Next Bonus, 100!!
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Whitebeard astutely recognized Luffy as a crucial linchpin in the effort to save Ace. Given the boy's unique background and chaotic potential, Whitebeard ordered his commanders to prioritize his protection.
The arrival of this unexpected force disrupted the battlefield, but it didn't derail Sengoku's overarching strategy. Under his meticulous command, the Marines' core tactical plan continued to unfold with lethal precision.
The Marine forces previously stationed on the outer perimeter began a stealthy, coordinated inward maneuver.
Their objective: to encircle Whitebeard's allied fleets within the harbor, trapping them in a fatal crossfire.
Whitebeard, noticing the subtle shift, immediately ordered his allied ships to split left and right, attempting to break the impending encirclement.
But this move played perfectly into Sengoku's hands.
First, the Marines severed all external broadcast signals, maintaining only the official Marine feed—a carefully curated stream designed to showcase their unyielding heroism.
With the allied pirate fleets successfully lured into the bay, Sengoku finally unleashed his true offensive.
Everything up to this point had been a preamble, the opening moves of a grand, bloody chess match.
Now, the true slaughter would begin.
A terrifying new force deployed onto the battlefield: massive, humanoid cyborgs bearing a striking resemblance to Edward Weevil.
The Mechanical Giants!
And not just one or two. A full squadron of over forty units.
Commanding this devastating scientific unit was Sentomaru, Captain of the Marine Science Unit.
The moment they hit the ice, the cyborgs unleashed a relentless barrage of blinding laser blasts, targeting the allied pirate ships trapped in the bay.
Sengoku's goal was absolute: cut off every avenue of escape. He didn't just want Whitebeard; he intended to annihilate the entire Whitebeard armada right here, right now.
The Mechanical Giants began a systematic, indiscriminate slaughter.
They fired without hesitation, their explosive lasers tearing through pirates and Marines alike. Anyone caught in the blast radius was collateral damage.
"What's going on?? They're attacking their own men!"
The broadcast on Sabaody Archipelago was still live. The civilians watched the horrific scene unfold in real-time.
The cold, ruthless efficiency of the mechanical weapons sent chills down their spines.
Whitebeard's brow furrowed. "Don't fall back, boys! Push through to the plaza!"
Seeing the Marines willing to butcher their own troops just to get to him, he knew they were backed against a wall. The only way out was forward.
"CHARGE!"
"BREAK THEIR LINES!"
At Whitebeard's command, the entire pirate force surged forward in a desperate, all-out assault.
It was a meat grinder. There was no retreat.
But faced with the terrifying, unfeeling might of the Mechanical Giants, the resolve of the lesser pirates began to waver.
Crucially, the cyborgs were programmed to exclusively target the allied fleets, deliberately ignoring Whitebeard's core commanders and the crew of the Moby Dick.
The Whitebeard armada was composed of two distinct factions: the main crew and the forty-plus allied captains.
Sengoku had planned for this. He had carefully laid the groundwork to exploit the psychological fractures within the allied forces—fractures caused by Teach's betrayal and Thatch's murder.
As the war raged, Admiral Sakazuki had secretly intercepted one of the allied captains: Squard, the "Maelstrom Spider."
Sakazuki had fed Squard a potent, venomous lie. He told him that Whitebeard had struck a secret deal with the Marines.
The deal? Ace would be spared. The cost? The complete annihilation of the allied pirate crews. They were the sacrificial lambs.
Furthermore, knowing Squard harbored a deep, burning hatred for Gol D. Roger—who had annihilated Squard's original crew—Sakazuki twisted the knife. He revealed that Whitebeard intended to sacrifice them all just to crown the son of his greatest enemy as the next Pirate King.
Watching the Mechanical Giants systematically decimate the allied ships while leaving the Moby Dick and the commanders untouched... Squard snapped.
He approached Whitebeard. And, catching the old man completely off guard, he plunged his massive sword straight through his 'father's' chest.
Squard screamed his accusations, his voice echoing across the battlefield and through the live broadcast feeds. The accusation that "Whitebeard sold out his own sons" reached the ears of every pirate present.
The allied forces were thrown into absolute turmoil.
That single thrust didn't just halt the battle at Marineford. It stopped the hearts of everyone watching on Sabaody.
How was this possible?
Whitebeard... stabbed?
By his own 'son'?
Was this really the legendary Whitebeard Pirates, the crew bound together by an unbreakable bond of "family"?
First, Blackbeard murders the Fourth Division Commander and defects. Now, an allied captain assassinates Whitebeard himself?
It was the ultimate headline. The absolute scoop of the century.
Having successfully seeded the chaos, the Marines immediately moved to sever all remaining broadcast signals.
On Sabaody Archipelago, the sudden blackout of the screens sent the journalists and the crowd into a frenzy.
"Hey! What happened??"
"They cut the feed!"
"What's going on over there??"
Just as panic began to set in...
The massive screens flickered back to life.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the Truth Journal will now provide live, unfiltered coverage of the war at Marineford."
A calm voice accompanied the feed. The wide, sweeping angle of the official broadcast was gone, replaced by a gritty, first-person perspective.
It was jarring, but it was better than nothing.
Jin had obviously planned for this.
He had embedded his own operatives within the ranks, equipped with specialized visual Den Den Mushi. When the Marines pulled the plug, his team took over, ensuring the world saw the unvarnished "truth."
"This war was initiated by the Marines and the World Government in the name of 'Absolute Justice.' They must secure a victory... regardless of the methods they employ."
"However, the reality of this conflict is deemed too 'disturbing' for the general public."
"They believe you do not need to see what happens next. They believe that in a few hours, simply telling you 'The Marines Have Won' will be sufficient."
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High above the plaza, Sengoku glared down at the unfolding chaos.
"Fleet Admiral! We have a major problem!"
"What do you mean, the Truth Journal is broadcasting the war??" Sengoku roared, a cold dread settling in his stomach.
"Find them! Take them down immediately! If that broadcast continues, our entire strategic narrative is compromised!"
Sengoku's sudden loss of composure was entirely justified. This was supposed to be a war of "Absolute Justice."
That required projecting an image of overwhelming Marine power and unimpeachable World Government authority.
The public only needed to know the sanitized outcome: The Marines won.
The brutal, underhanded tactics used to achieve that victory—the deception, the fratricide, the pyrrhic nature of the coming bloodbath—were details the public had no business knowing.
Conspiracies could be spun as "brilliant strategy." Despicable tactics could be whitewashed. A devastatingly costly victory could be heralded as a total triumph.
It was all necessary to maintain global peace, to uphold the pristine image of the World Government, and to secure the absolute rule of the Celestial Dragons.
But if certain truths were dragged into the light...
The eyes of the people are sharp.
That old adage was both true and incredibly dangerous.
The Dressrosa incident had already severely damaged the World Government's credibility. This war was supposed to rebuild that shattered authority. Failure was not an option.
While Sengoku scrambled to contain the PR disaster, the Whitebeard Pirates were facing an existential crisis.
But Whitebeard hadn't become a living legend by accident. He had never once betrayed a comrade.
He didn't execute Squard. Instead, he embraced the weeping, manipulated captain with the heartbreaking forgiveness of a father.
"You are all my sons!" Whitebeard roared, his voice ringing with absolute conviction.
"You are pirates! You must decide for yourselves what you believe!"
With that, Whitebeard clenched his fist and struck the air. The resulting shockwave shattered the ice entirely enclosing the bay.
The sea rushed back in.
The trapped allied fleets now had a clear path to retreat.
He didn't need to say the words. The implication was clear: anyone who wished to leave was free to do so now.
Having settled the mutiny and secured an escape route for his 'sons,' the critically wounded Whitebeard hoisted his massive naginata and plunged directly into the heart of the battlefield.
A Marine Giant Vice Admiral charged to intercept him.
Whitebeard swatted him away with a single, devastating swing.
Simultaneously, Sengoku barked his next order.
Seizing the moment Whitebeard committed to the vanguard, he ordered the activation of the specialized, quake-resistant "Encircling Wall."
The massive steel plates were designed to physically segment the battlefield, cutting off the pirates' advance and trapping them within the bay for absolute annihilation.
However...
The activation was delayed.
Whitebeard smashed through the closing gap.
Seeing their wounded 'father' leading the charge, the faltering morale of the Whitebeard Pirates instantly ignited into a blazing inferno.
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~ 70 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon
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