As the war ended, the various forces began to withdraw.
While Red Hair covered the Whitebeard Pirates' retreat, one of them kept his eyes fixed on Werther.
That man was Marco. But he did not shout threats of revenge at Werther. There was no need to say it aloud.
Werther felt Marco's stare, of course, but paid it no mind. He already had more enemies than he could count. One more would make no difference. As long as he grew strong enough, he could deal with them all.
Then Werther saw how much Life Force the Black Ring had stored, and he could not help smiling.
It would greatly increase his strength, but now was not the time to use it. The process left him exhausted.
As the pirates withdrew, Marineford grew busier than ever. Medics rushed across the battlefield to rescue the wounded.
The funniest sight was Akainu being carried away on a stretcher. Once the pirates had retreated, he had dropped onto his backside, then toppled flat on his back.
Whitebeard's attacks were not something anyone could simply shrug off. Werther knew that firsthand. If Tuski had not treated him, the severe damage to his organs might have killed him.
The blow Akainu had taken was far worse. Werther had been sent flying across the ground; Akainu had been hurled upward before taking a crushing punch.
But Akainu was a Marine Admiral, powerful and tenacious. Anyone else would have died.
Werther tossed aside his wine bottle, stood, and looked at Doffy.
"Doffy, when do we make our move?"
Doffy grinned and swept his gaze across the battlefield. Before long, he found Gecko Moria.
"Right now. With the two of us working together, we won't need those Pacifistas."
Werther nodded. Doffy had done him a huge favor. Helping him