"That's Admiral Akainu's Meteor Volcano! What's he trying to do?!"
"Argh! It's coming this way! He's going to wipe us out too!"
"Quick! Run!"
"Argh! Has Akainu gone mad?!"
The Marines on the ice watched the lava meteors trailing thick black smoke draw closer and closer. Panic swept through their ranks, and they fled in droves, jumping into the sea!
Even the headquarters vice admirals were at a loss as they watched the meteors. They instinctively realized what Akainu intended, their throats twitching unnaturally...
"Captains!"
On the other side, the Whitebeard Pirates had naturally spotted the meteors roaring through the sky as well. They looked anxiously toward the captains standing at the front.
Yet none of the captains turned around, as though they had reached an unspoken agreement. Thatch slowly untied the scarf around his neck.
"We have to trust Pops. He'll find a way... and even if he doesn't, we can't become a burden to him!"
Thatch wiped the blood from his blade with his scarf, then slowly bound the sword to his hand. Leaning forward, ready to charge, he spoke quietly.
"So let's kill them."
With that, he charged!
The other captains of the Whitebeard Pirates followed suit, charging straight at the fleeing Marines.
"Yeah! Kill them! We believe in Pops!"
"That's right! We have to trust Pops! We won't be a burden to him!"
The rest of the Whitebeard Pirates raised their weapons and shouted as they charged after their captains!
Only their shouts and tears remained behind...
They had already accepted the coming battle as their final farewell!
As Whitebeard listened to the battle cries across the ice, his face twisted in anguish, tears spilling involuntarily from his eyes. But a moment later, he roughly wiped them away with his great hand and fixed his bloodshot