172 With the Justice System

"Boom——"

Whitebeard poured all the grief and fury building in his chest into his two fists.

"Ka-la-la-la-la——"

Centered on him, the very air fractured like a mirror torn apart by overwhelming force.

The first shockwave was not aimed at Marineford.

Instead, it crashed down mercilessly upon the frozen bay!

He would open a path of survival for his sons!

"Rumble——!!!"

A deafening roar echoed.

The whole of Marineford trembled.

That expanse of solid ice created by Aokiji—ice strong enough to trap tens of thousands of pirates—instantly cracked with spiderweb fissures under the strike.

The fractures spread wildly, like living creatures devouring the ice.

Then, with a sharp "crack," the frozen bay collapsed entirely!

With one strike, the Whitebeard Pirates had their escape route cleared!

Even so, Whitebeard's face showed no relief.

His towering frame wavered, his throat turned bitter, and blood surged upward.

He forced it back down.

He could not fall. Not yet!

"Marines——!!!"

With a roar, his second, even stronger quake burst forth!

Invisible destructive force manifested as a blinding white halo, warping and screaming through the air.

This time, the target was Marineford itself—the towering execution platform!

"Yo~"

"What an incredible farewell gift~"

A lazy drawl rang out.

Kizaru appeared midair at some unknown moment.

Golden light gathered at his fingertip.

In an instant, countless golden beams of light rained down like a storm, striking precisely at the weakest points of the quake's halo.

Each detonation chipped away at its destructive power.

"Newgate——!!!"

Below the platform, Fleet Admiral Sengoku's body expanded into a towering golden Buddha, eyes blazing with fury.

He thrust his palm forward to meet the weakened shockwave.

"Impact Wave——!"

Golden radiance collided with Whitebeard's quake in the sky.

"Boom——!!!"

A storm of terrifying energy exploded outward.

But the aftermath was contained above the bay by the two Marine powerhouses, not a shred leaking onto the plaza below.

When the storm cleared—

Marineford, the very bastion of "Justice," still stood tall, unshaken.

"…"

Whitebeard's pupils contracted slightly as he watched.

He lowered his gaze to his hands, trembling faintly.

Old.

Truly old!

Old wounds, sickness, and a heart scorched again and again by grief and rage—all were consuming what life he had left.

He raised his head, eyes piercing past Kizaru and Sengoku, landing upon the figure standing atop the execution platform.

The young man who had orchestrated the flow of this entire war.

Rayne Hawke…

So this brat was the one commanding everything!

Sengoku, you found quite a seedling.

With a monster like him, what kind of terrifying future awaited the Marines?!

"Hu——"

Whitebeard took a deep breath and roared his last cry.

"Go, sons——"

"I am a remnant of the old era…"

"This new age…"

"Has no ship that can carry me!!!"

He braced himself once more, ready to use his body to shield his sons from Marine pursuit.

"Pops——!!!"

The remaining Whitebeard Pirates wailed in anguish.

Their eyes darted around instinctively.

First Division Commander, "Phoenix" Marco, lay unconscious amidst the rubble of the plaza.

Third Division Commander, "Diamond" Jozu, frozen into an ice statue by Aokiji—half his body already shattered.

Their father had given everything.

Yet the Marines remained unscathed, still pressing forward with ease!

"Retreat——!"

Vista, ignoring Zoro before him, shouted, "Follow Pops orders! All hands, retreat! Get out of here!"

"Quick!"

"Retreat!!!"

The pirates who once charged forward without hesitation now fought back tears as they turned.

They dashed toward the newly opened channel, fleeing with everything they had.

They would live on. They would obey their Pops final command!

And yet…

A chilling figure awaited at the bay's exit.

Hands in his pockets, Aokiji stood casually upon a freshly refrozen sea.

This time, the ice was many times thicker and stronger than before, its hue a deep, foreboding blue.

Endless cold poured from his body, reinforcing the ice to ensure it could never again be shattered.

"Well…"

He looked at the desperate pirates and spoke slowly.

"I knew you'd try to run."

"Whitebeard, why don't you try breaking it again?"

"!!!"

The Whitebeard Pirates felt as though plunged into an abyss of ice.

Their bodies—and their very hearts—froze over completely.

On the battlefield.

Akainu turned his head toward the execution platform.

His eyes silently asked if it was time to finish this once and for all.

Hawke met his gaze and slowly nodded.

"The war ends here."

"Now begins the hunt."

A cruel smirk twisted Akainu's lips.

He turned toward the sea crowded with pirate ships.

His body transformed, blazing with magma hot enough to melt anything.

Raising his arms toward the sky—

Endless magma shells erupted from his limbs, soaring into the heavens above Marineford.

"Meteor Volcano——!!!"

In an instant, the sky burned crimson like doomsday.

Hundreds upon hundreds of blazing magma fists, trailing black smoke tails, fell like a meteor shower upon the bay!

Each carried heat far surpassing the Flame-Flame Fruit.

Each packed impact powerful enough to shatter massive warships.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Explosions thundered in rapid succession.

Pirate ships' masts snapped like twigs. Decks melted instantly. Hulls twisted and burned beneath the unbearable heat.

In but a moment—

The massive fleet of the Whitebeard Pirates became a burning hell beneath the magma rain.

Their retreat was utterly cut off.

The war was about to transform into a one-sided slaughter.

"All forces, hear me!"

Hawke's cold voice echoed across the battlefield once more.

"Prepare to pursue!"

He paused.

"Release the second wave of rookies."

"Let them feel the cruelty of war!"