Chapter 46 : Aokiji!!
"OH!!!"
The final words of Fleet Admiral Sengoku had lifted the morale of the entire Navy to its peak. Weapons were raised, and cheers rang out!
At that moment, a faint mist began to rise from the sea outside Marineford. The unusual sight prompted a hush to fall over everyone.
"It's here!"
From a lookout tower in Marineford Square, a sailor abruptly lowered his telescope and shouted, pointing at the sea.
The crowd's eyes were drawn to the enormous shadows emerging from the fog.
"Prepare for battle!"
An order crackled over the radio. All the cannons stationed at Marineford's docks and inner bay shifted their muzzles, aiming at the looming shadows on the water.
"It appeared out of nowhere. How did it get here?!"
Sengoku, standing on the execution platform, furrowed his brow. From his vantage point, he couldn't even discern how these pirate ships had arrived!
This was indeed highly unusual!
"It's the Whitebeard Pirates' fleet!"
"Hurry and locate Whitebeard!"
"Bohemian Knight, Doma!"
"Thunder Lord, McGuy!"
"Decalvan Brothers!"
"Maelstrom Spider, Squard!"
...
"Each one is a top-tier fighter! Each is a notorious pirate from the New World!"
"There are 43 pirate ships in total, and neither Whitebeard nor his division captains have been spotted yet!"
"Quick! Keep searching for Whitebeard! He has to be close by!"
The lookouts on Marineford Square's watchtowers scanned the area, desperately searching for Whitebeard's figure.
At that moment, a large cluster of bubbles erupted from the sea surface in Marineford Square's inner bay, making the water appear as if it were boiling.
Sengoku's eyes narrowed as he realized something. Grinding his teeth, he said, "So it emerged from beneath the sea, concealed by a film..."
Before Sengoku could finish his words, three enormous pirate ships shaped like whales emerged from beneath the sea!
"It's the Moby Dick!"
"How can this be?! Why are there three identical ships?!"
"They've actually breached the bay directly! Everyone, be on high alert!"
The three colossal pirate ships took up positions, facing different directions and preparing for battle.
"That's Marco, the captain of the Whitebeard Pirates' First Division!"
"Fourteen division commanders are onboard!"
The lookouts relayed their observations to the navy across the battlefield in real time.
"Thump, thump, thump..."
A heavy metallic clang reverberated throughout Marineford, capturing everyone's attention!
Under the gaze of the crowd, a tall figure with a white crescent-shaped beard and holding a naginata stepped onto the bow of the central Moby Dick.
It was Edward Newgate, known as Whitebeard, the Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates and the strongest man in the world, one of the Four Emperors of the New World!
"Long time no see, Sengoku. You haven't harmed my son, I see!"
Whitebeard flashed a confident smile and called out to Sengoku on the execution platform.
Sengoku's face tightened with a frown as he clenched his teeth and said, "Whitebeard..."
"Well then, let's start with some welcoming gifts!"
Seeing that Sengoku wasn't responding, Whitebeard brandished his naginata to the side, crouched slightly, and spread his arms wide before slamming them down!
"Crack!"
As Whitebeard hammered the air with his hands, visible cracks spread out like a web, as if the very space was being torn apart by his immense power!
"Boom!!!"
The sea level on both sides of Marineford surged and receded into the distance!
Fleet Admiral Sengoku gritted his teeth and said, "Newgate! Are you trying to summon a tsunami to submerge all of Marineford?"
Whitebeard simply smiled and picked up his naginata again, not bothering to explain himself!
Ace, standing on the execution platform, felt a tumult of emotions at the sight and couldn't help but shout, "Dad! Why did you come to save me? It was me who disobeyed your orders..."
"I told you to leave!"
Whitebeard interrupted Ace with a smile.
Ace was taken aback, realizing that Whitebeard was willing to take the blame for him!
Whitebeard continued, "It was my request for Ace to hunt down Teach, right, Marco?"
Marco, standing nearby, responded cooperatively, "Yes, Dad! It was indeed your order!"
Satisfied with the answer, Whitebeard called out to Ace, "Hold on, Ace! We'll rescue you immediately!"
"Boom!!!"
As Whitebeard spoke, the tsunami generated by the earthquake finally crashed in, with towering waves hundreds of meters high surging towards Marineford!
"How can we possibly deal with this? It's impossible!"
"What are we supposed to do against such an opponent?"
"There's absolutely no place to escape in this range!"
The Marines on the square of Marineford looked on in despair at the overwhelming waves, feeling powerless to counter this scale of attack!
At that moment, a figure leaped high from beneath the execution platform, extending his arms. Two icicles formed from his palms, shooting directly towards the tsunami!
"Ice Age!"
Aokiji's expression remained impassive as he effortlessly froze the towering tsunami in an instant!
Whitebeard's eyes narrowed with irritation as he muttered, "Damn Aokiji!"
With his hands clasped in front of him, Aokiji aimed at Whitebeard and declared, "Ice Cube: Two Thorns!"
Two icy spears, radiating a chilling aura, formed around Aokiji and hurled towards Whitebeard with deadly precision.
Whitebeard raised his hand and delivered a light punch, sending out an invisible shockwave that shattered the approaching spears and disrupted Aokiji, breaking him apart mid-air.
Aokiji plummeted to the sea, and in an instant, the water in the entire inner bay was frozen solid!
"Despite facing Whitebeard, we have the advantage of the three major naval forces on our side—the three admirals!" one officer exclaimed.
"Yes, the enemy's ships are frozen. This is our chance! Fire!" another officer commanded.
"Destroy all pirates! Kill them all!" was the rallying cry from the navy.
Aokiji's move had invigorated the navy's morale, and they launched a coordinated assault on the Whitebeard Pirates with renewed ferocity!
The Whitebeard Pirates, undeterred, leaped from their ships and charged towards the navy with unwavering resolve.
The battle had begun!
---
Meanwhile, on the World Government's exclusive route from Impel Down to the Navy Headquarters, three warships sped towards their destination with maximum urgency!
"Hey, it's starting, it's starting! Is this the power of Whitebeard, the strongest man in the world?!"
"The strength of the admiral is not to be underestimated! He froze such a massive tsunami in an instant!"
"Kill them all! It would be best if none of them survived!"
...
On the warship, everyone was glued to the live broadcast from the Navy Headquarters, brimming with excitement!
For them, the fiercer the battle between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Marine Headquarters, the better!
This was the only way they could gain from it!
Buggy sat on the roof of the cabin, eyes sparkling and a knowing smile on his lips as he watched the formidable Whitebeard on the broadcast.
"Buggy, did you forget something?"
At that moment, Bullet, who was seated by the side of the boat, suddenly looked up at Buggy and asked loudly, drawing everyone's attention.
"Um?"
Buggy turned to Bullet with a puzzled expression.
Bullet said with a flat tone, "I've told you before, even though we are on the same path, we are not necessarily allies! Regarding this war, what is your goal?"
"So that's what you're asking about," Buggy flew into the air and replied with a grin, "It's about time I filled you in!"
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