"Pops!"
Marco, Ace, and the others stood frozen, their eyes wide open, filled with panic and disbelief as they stared at Whitebeard, who had fallen to one knee. Those closer could clearly see the pain and struggle twisted across his sweating face.
On the execution platform, Sengoku looked on in shock at his old rival. Garp, too, was stunned.
The entire battlefield was gripped by silence and disbelief.
"Breaking News! Whitebeard… stabbed by one of his own captains, Squard!"
In Sabaody Archipelago, people gasped in horror as the broadcast showed Whitebeard's chest being run through.
"Squard… What the hell are you doing?!"
Vista roared in disbelief. One of the sons that Pops cared for most — the captain known as Maelstrom Spider — had just betrayed him.
Marco was completely stunned. Meanwhile, Squard gritted his teeth and pulled out his massive blade, now drenched in Whitebeard's blood.
Whitebeard's face turned visibly paler. Already in poor health, the sudden wound almost made him cough up blood on the spot.
Far off, Akainu, who had briefly clashed with Dragon, couldn't help but grin wickedly. He hadn't expected the plan to actually work—such a simple, crude scheme. If Squard had even an ounce more loyalty or sense, this betrayal would have never happened. But it did.
Akainu was thrilled.
Squard started screaming frantically, accusing Whitebeard of hiding the truth—that Ace was Roger's son—and that Whitebeard had secretly allied with the Marine to destroy the allied pirate fleets.
Even Sengoku was dumbfounded by these claims; they had never made any such deal with Whitebeard.
But Whitebeard didn't flinch. Lifting his massive naginata, Murakumogiri, he calmly walked toward Squard. Squard, trembling, was sure he was about to die—but instead, he was pulled into a crushing embrace.
"Foolish son… Even after this, I still love you."
"You… like Ace… are all my beloved sons."
"You were deceived."
At those words, Squard's mind shattered. His thoughts exploded in chaos.
And then, the tears came.
"Pops… I'm so sorry…!"
He collapsed, sobbing uncontrollably in Whitebeard's arms.
...
"If it were me… I'd have killed him already."
Bullet sneered as he looked at Whitebeard and Squard. Elior thought the same.
Elior was nothing like Whitebeard. In this world, the only things he cared about were himself—and perhaps Gion. No one else mattered.
To Elior, what Whitebeard did for Squard was something that only someone like Whitebeard could do. No one else in the world would have shown that kind of mercy.
Whitebeard was a man worthy of respect. Yet, Elior knew—just like in the original story—this love for his so-called sons would eventually lead to Whitebeard's downfall.
But in this moment, Whitebeard's forgiveness sparked something powerful. Even though Squard had committed what should have been an unforgivable crime, Pops forgave him.
The entire Whitebeard Pirates felt the overwhelming power of their father's love once more. Their morale surged.
"Rescue Ace!"
Whitebeard roared. Even with a sword wound that had pierced through his back, his voice echoed with unmatched strength. He stood like nothing had happened—despite a wound that would have killed any ordinary man.
Then, leaping down from the Moby Dick, Murakumogiri in hand, Whitebeard charged into battle like a war god.
"How dare they accuse our beloved Pops of betrayal! Damn the Marine!"
"Is this what so-called justice looks like? Dirty tricks?"
"Only by defeating the Marine can we wipe this disgrace from our hearts!"
"Rescue Ace! Defeat the Marine! Charge!"
"Whitebeard Pirates will prevail!"
The pirates roared in unison, charging toward Marineford's plaza like an unstoppable wave.
If they could just break through to the plaza, they would be one step closer to rescuing Ace.
Onboard the Moby Dick, Squard wiped his tears. Being forgiven by Pops made him feel even more ashamed of himself—and filled with hatred toward Akainu. But most of all, hatred toward himself.
As Whitebeard plunged into the battlefield, the flames of war erupted fully.
"Damn it!"
Akainu cursed. His plan to drive a wedge between Whitebeard and his fleet had failed. Whitebeard, with just a few words, had turned it all around—and now his men were even more fired up than before.
Still, Akainu consoled himself. Even if the betrayal didn't break the crew, Whitebeard had been stabbed. That alone was a win.
"Whitebeard must die today."
"Anyone in my way… dies."
Akainu, attempting to kill Luffy, found himself blocked by Dragon, forcing them into an all-out battle—storm versus magma. The battlefield trembled.
Meanwhile, Elior and his crew leaped from their ship. Docked close to the Moby Dick amid the chaos, no one even noticed their arrival.
"Alright… let's put on a show."
"You know the plan. Fight however you like—because everyone here is an enemy to us."
"But my main goal… is to leave Whitebeard behind in this era… so I can step into the next one and surpass him."
Besides that, Elior had another reason to be here—to complete his mark in the Marine Headquarters, a place special enough to fuel his growth.
"I need more power."
Elior's voice was cold as he addressed his crew. World and the Redfield were exceptions—they weren't formally allied like Bullet was. Bullet was increasingly showing signs of becoming Elior's right hand.
"So Kong moved up to work directly for the World Government... What a pity."
Redfield watched the carnage from afar. The sounds of slaughter shook Marineford and the surrounding sea, but he found no worthy opponent. Garp? Beneath him. The proud Redfield wouldn't stoop to fight someone who'd once gotten him captured. But if Garp dared come to him, he wouldn't hesitate to strike.
World, on the other hand, was eager for a rematch against Garp—the man who'd played the biggest role in his capture long ago.
Elior landed gracefully on the ice, then leaped a few more times to enter the thick of the battlefield.
"This is even more chaotic than I expected... The Revolutionary Army's involved too."
He spotted the Revolutionary commanders and quickly noticed Dragon battling Akainu.
No doubt about it—the Revolutionaries were siding with Whitebeard.
Luffy was still charging ahead like in the original timeline, protected by Ivankov, Jinbei, and—this time—Sabo, who had already beaten Smoker and returned to Luffy's side.
Their goal was clear: save Ace.
Of course, the Revolutionary Army's involvement was partly Elior's fault.
"Hey, Sengoku… look. He's here."
Beside the execution platform, Vice Admiral Tsuru's face twisted in shock. With a battlefield of over 100,000 fighters, spotting anyone was nearly impossible. But her sharp eyes had found him.
Elior.
There was no mistake.
"It's him."
Behind Elior, his subordinates had already begun to wreak havoc.
"Tsuru, what is it?"
Sengoku followed her gaze—and froze as he saw Elior's figure.
"So… he really came. Damn it… This war just got even worse. What's that man doing here?"
Anxiety gripped Sengoku. His gut screamed that the World Government needed to send reinforcements now—because the Marine alone wouldn't survive this chaos.
Sengoku immediately grabbed a Den Den Mushi and sent out an emergency transmission.
"Attention all units! The criminal Elior — killer of three Celestial Dragons — has appeared at the bay! This man publicly executed Celestial Dragons, defied the World Government, broke into Impel Down, and freed its prisoners!"
"Unforgivable! Capture on sight!"
At the same time, the live broadcast feed shifted to Elior's figure. On the giant screen in Sabaody, his silhouette appeared.
He didn't look particularly imposing. But to pirates and marines alike, his presence was terrifying.
The crowd in Sabaody erupted in panic.
They had expected the Marine to execute Ace — but no one ever imagined the sheer scale of the powers converging on this war.
The Revolutionary Army.
Elior's pirate crew.
Both were world-shaking forces.
No one could fathom the pressure the Marine was under. Even the onlookers felt suffocated.
Whitebeard glanced back at Elior — then swung Murakumogiri in a single devastating arc, enhanced by the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. Hundreds of marines were flung into the air like dandelions.
"That brat… What's he doing here? The Revolutionary leader said he has big ambitions..."
Dragon narrowed his eyes. Akainu's reaction was even more furious — their grudge was personal. If not for Dragon blocking him, Akainu would have charged Elior instantly. Killing Elior was one of his primary goals.
"So... he came."
Doflamingo, Hawkeye, Moria, and the other Shichibukai glanced toward Elior in the distance as he and his crew made their appearance.
"As expected… He wouldn't miss this" Doflamingo muttered, adjusting his sunglasses.
"But what's his goal in coming here?"
"He's not the type to show up without a reason" Hawkeye said calmly.
"Whatever he's after… it's probably something terrifying."
But things were different for Hancock. The moment she laid eyes on Elior, her heart skipped a beat, and her face flushed deep red like a shy maiden—despite no longer being one.
"He… he really came… He actually came…"
She felt a wave of joy and excitement but quickly realized—she didn't even know him personally.
"What do I even say…?"
BOOM!
Suddenly, a yellow flash shot across the battlefield.
"Speed is power!"
Today, Kizaru was more serious than usual. The appearance of the Revolutionary Army had already put him under heavy pressure. Now with Elior arriving as well, the tension multiplied.
Kizaru flew in at light speed, aiming a brutal kick toward Elior. Elior raised his right arm to block it—the ice beneath his feet cracked under the sheer force.
"You shouldn't be here, Elior—not now, not in this place!"
Before he could retract his leg, Kizaru formed a glowing ball of light in his palm and hurled it at Elior.
But in that instant, Elior calmly extended his left hand—his palm slapped down onto Kizaru's wrist holding the light orb.
"Null Field."
In a blink, the ball of light simply… vanished.
Kizaru's eyes widened in horror.
"Wha—!? Where… Where'd it go?!"
Before he could process it, Elior's leg struck like a whip—kicking Kizaru clean across the battlefield, sending him flying more than 20 meters.
Elior's Null Field could erase any supernatural ability. Kizaru's power, granted by the Glint-Glint Fruit, was no exception—it was temporarily nullified the moment Elior touched it.
"Since you've come after me… you're not leaving this time" Elior's tone was cold and absolute.
Aokiji, watching from afar, realized the gravity of the situation instantly.
"This… This is bad."
The Revolutionary Army was here. The Elior Pirates had arrived.
The battle at Marineford was escalating into something far beyond anyone's expectations.
Without hesitation, Aokiji stepped forward, surging toward Bullet, ready to engage.