The members of the Whitebeard Pirates froze when they heard the order. Then, like deflated balloons, they collapsed to the ground one after another.
Marco flapped his wings and landed beside Ace, his voice full of exhaustion. "Let's go."
Ace nodded, but his eyes still held complicated emotions.
He looked toward Mu Chen at the center of the plaza. Their gazes met in the air, and neither said a word.
Seeing both sides stop fighting, Shanks finally let out a sigh of relief.
He gave Sengoku a slight nod. "Thank you, Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
Sengoku did not respond. He merely turned and walked toward the execution platform.
The Navy had won this war, but it had paid a terrible price. He needed time to sort through it all.
In a tavern on the Sabaody Archipelago, pirates watching the projection of both sides halting their attacks instantly erupted into an uproar.
"They stopped!"
"They actually stopped!"
"The Navy won! The Whitebeard Pirates surrendered!"
"Red-Hair really is amazing. One sentence, and the war ended."
An old pirate drained his cup in one gulp and sighed.
"There were no real winners in this war. The Navy won, but suffered devastating losses. The Whitebeard Pirates survived, but lost their leader."
Trafalgar Law frowned, tracing circles across the tabletop with his fingertips.
"This war is over, but the balance of the seas has been completely changed."
"Whitebeard is dead, Blackbeard has been sealed, and the balance among the Four Emperors has been shattered. Things will only get more chaotic from now on."
Kid clenched his fists, his eyes brimming with excitement.
"Chaos is good. That's how we get our chance. One day, I'll become one of the new Four Emperors."
The afterglow of the setting sun gradually sank beyond the horizon. In Marineford's plaza, only