178 With the Justice System

"Then give me some favor too."

"Leave your head behind!!!"

"!!!"

"..."

...

Behind the live broadcast screen.

Everyone's expressions froze in an instant.

Just as the Whitebeard Pirates were about to be annihilated, the Red-Haired Pirates arrived!

A Yonko in his prime had descended upon this battlefield that had already become a living hell!

Shanks used his overwhelming Conqueror's Haki to announce his arrival to the Marines.

He demanded that everyone present give him favor.

Everyone believed the tide of this war was about to change!

Would the Marines continue fighting?

Would the Whitebeard Pirates be allowed to retreat?

Was the balance of this great sea about to be forcefully restored at the very last moment?!

Just as that thought arose in countless minds...

The man who had been controlling the tempo of the entire battlefield from start to finish—Hawke!

The man who ordered the execution of Ace and Teach, and without hesitation stomped the skulls of fleeing cowards!

He... took a step forward.

And then—

!!!

The sky above Marineford split open!

A gigantic, ferocious black fissure tore across the heavens like a divine slash from the gods!

That was the clash of Conqueror's Haki!

For Shanks, one of the Yonko, to possess Conqueror's Haki was nothing surprising.

But...

Hawke, what the hell is going on with you?!

Aren't you the Marine's battlefield commander and execution officer?!

How are you suddenly clashing head-on with a Yonko's Conqueror's Haki?!

And that aura of yours, it can actually rival a Yonko's presence?!

In the end, you even demanded to take Shanks' head?!

Across the entire world, every single person's mind echoed with one thought—

Everything's changed!

The sea... is about to turn upside down!

...

Marine Headquarters.

"..."

The calm composure and faint smile on Shanks' face disappeared.

The surge of Conqueror's Haki erupting into the sky... was in no way weaker than his own?!

And its owner, was actually demanding that he give him favor and leave his head behind...

The situation had spiraled completely out of control.

"Gurararara..."

Whitebeard let out a low, rumbling laugh.

He looked at the crack in the sky, then turned his eyes toward Hawke, his gaze filled with complex emotion.

Sengoku, you bastard...

Where the hell did you find this monster?

The Marines' future... the word terrifying isn't enough to describe it!

The ruler of this sea... is about to change!

"Oi, oi, oi, Hawke-kun, you're joking, right..."

Kizaru took off his sunglasses, and for once, true surprise flickered in his usually half-closed eyes.

"This wasn't part of the plan~"

"Hmph—"

Akainu grinned, baring his teeth.

"Hawke..."

You little bastard, so you've been hiding this deep, huh?!

Didn't even tell me!

You and Hibari, those two brats, one secretly awakened Conqueror's Haki, the other ate a Devil Fruit without saying a word.

Good!

Very good!

Excellent!

Once this war is over, I'm definitely having a long talk with the both of you!

"Well~"

Aokiji's gaze settled quietly on Hawke, a glimmer of understanding passing through his eyes.

So that's how it is...

This war's outcome... no longer has any suspense.

"Hahahahaha!"

Below the execution platform, Sengoku's face brimmed with barely contained elation.

In the original plan, if a second Yonko crew appeared, Kizaru and Aokiji were to intercept, Akainu would finish off Whitebeard, and Sengoku himself would stand by for reinforcement.

But now, Hawke had stepped forward—

Hawke, who possessed Top-Tier Conqueror's Haki!

Sengoku gazed at Hawke's tall, unwavering back, and a surge of pride welled up in his chest.

The new generation of the Marines... had risen in a way beyond everyone's imagination!

Perhaps... after this war, he could finally consider stepping down, letting go of his command.

It was time... to entrust the Marines' future, this heavy mantle of Justice to these dependable young men.

On the battlefield, every Marine officer and soldier turned their gaze toward the figure slowly walking to the front of the plaza.

Their eyes burned with feverish admiration.

This... was the future of the Marines!

"Tap—"

Hawke stepped to the very front, looking down at the Marine soldiers who had fainted under the pressure of Conqueror's Haki.

He spoke calmly, "All Marines below the rank of Major, retreat immediately."

"The next stage of battle is mine!"

"Yes, sir!"

Without hesitation, the Marines obeyed.

They quickly carried their unconscious comrades and began an orderly withdrawal.

Then—

"BOOM——!!!"

A deep, thunderous sound suddenly erupted from beneath the frozen bay!

"Crack——!"

The vast sheet of ice Aokiji had created split open from the center, exploding into a massive crater!

A column of seawater shot skyward!

"Splash——!"

A towering, blue-skinned figure, the unmistakable silhouette of a fish-man, leapt from the water and crashed heavily onto the ice!

"Jinbe!"

"It's Jinbe!"

"Jinbe's come to save us!"

The remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates, who had sunk into despair, suddenly reignited with a spark of hope the moment they saw him!

Like drowning men grasping a final lifeline!

"I'll open a path for you all!"

Jinbe landed firmly, scanning the battlefield, at the bodies of his fallen comrades, at the heavily wounded Whitebeard in the distance, his eyes blazing with righteous fury!

"Everyone, gather to me!"

"Hurry! Leave Marine Headquarters!"

He roared, as streams of water coiled around his arms, taking the stance of Fish-Man Karate.

However...

A chilling coldness that could freeze one's very soul swept across the bay.

"Ma——!"

Aokiji's voice, for the first time, carried unrestrained anger.

Terrifying frost burst from his body in torrents, the moisture in the air crystallized into ice flakes that fell like snow wherever it passed.

"Once, twice..."

"You break my ice..."

"I told you, none of you are escaping!"

"If you love breaking ice so much..."

Aokiji slowly raised his right hand, palm upward.

Endless cold gathered in his palm, condensing into a rotating, crystal-clear lotus made entirely of ice.

"Great Ice Burial!"

As his voice fell, the lotus silently bloomed.

"Hum——"

In the next instant, the ice within a hundred-meter radius around Jinbe was covered by an eerie, beautiful frost that radiated otherworldly light!

The frost spread swiftly, blossoming into countless ice flowers!

"Fish-Man Karate!"

Jinbe didn't dare to hold back, he threw a powerful punch, the invisible shockwave shattering the ice flowers spreading beneath his feet!

But the broken crystals didn't vanish.

They reformed midair, multiplying into smaller, sharper petals that swarmed toward him like a plague of locusts!

"What?!"

Jinbe's pupils contracted sharply.

"It's useless!"

Aokiji's voice was cold and merciless.

Before he could react, countless ice petals engulfed him!

"Crack——!"

Jinbe's right leg froze solid.

The biting chill invaded his bones, draining away the strength he prided himself on.

Then his left leg, his waist, his chest—

Everywhere the ice flowers touched, his massive body was transformed, inch by inch, into glittering sculpture.

Finally, the frost reached his head.

The expression on his face was frozen forever—

His entire body turned into a lifelike ice statue, caught mid-punch, standing silently in the center of the bay.

The light of hope on the faces of the Whitebeard Pirates was extinguished once again.

Their eyes dimmed, sinking into a despair deeper than the ice beneath their feet.

"Tap——"

Aokiji appeared before the statue in an instant.

"One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea—'Knight of the Sea' Jinbe, for attempting to rescue the Whitebeard Pirates..."

He slowly lifted his leg.

"I hereby—"

And then he kicked—

"—officially revoke your title!!!"

"Crack——!!!"

A sharp sound rang across Marineford.

A single crack appeared on the ice statue— then spread like a spiderweb, covering it entirely in an instant!

"BOOM——!!!"

The statue exploded into countless shards of glittering ice, scattering across the sunlight in dazzling brilliance.

The Knight of the Sea, Jinbe was gone without a trace.

Aokiji slowly retracted his leg, hands slipping back into his pockets.

"Did you really think ice couldn't get angry?!"