as he scrambled away from the admiral. Better to face Marines than this monster.
"Brat of magma…"
Whitebeard's voice rumbled as Buggy dashed past. He shifted slightly, his titanic frame casting a long shadow. His naginata struck the ground with a resounding crack.
"Akainu… You won't pass me."
"Whitebeard." Akainu's eyes narrowed. "Your war is over. From here on… the battle is ours against that boy."
"Who decided that?" Whitebeard's voice rolled like thunder. "I say this war isn't finished yet!"
"Withdraw now," Akainu pressed, "and your crew might live. Persist—and none of them will escape." His words smoldered with threat, appealing to Whitebeard's love for his "sons."
"Jiang Lin… is also my family!"
Whitebeard's eyes blazed, his will burning unshakable. Jiang Lin had inherited his spirit—how could he abandon such a man?
Akainu's snarl split the air. "Then so be it! All forces—wipe out the Whitebeard Pirates! They've chosen to tear up the peace with their own hands!"
"Has the war reignited?"
Marines who had turned toward the Impel Down escapees pulled back at once. Whitebeard's men were the true threat.
"The Navy's afraid!"
"It must be Captain Buggy's fearsome presence driving them back!"
"Captain Buggy, banzai!"
The escapees screamed in rapture, convinced of their leader's glory, while Buggy himself twitched with dread.
Above, Sengoku smiled thinly, pride in his eyes. "Jiang Lin, for all your scheming, you overlooked Whitebeard's nature. In the end, he doomed himself. What can you do now?"
Shouts spread across the plaza—battle was inevitable once again.
Jiang Lin's brow furrowed. He glanced at Whitebeard's towering back, then turned a mocking smile on Sengoku.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku… this war is already lost for you. Break your word, and the Marines' so-called 'justice' will mean nothing. You'll be no different from us pirates!"
His laughter crashed over the plaza like waves, each word striking like a slap against Sengoku and every Marine who still clung to the idea of justice.
"Silence! Whitebeard alone broke the accord. The Navy has betrayed no one." Sengoku's voice was sharp, urgent. "Whitebeard! I'll ask once more—do you withdraw?"
The plaza fell silent. This was the line. If Whitebeard said no, the burden of broken faith would fall squarely on him, not the Marines.
"Heh… Sengoku… My family is still here. And you ask me to leave? How laughable."
Whitebeard's gaze never wavered, his will iron.
Justice was the Marines' creed. Family was Whitebeard's. The two were irreconcilable.
Even if Jiang Lin had forced Sengoku's concession, peace could never have lasted.
"Jiang Lin!" Ace's voice rang out, fierce and resolute. "I owe you my life. If you won't leave, then neither will I!"
Fire flared across his fists as his resolve blazed. Shackles gone, he would no longer stand powerless.
Jiang Lin's lips curved into a faint, tender smile. His eyes lingered on Whitebeard and Ace before turning back to Sengoku.
"Whitebeard has given his answer. Now, Fleet Admiral, what about you?"
Flames erupted around him, the heat rising so high it seemed the sky might ignite.
"Then so be it!" Sengoku roared. "All hands—slaughter every last enemy! Let their blood sanctify our justice!"
He launched forward, golden radiance blazing as he closed in on Jiang Lin.
Jiang Lin's laugh rang out to meet him. "At last! Sengoku, I always wanted to cross fists with you. I never thought my wish would be granted, only after you took on the form of a Buddha!"
His body shifted, cloaked in dazzling light.
Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Model: Great Buddha—enhanced by the Phoenix. Transformation loaded. Duration: ten minutes. Cooldown: thirty seconds.
Two titanic Buddhas—alike in form, yet distinct in spirit—collided in the skies above Marineford, and the war that should have ended… roared to life once more.