Crocodile rose from the rubble, loose stones sliding off his body.
He coughed up a mouthful of bloody foam. When he raised his head, he saw Bondrewd reaching toward Whitebeard through the wreckage of the buildings.
Then Whitebeard suddenly "came back to life" and cleaved Bondrewd in two.
A translucent white ripple appeared along Murakumogiri. Its blade swept through Bondrewd's body, cutting into his upper ribs and diagonally through his chest and abdomen, severing him completely.
After a brief delay, Bondrewd's upper and lower halves began to slide out of alignment. No blood or flesh spilled from the cut, only purple, lattice-like fragments drifting outward.
Bondrewd did not fall despite being cut in two. Even without any physical contact across the severed section, his body maintained its overall structure. His upper half hovered in perfect balance.
"Oh my, are these lingering sentiments? Or perhaps the body's memories?"
The vertical purple light on Bondrewd's helmet flickered.
Whitebeard did not look at Bondrewd. His gaze rested on Ace, who was running toward him in the distance.
He closed his eyes. The smile remained on his lips, and his body held its stance after the swing, never falling to the ground.
"Pops!!!"
Ace's cry tore at the heart.
Marco was frantic too, but Akainu was also moving nearby.
Concerned for Ace's safety, he chose to run alongside him rather than fly.
"Don't rush in-"
In Red-Haired's brief glimpse of the future, Bondrewd made no unusual moves.
Akainu did not seize the opportunity to attack either, perhaps wary of being too close to Bondrewd.
"Leave it to me!"
That reassured Red-Haired enough to go ahead alone.
Ace and Marco watched Haki ripple out from Red-Haired as he shot forward like a cannonball, hovering just above the ground.
"This ends here, Bondrewd!"
Red-Haired appeared beside