Whitebeard's final blow

Just as Whitebeard was gathering his strength for a powerful attack, the ground suddenly cracked open, and Akainu Sakazuki, Admiral in blood, emerged from the fissure.

Because of his Observation Haki, even when trapped underground, he could still sense what was happening on the surface.

As soon as he came out, he went straight for Ace and Luffy.

Sakazuki truly lived up to his reputation as Fleet Admiral Sengoku's chosen successor; he genuinely considered issues from a strategic, overarching perspective and recognized Ace's value to the Whitebeard Pirates.

Given that Whitebeard was doomed, killing Ace would wipe out the Whitebeard Pirates, so why not do it?

Kuzan and Borsalino were a bit less inclined to think that way. Even when they saw Sakazuki's actions, they were just puzzled and assumed he was obsessed with the honor of the Navy.

Shazo realized that this was a product of the combination of the political qualities required of East University and the ability to foresee the plot.

But what he was thinking was: Red Dog! Are you blind? You go and kill people without even looking at your surroundings!

The current Whitebeard is different from the original storyline. He didn't have half his head knocked off by Akainu, or have a hole punched in his heart. He just used too much force, which aggravated his old injuries.

Moreover, in his battle with Shazo, he unleashed a sudden surge of potential, almost like a dying ember.

In other words, Whitebeard is a very strong fighter right now!

Sakazuki rushed forward to kill Ace, but—as expected, he was held down by Whitebeard.

Akainu Admiral had a chance to tell Ace the secret that the Magma-Magma Fruit was a superior version of the Flame-Flame Fruit.

Boom!!!

Whitebeard, whose body was still intact and who possessed formidable fighting power, didn't give Sakazuki and Ace a chance to face each other. He intercepted them halfway and punched them hard into the ground.

An irresistible force shattered Armament Haki, and the shockwave permeated Akainu's limbs and bones, causing them to creak and groan.

This was the second time Sakazuki had been hit with Whitebeard's full power. The residual shockwave within his body was completely detonated, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood in a miserable state.

Such severe injuries were so intense that even a tough Akainu couldn't suppress the excruciating pain and let out a scream!

"I was distracted by Shazo and lost focus for a moment, almost letting you raid my base," Whitebeard said thankfully. Then he turned to Ace and shouted, "Run! Pops can't hold on much longer!"

"Only if you leave can the Whitebeard Pirates continue. Don't let the family I built be destroyed!"

Ace now realized he was a burden to his Pops. He was in great pain and sobbed uncontrollably, but he stopped resisting and, with tears streaming down his face, was pulled by Luffy over the fallen wall.

Whitebeard Pirates, the Okama King of the Revolutionary Army, and Jinbe of the Shichibukai, followed the two brothers over the wall and fled outside.

"Ugh... cough cough cough, damn Whitebeard!"

With a scream, Sakazuki up. Although many of his bones were shattered, his pride wouldn't allow him to fall before a pirate.

Even if that pirate is Whitebeard.

Whitebeard lowered his head, staring at Sakazuki, his eyes practically spitting fire. "Akainu brat, you actually dared to try and kill my son right in front of me! You deserve to die!"

Whitebeard's eyes flashed with murderous intent as he looked at Akainu. Taking advantage of his final moments of lucidity, he drew strength from his body once more and swung his great naginata at Sakazuki's head.

However, Sakazuki was not alone on the battlefield at this time. There were two other Admiral not far away, as well as the monster Commodore Shazo.

Kizaru transformed into a beam of light, first blocking Whitebeard's path, using his Sword Pressure the charging naginata.

Aokiji then caught up and froze Whitebeard's right elbow joint, preventing him from exerting force.

Moreover, the ice layer continued to extend, seemingly intending to freeze him completely and eventually capture him.

Whitebeard unleashed his power as usual, combining Armament Haki with the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. However, unexpectedly, he failed to destroy Aokiji's ice blocks or shatter Kizaru's lightsaber.

Whitebeard was stunned, as were Kizaru and Aokiji.

Shazo sighed inwardly, "Since ancient times, beauties and famous generals are not allowed to grow old in this world."

Indeed, even the Superstar cannot escape the ravages of time; aging and illness are the inescapable fates of warriors.

Whitebeard's sudden burst of energy failed, which instead aggravated his old injuries.

Even more seriously, he had been bleeding for so long that almost all the blood in his body had flowed out, and the veins on his arm were clearly visible to have sunken in.

At this moment, Whitebeard felt dizzy and weak in his limbs. The great naginata he raised was so heavy that even without the two Admiral stopping him, he would not be able to make the final cut.

Whitebeard's attack failed; his eyes were lifeless, and his hands were raised high, exposing his vulnerable chest, giving Sakazuki the perfect opportunity to counterattack.

Without the slightest hesitation, Admiral Akainu's left hand instantly transformed into lava and shot out.

[Hell Hound]

Sakazuki's left hand, billowing black smoke, struck Whitebeard in the chest before he could react.

Many people like to shoot someone in the head, but those soldiers who often kill know that a shot to the head may not necessarily kill, but a shot to the heart is certain death.

His broken body could not keep up with Whitebeard's will; he could neither launch an attack nor make a quick dodge.

Faced with Akainu's sudden counterattack, Whitebeard could do nothing but watch helplessly as the Lava Hand attacked his body and pierced through it.

Sakazuki pierced Whitebeard's body, specifically his heart. He could even clearly feel how Whitebeard's weak heart was pierced by his own lava and burned to a crisp.

Akainu Admiral revealed a smug smile, which, combined with the bloodstains on his face, made him look incredibly ferocious.

Then, Sakazuki turned around and shouted at the bewildered marines, "What are you all standing there for?"

"Whitebeard is dead! Hunt down the pirates and annihilate the Whitebeard Pirates!"

Yes! Yes!

"Yes! Annihilate the Whitebeard Pirates completely!"

The navy personnel, as if waking from a dream, sprang into action and rushed towards the fleeing pirates.

With Ace's escape, the Navy's plan had failed. To avenge this humiliation, they had to pursue and kill all the Whitebeard Pirates members.

At the very least, kill Ace.

A punctured heart is an absolute fatal wound, and an instantaneous one.

However, Whitebeard's body had lost too much blood, and his heart was no longer able to beat. On the contrary, the unimaginable pain made him draw some strength once again by resisting his body's instinct for death.

Whitebeard's mind cleared, and he didn't even dare to breathe, fearing that if he took another breath, he would die instantly.

He held his breath and threw a final punch at Sakazuki. This time, his weakened stamina was merely a trigger, its sole purpose being to unleash the full power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.

Crack! Crack! Crack! The seemingly powerless fist unleashed a torrent of Devil Fruit power, shattering Liao Kong with a deafening roar. Silver-white Spatial Rift opened along Sakazuki's body and spread outwards.

Without sufficient physical strength to sustain it, the Spatial Rift was instantly closed by spatial forces and disappeared.

But the shockwave from the spatial closure erupted, and the invisible air pressure shook Sakazuki and the naval soldiers behind him who had reacted.

A loud bang was heard, and dust and gravel flew everywhere.

A massive crack appeared beneath Sakazuki's feet, the earth collapsed, and the bottomless fissure suddenly widened, revealing large chunks of...

Large chunks of Shattering rock slid down the collapsed ground.

Akainu Admiral the first to be hit. He was also seriously injured and rendered powerless by the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, leaving him helpless as he fell into the dark Abyssal One for the second time.

Behind Sakazuki, a long, deep rift swallowed up even more naval soldiers.

The marines lost their footing and could only fall involuntarily deeper into the crevice.

However, the naval soldiers were not Whitebeard's target; his target was somewhere much further away.

The enormous crack continued to extend, eventually stretching from the melted bay to the plaza, and finally cutting through the entire plaza, heading directly towards the largest and most prominent building.

In the previous two fierce attacks, although Whitebeard destroyed the foundations of Marineford, his main target, the main building that represented the face of the Navy, remained unscathed under the protection of the Navy.

This was Whitebeard's last chance, because he could no longer activate the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power.

The cracks spread outwards, causing all the buildings in their path to collapse with a deafening roar, raising clouds of dust.

No one could see the cracks spreading; they could only hear the sound of the building collapsing.

A few seconds later, the terrible tremors finally stopped, and the earth returned to calm.

A sea breeze blew in from the northwest, dispersing the smoke that Marineford. The sailors stared in disbelief at the representatives of the Navy.

Marineford.

The main building, decorated with naval insignia, was pierced by a huge crack and completely divided into two parts.

Because the foundation had been damaged beforehand, the cracked structure became misaligned, causing the world's largest naval marker to crack as well.

The naval officers and soldiers were dumbfounded.

Today, they have suffered two major setbacks.

The first instance was when Admiral Akainu attacked the Ice Field indiscriminately, and countless officers with Devil Fruit abilities drowned in the harbor in frustration.

The second time was this scene before our eyes: Marineford, which was said to never fall, was destroyed.

The naval officers and soldiers all felt that their beliefs had been completely destroyed.

"Marine Headquarters —has it cracked?"

"The facade of Justice has been shattered by pirates—"

"The navy is finished, the seas are finished, there is no hope for Justice!"

Some sailors muttered to themselves, while others roared in anger; they were all overwhelmed by pain, loss, resentment, and shame, their inner Kunai.

The Fleet Admiral Sengoku was also in pain, but he remained outwardly calm, instead roaring, "What are you all so frustrated about?"

Marine Headquarters can be rebuilt, but the belief in Justice will never disappear!

"Now, everyone, pull yourselves together and destroy Whitebeard and his sinful pirate crew!"

Sengoku's order roused the naval officers and men. They composed themselves, wiped away their tears, and charged toward Whitebeard with shouts.

Go for it!

But there was no need for these ordinary naval officers and soldiers at all; Admiral Kizaru and Admiral Aokiji had already launched their attack.

Exhausted and withered, Whitebeard could no longer wield his great naginata. He was even too weak to throw a punch, and could only raise his hands to slightly block the attack, allowing the two Marine Admiral to assault him.

Golden lightsabers and white ice blades slashed at his body, each strike sending blood and flesh flying, but Whitebeard refused to fall or retreat an inch, stubbornly blocking the Navy's advance.

More and more attacks came crashing down, but Whitebeard took them all without flinching, his mind focused on only two things:

Don't give up!

Give my sons more time!

Upon seeing such a Whitebeard, some pirates retreated while wailing and crying.

Some pirates, seeing the towering figure standing firm on the battlefield, felt their hearts breaking. They turned back without regard for their own lives, wanting to stand with their Pops and die with him.

We must at least not let him leave alone.

At this point, Whitebeard was blind and deaf, and had no idea that someone was standing beside him.

He thought he was shouting, but it was actually a very weak, hoarse murmur, "Go, my sons, the sea awaits you—"

"Don't look back. This is Pops's final order. No one is allowed to look back."

In the end, half of the Whitebeard Pirates escaped and ran towards the nearby port, where there were pirate ships they could use to evacuate.

Seeing the pirates escape, the Marine soldiers, their eyes bloodshot, launched a frenzied attack on Whitebeard.

More and more marines surrounded him, but the pirates surrounding Whitebeard remained unfazed.

Knowing they were doomed, these pirates became even more frenzied. In battle, they didn't care about killing; they only sought death and took as many marines as possible with them.

As long as their flag, that figure that stands firm no matter how many attacks it withstands, remains standing, these pirates will never admit defeat.

The Marines fought for the Justice they believed in, while the Whitebeard Pirates fought for their families. In this final battle of their destiny, both sides fought with unwavering resolve.

Neither the pirates nor the navy backed down; both were prepared to fight to the death.

Such a battle is destined to be a tragedy; this war is destined to have no winners.

But whatever the outcome, this man who ruled the Great Pirate Era will bring his life to a close with a battle destined to be recorded in history.

Whitebeard's breathing was weakening, and everyone realized that his death was imminent, signifying the end of an old era.

The Fleet Admiral Sengoku stood on the high platform, feeling the approaching death of Whitebeard, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

This was his enemy, whom he had fought all his life, and now that he was finally going to die, the feeling of shared sorrow made Sengoku's heart tremble involuntarily.

The Fleet Admiral Sengoku thought about his future; after the battle ended, he would be forced to retire due to his failed strategy.

The era of Sakazuki is about to begin, but what about Kuzan?