The Marines were clearly not fools. After receiving Hancock's request, they must have intentionally moved up Ace's transfer, which is why Luffy, despite arriving early, still missed Ace.
Their speed was neither fast nor slow, and they quickly flew to the top of the frozen Tsunami. From there, they had a clear, unobstructed view of the entire battlefield.
Whitebeard could be seen standing at the bow of the Moby Dick, holding a den den mushi and directing various fronts of the battle. Luffy, as if fueled by adrenaline, charged forward, accompanied by Jinbe, the fish-man, and Ivankov, the Ivankov.
Luo Yan calmly sat down cross-legged. The war had just begun, and it was far from his time to act.
Xia Tali, however, was very interested. Her scarlet eyes constantly roamed across the battlefield. Perhaps due to excitement, her already slightly rosy cheeks were now even redder.
"Captain, when do we make our move?"
Seeing Xia Tali's eager expression, Luo Yan's brow furrowed involuntarily.
"Little Xia, I think you've underestimated the negative effects of those mystical items."
Xia Tali snapped back to reality, quickly composed herself, and examined her own condition, soon discovering the problem.
"Captain, I..."
Xia Tali tried to explain something, but Luo Yan stopped her with a wave of his hand.
"It's alright, just make sure you don't enter the core of the battlefield. As long as you don't directly face Vice Admirals and Admirals, there shouldn't be any problems."
"I understand."
Xia Tali nodded, took out a vial of potion from her pocket, and drank it. The redness on her face immediately receded significantly, and the sparkle in her eyes also dimmed.
The main reason she dared to carry so many mystical items at once was that she could use potions to stabilize her condition, ensuring she could maintain her state at critical moments and not make wrong judgments due to the negative effects of the mystical items.
The intensity of the war gradually increased. First, the Shichibukai entered the fray, and soon Kizaru couldn't sit still, wanting to go straight for Whitebeard, but he was blocked by Marco and kicked away. This kick greatly boosted the morale of the Pirates, who began to launch a larger-scale charge.
Not long after, Squard, carrying a long saber, boarded the Moby Dick. Even from a great distance, Luo Yan could still see every detail and hear every word of their conversation.
"It's starting?"
Luo Yan narrowed his eyes, observing more closely. Squard walked step by step towards Whitebeard, then suddenly thrust out the long saber in his hand.
Clang!
Accompanied by the sound of metal colliding, Squard's long saber was struck away. His face instantly turned pale, and his body trembled with fear. His assassination attempt had been discovered, and he expected Whitebeard's boundless rage. That's what he thought.
However, the rage he imagined did not come. Instead, Whitebeard pulled him into his embrace with one hand, converting him with unprecedented sincerity.
"Captain, did you foresee that too?"
Although Xia Tali didn't have as good eyesight as Luo Yan, she could still barely make out what was happening on the Moby Dick. Luo Yan's lips curved, forming a smile.
"That's right, which is why I warned Whitebeard at that time. Now Whitebeard's rage has been completely ignited. We'll see if he can take down one or two Admirals."
Luo Yan put on a show of enjoying the spectacle, not minding how big the trouble got. Xia Tali waved her hand, condensing a mass of black mist in front of her. Several plump bats flew out of the black mist and quietly entered the battlefield, acting as her eyes.
As Luo Yan had judged, Squard's actions completely enraged Whitebeard. Whitebeard officially joined the battle, and from the outset, he unleashed a destructive power that caught the Marines off guard. Even the combined efforts of the Three Admirals barely managed to hold him back.
Standing on the execution platform, Sengoku, who was also directing various units, immediately looked incredibly grim.
What's going on? How could Whitebeard's condition be like this...? Although the two sides hadn't met in many years, Sengoku, as Fleet Admiral, still knew from various channels that Whitebeard's physical condition was far from what it used to be, even requiring infusions to maintain it. Yet, the explosive power Whitebeard was displaying now was completely unlike that of an old man plagued by illness.
Alarmed, he prepared to issue further combat orders. Just then, an intelligence officer rushed over and handed a document to Sengoku.
"Fleet Admiral! This is the latest intelligence. Not long ago, Whitebeard received treatment from someone named Xia Tali. Not only did she completely cure his ailments, but it's also said she can allow Whitebeard to live for another twenty years."
Sengoku suddenly turned his head, his eyes wide. The intelligence officer shivered with fright, almost dropping the document in his hand.
"Xia Tali? Who is that? Why have I never heard of her?"
Sengoku asked while taking the document and quickly flipping through it, soon seeing a name—Luo Yan.
"Luo Yan? Is that the person who made a deal with the Revolutionary Army? When did he get involved with Whitebeard again? Where did this intelligence come from? Is it reliable?"
"Fleet Admiral, this intelligence came from a Pirate of the Whitebeard Pirate Crew, so it should be reliable. I remember Smoker sent back intelligence that Luo Yan appeared in Alabasta, and Potgas D. Ace was also there at the time."
Sengoku suddenly looked down at Ace, who was locked and kneeling on the execution platform beside him. Ace's expression at this moment was equally complex, both surprised and delighted.
"Luo Yan's ship doctor really did cure Pops! He really didn't lie to me."
Hearing Ace's murmur, Sengoku immediately understood the truth, and his face instantly became incredibly ugly.
"That bastard!"
In his anger, Sengoku clenched the document in his hand, crumpling it.
The intelligence officer's body trembled uncontrollably, and he felt his scalp tingle. Even so, he could only brace himself and remind him:
"Fl-Fleet Admiral, th-there's more intelligence you haven't seen on the back."
Sengoku's face twitched, and he turned to the next page of the crumpled document.
"A potion? A potion concocted in just a few minutes cured Whitebeard? What kind of potion is that? And where did this Luo Yan come from? First, he makes a deal with the Revolutionary Army, and then he cures Whitebeard at such a crucial moment. Where exactly does he want to push the world's situation?"
Seeing Sengoku again instinctively crumple the document, the intelligence officer swallowed with difficulty, his forehead now covered in sweat.
"Fl-Fleet Admiral, we...we conducted an investigation into this. This Luo Yan first appeared on Cocoyasi Island in the East Blue, and he also seemed to play a role in defeating Arlong. Furthermore, that Xia Tali also joined Luo Yan's group at that time, though at the time Xia Tali was still just a slave."
"A slave?"