Give me face!

The cold wind continued to howl, and the dark clouds in the sky pressed downward. Ice debris swept across the battlefield, and several large ships, led by the Moby Dick, surged forward on waves of ice towards the icy surface below.

On the ice, the Marines were stationed, ready for battle.

Tension, solemnity, and a stifling atmosphere pervaded the entire battlefield.

As the Moby Dick slid down the icy slope, numerous members of the Whitebeard Pirates descended from the ship, brandishing weapons and roaring ferociously as they charged towards the Marines.

"Kill!"

"Teach these Marines a lesson!"

"Marines! The New World is not a place where you can act recklessly!"

"Today is the day I, Biden, make a name for myself!!"

...

Accompanied by various shouts, the morale of the Whitebeard Pirates soared.

Whitebeard himself showed no intention of moving, but his imposing figure stood at the bow of the Moby Dick, impossible for anyone to easily ignore.

The Marines tightened their grip on their weapons, their faces contorted as they charged towards the pirates. They would not fear any enemy, not even the legendary Whitebeard Pirates, and nothing would make them retreat.

"Kill!"

"For justice!"

"Annihilate these parasites and scum on the sea!"

The cries echoed one after another as the Marines, with heightened emotions, heard the command from Sengoku and momentarily froze, halting their advance.

Suddenly, a thunderous explosion rang out from the sky, followed by thousands of lightning bolts descending from above, striking the ground between the two sides.

Faced with this sudden turn of events, both the Marines and the pirates involuntarily stopped in their tracks, for the lightning storm before them was insurmountable.

Meanwhile, within the Marine camp, including Garp, Tsuru, Sengoku, and Borsalino, all turned their gaze towards the center of the lightning storm, their expressions darkening simultaneously, as the situation seemed to have exceeded their expectations.

Meanwhile, Whitebeard smiled.

"My boys, pay attention, retreat! We have friends coming!"

Though Whitebeard spoke with a smile, the seriousness in his eyes was clear to everyone around him.

In an instant, the rhythm of the entire battlefield came to a halt.

"All Marines, prepare for defense!"

As the Marines advanced towards the pirates with high spirits, upon hearing Sengoku's command, they were instantly stunned and stopped in their tracks.

Amidst the flickering lightning, a figure appeared in the center of the battlefield.

"Nicholas, what are you doing here?"

Sengoku's voice was stern, for while he was confident in facing only the Whitebeard Pirates, the addition of Nicholas meant that if he allied with Whitebeard, the two sides would be evenly matched in terms of top-tier strength.

And if they waited for Roger to appear, with the addition of Oro Jackson's remaining forces, the Marines would be in real danger.

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, give me some face. This battle ends here. If anyone wishes to continue, I will be their opponent!"

Turning around, Nicholas faced Sengoku from a distance, his seriousness evident in his gaze.

Sengoku took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and stared at Nicholas.

He truly didn't want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to kill the Golden Lion, cripple the Whitebeard Pirates, and then capture Roger upon his return from Raftel. It would instantly deal an unprecedented blow to the pirates of the New World, and with this opportunity, the Marines might even be able to enter the New World!

Meanwhile, on a Marine communication ship responsible for monitoring the surrounding area, a Marine observing through binoculars saw black dots appearing on the distant sea surface. As the binoculars moved, the dots gradually became clear.

It was a fleet of pirate ships, and among them, on the uniquely designed flagship, stood a tall figure.

Her aura was ferocious and terrifying, her eyes burning with fury.

"Where are those Marines? Where are they!!"

"I'll tear them apart! And that thief Roger! The title of Pirate King should have been mine! If I can't become the pirate Queen, I'm going to be the Pirate King's woman!"

The oppressive, violent roars echoed on the ship, making every pirate on board tremble.

"MOM, this time we'll definitely kill a lot of Marines."

"Yes, we'll avenge that battle!"

The pirates spoke ingratiatingly, their voices trembling as they spoke.

At this moment, Big Mom's rage was at its peak.

Upon learning of Roger's journey to become the Pirate King at Raftel, Big Mom rushed over without hesitation. This time, she was determined to wash away the shame of being robbed by Roger last time, and to give a memorable lesson to any Marines daring to enter the New World.

In another direction, a blue dragon was winding its way through the clouds above, heading towards the battlefield.

Perched on the dragon's head were two tall figures.

"King, are we almost there?"

The dragon's roar resounded, its furious aura causing the surrounding air to stagnate.

"Kaido sama, we're almost there. According to the intelligence, the Marines are ahead. They plan to ambush Roger returning from Raftel. And according to the intelligence, the Marines should be currently engaged in a battle with the Golden Lion Pirates. Moreover, we've been monitoring the Whitebeard Pirates heading in that direction as well!"

"Roar! How can such a grand battle be without me!"

Kaido roared angrily, and then his speed surged once again, causing Queen to tightly grip the large dragon horn beside him.

After all, for him, the sky was still too dangerous.

If he wasn't afraid of spitting on Kaido and being killed, he would have already vomited.

Back on the battlefield, upon hearing Nicholas's words, Whitebeard's eyes instantly sharpened. A hint of doubt flashed in his eyes, and he tightened his grip on his naginata, seemingly hesitating whether to give this guy some face.

But after a few breaths, Whitebeard released his halberd and looked at Nicholas with a smile.

"Gurararara, I'd like to know."

Whitebeard stared sharply at Nicholas. "What happens if I don't give you face!?"

"Nothing."

"What?"

Whitebeard was taken aback.

"Roger! Are you prepared!?"

Just as Whitebeard was dumbfounded, a strangely shaped ship appeared on the outskirts of the battlefield, and Big Mom's furious voice echoed across the entire battlefield.

Upon nearing the battlefield, Nicholas spotted Big Mom.

As one of the future Four Emperors, currently at the peak of her strength, Big Mom, together with Whitebeard at his peak, regardless of how much the two pirate crews usually didn't see eye to eye, now faced a common enemy: the Marines.

If both sides were to ally, the Marines would be in big trouble, not to mention the pirate crews rushing to the scene from all over the New World after receiving news.

If they waited for Roger to appear, then even Nicholas couldn't predict the subsequent situation.

So Nicholas chose to intervene and stop this war because he needed balance. If either the pirate or the Marine forces suffered too many losses, the balance of the sea would be disrupted.

"Roar!"

If Big Mom's appearance made Sengoku's face even darker, then the distant roar of the dragon made Sengoku's face almost as dark as the abyss.

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, haven't you made a decision yet?"

Nicholas smiled as he looked at the gloomy-faced Sengoku.

Sengoku's expression was grave, his gaze swept over Nicholas, the Whitebeard Pirates, the Big Mom Pirates, and the dragon silhouette appearing in the distant sky.

After hesitating for a moment, he quickly made a decision. He took another deep breath and then shouted loudly,

"All Marines, obey orders, retreat!"

"Nicholas, we will meet again!"

Sengoku glanced deeply at Nicholas before turning and leaving.

With the command issued, the Marines acted swiftly, immediately converging towards the location of their ships.