It wasn't just Whitebeard who made progress; his captains were also contributing. One icebreaker, under the command of a female pirate, stormed into the bay, broke through the bay wall, and created a passage.
Whitebeard shouted an order, and all the pirates, their morale soaring, charged towards the passageways. They were going to storm the plaza, kill the Marines, and rescue Ace!
Seeing this situation, Sengoku knew he couldn't wait any longer. He immediately relayed an order to Tsuru, who then used a Den Den Den Mushi. Many of the navy personnel on the ice floes of the bay took out their Den Den Mushi to receive the order and then signaled the surrounding navy to retreat back to the plaza for a defensive maneuver.
After all the navy retreated to the square under the cover of artillery fire, Sengoku immediately ordered the raising of the copper and iron walls in the bay.
You, Whitebeard, wanted to open up a passage, didn't you? Even if you managed to open a few, so what? As long as we raise the copper and iron walls, these passages will disappear. All your previous efforts will have been in vain. Trying to open another passage is just wishful thinking. Do you think just anyone can break through copper and iron walls several meters thick?
However, while the Sengoku had a beautiful idea, reality was harsh. Because the bay was frozen over by the Aokiji, the copper walls and iron ramparts that had been hidden underwater for many years could not rise to the surface and were all suppressed by the thick ice layer.
If they were to operate at full capacity without regard for the consequences, the mechanical transmission devices used to lift the impenetrable walls would inevitably be damaged. The ice layer wasn't designed to be that thick when these walls were built, so the battle plan had to remain stalled.
Sengoku was even a little resentful towards Aokiji. "Why did you build such a huge ice surface? Not only does it give pirates a platform to land, but now the defensive walls can't be raised!"
However, Sengoku remained rational and did not doubt Aokiji's treachery. He quickly realized that if Aokiji hadn't done this, the Marine Base would have been wiped out by the tsunami long ago. It was indeed not Aokiji's fault; there weren't many options available at the time!
While Sengoku was worrying, Akainu stepped forward. Without saying much, he aimed his fists at the sky and unleashed a "Meteor Volcano" attack, sending lava flying into the air as if it were free.
Then countless lava flows traced parabolic arcs, transforming into giant, fiery fists that rained down from the sky like a dense meteor shower.
These giant lava fists slammed onto the ice, the pirate ship, and the pirates themselves, turning the entire bay a fiery red. Combined with the massive amounts of steam generated by the vaporization of ice water under the high temperature, the entire scene in the bay had a somewhat surreal feel.
Akainu's wide-range attack is not weak. Of course, it is not very effective against strong people, but there are not many strong people like the Whitebeard Pirates. Therefore, many pirates were burned by the hot lava splash, and their screams were endless!
As large amounts of lava fell onto the ice, much of the ice in the bay melted, and the pirates who hadn't yet reached the port square fell into the water, struggling to swim towards the opened passage under the bombardment of cannons.
"Now's the time!"
Akainu shouted, and immediately someone relayed the order to the control room. The copper and iron walls rose one by one from the sea surface under the operation of the machinery, becoming the new bay wall.
However, there was one exception, which could not be raised no matter what. This was because Oars was standing there. With Oars' enormous size, he was much heavier than the ice, and the machinery simply could not lift him. So, the only passage was under Oars' feet, and a large number of pirates swam toward Oars. Those who were close had already entered the plaza.
Kizaru saw an opening in Oars's defenses and tried to fly into the sky to finish Oars off, but before he could even launch his Yasakani no Yasakani no Magatama, Marco, who had been watching him closely, kicked him.
The attack, imbued with Armament Haki, instantly kicked Kizaru back. Marco knew the importance of Oars's location and naturally wouldn't let Kizaru cause trouble!
Aokiji also wanted to make a move, but seeing Diamond Jozu eyeing him menacingly, he refrained from doing so. Jozu's ability was somewhat countered by his; in his diamond form, he was completely immune to Aokiji's freezing abilities, and with the addition of Haki, the two were evenly matched for the time being, so Aokiji decided not to waste his efforts.
Although there was a passage at Oars that gave the pirates in the sea a glimmer of hope, the bay was quite large, and there were quite a few pirates swimming in it. Moreover, many cannons were firing at the pirates swimming in the sea from the raised copper and iron walls. Therefore, the situation was not good for the Whitebeard Pirates.
" Oars!"
Of course, Whitebeard wasn't without a backup plan. The situation was already so urgent that if they didn't act now, they would never be able to.
A pirate ship similar to the Moby Dick, enveloped in soap bubbles, emerged diagonally from the seabed. "You, Akainu, melted the ice, so I can finally release the pirate ship that's been lurking in the sea."
Whitebeard jumped onto the pirate ship with a loud shout, and the pirates still in the water all struggled to jump onto the pirate ship. At this moment, the pirate ship flew to the vicinity of Oars. Hearing Whitebeard's call, Oars reached out and gave the ship a hand to help it, sending the pirate ship to the plaza.
At this point, almost all of the Whitebeard Pirates' remaining crew members had come to the plaza, which became their final battlefield!
Whitebeard led his men to the plaza, where the Marines and the Whitebeard Pirates faced off. Now, all schemes were useless; only a real fight remained.
Previously, Whitebeard's strategy was to land and enter the plaza, while the Navy's strategy was to defend and prevent any pirates from entering the plaza area, thus depleting the pirates' manpower. Both sides were making moves for their own strategic objectives.
Now that things have come to this point, brains are no longer as useful; it's all about true strength. Whitebeard overwhelmingly defeat the Marine legend and rescue Ace, or will Whitebeard meet his end at Marine Headquarters?
Just as the two sides were locked in a standoff, Luffy, with Jinbe's help, grabbed a mast and, while submerged in the seawater, rushed towards the Three Admirals of the Navy.
Luffy's determination to save Ace remains unwavering. Even if he faces the Three Admirals of the Navy, he fears no one as long as his comrades are not by his side!
Even if it was Kizaru had previously driven their entire pirate crew to despair, he was already prepared to face death. However, his comrades were now more important than life and death to him. At this moment, Luffy's fighting spirit had reached its peak!
Your persistence is commendable!
Even Akainu, who always wanted to kill Luffy, admired the man's determination as he was forced back time and time again, yet he charged forward again and again. He also admired the man's courage in the face of the Three Admirals of the Navy. No wonder he is the grandson of the Garp the Hero!
"However, this stage is too early for you!"
Aokiji chimed in, expressing a mixture of admiration and exasperation. There were countless Aokiji on this battlefield who could easily outmaneuver the Straw Hat Boy, yet this kid kept charging ahead, thinking he was the main force. But as Akainu said, what man doesn't have his own principles? No wonder he's Mr. Garp's grandson. How will he act later?
"You can't possibly defeat us old men!"
Kizaru continued, as if he wouldn't fit in if he didn't speak. He had previously encountered the Straw Hat Pirates, and they were very different from the pirate crews he had fought against before!
Other pirate crews scattered and fled when they heard he was coming, but the Straw Hat Pirates were different. They were so selfless, willing to die for each other! Is this really a pirate crew? This man's crew is terrifying! No wonder he's Vice Admiral Garp's grandson!
Luffy was well aware of his own strength. He had been battered and bruised since arriving here from the bay, and had encountered countless powerful enemies along the way. But the one waiting to be executed on the Execution Platform was his brother!
How could he stand by and watch Ace be executed? He could only fight with all his might to create a sliver of hope, and he could not back down even a single step, even when facing the Three Admirals, the strongest fighting force in the Navy!
"Give Ace back to me!"
Looking at Ace on the Execution Platform, Luffy roared defiantly, then spun the mast in his hand a few times and hurled it at the Three Admirals in front of him.
However, the mast was frozen by Aokiji's freezing air before it even flew over, and Luffy didn't expect to hit a Logia Fruit user with just a mast.
He leaped up and kicked the icy mast piece by piece, his target naturally the Three Admirals admirals blocking his way.
However, physical attacks were completely ineffective against Logia. The ice blocks all passed through the three of them and crashed onto the ground around them, which was exactly the result Luffy wanted.
The ice block crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. Luffy took advantage of the moment when the dust blinded the Three Admirals and leaped over it.
Luffy's goal is not to defeat the Three Admirals of the Navy. He just wants to get close to the Execution Platform and rescue Ace. Hancock had already given Luffy the key to Ace's handcuffs. It was stolen from the headquarters by the giant python on Hancock's orders. So Luffy just wants to set Ace free now!
In the eyes of the Three Admirals, the Straw Hat Boy's tricks were childish and a self-deceptive act. Kizaru instantly disappeared from his spot, blocking Luffy's Luffy right into Whitebeard, where Whitebeard caught him red-handed.
Isn't that a coincidence? It was a purely physical kick, and the direction it was aimed at Whitebeard was perfect for human relationships!
Grandpa was watching from the sidelines, so it was indeed difficult for Kizaru to kill him. Even if he spared some of Sengoku's life, Sengoku wouldn't say anything, since he himself had to spare some when he encountered this kid. Anyway, everyone knew what was going on, and the Straw Hat Boy wouldn't have any impact on the outcome of this war.
Kizaru didn't care, but Akainu was gritting his teeth. He had originally wanted to intercept and take down some straw- Straw Hat kid, but he was simply too slow for Kizaru.
Kizaru is a shrewd man; he clearly sensed Akainu's intense killing intent. How could he let Akainu make a move? What if he angered that old man? Would the Navy have to face two legends? That wouldn't be a good situation, so it's better if this old man takes on the task himself.
"Now! Begin the execution!"
" Ace!"
"Mr. Ace!"
" Ace!"
" Ace...!"
Just then, Sengoku issued the execution order, aiming to catch the enemy off guard. Since Whitebeard had no way out and Ace's life or death was no longer important, the best option was to demoralize the enemy and then annihilate them in one fell swoop.
The executioner obeyed the order, raising his long-handled sword to strike Ace's head. Ace closed his eyes as if resigned to his fate!
Execution Platform, Vic's eyes flickered. Garp turned his head away, unable to bear watching any longer. Whitebeard, Jinbe, Marco, and others shouted in worry. Luffy also roared, overwhelmed by the heartache and fear of losing his loved ones, which he found hard to accept!