"Whoooosh!"
Gale-force winds swept over Marineford, and the grim atmosphere of war hung over the world's largest fortress.
"Kill them!"
Battle cries shook the heavens. The brutal fighting never stopped; every second, someone fell screaming in a spray of blood.
Pirates and Marines alike fought for their lives.
To rescue Ace, they first had to break through Marineford's Inner Bay and reach the Execution Platform in the plaza.
But that was no easy task. The Marines had committed vast numbers of elite troops to this war.
A hundred thousand battle-hardened Marines, the Shichibukai, and the Three Admirals-nearly their entire force had turned out, determined to carry out the execution even if it meant going to war with the Whitebeard Pirates.
It was a display of tremendous resolve, and an epoch-defining war that could shatter the balance of the future.
"Whew!"
Taking a deep breath, Whitebeard stood at the bow and surveyed the battlefield ahead, his eyes sharpening.
He could clearly see how the battle was unfolding. His sons were driving forward like a sharp blade, rapidly tearing through the Marines' blockade.
But that advance would undoubtedly demand great sacrifices. The Marines were no pushovers.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Cannonballs screamed through the air, and the fortress cannons positioned all around roared, rattling everyone's eardrums.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The shells landed squarely among the Whitebeard Pirates, erupting in vast bursts of flame and sending countless pirates flying.
In an instant, screams rose one after another.
"Ace!"
Murmuring his name, Whitebeard stared toward the Execution Platform with piercing eyes.
Unlike the Marines, they were at a disadvantage. They had to take the offensive to gain the upper hand.
Whitebeard shifted his gaze straight ahead again, toward the man seated a short distance behind the Shichibukai.
"River, you'd better stay out