Sengoku and the Three Admirals' Siege

Although Whitebeard defeated Akainu with a single blow, his own complexion wasn't much better. The accumulated injuries had deteriorated to an unimaginable degree; even a mere exchange with a Marine Admiral had left him feeling powerless. The Whitebeard once struck fear into the hearts of the entire world... was ultimately just an ordinary person with a heart, and as he aged, he needed intravenous drips to prolong his life...

All heroes grow old eventually; it's just that unsuspecting outsiders have always regarded them as immortal legends...

Whitebeard planted the hilt of his naginata on the ground with his right hand, surveying the entire Marineford. Although he held the upper hand in his battle with Akainu, the situation on other battlefields was not so optimistic. Jozu, tightly bound by Aokiji, Marco Kizaru, and several other division commanders and fleet captains were all firmly restrained by the Marine officers. While the Shichibukai, each with their own agendas, had not yet gone all out, even so, their combined strength was steadily tilting the scales of the war in the Marines' favor...

This endless war did not improve with Ace's rescue; on the contrary, it intensified.

The Whitebeard Pirates escaping unscathed are extremely slim...

"Whitebeard..." Sengoku, who should have been sitting in the center and overseeing the overall Sengoku, had no choice but to join the battle. Knowing the importance of capturing the leader first, he decided to take action against Whitebeard first.

"It's you, you old fox, Sengoku..." Whitebeard looked at his opponent, "We haven't fought for over twenty years... Are you trying to stop me today?"

"Time waits for no one..." Sengoku didn't answer directly, but simply looked at Whitebeard. "More than twenty years have passed in a flash. Now, both of us have become old and frail, ravaged by time. And this mess that has dragged the [Navy] and [Pirates] into it is destined to have an outcome... and that outcome can only be the defeat of the [Whitebeard Pirates]..."

"Kurarararara--" Whitebeard laughed, "Your ambition as Fleet Admiral has far surpassed what it was before..." He smirked, "But are you confident...?"

"Only 50%."

In Whitebeard's understanding, Sengoku was always a very cautious person. Because of this, the 50% chance of victory he mentioned was actually at least 70%. In other words, the Whitebeard Pirates' chance of winning was at most 30%!

Whitebeard was well aware of this. The enemy had used Ace as bait, mobilizing all their forces to set up a grand scheme. From the very beginning, the Whitebeard Pirates were at a disadvantage playing on foreign soil. Turning the tide would not be an easy task. Even now that Ace had been rescued, the Navy would not let the matter rest...

If this war can only end with sacrifices... then only we ourselves can guide its outcome...

"Listen up, everyone in the Whitebeard Pirates, leave this place to me... Retreat immediately, do not linger in battle, this is [the Captain's] final order!!"

Whitebeard shouted at all the pirates in Marineford Plaza, then gathered Tremor-Tremor power in both hands and unleashed it to both sides, "Sengoku... if you think you can do it, then give it a try!"

The shockwave caused Marineford to shake violently, and the ground cracked open in all directions, spreading outwards towards the edge of the island, as if plowed!

"No... You want to destroy Marineford, sink it into the sea, and perish with us? We cannot let you succeed!!"

Sengoku's expression changed drastically, instantly transforming into a golden Buddha statue over twenty meters tall. The Buddha's golden fist suddenly slammed towards his opponent, generating a massive shockwave that clashed with Whitebeard's earth-shattering shockwave!

The earth-shattering clash between the two sides overshadowed all other battles in Marineford, with shockwaves spreading in all directions in one after another!

The naval officers were also stunned, feeling an unprecedented sense of pressure.

"It was the great battle between the Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Whitebeard —what a terrifying battle!"

"No, we're doomed! The whole island will be destroyed!"

"Pops!!"

Marco, Jozu, Ace, and all the other division commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates, who had been fighting and retreating, suddenly became uneasy.

Taking advantage of the shockwave from Whitebeard, Buggy quickly distanced himself from Garp and retreated, abandoning the fight. Garp, also separated by the shockwave, was forced to stop and abandon his pursuit of Buggy. He turned his gaze to the battle between Sengoku and Whitebeard, and said in a deep voice, "Shall we settle things with [the era]...?"

"Is this the power to destroy the world, fufufufu--" Donquixote Doflamingo, standing beside the Execution Platform, burst into inappropriate laughter. "This is more fun, isn't it, Gecko Moria..."

Moria staggered to his feet from the ruins, covered in wounds. He touched the blood on his face and roared, "Donquixote Doflamingo... you bastard, you wanted to see me make a fool of myself, didn't you? Damn it!"

"Fufufufu--" Donquixote Doflamingo Bullet String his fingers, "You really are pathetic. First you were defeated by the Straw Hat, and then you showed this wretched state to the whole world. How can you still have the face to be a [Shichibukai]... Disappearing from this war is the best end for you..."

Gecko Moria gritted his teeth, "What are you trying to do, you bastard...?"

"Fufufufu--" Donquixote Doflamingo laughed arrogantly, "Of course, I'll strip you of your [Shichibukai] status... and while we're at it Vice Admiral this chaos!"

A bead of cold sweat trickled down Gecko Moria's forehead. He asked, both surprised and doubtful, "Is this Sengoku's order?!"

"No, it's even higher up!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Donquixote Doflamingo unleashed his Five Color Strings at his opponent without mercy!

At this moment, the eyes of the entire world were focused on the screen broadcasting the entire war live. Whitebeard's terrifying power shocked everyone watching, and countless civilians felt a deep sense of powerless despair.

"Is that the power of the Four Emperors...? Whitebeard, he was a nightmare of an era. I truly hope this nightmare ends here and doesn't continue into the next generation..."

"Is the Navy going to lose...? I'm afraid the entire Marine Headquarters will be destroyed!"

"What will become of this era...? Even the navy, our only protector, has suffered such a defeat..."

In contrast to the despair of ordinary people, countless pirates around the world were excited and thrilled.

Pirates from the South Blue: "Haha, the Marine Headquarters is about to be destroyed! From now on, no one will be able to stop us from living a carefree life. Those damned 'seagulls,' it's time for us to rule!"

Pirates from the West Blue: "Brothers, the Navy is too busy to deal with us. Today we'll plunder that town ahead, and kill all those who resist, men and women alike!"

Pirates on the Grand Line: "We'll storm the Marine Base, kill the Marines, and take over Nuno Village! Nobody can stop us!"

Marineford Square.

"Diamond Jozu... your aura is off..." Aokiji dodged Jozu's fierce charge, brushed his hand across Jozu's arm, and instantly a thin layer of ice covered the latter's arm. Having found a way to break through the opponent's Armament Haki, Aokiji's attack became even more fierce, and Jozu's movements were suddenly and firmly restrained!

Meanwhile, Marco, in a moment of hesitation, was pierced through the body by Kizaru's laser, but he was not seriously injured. His blue flames enveloped the pierced part of his body and gradually closed up.

Sengoku, who was giving it his all, was desperately trying to stop Whitebeard's continued destruction, but the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's attacks had a wide range, and even Sengoku was helpless against the damage caused by Whitebeard's attacks.

"Support Pops!!"

The Whitebeard Pirates had originally planned to retreat, stopped and quietly resumed their movements, launching a counterattack.

"These idiots!!" Whitebeard, who had just fought Sengoku, punched his opponent back and roared angrily, "Whitebeard Pirates, listen up! I'm saying goodbye to you all right here. You must all return to the New World alive and well... I am a remnant of an era, and there are no more ships for me to board here... I have been traveling for a long time, and it's time to settle things with the Navy!"

"We can't leave Pops behind, let's go back together..."

"Pops..."

"Waaah... Absolutely not, we absolutely cannot abandon our Pops who has been so kind to us!"

The pirates' excited yet uneasy voices rose and fell. They all knew that if the battle continued, the entire Whitebeard Pirates might be wiped out here... But how could they bear to let Whitebeard cover their retreat alone!

"You little rascals, get out of here!!"

Whitebeard looked at the pirates in the plaza, then threw a punch out of thin air. The massive shockwave created an insurmountable chasm in the middle of Marineford Plaza.

"Hurry up! Do as Pops says!" The captains of the Whitebeard Pirates, prioritizing the overall situation, suppressed their intense pain and reluctance, and ordered their men to board the ship in preparation for retreat.

"Ace!" Seeing Ace stop in his tracks, Luffy couldn't help but call out, "Let's go, it's Uncle's decision..."

"I understand! I won't let Pops's efforts go to waste!" Ace's face was full of gloom. He sent the marines behind him flying with a Fire Fist, cleared his gaze from Whitebeard, and then knelt down on the ground with a "thud," silently kowtowing to Whitebeard in the distance.

"No need for further explanation... I'll just ask you one question: have I been a good enough father...?"

Ace, tears streaming down his face, choked back sobs, "Of course..."

"Kuralalalala--" The Whitebeard burst into laughter.

"Stop... Whitebeard, we can't let you continue to wreak havoc with impunity!!"

Sengoku, who had been repelled, pressed forward again towards Whitebeard. Even Whitebeard, facing his old rival, slowly froze his smile, no longer showing any ease.

Unlike Whitebeard, Sengoku, after being promoted from Admiral to Fleet Admiral, remained stationed at Marineford, spending most of his time processing reports and intelligence, and rarely personally engaging pirates. Even though his years of pampered life had diminished his strength, compared to the heavily wounded Whitebeard, he showed no physical strain. Unlike Akainu's high-destructive, explosive attacks, Sengoku's attacks were more sophisticated, completely restraining Whitebeard's movements and leaving him little opportunity to do anything else.

The disadvantage of age has caused both of them to decline in strength, but due to differences in status, environment, and other factors, one declined slightly faster and the other declined slightly slower.

At that very moment, a yellow light flashed beside Whitebeard, whose movements were being restrained by Sengoku.

"Yo~~ [The Four Emperors] are really terrifying, but you might as well give up struggling..."

Kizaru stopped engaging the retreating Marco and instantly appeared beside Whitebeard using the Yata Mirror. A laser beam shot towards Whitebeard's chest, which was now beyond his defenses, and pierced through it.

Blood suddenly spilled from the corner of Whitebeard's mouth. He slammed his right fist toward Sengoku, while his left hand swung his naginata at Kizaru. However, Kizaru retreated immediately, transforming into countless points of light to evade Whitebeard's attack range.

"If we can't take you down even with this much strength, then we've really miscalculated..."

After Aokiji suppressed and defeated Jozu, he rushed over. He stretched his arms forward slightly, and two icy spears that exuded coldness condensed in the air and suddenly shot towards Whitebeard!

Before Whitebeard could retract his naginata aimed at Kizaru, Aokiji's Partisan pierced his chest and emerged from his back, the icy chill instantly freezing the blood in his chest!

He groaned again, veins bulging on his arm, as he forcefully swept his naginata around, forcing back Aokiji who was about to fight and retreat, Sengoku who launched a Sengoku, and Kizaru who kept harassing him.

Even Whitebeard was overwhelmed and panting heavily when facing these three top-tier naval forces. After only a few exchanges, he found himself at a complete disadvantage.

Aokiji's body radiated icy energy, and the ice, piercing to the bone, completely froze Whitebeard's right foot. "Continuing to resist will only make your death more painful... Whitebeard..."

"That's incredible, he can hold out for so long, it's terrifying..." Kizaru continued to casually use his laser to cut one hole after another into Whitebeard's body.

Whitebeard put down his naginata, gripped it tightly with both hands, and instantly exerted force to both sides. The air on both sides Chop-Chop like glass being hit by a stone, and the shockwaves that churned up like a tidal wave blasted Aokiji and Kizaru away at the same time. The two dared not be careless and quickly retreated a distance to reduce the enormous force of the shockwaves.

After Whitebeard unleashed this attack, he listlessly gripped the naginata stuck in the ground to support his body, clenching his teeth tightly.

"The Hellhound!"

Just then, a slight sound rang out behind him, and the scorching heat instantly approached the back of the Whitebeard who was already struggling to continue. Accompanied by a heart-wrenching pain, a huge, scorching hole was pierced through his abdomen!

Whitebeard coughed up a mouthful of blood with a "pfft," and his body, which he had been struggling to support, bent slightly.