"What's this guy up to? Why is he making a move now?"
"That was someone I had worked so hard to win over, and he just killed them like that? Was he doing it on purpose? Or was he making things worse? He either doesn't act at all, or he ruins everything when he does?"
"Did they think Whitebeard was plotting something, which is why they interrupted them?"
"Has he finally made his move?!"
Vic's actions left the Three Admirals and Sengoku quite puzzled and suspicious. The move was Sengoku's idea, and the person was turned by Akainu. Both of them were very suspicious of Vic's motives. Aokiji and Kizaru didn't know the reason behind it, so they didn't speculate about any conspiracy involving Vic. Akainu was still very angry!
After shooting out a bolt of Inazuma, Vic disappeared from his seat, and his figure reappeared only after a flash of lightning beside Whitebeard.
Vic looked tiny standing next to Whitebeard, but his aura was no less Whitebeard. Whitebeard glanced at Vic and continued looking at the Execution Platform ahead, showing no intention of attacking Vic. However, the other pirates who noticed this were getting anxious.
They only saw Vic kill Squard, who was guarding their Pops, and now he's back by their Pops's side. This is clearly a threat to their Pops, so naturally they're getting anxious.
Vic's record speaks for itself. If their Pops were still in his prime, they wouldn't be worried at all. They should be the ones worried about Thunder God Vic. But now their Pops is plagued by injuries and his fighting strength is not what it used to be. They are really worried about their Pops's situation!
"Your sons are quite worried about you, but unfortunately they're not strong enough. I just helped you, and now they're hostile towards me. Does that mean good people should be threatened with knives and guns?"
Even if Vic didn't know the plot, his Future Sight showed him Squard ambushing Whitebeard, and Whitebeard must have seen the future as well. However, he couldn't suddenly attack his son, as that would be difficult to explain and would fall into Sengoku's trap, alienating his other sons.
Who else in the entire Whitebeard Pirates could Future Sight but his Observation Haki was the only one? Also, Whitebeard's health was indeed very poor, so he couldn't possibly dodge Squard's premeditated attack.
That's indeed the case in the original work. Towards the end of the Paramount War, Whitebeard basically stopped dodging the swords, spears, and halberds aimed at him. Was it because he didn't want to dodge? No, it was because he simply couldn't dodge them; his body was no longer under his control!
How did Whitebeard get so many wounds after his death? Aren't they all from this? Finally, there's the fact that Whitebeard knew he would die after this battle, so he just took the blow. If it could influence his foolish son, it could also boost morale!
When Whitebeard was hit, he realized that his foolish son had probably fallen for the Navy's trap, so Whitebeard decided not to bother trying to dodge the attack.
However, it's different when Vic takes action. Vic now represents the Navy's fighting force, so it's perfectly justified for him to attack pirates, and no one can say anything about it. But this avoids the joke of Whitebeard being injured before the battle even begins.
It's truly a joke. Being ambushed and seriously injured by one's own son—isn't that a joke? The Navy must be laughing their heads off. They fell for the trap so easily. Is their brain filled with seawater? Their most troublesome enemy is already wounded and seriously injured right from the start. This is extremely advantageous for the Navy.
However, Vic didn't kill Squard, otherwise he wouldn't have used the weakest White Inazuma. Whitebeard might not know the relationship between Ace and Vic, but he knew the relationship between Vic and Mantis, so he wouldn't think that Vic's attack was just a coincidence.
"Are you trying to join forces with me? To repay the kindness of the Mantis people? I've never considered that incident a favor, but thank you anyway!"
"I did want to repay that favor. Mantis called me and said he wanted to come to Marine Headquarters to fight for you, but I refused. I'm right here. Do I need him to repay a favor? So if you really want to leave here alive, just say so."
"Kid! Don't think you can talk big in front of the Marine Headquarters just because you defeated Linlin. I don't plan to go back alive this time. If you really want to repay Mantis's favor, then rescue Ace for me!"
Once I'm dead, the Navy won't pay much attention to him anymore. Then you can make your move; it shouldn't be a big problem!
"Since that's how it is! Then so be it! Sigh!"
"When you have time in the future, could you please take care of my silly sons for me? Thanks in advance!"
"Don't worry! Even if I'm busy, Mantis won't stand idly by."
The conversation between Vic and Whitebeard did not travel beyond their immediate surroundings; only the two of them could hear it. Any sound waves that traveled further were silenced by an invisible force. The pirates and marines only saw the two open their mouths but did not know what they were saying.
Vic confirmed his suspicions: Whitebeard indeed had no intention of returning alive. Just as Whitebeard said in the original story, he was a remnant of the old era, and there was no ship in the new era capable of carrying him!
He can no longer participate in the battles of the new era; his age and physical condition limit him. The only thing he can't let go of is his family!
"Mr. Vista! What are Pops and that Shichibukai doing? Why aren't they fighting?"
"What do you know? That's the pride of the strong. My Pops's ambitions don't lie with him, otherwise a strongman like Vic wouldn't have made a move!"
"Mr. Smoker! Why isn't Mr. Vic Whitebeard?"
"It's probably just mutual respect between strong individuals; they'll likely clash head-on later!"
"Mr. Kuzan! Isn't Vic on our side? Why is he standing next to Whitebeard? Is he trying to defect from our camp?"
"Perhaps he's saying goodbye to the World's Strongest Man. After this war, Whitebeard will be a thing of the past!"
"I've always said this guy has a rebellious streak. He betrayed the Navy when he was in it, and now, as Shichibukai, he's colluding with the enemy. We haven't even seen him actually make a move yet. I really don't know what the Five Elders are thinking!"
" Sakazuki! You can't say that. Vic's defection from the Navy was out of necessity. We Marine Admiral may seem high and mighty, but we're often powerless to change our fate. I'm already starting to regret being promoted to Marine Admiral. Vice Admiral Garp is much more open-minded and far-sighted!"
"What's Vic up to by going to see Newgate at this time? I have a bad feeling about this!"
" Mr. Vic! Are you and Pops very close? Your guidance to me last time was excellent and correct, but I got a little power and became Teach, thinking that Teach was easy for me to control. I've long forgotten your teachings, and now Pops and everyone else are in a deadly situation. I deserve to die! Can you let Pops take everyone away? I'm begging you!"
Ace knelt on the Execution Platform, looking at the two blurry figures side by side in the distance. His eyes were already filled with tears, but no one could hear what he was saying. He wanted to shout it out, but he couldn't open his mouth!
All his loved ones and friends were on this battlefield, but they were now on opposing sides and were about to kill each other. This was what pained him the most. If his grandfather and Mr. Vic killed his Pops, how would he face them? At this moment, Ace only wanted to die!
Knowing that Whitebeard was determined to die, Vic didn't say anything more. Ace was someone he was supposed to save, so it didn't count as repaying Whitebeard's favor. Therefore, he could only repay the favor through Marco and the others from now on. At least he couldn't let Blackbeard kill them all. After figuring this out, Vic turned into lightning and left the Moby Dick.
After Vic left, Whitebeard jumped off the bow of the ship. He was already surrounded by androids. The only thing he could do now was to rescue Ace as soon as possible and then break through. So the passage that Oars had opened up to enter the plaza was definitely not enough.
Oars is currently being targeted and tied up, leaving him no time to open up other passages, so Whitebeard is preparing to take matters into his own hands.
Furthermore, Sengoku had schemed against his son Squard. Although Whitebeard didn't say it, he was still very angry. As a pirate who cared most about his family, he couldn't stand seeing such fratricide. So Whitebeard wanted to vent his anger.
After jumping off the ship, Whitebeard gripped his swords with both hands and slashed directly at the Execution Platform from a distance. Whitebeard was not a swordsman and could not execute Flying Slash, but he always used Whitebeard weapons in conjunction with his abilities. This slash was imbued with the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
That's why Sengoku said Whitebeard had the ability to destroy the world. Although there was an exaggeration involved, it wasn't entirely untrue. If Whitebeard had been willing and spent enough time, he really could have done it.
If Whitebeard could become a god through the laws of Laws, destroying the world would be even easier. However, the power of Whitebeard's attack just now was not small. The entire Marine Base and the sea outside were divided into several independent large squares that were intertwined and tilted, shaking the entire battlefield!
Whitebeard didn't stop after his slash; he threw another punch forward, his fist coated with Devil Fruit power and Armament Haki.
The Marines in front of Whitebeard were instantly blasted away. The power from his Devil Fruit ability combined with Armament Haki Emission had not diminished as he crashed into the bay wall, creating a large hole in it before continuing his charge toward the Execution Platform.
The interval between Whitebeard's two attacks was very short. During the first attack, most people lost their footing due to the tilting and shaking of the ground. By the time the second attack came, there was no time to defend. All obstacles in front of Whitebeard were blown away until he encountered the Three Admirals of the Navy standing Execution Platform.
The three of them were unaffected by the previous attack. When Whitebeard launched his second attack, Kizaru and Aokiji returned to their posts, and the Three Admirals extended their hands to block Whitebeard's attack with the outward release of Armament Haki.
Although Whitebeard's Whitebeard was ultimately blocked by the Three Admirals, its power was undeniable; the fact that it required the combined efforts of three Admiral to withstand it speaks volumes. However, Whitebeard did gain something, as he cleared a path into the plaza.