Ace Dies in Battle (II)

"Hmm, you're right. Alright, let's wait here and watch this battle unfold!" Fanxin Xin nodded slightly and said.

The Little Fox stopped talking and watched quietly, wanting to see how this war would ultimately end.

After Ace escaped, he immediately rushed to Whitebeard and fought alongside Whitebeard.

"Pops, I'm here." Ace was extremely excited. He had been very worried earlier because he could only watch and couldn't do anything! Seeing his comrades fall one by one was very painful for him. However, he was helpless because he was handcuffed and couldn't move!

Now that he's finally free, he can finally unleash his full potential. He can also lend a hand when his companions can't win.

"Very good, now you lead everyone and start escaping towards the sea!" the Whitebeard nodded and said.

Their mission was complete; there was no need for them to stay. Their only option was to escape. Otherwise, everyone would die.

The navy has gone mad; if they don't leave, they'll have to fight to the death. They didn't come to attack the navy; they came to rescue people. Now that the people have been rescued, they should leave.

Staying here would only increase casualties. These were his children; he didn't want them to die here in vain.

They have already sacrificed enough; there is no need for further bloodshed.

"And what about you?" Fire Fist Ace asked.

"I'll stay behind to cover the retreat. You all hurry up and leave! You and Marco are in charge; take everyone and get out of here," Whitebeard said.

Someone has to cover their retreat; there's no doubt about that. There are many naval personnel here, including Admiral and Vice Admiral. If no one intervenes, none of them will be able to escape.

The marines were enraged and wouldn't just stand by and watch them leave. So, they had to intervene and stop them.

If everyone stays, it's pointless; staying is tantamount to death!

He was the strongest Whitebeard Pirates, so it was the best thing for him to stay behind and cover the retreat.

He alone can hold off most of the people, which is excellent news for the Whitebeard Pirates.

"No, that's too dangerous, you'll die." Fire Fist Ace firmly disagreed and shook his head.

"Hehe, Ace, don't be stubborn. Let's go!" Whitebeard chuckled and said.

After saying that, he roared and gave the last captain's order: everyone should escape from here and return to the New World.

Whitebeard issued this order because he knew his end was near; even if he left, he probably wouldn't live much longer. Therefore, he decided to die here to buy enough time for the children.

Once the children have escaped back to the New World, he can leave this world in peace.

Upon hearing Whitebeard's captain's order, all the members of the Whitebeard Pirates were deeply saddened, because their Pops had treated them so well! But now he was about to leave them, and naturally, they were heartbroken.

However, their Pops had already given the order; they had to leave, or it would be disrespectful to Pops.

After a moment's hesitation, everyone rushed towards the beach.

Ace knew his Pops's personality; once he made up his mind, he wouldn't easily change it. You couldn't pull him back even if you used nine oxen to do it.

He hesitated for a moment, then knelt on the ground and kowtowed several times to the Whitebeard to express his gratitude.

This time, if Whitebeard hadn't come to rescue him with his pirate crew, he wouldn't have survived. He was taken to Marine Headquarters, where Fleet Admiral Sengoku, the Three Admirals, the Shichibukai, and a number of Vice Admiral were located.

It would have been impossible for Fanxin to break through the encirclement and rescue him from the execution platform on his own. It was precisely because of the Whitebeard Pirates' presence that the Navy dared not focus their attention elsewhere. Therefore, Fanxin had an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

Therefore, he must remember this kindness. Without Whitebeard, there would be no Ace on the high seas.

"Alright, let's go!" Whitebeard shouted.

Ace nodded, immediately stood up, and rushed outside. When he reached his younger brother Luffy, he Luffy and rushed towards the distant beach.

The members of the Whitebeard Pirates began their great escape. Everyone rushed outwards.

Seeing that the pirates were trying to escape, the marines immediately gave chase.

However, Whitebeard did not grant their wish, as Whitebeard used his earthquake power to split the entire island in two.

There is a huge gap between the two parts, tens of meters wide. It's impossible for a person to pass through.

The marines were left with Whitebeard, while the pirates remained on the other side. This made it virtually impossible for the Marines to pursue the Whitebeard Pirates.

"Everyone, leave! The Whitebeard Pirates will be counting on you from now on!" Whitebeard shouted.

He had reached the end of his life, and even if he wanted to, he couldn't manage the Whitebeard Pirates anymore. From now on, the crew would have to rely on everyone to keep it going. If they couldn't keep it going, then the Whitebeard Pirates would become history.

Mars, Ace, and all the pirates who reached the other side bowed several times to Whitebeard. Afterward, they all left and headed off into the distance.

Whitebeard was right there, fighting those enraged marines. Neither side showed any mercy.

Ace led Luffy away into the distance.

On their way, the two brothers encountered Aokiji, who stopped them and wouldn't let them leave.

Ace immediately pulled Luffy behind him. Luffy was no match for Aokiji because Aokiji was Logia user, Luffy hadn't even Haki yet, so he couldn't match Aokiji at all. If he were to fight Aokiji, he would surely die.

But he's different, because he's already mastered Haki, and he's also made of fire. Fire can counter ice abilities! So, to some extent, he's slightly stronger than Aokiji.

Of course, if it were truly a fight to the death, it would be impossible for Ace to kill Aokiji. Because Aokiji is Admiral, and an Admiral is not someone who can be easily killed.

Ace unleashed flames, engulfing an area of several meters around him. Then, he manipulated the flames to fight against Aokiji.

Aokiji immediately turned into ice, creating a giant ice bird that attacked Ace.

Ace manipulated flames, transforming into a firebird to confront the ice bird. The two birds fought fiercely, neither giving an inch.

Luffy stood to the side, not moving, because there was Admiral right in front of him. He couldn't rush forward; if he did, it would be troublesome.

The two birds fought for a while, and after a few minutes, the ice bird was defeated and melted into water by the fire bird.

After dealing with the ice bird, Ace Luffy grabbed Luffy and rushed forward. Aokiji didn't stop them; in fact, if he had, it would have been impossible for Ace and Luffy to leave.

When an Admiral gets angry, it's terrifying. Ace's strength wasn't even as great as Admiral's, and he had a burden to carry with him, so it was even less likely that he could fight with all his might.

Therefore, rather than saying that Ace defeated Aokiji, it would be more accurate to say that Aokiji deliberately let them go.

Aokiji did this because Garp had once saved him! And these two were Garp's grandsons, so he didn't want to kill them. Therefore, it was acceptable for him to just pretend to stop them. If he were to fight to the death to stop them, he would feel guilty.

Ace glanced back at Aokiji, seemingly lost in thought. Then, without further ado, he left.

They raced forward, with Ace leading the charge, defeating all who stood in their way. They encountered no obstacles along the way.

They ran as fast as they could, getting closer and closer to the sea.

However, just when they thought they could escape, the ground suddenly became scorching hot. Moments later, the place where they stood turned into lava.

Ace and Luffy's shoes disappeared in an instant, burned to ashes.

Ace reacted quickly, grabbing Luffy and leaping out of the lava zone.

Once they reached the edge of the lava zone, Ace immediately pulled Luffy behind him. He stared intently at the billowing lava, his expression grave.

Because he knew who was coming. In the Navy, besides Akainu, there is no one else who can transform into magma.

Akainu is an absolute hardliner. He fought with his Pops earlier and punched a huge hole in his Pops's chest. Although his Pops also seriously injured Akainu, knocking him into the crevice, Akainu's vitality was strong, and he did not die.

Now that he's after them, they're in danger. This guy is different from Aokiji. Aokiji might put on a show and let them go, but this guy won't. He hates criminals, especially since they're the descendants of two of the biggest criminals. Akainu is even less likely to let them go.

Therefore, Ace was extremely cautious because he was no match for Luffy, and Luffy was even more so! As a result, his burden was extremely heavy.

"Luffy, you go first, I'll hold them off here," Ace shouted.

With Luffy beside him, he was worried. Akainu was powerful and extremely fierce. He feared the battle might affect Luffy. Therefore, he had no choice but to let him leave.

"Be careful," Luffy nodded and said. He didn't insist, because he was indeed no match for Admiral, and his presence would only cause trouble for Ace.

"Don't worry! Let's go." Ace nodded and shouted.

Upon hearing Luffy, Luffy no longer hesitated and immediately rushed towards the sea.

Ace, on the other hand, faced Admiral Akainu alone.

"You think you can escape? You're dreaming." Akainu said coldly. Lava was rolling around his body, and the surrounding temperature rose considerably because of him. People dared not approach because the lava was too hot.

"Hmph, I'm free now. Catching me won't be an easy task," Ace said with a light snort.

When he was trapped, he was helpless because his abilities were sealed! He couldn't do anything he wanted to do.

However, he is now free and can use his abilities freely. Now, even if he faces Admiral, he dares to exchange a few blows with him.

"Is that so? Then let's give it a try!" Akainu scoffed and said.

Having said that, he no longer hesitated and launched a fierce attack on Ace. He swung his Magma Fist and punched Ace. Ace didn't hold back either, immediately unleashing his Fire Fist to attack Akainu.

A moment later, the two fists collided.

One was fire, the other lava. Neither side would give way.

However, a moment later, Ace was the first to withdraw his fist. He screamed and knelt on the ground in great pain.

His fists were burned, scalded by the intense heat of the lava. He was fire, after all; it was unbelievable that he'd been burned.

Upon hearing Ace's scream, the Whitebeard Pirates members all stopped in their tracks, their faces filled with disbelief at the sight of Ace in such agony.

Ace was incredibly strong; in their eyes, Ace shouldn't have lost. But now that the facts were as they were, they didn't know what to say.

In the distance, Luffy, who was running, stopped immediately upon hearing his older brother's scream. Seeing Ace's pained expression, he felt a pang of unease. He ran towards Ace, ready to help Ace.

"Hmph, it's just flames. Mine is magma that can burn flames. Fire Fist Ace, your death is near. This day next year will be your death anniversary." Akainu snorted and said.

He didn't take Ace seriously at all, because he was confident he could defeat Ace! He was prepared to execute Ace right now.

Ace was originally supposed to be executed on the Execution Platform. However, now that the Execution Platform has been destroyed, there's no need for him to follow the rules anymore.

Ace was burned and was unable to fight at all. Seeing Akainu walking towards him step by step, Ace's expression was very solemn.

"Ace, Ace, get out of the way!" Luffy shouted as he charged in from afar.

Ace is injured and can no longer stop Akainu. If he stays there, he will definitely suffer a great loss. His only chance to save his life is to escape.

"Luffy, don't come any closer! Run! Run!" Ace's expression changed drastically when he saw Luffy back. Luffy was no match for Akainu. If he charged at him, it would be tantamount to suicide.

However, Luffy ignored him and kept charging towards them.

Ace was getting more and more anxious; the closer Luffy got to him, the greater the danger he was in.

Akainu originally intended to kill Ace, but seeing Straw Hat Boy charging towards him, he hatched a plan and rushed towards Straw Hat Boy, intending to kill him first.

Ace is already injured, so he can put him aside for now. He can deal with the Straw Hat Boy first, and then he can execute Ace later.