Gunshots, the clashing of metal weapons, booming cannon fire, and cries of battle and screams of agonyâall these noises interwove to form the symphony of the battlefield.
Aokijiâs Ice Age not only froze the waters around the island reef group but even affected the surfaces of the islands themselves. These intermittent water surfaces, some deep enough to reach tens or hundreds of meters, while others only knee-deep, were now all uniformly frozen solid, providing the geographical conditions for the battle on both sides.
Boom! Bartholomew Kumaâs Ursus Shock spread through the crowd of pirates like a storm, and behind him, Sentomaru led the Pacifistas into the fray.
There were a total of eight Pacifistas, walking side by side. They either opened their mouths or extended their hands, releasing beams of light that bombarded the area with flashes of fire.
With these Pacifistas as the vanguard, a large number of Marine soldiers continuously pushed forward, attacking the forces of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Moria brought many zombie soldiers. Finally, on the ice, his zombie soldiers could be put to use. These seemingly invincible beings instilled great panic in some ignorant pirates.
The giant Vice Admirals from Marine Headquarters became the assault force. Wielding massive weapons, they swept through the crowd, with Little Oars Jr.âs body still frozen in place. The pirates were at a disadvantage against these towering giants.
With nearly 150,000 troops combined between the two sides, the battle raged fiercely across several square kilometers.
Marco, Vista, and their fellow strong captains were all entangled by the three Marine Admirals and couldnât lend a hand. They could only watch as the pirates were continuously pushed back with no means to intervene.
Sakazuki, with his right arm transformed into rolling, scorching magma, threw a punch at Marco while shouting, âMarco! Why hasnât your pathetic old man shown up yet? Is he too afraid and turned into a cowardly runaway?â
âShut up! Donât you dare insult Oyaji!!â Marco fiercely kicked Sakazukiâs magma fist. Although he successfully deflected Sakazukiâs punch, his foot was also burned by the magma.
But it didnât matter much, as Marcoâs flames possessed regenerative power. Blue flames ignited from his legs, quickly healing his foot.
âIsnât it true?â Sakazuki, with a grimace, taunted Marco, âYou all talk as if you care about family, but where is your father when his sons are being picked off one by one!?â freewebnoveâ.com
âShut up!â Enraged by Sakazukiâs words, Marco charged at him, landing a punch on his face.
Sakazuki staggered, almost falling to the ground from the impact, but as Marco continued his assault, Sakazuki suddenly thrust out his left fist, which transformed into a smoky magma hunting dog, opening its jaws and biting down on Marcoâs abdomen.
âInugami Guren!â (Dog Gnawing Red Lotus!)
This move was the origin of Sakazukiâs nickname. Marco, bitten by the magma dog, immediately spat out a mouthful of blood and was knocked down.
Sakazuki approached, grabbing Marco by the neck and lifting him up.
With blood trickling from his lips, Marco spat a mouthful of saliva at Sakazuki and said, âIf it werenât for you despicably using Teach to ambush Dad, leaving him severely injured and unable to fight, would you still be boasting here?â
Sakazuki dodged Marcoâs spit, unfazed by his angry accusations. âMight makes right. Whether itâs despicable or not, it isnât for you to decide!â
As he spoke, Sakazuki raised his other hand, preparing to smash Marcoâs head with his magma fist.
However, at that moment, the corner of Sakazukiâs eye seemed to catch something, causing him to pause and look up at the sky.
Seeing Sakazukiâs reaction, Marco also looked up, equally puzzled.
High in the sky above, a small black dot was descending straight towards them.
âWho⊠who is that?â Marco couldnât see very clearly from the distance, but he vaguely discerned a human figure.
Is this figure descending suddenly an ally or an enemy?
Sakazuki was the first to react. According to the message conveyed by Kuzan earlier, this person descending in a straight line might very well be Ian!
âSo, you finally decided to show up!â Sakazuki said coldly. âHmph, coming to bid Whitebeard farewell?â
Not only Sakazuki and Marco noticed the figure descending from high altitude, but also Aokiji, Kizaru, Sengoku, Garp, as well as Tsuru, and Doflamingo, Boa Hancock, and Hawk-Eye, all saw it!
Doflamingo and Hawk-Eye stood with their arms crossed, silent.
âIan!?â Boa Hancock stood up excitedly from Salomeâs back.
âHeâs really here!â Sengoku couldnât help but pound his fist against the shipâs side, looking up at the sky. âHow did he appear?
I didnât see that flying ship!â
âIanâŠâ Garp looked at the figure with a complex expression, his thoughts unclear.
Under the gaze of everyone, as the figure plummeted towards the ground, it suddenly spread out a pair of huge wings made of black flames, halting its rapid descent and slowly descending.
People around the world watching the war live through the Den Den Mushi also saw this scene for the first time.
For a moment, even the noise of the entire battlefield fell silent. Both the Navy and the pirates stopped their actions, staring dumbfoundedly at the figure that suddenly appeared on the battlefield.
Tens of thousands of eyes were fixed on one person, creating a suffocating sense of oppression at the scene.
Meanwhile, Ian, appearing carefree after landing, waved to Marco and greeted, âHey, Marco, Iâm here! Long time no see, but it seems youâre in quite a bad situation!â
When he appeared, Sakazuki had already let go of Marco, standing with clenched fists, silently watching Ian.
âYouâŠâ Marco looked at Ian incredulously. âHow come!? How did you get here!?â
Well, when Ian attacked Impel Down, it happened to be when the Whitebeard Pirates fell into the Navyâs trap, so Marco and the others didnât pay much attention to what was happening in the news and naturally didnât know Ianâs whereabouts.
Even Ace only deduced Ianâs arrival after hearing Kuzanâs question through the Vivre CardâŠ
It could be said that no one in the entire Whitebeard Pirates had ever thought Ian would show up!
In their view, Ian wasnât under the Whitebeard Piratesâ command, and he still bore the title of a Warlord, so it was already good enough that he didnât join the Navy in attacking the Whitebeard Pirates.
âWhat the hell, is that even a question?â Ian couldnât help but roll his eyes at Marcoâs surprise, saying, âDo you expect me to just stand by and watch you guys fight?â
âAh⊠Hahaha!â Marco paused for a moment, then burst into laughter suddenly.
âIâve actually been here for a while!â Ian sat cross-legged in the air, somewhat annoyed as he pointed to the sky above his head. âI originally had Uncle Fujitora use his Observation Haki to try to locate Oyajiâs whereabouts, but who knew even Uncle Fujitora couldnât find him. So, I had no choice but to come down and ask you!â
âDad is actually housed in a cave on the island!â Marco explained with a laugh.
âNo wonder!â Ian suddenly realized, slapping his thigh. âDamn it, I was planning to sneak in and see Dad quietly, but look at this now⊠Iâm surrounded by so many people now!â
The entire battlefield fell silent, everyone gaping as they watched Ian and Marco chatting and laughing, feeling utterly befuddled.
Are you kidding me? Sakazuki is right in front of you! Is it really okay to ignore him like this!?
âKid! Youâre Ian, right?â Sakazuki was also a bit annoyed, lifting his navy hat slightly with his hand, tilting his head with a displeased look. âI heard you escaped from the Navy Headquarters while I was away!? Since youâve escaped, why donât you just find a hole to hide in obediently? Why come here?â
âAh! Admiral Sakazuki!â Ian pretended to just notice Sakazukiâs presence and greeted, âHello, hello, nice to meet you. Sorry, I was so engrossed chatting with Marco that I didnât notice you were here too! But not to blame you, eavesdropping on othersâ conversations is really impolite!â
Sakazuki clenched his teeth, his fists immediately emitting thick smoke, transforming into dark red magma. âYouâre quite the talker. Since youâre here, I might as well finish you off right here and now. Let me see whatâs so special about the head of a billion Berry bounty!â
As his words fell, suddenly two figures appeared nearby. Kizaru and Aokiji, both rushed over here. They stood on either side of Sakazuki, facing Ian together.
âIan, you canât escape this time!â Aokiji said coldly, his body emanating a chilling aura. He frowned, looking serious. âThis time, donât even think about using that hypnotic trick to escape again!â
âYoung people are too reckless, and theyâll end up breaking their heads sooner or later!â Kizaru also spoke slowly. âHowever, being jointly killed by us in the sight of millions, yours will be a fitting deathâŠâ
Hiss! Whether they were Marines or pirates present, at this moment, they couldnât help but inhale sharply!
Is this⊠three Admirals preparing to deal with him at the same time!?
On the other side of the warship, Vice Admiral Tsuru looked at Sengoku with some astonishment and said, âIsnât this a bit too much?â
âNo!â Sengoku shook his head. âIan deserves such attention from the Marines. Previously, at Sabaody Archipelago, even with the joint efforts of Kizaru and Aokiji, they couldnât harm him. Although there was a reason I called him back midway, to prevent any more accidents, we must use three Admirals to swiftly take him down with overwhelming force!â
Marco and the others snapped back to reality. Vista, who had fought with Kizaru before, Jozu, just rescued and recovered from being frozen, Blenheim, Rakuyo, and the other captains of the Whitebeard Pirates immediately rushed to Ianâs side, standing shoulder to shoulder with him, facing the three Admirals.
The atmosphere at the scene became extremely tense at this moment. Everyone tensed their muscles, preparing for the imminent battle.
Just then, Ian suddenly clapped his hands. âAh! I remember now. Besides asking about Oyajiâs whereabouts, I have another task!â
Everyone was puzzled by Ianâs sudden change of topic but curious about his other task.
Then they saw Ian land on the ground, looking around. He found the distinct lines between the pirates and the Marines, nodded, and drew his Senbonzakura from his waist. With a slight release of his hand, the blade immediately sank into the air, disappearing.
Bankai!
Countless cherry blossom petals fluttered in the air. Kizaru, who had witnessed Ianâs move before, immediately lifted his leg, a glimmer flashing on his foot, preparing to kick Ian with his Light Speed Kick.
However, Ian suddenly raised his head, and the illusion of the Evil Eye appeared on his forehead, allowing countless viewers through the live broadcast to see the anomaly on him.
âIâm actually here to clear the field!â Ian chuckled.
Facing Kizaruâs incoming Light Speed Kick, he ignored it completely, flipping his hands and crossing them over his head.
âLet everything return to nothingnessâŠâ { Marokare }
With Ianâs soft words, the next moment, a dazzling beam of light erupted from the sky, illuminating the horizonâŠ