[122] One Piece Is Real !

[3000 Words]

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The battlefield was more chaotic than ever before, yet a fundamental change was occurring. The pirates were being driven to despair by the Marine soldiers, and while the casualty numbers among the Marines were decreasing, the desperate attacks from the pirates became more intense and frenzied.

The situation worsened for the pirates as many of their first-tier combat forces, including leaders and allied commanders, had been killed. Powerful individuals like Jozu, Vista, and Corelle, along with many influential figures in the New World, had fallen.

Fortunately for them, Marco, who had previously been defeated by the Warlord Ren, returned to the battlefield and helped the pirates advance toward the execution platform to rescue Ace.

*Bang!*

*Bang!*

*Bang!*

*Boom!*

*Boom!*

The sounds of gunfire and artillery did not cease for a moment. Marco looked toward a distant side of the battlefield with concern: "Pops... you must live!"

He muttered under his breath and refocused on the advancing Marine soldiers, determined to prevent them from reaching the execution platform.

At the same time, Whitebeard was facing three opponents simultaneously: Ren, Akainu, and Kizaru.

What was astonishing was that Whitebeard was still able to hold his ground despite facing three of the strongest warriors on the battlefield.

Under normal circumstances, Ren would barely be considered above average in a battle filled with admirals, Sengoku, Garp, Whitebeard, and Mihawk. However, his power had tripled, and although he hadn't reached the level of those previously mentioned, his body's reactions and speed had witnessed a terrifying improvement.

Unfortunately, this enhancement did not extend to his Haki; otherwise, he would have been able to defeat the wounded Whitebeard alone.

Why wasn't Haki enhanced by the Rage Pill? It was because Haki represented an understanding of willpower and spirit. It was not something like physical abilities, speed, or swordsmanship that could merely be enhanced through training. Haki required more than just training; one had to take risks and win battle after battle to achieve that kind of qualitative leap in Haki.

So why did Ren and his crew learn this power without having undergone these experiences?

The simple answer was: the System!

The System acted as a divine force that disregarded the limitations and rules imposed on developing Haki. Even the dead could be revived through the power of the System, so why would the System have a problem with Haki?

"Hellhound!!"

Ren's thoughts were interrupted by a fierce shout from Akainu, who lunged at Whitebeard with his hand covered in the cursed magma.

Despite being covered in numerous minor wounds and severe gaping holes, Whitebeard remained steadfast, standing like an unyielding mountain. He met Akainu's punch head-on, quickly using his other hand to deflect the laser beams fired at him by Kizaru.

"This old man can still fight despite all these injuries... this is terrifying..." Kizaru said in his usual tone, as he materialized to kick at Whitebeard's head.

"Gurarara!" Whitebeard laughed, reacting quickly. He had already pushed Akainu away and lifted his naginata to block Kizaru's kick, then seized the latter's leg and slammed him to the ground!

*Boom!*

Kizaru's body shattered into particles of yellow light, which quickly dispersed and reformed into Kizaru, who still regarded Whitebeard with a bored expression.

"Death Blade!"

This time, it was Ren who attacked. He felt a sense of urgency as the effect of the Rage Pill would soon wear off. He estimated that he had about five minutes left, but he knew that this time was enough to weaken Whitebeard as long as he and Akainu attacked together!

Swish!

As he swung his sword at Whitebeard, a terrifying sword blade formed, measuring 30 meters in length and 5 meters in width!

This was an attack with his full power, his strength having tripled!

As the blade approached Whitebeard at high speed, it seemed as if the air screamed in pain and space warped under the sharpness of the blade, which appeared capable of splitting the ocean at that moment.

Whitebeard wore a serious expression on his face. Without a second thought, he gritted his teeth, endured the pain in his body, and gathered the power of the Earthquake Fruit in both hands while leaving his weapon planted in the ground. He took a deep breath and struck a massive earthquake ball toward the sword blade!

*Boom!*

*Crack!*

*Screech!*

The sound of the two attacks colliding echoed throughout the battlefield. Ren watched this scene, panting as he chose to retreat to catch his breath. But in the next moment, he smiled fiercely when he saw Kizaru poised to attack Whitebeard, who was still countering his assault.

Whitebeard's eyes widened when he saw Kizaru appear Infront of him at the speed of light, pointing his finger at his head!

*Pew!!*

Laser beams shot from close range, targeting Whitebeard's face!

Just a second before Kizaru's attack, Whitebeard chose to stop resisting the sword blade launched by Ren and swiftly readied his weapon to counter the laser beams!

*Creek!!*

A screeching sound erupted as his Haki-coated naginata met Kizaru's laser beams. The latter regarded this scene with his usual bored expression and took a step back, sensing danger. His instincts proved correct as Whitebeard struck the ground where Kizaru had been standing, causing it to crack and resulting in a devastating earthquake across Marineford!

"Phew..." Ren breathed out, regaining his stamina in just a few seconds, then launched himself like a bullet towards Whitebeard upon seeing Akainu firing several blazing meteors at him once more.

Kizaru quickly ascended into the air, bombarding Whitebeard with dozens of laser beams!

....

The battle was far from over, but elsewhere on the battlefield, particularly on the execution platform, Sengoku observed the fight from a distance with eyes full of intellect.

No one knew what he was thinking, but in the next moment, his aide rushed in, his face filled with terror, and reported, "Fleet Admiral Sengoku! We have a report!"

"What's happening?" Sengoku turned to his subordinate, commanding him to speak while suppressing the uneasy feeling in his heart.

"T-this... I had previously informed you, sir, that we lost communication with Impel Down…"

"Has communication been restored? What happened? Speak quickly!" Sengoku began to feel anxious as he realized it was related to Impel Down.

Even Kuzan, who stood beside him, could only listen intently to his subordinate.

He had learned earlier from Sengoku that they had lost contact with Marineford, and there was no doubt something was happening there, perhaps a riot from the prisoners or something similar.

Unfortunately, the admirals could not move to assess the situation in Impel Down due to the onset of the war with Whitebeard. The Marines knew their priorities, so Sengoku suppressed the news and trusted Magellan's ability to handle any prisoner uprisings.

Back with the trembling Marine soldier, he gritted his teeth in fear and said in one breath, "It's Blackbeard... According to the warden's report, Blackbeard has stormed Marineford and released several dangerous Level 6 prisoners!!"

"!!!"

"What?!" Sengoku and kuzan shouted in unison. Sengoku quickly gazed into the horizon, his expression filled with concern, while Kuzan remained silent but could already feel that chaos would engulf the sea once again...

'So, even if Whitebeard falls here, is it destined for these seas to remain as chaotic as they are now? Or will they become even more chaotic?' he thought internally.

Sengoku and Kuzan's thoughts were interrupted once more by the soldier's voice: "That's not all, Fleet Admiral! We just received a report that the Gate of Justice have opened without permission! And a stolen Marine warship is heading this way!"

"Damn it…"

As the old saying goes, calamities never come singly...

....

Chaos engulfed Marineford. The sounds of battle between Whitebeard's pirates and the Marines filled the sky, while the ground was littered with debris and bodies, accompanied by the thunderous clashes of immense powers.

Amidst all this turmoil, everyone noticed a strange change in the atmosphere. The fighters who had been engaged in combat paused momentarily, and then, in the next instant, an unfamiliar ship appeared, heading toward the square. All eyes were drawn to that ship, which carried a dark shadow, a silhouette so large that even giants seemed small in comparison.

At the ship's bow stood a figure among the varying shadows.

In that moment, all fighting ceased, and everyone turned to gaze at the ship rapidly approaching Marineford. Whitebeard, looking extremely exhausted, stared at the newcomer with eyes filled with rage and shouted, "Teach! You ungrateful son!"

"Zehaha! Father, I see you're in good health, aren't you?"

Marshall D. Teach, known as Blackbeard, stood at the front of his ship with calm and confident strides, wearing his black cloak, and his sinister laughter echoed in the air. Behind him stood his new crew, a group of the most dangerous prisoners who had escaped from Impel Down after his recent attack. He had formed an unholy alliance with Level 6 criminals, individuals who knew no mercy.

As his ship drew closer to the square, Teach raised his hand, releasing a wave of darkness that engulfed the air around him. His Devil Fruit, the Yami Yami no Mi, showcased its power, covering the sky with layers of darkness, as if night had replaced day in that area.

"Zehahahaha! What a magnificent show! It seems I've arrived just in time to make things more exciting!" Blackbeard laughed wickedly and jumped from the ship alongside his crew members.

'Good... All the players are gathering to play their roles...'

A wicked smile formed on Ren's face when he saw Blackbeard's arrival. Blackbeard's presence was a sign of the approaching end of this war. He could only laugh silently at the thought of the expression that would be on Blackbeard's face if his plan succeeded.

He focused on Whitebeard, whose body was showing signs of surrender as he retreated silently like a snake waiting for its prey... slowly and patiently.

"Teach... you have committed a forbidden act on my ship," Whitebeard said to him in a majestic tone.

Blackbeard smiled wickedly upon hearing what his "Pops" said and replied, "Are you referring to my killing of Tatch? I had no other choice! He found the Darkness Fruit and had no intention of handing it over to me! So I killed him!"

Whitebeard looked at him with disappointment, sadness, anger, and all the complex emotions before taking a deep breath and saying, "So all this was for just a Devil Fruit? All these years?"

"Zehahahaha! That's right, Pops!"

"Do not call me 'Pops' again! Teach, you are expelled; from now on, you are my enemy!" Whitebeard shouted angrily, advancing toward Blackbeard, who continued to smile while watching Whitebeard approach him. He quickly ordered his crew to retreat and faced Whitebeard.

"Zehahahaha... You will soon know why this fruit is so amazing!"

Whitebeard did not respond. He concentrated the power of his Devil Fruit into his fist and punched toward Blackbeard!

Blackbeard grinned wickedly as a black vortex appeared in his hand, then collided with Whitebeard's massive fist!

The usual destructive scene did not occur; there was no earthquake. It seemed that Whitebeard's power was being absorbed and consumed by an insatiable black hole.

Whitebeard opened his eyes in shock when he saw this scene, then quickly heard Blackbeard's vile voice again: "Do you see this, old man?! This is the power of the Darkness Fruit! That's why I killed Tatch! And I will kill anyone who tries to take my treasure!"

Blackbeard shouted wickedly, but his expression changed again when he saw Whitebeard lift his weary body once more and prepare to throw another punch at him!

But this time, without the power of the Earthquake!

*Boom!!*

Blackbeard failed to withstand the punch and fell to the ground with a swollen face. Whitebeard quickly struck him again multiple times without any resistance.

Thick steam was rising from Whitebeard's body, and it seemed that he was about to reach his limits!

"P-pops! Are you really going to kill me?! I'm your son!!" Blackbeard screamed in terror, but in his mind, he was thinking of a way out of this predicament.

Whitebeard hesitated, and when he saw Blackbeard's hesitation, he was about to order his crew to kill Whitebeard and empty their bullets into him!

But then!

At that moment, something happened that made all the viewers in Marineford Square and across the live broadcast widen their eyes!

A long sword pierced through Whitebeard's back and exited from his stomach; it was Blackbeard, who was still lying on the ground, the closest person to this sword.

But the shock didn't stop there; another sword swiftly pierced the other side of Whitebeard! The area of his right lung!

"Let me join in too~" A soft voice came at that moment as Mikita fell from the sky next to Ren and Nami. She then unleashed her Armament Haki in her folded umbrella and stabbed it into the area of Whitebeard's left lung!

Three fatal stabs!

All the viewers were left speechless at that moment, even people like Kizaru and Akainu were shocked by the perfect timing and speed of the assassination!

Previously, everyone had been focused on the battle between Whitebeard and Blackbeard, so no one noticed Nami and Mikita, who were lurking with Ren for the perfect opportunity to kill Whitebeard. The two girls were just waiting for the right moment!

And they succeeded, perfectly.

"Pops!!!!" Ace screamed in sorrow, tears staining his face; his heart nearly broke!

"Pops..." Marco fell to the ground, weakened. He didn't know why, but he had felt weak since he woke up. When he had awakened, he was confused about why Ren hadn't killed him, but he never knew the reason.

But that didn't matter now because he saw his father being stabbed with fatal wounds Infront of him and could do nothing but watch.

"This is the moment! Execution, executioners!"

Sengoku shouted loudly, capturing everyone's attention, whether in the battlefield or the viewers through the live broadcast!

"Ace... I'm sorry..." Whitebeard spoke softly. He didn't let out any groan of pain, but at the moment he heard Sengoku's shout, he knew Ace's fate had been sealed.

Sengoku was very cunning; he ordered Ace's execution immediately after Whitebeard was fatally stabbed, and the most important factor was that the ones who stabbed Whitebeard were a Warlord and his crew!

What was a Warlord? They were individuals sanctioned by the World Government and not just random pirates, so they considered themselves to have a stake in the accomplishment of killing Whitebeard.

Under the astonished gaze of the pirates and the shocked Marines, along with hundreds of millions of people watching everything with their mouths agape, the executioners plunged their spears into Ace's body...

Red blood poured onto the execution platform as Ace lost all signs of life, closing his eyes with an expression filled with regret and resentment—regret for dragging his brothers into all this and resentment toward himself, for his weakness.

Garp exploded into silent tears, but fortunately, no one had time to focus on him now.

On the other side, small tears streamed from Whitebeard's eyes, but in the next moment, he lifted his head and moved his body.

"!!!"

"This monster is not dead yet?"

"What is his body made of, for the Creator's sake?!"

Blackbeard's crew and Blackbeard himself shouted when they saw Whitebeard's movement.

"Rahahaha... he has no strength left in his body... a mere touch will bring him down." Suddenly, Ren spoke, pulling his bloodied sword from Whitebeard's body, and Nami and Mikita did the same, drawing their weapons.

Nami looked at the dying Whitebeard with a proud expression; this man was a legend, and she was one of the ones who dealt the fatal blow!

Mikita smiled as usual, ascending into the sky and opening her umbrella after wiping the blood off.

There was a deadly silence on the battlefield, and what broke this silence were Whitebeard's next words: "Not you, Ren..."

He looked at Ren with a profound expression, then turned to Blackbeard: "And not you either, Blackbeard..."

"Eh?" Blackbeard looked at the dying Whitebeard in confusion.

"It is not you who will inherit Roger's will..."

Sengoku, who heard Whitebeard's words related to Roger, felt a bad feeling in his heart...

"I don't know who he is or where he is... but he exists... the one who will inherit the will of Roger and Ace. However..."

He smiled at that moment with reassurance and said, "But it is not you two, at least."

"Sengoku! You and the World Government fear the impending total war! The war that will erupt everywhere, where people will fight for their freedom!"

"You bastard...!!" Sengoku's brow furrowed, and his expression twisted due to Whitebeard's words.

"But that day... will inevitably come!"

"The man who will inherit Roger's will will lead that war, Sengoku... It is a destined day!"

Whitebeard looked up at the sky and then at his family, who were crying for him in the background.

"My children... get out of here safely; this is my last command as your captain..."

Then, after taking a deep breath, he added: "I love you, my family."

In a moment of absolute silence, Whitebeard raised his head to the sky and shouted with all the remaining strength he had.

"One piece...One piece is real!!"

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To be continued...

There won't be a chapter every Sunday since it's my day off. Thank you for understanding and your support.

800 PS = Bounty chapter.