Accompanied by a Crisp Sound

"Crack..." With a crisp sound, the surging seawater that had been rushing in like a ferocious beast, about to engulf the entire Marine Headquarters, instantly froze into ice, as if time itself had stood still. This sudden change left everyone present astonished.

"Aokiji has finally made his move!" Moke's lips curled into a slightly enigmatic smile as he muttered to himself, "However, now is not the best time!" Before he finished speaking, he flashed and moved like a ghost to a high place. After standing firmly, he quietly observed the development of the battlefield from behind.

By this time, the sea was completely covered by ice, like a giant mirror reflecting the sunlight and Shine with dazzling light. Taking advantage of this brief respite, the Whitebeard Pirates charged towards the port like tigers descending a mountain. They were all agile, their momentum unstoppable, and their battle cries were deafening.

However, Moke's gaze remained fixed on Akainu the entire time, never wavering. Sure enough, it wasn't long before he noticed Akainu making a move. Akainu Fudō moved towards the edge of the battlefield, skillfully avoiding the sight of others, and successfully lured one of his opponents to a relatively secluded corner. The two then began to talk in hushed tones, seemingly plotting something important.

"Tsk tsk..." Moke's lips curled into a strange smile. He carefully maintained a certain distance, not daring to get too close. Nevertheless, with his keen insight into the characteristics of various people accumulated over the years, he was already certain that the person in front of him was the infamous Great Whirlpool Spider — Squard!

It's important to understand that even in his advanced age, severely injured, and plagued by illness, Whitebeard Edward Elric Newgate still firmly held the title of the world's strongest shogun. Even top-tier powerhouses like Marine Headquarters Admiral Akainu Sakazuki and former Fleet Admiral Sengoku had to meticulously plan their attacks before daring to confront him directly. They would first devise a strategy to severely injure Whitebeard before even daring to engage him in battle. This alone demonstrates the immense power Intimidation Whitebeard wielded as the world's strongest man!

This time, Moke secretly vowed never to let Akainu and Sengoku's conspiracy succeed. Just as Akainu and that person gradually separated and walked further and further away, Moke seized the opportunity and suddenly appeared like a ghost, firmly blocking the person's path.

Only now could Moke clearly see the man's true appearance. He was about forty years old, with long, flowing hair and a striking spiderweb pattern on his forehead. He grinned, revealing sharp fangs, and occasionally licked his lips with his scarlet tongue; his ferocious and terrifying face sent chills down one's spine. Even more striking were the two extremely sharp knives, one long and one short, hanging from his waist. Both his unique appearance and his distinctive weaponry exuded a highly individualistic and dangerous aura. Without a doubt, this guy was no pushover!

Just as Moke had predicted, the guy in front of him was indeed the infamous Squard. In the original story, his original pirate crew was ruthlessly wiped out by Gol D. Roger. However, what was even more unexpected was that Whitebeard had concealed a crucial secret from him— Ace was Roger's son.

As the saying goes, "the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind," the cunning and treacherous Akainu seized upon this fatal weakness and used it as a breakthrough to successfully turn Squard to his side with his silver tongue. Poor Squard so easily believed the elaborate lies woven by Akainu.

And so, in the midst of that fierce battle, taking advantage of the chaos, Squard, wielding an enormous blade, suddenly attacked Whitebeard. This unexpected blow caught Whitebeard off guard, who hadn't yet fully engaged in the fight, and he instantly suffered extremely serious injuries.

Just then, Squard suddenly noticed Moke not far away. He recognized the renowned "Shichibukai - Moke" at a glance. However, a hint of doubt appeared on his face as he asked, "You should be at the port, why are you here?"

Faced with Squard's questioning and angry outburst, Moke's expression remained unchanged, maintaining his enigmatic calm and composure. A subtle smile played at the corners of his lips as he calmly and deliberately replied, "Oh? Is that so? In that case, I'd like to ask you, why are you secretly meeting with that renowned Marine Admiral — Akainu— here?"

Moke's seemingly casual remark struck Squard like a bolt from the Squard! His pupils, already wide with tension, suddenly contracted sharply, as if he had been greatly shocked. Clearly, the astonishing amount of information revealed in Moke's words had completely caught Squard off guard, leaving him stunned, dumbfounded, and utterly at a loss for words.

After a long while, Squard finally snapped out of his daze, but his face still held a look of disbelief as he stammered, "You... you're not that famous Shichibukai? How could you..." Before he could finish, Moke nodded slightly in confirmation, then interrupted him, "That's right, I am indeed one of the Shichibukai. But, well, that doesn't seem to have much to do with what we're talking about right now, does it? Oh, right... there's a small favor I need to ask you, sir. Could you lend me your precious head for a while?"

Upon hearing Moke's blunt and ruthless demand, Squard exclaimed in shock, "What? What did you say?!" However, before he could react further, Moke suddenly flashed forward, launching a Zhou Yu and powerful kick at the wall beside him. With a deafening crash, the incredibly sturdy wall crumbled instantly, countless fragments of stone and brick flying everywhere, scattering across the ground and raising a cloud of dust.

Just as the Squard was filled with doubt and confusion, Moke had already swiftly bent down and picked up one of the enormous boulders. That boulder weighed at least several hundred pounds, but in Moke's hands, it was as easy as a toy. At this moment, Moke exuded a chilling aura, like a ferocious beast about to devour its prey.

The next second, the raging flames, like a ferocious fire dragon, swiftly engulfed the enormous rock. "Artificial Magma..." With a roar, Moke hurled the lava ball in his hand without hesitation. In an instant, a scorching wave of fire, like a surging torrent, swept towards the Squard with overwhelming force.

Before Squard could react, he was completely engulfed by the terrifying sea of fire. Endless flames licked at his body, the intense heat causing him excruciating pain, while scalding lava rained down on him, inflicting waves of agony. In the blink of an eye, Squard's entire body was covered in horrifying burns; even his tough Armored Titan couldn't withstand the onslaught. At the same time, boulders heated to an extreme temperature by the flames slammed into him like cannonballs, leaving him battered and gruesome.

However, Moke did not stop there. After a series of dazzling maneuvers, Squard suffered damage almost equivalent to being hit by Akainu's magma. At this point, Squard had lost the ability to resist and lay on the ground, barely alive.

Immediately afterwards, Moke effortlessly hoisted the heavy corpse of the Squard, then used his amazing Geppo skill to fly into the air as lightly as a bird. In the blink of an eye, he arrived at the location above Whitebeard.

Moke appeared before everyone like a bolt of Inazuma ripped through the night sky. His figure was as abrupt as a ghost, like a god descending from the heavens, instantly shattering the original tranquility and balance of the battlefield. This sudden change was like a powerful bomb being thrown into the once calm lake, instantly creating towering waves and countless splashes.

In that instant, everyone on the battlefield was drawn to Moke. Whether it was the disciplined naval soldiers in their white uniforms or the unrestrained and reckless pirates, their eyes were all fixed on this uninvited guest. For a moment, the noisy shouts of battle seemed to be suppressed by this powerful attraction, becoming faint and distant.

"Who is that? How could he suddenly appear here without any warning?" A naval soldier exclaimed in astonishment. His companion beside him also looked bewildered, clearly shocked and confused by the appearance of this mysterious figure.

However, before people could recover from their initial astonishment, a terrified scream rang out from the crowd, "My God! It's Lord Moke, one of the Shichibukai!" This shout was like a thunderclap, sending a shiver down the spine of everyone present. For these people who spent years navigating the seas, the title of the Shichibukai undoubtedly carried immense Intimidation. Seeing one of them appear in person now, how could they not feel fear?

Immediately afterward, someone else noticed the figure on Moke's shoulder and asked curiously, "Look, who is he carrying?" As soon as the person finished speaking, a murmur of discussion arose around them. Everyone craned their necks, trying to get a clear look at the person Moke was carrying on his shoulder.

At this moment, a person with exceptional eyesight squinted and carefully examined the figure before suddenly gasping and stammering, "To my opinion... that figure looks like Squard!" Upon hearing this, the entire arena fell into a deathly silence. Squard was a notorious pirate, yet here he was being carried on Moke's shoulder like cargo—it was truly unbelievable.

"What?! He actually killed Squard! That's incredible! No wonder he's Shichibukai!" Once the news was confirmed, the Navy erupted in cheers. While Squard wasn't a captain in the Whitebeard Pirates, as one of his subordinates, he held a high position and possessed considerable strength. His death at the hands of Moke made him the first major figure to fall since the start of this fierce battle. This outcome undoubtedly gave the Navy a huge boost, greatly enhancing their morale.

"What on earth is going on?" Sengoku's heart skipped a beat, a sense of foreboding washing over him. He quickly turned his head and looked at Akainu beside him. Akainu was also frowning, muttering to himself with a serious expression, "What's wrong with this guy? Why is he suddenly acting like this?" His vicious eyes were fixed on Moke, as if he were about to breathe fire, the hostility contained within them self-evident.

In stark contrast, the Whitebeard Pirates were plunged into profound grief. Whitebeard's already enormous pupils suddenly contracted to slits, his eyes flashing with chilling, boundless killing intent. He roared through gritted teeth, "You brat! How dare you lay a hand on my son? You'd better rack your brains and come up with a way to die a quick death!" Before his words even finished, Whitebeard had already gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands, preparing to swing it with all his might. At the same time, the powerful Quake-Quake Devil Fruit Ability within him was instantly activated, and a devastating force continuously gathered into the greatsword in his hands.

In an instant, a dazzling white halo suddenly appeared around the sharp blade, as conspicuous as Inazuma piercing the night sky. Immediately afterward, Whitebeard roared and swung his blade fiercely at Moke with all his might. This strike was like a thunderbolt, carrying the power of an overturned mountain, heading straight for Moke.

Faced with Whitebeard's astonishing attack, Moke showed no fear whatsoever. On the contrary, a slight, disdainful sneer appeared on his lips. He calmly raised his right hand, chanting, "Endless Devouring..." As his words fell, a black vortex suddenly appeared in his palm, spinning rapidly. In the blink of an eye, the vortex had grown to several meters in size, radiating terrifying suction.

In the blink of an eye, just as the Whitebeard, gleaming with a chilling light and carrying a sharp aura, was about to strike Moke, time seemed to freeze. However, Moke showed no hesitation or fear. His gaze was as firm as a rock as he gripped the rapidly spinning, mysterious vortex in his hand, and with lightning speed, he met the deadly attack head-on...

A deafening boom, like a thunderclap, echoed across the sky. The blade and the hand collided violently in mid-air, unleashing dazzling Hanabi and violent energy fluctuations. In an instant, the surrounding air seemed to be torn apart, forming visible Shockwave that spread outwards.

Surprisingly, to Whitebeard's astonishment, the white aura emanating from the Tremor-Tremor Fruit that had been encircling his arm began to shrink rapidly, as if it had encountered a powerful devouring force. It quickly shrank and eventually disappeared completely into the bottomless vortex.

At the same time, Moke shouted, "Armament Hardening!" As his voice fell, a dense layer of black light instantly surged from his palms and quickly wrapped around and covered his entire hands. In the blink of an eye, his hands were as if they were wearing an indestructible black Armored Titan, exuding a chilling aura.

Finally, the incomparably sharp greatsword collided with the enhanced hand. At that moment, the heavens and earth changed color, and the wind and clouds surged. Moke felt an overwhelming and terrifying force surging towards him, like a ferocious beast opening its blood-red maw to swallow him whole. Despite this, he gritted his teeth and desperately resisted the impact of this force.

The next moment, Moke was sent flying like a cannonball. His body traced a long arc in the air before crashing heavily to the ground some distance away. Incredibly, however, despite Whitebeard's incredibly powerful attack, Moke only suffered minor injuries and did not sustain any real harm.

Just then, everyone saw a dark shadow streak across the air. Then, as if it had been given life, the shadow flipped and tumbled with astonishing agility. In the blink of an eye, it had completed a beautiful somersault and landed steadily on the solid ground like an incredibly light bird.

However, before people could recover from the spectacular performance, the earth suddenly began to tremble slightly. Accompanied by a series of deep rumbling sounds, a colossal figure, as large as a small hill, appeared in everyone's sight. This behemoth strode heavily towards Moke like an out-of-control tank. Each step kicked up a cloud of dust that blotted out the sky, making it almost impossible to see what was ahead.

Faced with such a ferocious enemy, Moke reacted with unusual calm. He swung his right hand sharply, and the Shusui Sword at his waist was instantly drawn. In an instant, a cold light flashed, and a sharp slash carrying boundless power burst forth, heading straight for the huge figure rushing towards him.

The newcomer was clearly taken aback by Moke's swift counterattack and was momentarily stunned. But only for a split second, he displayed astonishing courage and strength, meeting the incredibly powerful slash head-on without flinching.

In the blink of an eye, just as the two sides were about to collide, a loud bird call suddenly rang out from the sky. Everyone looked up and saw a large, brightly colored bird descending from the sky like a magnificent rainbow.

"Wow..." someone in the crowd exclaimed. Without a doubt, who else but Marco could make such an entrance?

At this moment, Moke found himself in an extremely dangerous situation. He not only had to deal with the mountain-like enemy before him, but also had to be wary of Marco descending from the sky and other powerful enemies who might appear at any moment. To make matters worse, he found himself surrounded by three powerful members of the Whitebeard Pirates — Whitebeard himself, Marco, and Jozu, known as "Diamond."

Faced with such a difficult situation, Moke remained calm. He dodged a powerful attack with a swift movement, then grabbed the Squard beside him and forcefully "throw" it at "Diamond" Jozu was charging at him again.

"Take a good look at who did this!" Moke shouted, his eyes fixed on the enemy in front of him. "Also, Luffy and I are good friends! I came here to rescue Ace. If you don't believe me, look over there..." He pointed in a distant direction.

[Luffy: Good relationship my ass... You almost killed me!] Luffy roared angrily, his eyes wide. As he spoke, he pointed towards the Execution Platform where Ace was. Everyone looked in the direction he was pointing and were shocked.

There, on the high Execution Platform, stood another Moke! This Moke stood calmly beside Ace, and with a flick of his finger, he unlocked the incredibly heavy Seastone Handcuffs on Ace's hands.

It turns out that this body was the double that Moke had carefully created. This double could not only temporarily conceal his true whereabouts, but also had a most important function—when Moke's real body successfully attracted everyone's attention, it could quickly disappear underground, cleverly avoid everyone's sight, and silently arrive at the Execution Platform.

In this way, they can successfully rescue Ace, who is on the verge of death. As long as Ace is successfully rescued, no matter how outrageous Moke's subsequent words may be, Whitebeard and the members of the Whitebeard Pirates will choose to believe him without hesitation.

As expected, when everyone saw Ace successfully rescued, Whitebeard, Marco, and "Diamond" Jozu immediately showed excitement, their eyes sparkling with surprise and hope. When they looked at Moke again, their eyes were filled with deep gratitude.

The Whitebeard tilted his head slightly, his wrinkled yet resolute face turned toward where Moke was. He opened his mouth and let out a deep and powerful shout, "Thank you..." This expression of gratitude resounded in the air like a great bell, as if carrying endless majesty and sincere thanks, and lingered for a long time.

Upon hearing Whitebeard's thanks, Moke quickly waved his hand, a hint of helplessness on his face. Then, with a touch of regret, he turned his gaze to the lifeless Squard lying on the ground beside him, and slowly said, "I'm sorry, when we found Squard, he had already stopped breathing..."

Whitebeard, who had been slightly excited by Moke's help, instantly froze upon hearing the news. His sharp, hawk-like eyes snapped to attention, staring directly at Akainu, who Shoichi grinning on the platform. At that moment, the rage in Whitebeard's eyes burned fiercely, as if it could ignite the entire world. He gritted his teeth and forced out a single sentence. "Magma brat, today I will kill you!" Before his words even finished, a powerful aura erupted from Whitebeard, sweeping towards Akainu like a raging torrent.