#1477 - Chapter 1487: The Battle of Marineford (Ninety-nine)
Then, without hesitation, they turned and sprinted towards the harbor.
However, just as they were about to reach the harbor, a figure suddenly appeared before Ace and Luffy.
An aura of biting cold permeated the air around him, sending chills down one's spine.
Upon seeing the newcomer, Ace froze, immediately halting his steps.
Almost instinctively, he extended an arm, forcefully stopping Luffy beside him, and quickly moved in front of Luffy, shielding him firmly behind his broad back.
“Ara ara ara, can't let you get away, Fire Fist Ace!”
The newcomer was none other than Aokiji.
“You won't escape from here!”
Aokiji casually placed his hands in his pockets, his gaze fixed coldly on the two before him, his tone firm and unwavering.
At this moment, Luffy also recognized the figure, his expression instantly turning grim, his teeth clenched, and his eyes flashing with angry sparks.
Seeing this, Aokiji's right hand suddenly began to change, transforming into a massive block of ice in the blink of an eye.
“Get back, Luffy!”
Ace roared, his entire body instantly engulfed in raging flames, as if to incinerate everything around him.
At that moment, Aokiji launched his attack, shouting, “Ice Block: Pheasant Beak!”
As his words echoed, the massive block of ice that had formed from his right hand suddenly transformed into a soaring bird with outstretched wings, swooping down on Ace and Luffy with overwhelming force.
Faced with this fierce offensive, Ace didn't back down, roaring in response, “Mirror Flame!”
Instantly, a massive mirror formed from flames appeared out of thin air, directly confronting the oncoming ice bird.
With a deafening “Boom,” the ice bird and the flame mirror collided violently, sending sparks flying and cold air surging.
The two extreme forces of ice and fire intertwined and clashed, the entire space trembling from the impact of this powerful energy.
Immediately afterward, a large amount of water vapor rose like clouds, filling the surrounding area and blurring vision.
Within this dense steam, flames and ice continuously eroded and melted each other, gradually evaporating and dissipating.
“Heavens, Admiral Aokiji's ice has vanished without a trace in an instant!”
The watching marines widened their eyes, exclaiming in disbelief.
However, before they could recover, a hearty laugh suddenly rang out: “Hahahaha, that's our Second Division Commander, if he didn't have this much strength, wouldn't that be pathetic?”
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Vista leading a group of people rushing to provide support.
Warring States, his face filled with anger, leapt down from a pile of rubble, landing firmly on his feet, and strode towards Marine Headquarters.
Along the way, he cursed inwardly: “What in the world is going on? How could such an important situation spiral out of control like this! With me here commanding, how could things have become so chaotic!”
When he finally arrived at Marine Headquarters, he immediately spotted Doflamingo leaning against a wall, a thread of blood at the corner of his mouth, yet still wearing an eerie smile.
“Fufufufufufufu… Just let those guys get away, this way, the days ahead will be much more interesting!”
Doflamingo laughed as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
However, a chilling shadow of gloom flickered in his narrow eyes.
Hearing this, Vice Admiral Onigumo's face darkened, and he rebuked sharply, “Shut up!”
With that, he immediately led a squad of soldiers to the battlefield to reinforce the struggling allies.
At the same time, on the other side of the battlefield, Whitebeard swung his massive naginata, and a fierce gust of wind roared out, striking Akainu directly.
Seeing this, Akainu quickly used all his skills to defend, but ultimately, he couldn't withstand Whitebeard's thunderous blow.
With a loud “Bang,” Akainu was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing to the ground dozens of meters away.
After finally managing to stabilize himself, he discovered a trace of bright red blood had spilled from the corner of his mouth.
However, Whitebeard's own condition was not much better.
He panted slightly, turning to look at his crew, who were still fighting fiercely against the Marines.
Whitebeard's voice boomed like thunder in the air, clearly reaching the ears of every crew member.
“Final? Wait, Pops, how can you say such ominous words! This is too terrifying, I don't want to hear such words from your mouth at all!”
A crew member of the Whitebeard Pirates cried out in terror, seemingly sensing that something ominous was about to happen, and hurriedly tried to stop him.
“That's right, Pops! We must return to Paradise together, that's where we belong! You absolutely can't abandon us!”
Another crew member's eyes were red, his voice filled with obvious sobs, shouting emotionally.
At this moment, Ace's eyes widened in anger, and his entire body was engulfed in flames as he shouted, “Cross Fire!”
He thrust his palms forward, and a torrent of flames roared towards Aokiji like a fire dragon.
However, faced with this aggressive attack, Aokiji simply waved his hand dismissively, easily neutralizing it.
Taking advantage of the opening, Ace turned to look at Whitebeard, shouting anxiously, “Pops!”
At this moment, Whitebeard stood like a majestic mountain in the center of the battlefield, his gaze firmly sweeping over the surrounding crew members, then he roared, “Children, part ways with me here! No matter what, all of you must live and return to Paradise safely!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire Whitebeard Pirates crew fell silent, as if time had frozen at that moment.
After a long moment, a crew member trembled his lips, muttering in disbelief, “Could it be… Pops really intends to sacrifice himself and stay here alone to fight the enemy?”
