The allied fleets under the banner of the Whitebeard Pirates surged toward the waters of Fortress G-18 like a storm, launching a full-scale assault on the Navy's main defenses.
The remnants of the Beasts Pirates' expeditionary fleet, battered and broken, seized the opportunity to withdraw—passing the burden of battle to the newly arrived Whitebeard allies, whose fury burned hotter than fire.
At the front of the charge was the Ice Witch, Lady Whitey Bay, her ship cutting through the waves as countless allied pirate crews followed behind. Their goal was simple and absolute: to reach the main fleet, reinforce Whitebeard's commanders, and rescue their "father."
None of them would allow the Five Elders to continue slaughtering their family.
Across the world, civilians and pirates watching the live broadcast stared wide-eyed. For the first time, they saw the true scale of Whitebeard's might—the terrifying power once held by the greatest of the Four Emperors. Every captain, every infamous pirate of the New World, now fought desperately for the sake of one man.
The sea erupted into chaos. Within half an hour, the water ran red. Ships burned, men screamed, and corpses floated beneath the waves. Even the Navy's top brass—Bogart, Vice Admiral Gion the Peach Rabbit, and the seasoned Chajin Tokuke—struggled to withstand the onslaught of dozens of New World captains attacking at once.
Garp, the "Hero of the Marines," had tried to remain on the sidelines, nursing his wounds. But with the Navy lines breaking, he had no choice but to return to the front, forcing his aching body back into battle to hold off the raging tide of Whitebeard's allies.
Far away, on the deck of Big Mom's flagship, Charlotte Linlin lounged on her throne-like chair, surrounded by her children and generals. Having returned to her fleet, she watched the war unfold from a distance. She had no intention of joining the fray—why risk herself when she could reap the rewards afterward?
Even Kaido, her longtime rival and sometimes ally, would receive no help from her today. Let him and Red-Haired Shanks tear each other apart. When the time came, she would swoop in, "rescue" Kaido, and make him owe her a favor.
If Whitebeard's entire fleet perished today, it would only strengthen her position.
And if the Red-Haired Pirates were crippled too… then Big Mom, Kaido, and the Dragon Pirates could finally form a solid alliance strong enough to challenge the World Government itself.
But her carefully crafted neutrality shattered in an instant—when a bolt of lightning struck down onto her deck.
"Hey, Big Mom!" a mocking voice echoed from the mainmast. "We're planning to take out the Navy. Care to join in? We crush the Marines first—then Whitebeard and the Five Elders. Sounds fun, right?"
Enel, the so-called God of Thunder, crouched casually atop the mast, lightning dancing along his arms, his grin sharp with arrogance.
"Enel! Get the hell off our flag!" roared Cracker from the deck, his blades spinning as sparks danced around his purple braids. "You're standing on the banner of the Big Mom Pirates, you idiot!"
"Tch." Enel's laugh crackled like static. "Eight hundred and sixty million berries, huh? That's your bounty, right? For a 'Sweet Commander,' you're not even worth my attention." His voice dripped disdain as he turned his eyes toward Big Mom herself, the only one on this ship he deemed worth addressing.
"You little—!" Cracker's sword whirred faster, his killing intent flaring. Lightning sparked across his arms as he prepared to strike.
"Ma-ma-ma-ma!" Big Mom's booming laughter stopped him in his tracks. She waved Cracker down, her jagged teeth glinting. "That little brat Souta Kiryuu is already arrogant enough. I shouldn't be surprised that his subordinates are the same kind of cocky punks!"
Her grin widened, and a thick string of drool slid down her chin. She was intrigued—Enel's proposal had merit. Three of the Five Elders were already on the battlefield; if Whitebeard fell here, the balance of power would crumble. A Yonko must die, yes—but the Navy would have to bleed for it too.
"Well?" Enel sneered. "Do you have the guts or not?"
Big Mom's laughter grew louder. "Such a pathetic attempt to provoke me—but fine. I'll play along!"
She licked her lips. "Today, I'll capture that old fool Garp alive. I'll drag him back to Totto Land as my trophy! Maybe I'll even use him for… breeding." Her eyes gleamed with madness. "A 'D' clan bloodline and the will of the Conqueror? Hah! The offspring could be glorious."
"Then it's settled." Enel's smirk darkened. "Slaughter as you please. The Whitebeard allies are fair game too."
He still remembered the day Whitebeard's men butchered the Dragon Pirates' advance squad.
He would avenge that humiliation, even if it meant sinking every last one of them.
Lightning erupted as Enel's body dissolved into pure energy, streaking back toward the remaining ships of the Sky Fleet.
"Muru-muru… Since Big Mom's in, it's time to settle old debts," purred Catarina Devon, her lips twisting into a grin. She, the Evil King, and the other convicts from Impel Down had much to prove. If they returned empty-handed, Souta Kiryuu would make them regret it.
Bogart's mine, thought Shiryu of the Rain, biting down on his cigar as his eyes burned with bloodlust. Facing that swordsman would be far more satisfying than cutting down a woman like Gion.
"Yahahaha! I wonder how much strength that fossil Garp's got left," Enel laughed as his thunderous form reappeared among the clouds. "Even half-dead, he should still be a fun toy."
"Hic! Marines, Whitebeard, doesn't matter," slurred the drunken giant Jaroth, his enormous sake barrel sloshing as he stood. "We kill whoever's in front of us. At least now that Big Mom's joined the fun, we might not die too fast."
While the Navy's main fleet clashed with Whitebeard's vassals in a storm of cannon fire and blood, two new forces advanced from opposite horizons: Big Mom's armada and the remnants of Souta Kiryuu's Sky Fleet.
A new, bloodier battlefield was about to open.
Viewers across the world watched the live feed, faces pale with awe and horror. The situation had spiraled far beyond what anyone had imagined.
Aboard the Ark "Commandment," Souta Kiryuu himself frowned. Even he hadn't expected Enel to drag Big Mom into the fray. If they struck together, the Marines wouldn't be their only targets—Whitebeard's subordinates would be caught in the crossfire too.
In Marineford, Fleet Admiral Sengoku the Buddha slammed a fist onto his desk as reports poured in. The movements of both Big Mom's fleet and the Dragon Pirates terrified him. He urgently contacted the Holy Land of Mariejois, begging the Five Elders to send reinforcements to the G-18 front.
He even sent a direct order to Green Bull, Ryokugyu Aramaki, stationed in the Kingdom of Adams and the G-9 fortress—ordering him to rush to G-18 immediately.
But Ryokugyu flatly refused, citing "orders from Saint Mars of the Five Elders." His duty, he claimed, was to protect the Adams Kingdom and G-9, not chase after Sengoku's chaos.
Sengoku slammed down the transponder snail in fury, his voice echoing through the admiral's office as he cursed Green Bull's insubordination.
In the Holy Land itself, Saints Saturn and Peter exchanged grim looks. They knew how critical the battle at G-18 had become.
But with Souta Kiryuu and Dragon both lurking on either side of the Red Line—one near the G-1 base, the other near the ruined Lulusia Kingdom—they couldn't risk leaving Mariejois undefended.
If those two monsters attacked the Holy Land while the Elders were away, Lord Imu would face them alone.
And that was a failure none of the Five Elders could afford.