Supreme Grade Blade Ace

After Sal finished speaking with Bondi, Bondi agreed with a nod in the name of repaying a favor, then headed straight toward the rear of the battlefield with his burly frame.

The main show was about to begin. Sal did not want the Whitebeard Pirates' outer forces to be battered to pieces. As long as the rear remained secure, they would be free to advance or retreat.

When he turned around, he found Buggy and Rayleigh pointing at him and whispering.

"What is it, Rayleigh?"

"Nothing. Buggy merely suspects that you are Roger's son. Also, the reinforcements you mentioned should have all arrived by now. You can tell us your plan, right?"

"...More or less."

Sal stared at Buggy with an unfriendly expression, making Buggy, who had just started to get smug, nervously swallow. After all, Sal looked exactly like Captain Roger. That was a deeply ingrained sense of pressure.

"..."

It was indeed time to truly act. Luffy, who had just arrived, was already impatiently charging toward the front lines, using Gear Third's Giant Iron Fist to knock down a Giant Commodore. Ivankov and Jinbe followed behind him, protecting him.

This assault team immediately became the Marines' focus of fire. Gecko Moria, full of resentment, attacked directly, but Jinbe easily knocked him back with one strike. Even Doflamingo, who also attacked out of interest, was stopped by Crocodile.

Sal made a suggestion to the distracted Buggy.

"Buggy, I want you to seize the Marines' three Den Den Mushi used for broadcasting. As long as we control them, the Marines will not be able to do whatever they please. Then, you can become famous throughout the world."

"Sure. Leave it to Captain Bug—leave it to Buggy."

Buggy readily accepted. He had never planned to directly join the battle anyway. Whoever wanted to enter that meat grinder of a battlefield could do so. Just do not count Lord Buggy in.

Sal had Buggy seize the Den Den Mushi ahead of time because he feared the Butterfly Effect might delay Buggy, leaving him unable to seize even one of them. Acting early now should make success certain.

With every measure for dealing with possible changes already in place, Sal turned and shouted at Whitebeard.

"Newgate, it is time to come down and warm up. Or are you actually so old that you cannot fight anymore? I seriously doubt how much strength you can still bring out. And watch out for your children. If they are turned against you and ambush you, then you will truly be a failure."

Hearing Sal cast doubt on his children, Whitebeard's expression turned solemn. His children were his reverse scale; no one could slander them.

"Gurararara! You do not need to worry about my affairs. You should take care of yourself instead."

Whitebeard gathered white vibration energy around his fists once more, then shattered the towering icebergs with two punches, making it easier for his children to break into the harbor.

At the same time, Pacifistas resembling Tyrant Kuma suddenly appeared at the rear of the battlefield. Fifty Pacifistas, controlled by Sentomaru, were deployed to encircle and suppress the pirates.

Both sides, locked in fierce combat, were startled. Even the elite Marines had not known about one of the Marines' trump cards: the Pacifistas.

Quite a few pirates were stunned by the Pacifista army.

"Th-this... What the hell are these things? Why are there so many Tyrant Kumas? Can we even fight this?"

Smoke and flames immediately erupted across the battlefield. Sengoku's original plan had been to use Ace's early execution to lure Whitebeard's entire force onto the ice within the harbor, then have the Pacifistas block their rear and trap them like turtles in a jar, wiping out the Whitebeard Pirates in one stroke.

But now, Whitebeard had never intended to concentrate his forces from the start. After Sal's reminder, he directly scattered his troops across the battlefield, causing the Iron Jail Plan to fail halfway.

They could not wait any longer. The appearance of so many unexpected reinforcements had already brought the situation close to losing control. The Pacifistas could only be sent into battle directly, using overwhelming numbers to slowly eliminate the pirates.

Fifty lasers fired at once, instantly blasting both the pirates and Marines still fighting on the outskirts into a daze. Their terrifying destructive power even shaved away a layer of the outer battlefield.

Many pirates, along with a small number of Marines, died in the explosions. The rear guard that had managed to hold off the Marines was already showing signs of collapse.

Just as some pirates had completely lost their will to fight, several massive cannonballs suddenly came hurtling down from above. The bombs, over ten meters in size, exploded with terrifying force, creating several mushroom clouds.

Several Pacifistas caught in the center of the massive explosions were not destroyed, but they were left malfunctioning. To be used again, they would at minimum need to be sent back to the factory for major repairs.

Sentomaru, who commanded the technological forces, immediately became furious and anxious.

"Where did those cannons come from? Pacifistas, find him!"

Under the Pacifistas' search, they quickly discovered the source of the attack: Bondi, hidden beside a gun emplacement.

"World Destroyer Bondi World!"

More than ten beams shot toward him at once, blasting Bondi into a frantic retreat. Even with Armament Haki covering his entire body, the terrifying lasers still inflicted considerable damage on him.

Bondi felt deep regret. He should never have agreed to Sal's request. At the same time, he threw another enlarged cannonball toward the Pacifistas.

There were a full fifty Pacifistas. Other than top-tier combatants like Admirals and the Four Emperors, no one could be sure of surviving amid so many laser cannons. The most effortless method was long-range attacks.

Though Bondi was in a miserable state, after the Great Whirlpool Spider's disappearance, he was indeed the only pillar capable of restraining the Pacifistas. The pressure on the rear guard greatly decreased, preventing them from collapsing too quickly.

At the same time, Sal's efforts to provoke Whitebeard into entering the battle had also become unbearable to the Marine high command. Kizaru thus transformed into light and entered the fray once more.

"What a terrifying person."

Before Kizaru could reach Sal, Rayleigh, who had been prepared, intercepted him with his sword, forcing Kizaru to use Kusanagi to block.

Clang...

"Dark King Rayleigh. I have run into another troublesome opponent."

"Kizaru, brat, that is what I should be saying. But I cannot let you disturb my Admiral right now."

"How terrifying. Even a legendary old man can be commanded."

The light sword and the longsword clashed at incredible speed. After several exchanges of swordsmanship, neither side gained the upper hand. Then, an undying firebird suddenly darted in, kicking Kizaru directly with its talons.

Phoenix Brand

Caught off guard, even Admiral Kizaru could not completely negate the damage. He transformed into golden light and was sent flying once again. When he returned to human form, a tear had appeared in the back of his clothes, and the skin beneath was red and swollen. He had clearly suffered a minor injury.

At this point, Sengoku could no longer concern himself with the Den Den Mushi that had suddenly lost contact, nor with the Pacifistas failing to achieve their expected results. Even if committing a despicable act during the broadcast brought condemnation from the world, he had to execute Fire Fist Ace first and secure the guarantee that the war would not be lost.

"Execute Fire Fist Ace."

Two executioners carrying long blades slowly walked onto the execution platform, preparing to make Ace die the same way his father Roger had.

The Marines' shameless change to the execution time left the Whitebeard Pirates frantic with worry. Yet even Marco, who could fly, could not get close to the execution platform.

Unlike the anxious Rayleigh beside him, Sal merely gripped the hilt of the Supreme Grade Blade Ace. Roger's weapon gave off a faintly excited response, as though it wanted to fight side by side with its master.

The obsession and power Roger had nurtured within the blade Ace for twenty years also erupted at this moment.

[Level: 71 +20]