That one question… seemed to drain all the strength from Whitebeard's body.
Faced with his father's quiet demand…
Surrounded by comrades whose expressions had shifted from shock and confusion… to growing fury…
The madness in Squard's eyes faded.
In its place: nothing but overwhelming pain—and deep, aching confusion.
Suddenly, he jerked his head up, bloodshot eyes glaring at Whitebeard, and roared with every ounce of strength he had:
"Why?!"
"Old man, why did you lie to us?!"
"You already made a deal with the Navy, didn't you?!"
"You traded the heads of the 47 New World captains for the life of your son—Fire Fist Ace!"
"You sold us out!!"
His cry—laced with blood and tears—roared like thunder over Marineford, ringing in every pirate's ears!
The chaotic battlefield fell into an eerie silence.
Everyone was stunned by his outburst.
Betrayal?
'Pops… sold us out?'
'Impossible!'
'That can't be!'
All over the ice, countless members of the allied pirate fleets under Whitebeard froze mid-combat.
But the one who said it… was one of them. Their family. The "Great Whirlpool Spider" Squard.
And once the seed of doubt is planted, it spreads like wildfire.
Hesitation crept into countless pirates. The fire in their eyes dimmed into uncertainty. They looked toward the Moby Dick with shaken expressions.
The Navy's scheme… was on the verge of succeeding.
On the battlefield, Akainu's lips curled into a cruel, triumphant smirk.
'The Whitebeard Pirates… are finished.'
Just as morale was about to collapse—right as everything threatened to fall apart—
A cold, flat voice, devoid of emotion, rang out—cutting through the chaos.
"That's what Akainu told you, wasn't it?"
Lucian Thorn spoke.
Squard's shouting stopped cold.
'How do you know?!'
His pupils shrank to pinpoints.
Lucian's voice wasn't loud, but it carried like magic—reaching every ear on the battlefield.
"Akainu told you Whitebeard struck a deal with Fleet Admiral Sengoku, didn't he?"
"That he traded the lives of all you New World captains… for Ace and the safety of the main crew."
"That Ace is the son of Gol D. Roger, and that Pops is sacrificing his own sons for the blood of his enemy."
One by one, Lucian repeated every single lie that Akainu had whispered. Word for word. No detail left out. All in front of everyone.
"I got it right, didn't I?"
"Squard."
Dead silence.
All the pirates froze.
And Squard, still collapsed on the deck, began trembling violently.
The hatred and madness in his eyes vanished—replaced by terror and blank confusion.
'How…'
'How the hell does he know that?'
Those were the exact words Akainu whispered in his ear—no one else could have heard!
No one except Akainu.
But Lucian didn't give him time to think. He kept speaking with that same cold, terrifying calm.
"Squard, use that rusted brain of yours for a second."
"If Pops really wanted to sell you out, would he need some convoluted scheme?"
"Would he personally lead the entire Whitebeard Pirates to this deathtrap of a battlefield?"
"And without Pops, do you think you lot could even break through the Navy's lines? Save Ace from that fortress?"
"No."
Lucian's voice was merciless.
"You'd have all been crushed like ants."
"Pops didn't bring you here to die."
"He brought you here to bring you—all of you—home."
With those words, Lucian let go of Squard and slowly stood.
He looked down at the man collapsed on the deck—his eyes now blank and shattered.
"You got played, you idiot."
That line pierced straight through Squard's soul like a dagger.
And in that moment, he understood.
All of it.
'If Pops really wanted to betray us… why come here at all?'
'He didn't have to step onto this battlefield at all.'
But he did.
He brought all his sons with him into the most dangerous place in the world.
And he never hesitated.
'What… what have I done…?'
Tears of regret poured from his eyes.
And then—
A shadow fell over him.
Whitebeard had walked over—slowly, silently.
He bent down.
And with not a trace of anger, he reached out those massive hands and pulled the man who had just betrayed him—his son—into a warm embrace.
Held him tightly.
"Gurararara… you foolish son of mine…"
His voice was full of gentleness and grief.
"I'm your old man."
"Ace is my son. But so are you—all of you."
"I love every one of you with all my heart."
BOOM.
Squard's mind went blank.
He froze in that warm embrace, breathing in the familiar scent, hearing that familiar voice—and at last, the tears burst free.
He understood.
He finally understood everything.
'How horribly… I've messed up…'
"O-Old man…"
He cried like a child who had done something unforgivable. His sobs were filled with remorse and guilt.
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry!!"
On the ice below, every pirate who witnessed that embrace… every one of Whitebeard's sons… was sobbing.
Sniff… sob… Pops…
Then, a tidal wave of emotion—grief, rage, love—exploded inside them!
"So that's it… It was the Navy's plot all along!"
"Those bastards! Using lies to try and split us up!"
"Pops would NEVER betray us! We're family!!"
"Brothers! Let's wipe out these deceitful Navy dogs!!"
Instead of breaking the Whitebeard Pirates, the Navy's scheme acted like fuel—throwing gasoline onto a wildfire.
Their fighting spirit… reached its absolute peak!
On the execution platform—
Sengoku's face was livid, his fists clenched tight.
"Damn it! We were so close!"
Akainu's face was even darker—stormclouds ready to burst.
'If not for that brat Lucian… Whitebeard would be seriously injured by now!'
He stared at that black-clad figure on the Moby Dick, eyes boiling with murderous rage.
"If not for him…"
"Sakazuki!" Sengoku growled through gritted teeth. "Initiate Plan B! Activate the encirclement wall!"
"Yes, sir!"
Back on the Moby Dick—
Whitebeard gently patted the still-sobbing Squard, then slowly stood.
He turned to face the entire Marineford battlefield.
His aged face… now burned with unstoppable fury.
"You dare… trick my sons…"
"NAVY!!!"
His roar shook the heavens!
Before Lucian could even react, Whitebeard's massive body lunged forward, leaping from the dozens-of-meters-high bow of the Moby Dick—
BOOM!!!
He landed with a thunderous crash, the ice beneath his feet cracking in all directions!
On the platform, Sengoku's pupils contracted in shock. He grabbed a Den Den Mushi and screamed into it at full volume:
"All forces, stand ready!!!"
"THE STRONGEST MAN IN THE WORLD… IS MOVING!!!"
Whitebeard raised his massive Murakumo Giri, his body radiating a devastating aura. Turning to his sons, he let out a thunderous command:
"All of you!!"
"CHARGE WITH ME!!!"
"OOOOOOHHHHHHHH!!!!"
Their battle cry shook the very skies!
Lucian, still on the Moby Dick, watched the broad back charging at the front of the battle, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"Now that… is the real Whitebeard."
'Show me, old man—what the strongest man in the world, uninjured, is truly capable of.'
At that moment—
From high in the sky came several panicked screams.
"AAAAAH—We're falling!!!"
Hm?
Lucian looked up. Several dark figures were plummeting from high atop the ice formations.
Leading them was a figure wearing… a straw hat.
Lucian's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Oh? So you've come after all."
"Straw Hat Luffy."