Squard.
Captain of the Maelstrom Spider Pirates Whitebeard Pirates, with a bounty of 210 million Beli.
He served Whitebeard for over a decade and was one of Whitebeard's most trusted captains.
He stood behind the Whitebeard, holding a long sword that was now slightly unsheathed.
" Pops."
Squard spoke, his voice so soft it was almost inaudible amidst the roar of artillery fire.
The Whitebeard turned his head and looked at his son, who had been with him for over a decade.
Then Squard thrust his blade forward.
The long sword pierced through Whitebeard's chest.
When the blade emerged from Whitebeard's back, everyone on the deck was stunned.
For a moment, the entire deck of the Moby Dick was eerily quiet.
The sounds of cannon fire, battle cries, and clashing swords—
All sounds seemed to have been sucked away by something, leaving only the muffled thud of a blade piercing flesh echoing in everyone's ears.
Whitebeard looked down at the tip of the knife that had pierced his chest.
His expression was calm, without anger or surprise, only a deep, indescribable complexity.
" Pops --!!!"
Marco's roar shattered the silence on the deck.
Marco instantly dodged and pinned Squard down.
Having landed a successful blow, Squard had no intention of resisting and was thus controlled by Marco.
"Stop."
Whitebeard's voice wasn't loud, but every word sounded like a hammer pounding on the deck.
" Pops!"
The Whitebeard slowly turned around.
The blade was still embedded in his chest, and blood seeped from the wound, running down the blade and dripping onto the deck, forming a small dark red pool.
But he seemed completely oblivious to the pain, looking down at Squard, who was being controlled by Marco.
" Squard."
Whitebeard's voice was very soft, so soft that it didn't sound like he was speaking to someone who had pierced his chest.
"Why?"
Squard's hand holding the knife trembled violently.
His lips trembled, his eyes were bloodshot, and his face was contorted beyond recognition.
" Pops —you lied to me—!!!"
Squard's voice was forced out from deep in his throat, trembling with the sound of a sob on the verge of collapse.
"You made a deal with the Navy long ago—to trade the lives of us, their affiliated pirate crews, for Ace's life—right?!
Whitebeard didn't speak, he just watched him quietly.
Squard's emotions completely collapsed.
Tears streamed from his bloodshot eyes, mingling with the blood on his face, making him look like a madman.
Roger — Roger killed my comrade!
My entire pirate crew died at Roger's hands!
And Ace — Ace is Roger's son—!
"And you want us to risk our lives to save Roger's son--!!!"
"If Akainu hadn't told me—I'd still be completely in the dark!!!"
The pirates on deck were all stunned.
Akainu?
When did Akainu make contact with Squard?
Marco's brow furrowed into a tight knot.
He looked at Squard, then at the knife in his Pops's chest, and finally at the lava figure raging on the distant battlefield.
Akainu.
That bastard.
Whitebeard remained silent for a long time.
Then he reached out and hugged Squard tightly.
Squard froze.
Whitebeard's embrace was so large that it could completely envelop Squard.
His palm pressed against Squard's back, not with much force, but Squard felt as if he were being crushed by a mountain and couldn't move.
" Squard."
Whitebeard's voice was hoarse and deep.
"You're an idiot."
Squard's tears fell even harder.
But—you are also my most beloved son.
Whitebeard released Squard and turned to look at Marco.
" Marco, pull out the knife."
Marco gritted his teeth and stepped forward, placing his hand on the hilt of his knife.
" Pops, just bear with it."
Marco pulled hard.
The long sword, trailing a spray of blood, was pulled from the Whitebeard's chest.
Whitebeard's body swayed slightly, but he quickly regained his balance.
He looked down at the wound on his chest, wiped the blood off his hand, and then, looking at the bloodstains on his palm, a slow smile spread across his face.
"You think you can kill me with this little injury?"
He turned around to face everyone on the deck.
"Listen up, everyone—I have never betrayed any of my sons."
"You believe just a few words from that Akainu?"
I have Whitebeard!
Whitebeard's greatest pride in his life was you sons!
What kind of bullshit agreement is this? What kind of bullshit deal is this? If I were that kind of person, would you guys have followed me for so many years?!
The pirates on deck all had tears in their eyes.
Squard knelt on the deck, collapsing as if all his strength had been drained.
" Pops... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
He cried like a child.
Whitebeard didn't look at him again.
He turned around and picked up the naginata that was leaning against the gunwale again.
He twirled the knife hilt in his hand, the blade reflecting a blinding, cold light in the sunlight.
"But—that Akainu actually dared to lie to my son."
Whitebeard's voice suddenly turned cold.
"I have to settle this score with him myself."
Marco's expression changed. " Pops, your injury—"
"Minor injury."
Whitebeard interrupted him, his voice leaving no room for argument.
He then jumped off the bow of the Moby Dick.
The moment the Whitebeard landed, the entire ice surface trembled.
The naginata spun in his hand, its tip carving a deep groove in the ice.
He stood on the ice, blood still seeping from the wound in his chest, but his aura was more terrifying than ever.
On the Execution Platform, the Sengoku ' expression changed.
His worst fears came true.
The Navy's divisive tactics did hurt Whitebeard, but they also thoroughly enraged the monster.
An angry Whitebeard is a hundred times more terrifying than a calm Whitebeard.
" Akainu!"
Whitebeard's roar shook the entire battlefield.
He gripped the naginata in one hand, slowly raising the tip in front of him, pointing it at the magma figure in the distance who was fighting the pirates.
"Come here and prepare to die--!!!"
All the naval personnel on the ice felt a terrifying sense of oppression.
That oppressive feeling wasn't Conqueror's Haki, but something more direct than Conqueror's Haki —pure, unadulterated rage.
A Rear Admiral attempted a sneak attack from the side, but before he could even raise his sword, Whitebeard casually cleaved him away with a single stroke.
The sound of the blade colliding with the human body was muffled, like thunder. The Rear Admiral tumbled dozens of times in the air before crashing onto the ice, his body no longer recognizable as human.
A second Marine Vice Admiral rushed up, his large axe aimed at Whitebeard's head.
Whitebeard didn't even look, and punched the air with his backhand.
The power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit was activated with a roar.
The atmosphere shattered, and cracks spread outwards from his fist.
The Vice Admiral general was thrown back, weapon and all, spitting out a mouthful of blood in mid-air before crashing into a distant pile of ice, his fate unknown.
The third, the fourth, the fifth—one after another, the marines who charged forward were knocked away by Whitebeard.
Some were cleaved away by the naginata, some were sent flying by the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, and some were picked up and thrown away by Whitebeard with one hand.
Whitebeard walked step by step toward Akainu.
Each step on the ice created a crack, and each step left a deep footprint.
His chest was still bleeding, but his eyes were sharper than ever.
The pirates on the ice automatically made way for them.
As they watched their Pops's retreating figure, their eyes shone brightly.