HTP: Ch. 66

Whitebeard stood atop the frozen battlefield, his naginata, Murakumogiri, deeply embedded in the ice.

He had entered this war fully prepared to die, yet he hadn't expected such a turn of events to shift the tide. All that was left was for Marco and the others to return. Then the battle could end, and he could take the boys home.

Since Aokiji clearly no longer wanted to fight, Whitebeard decided to stoke the flames a bit more while they had a moment to talk.

"You heard what the Celestial Dragon said earlier, didn't you?"

Aokiji leaned back against an ice wall of his own making, pulling his sleep mask even lower, clearly not interested in responding. He had held back in the fight, but not out of any sympathy for pirates.

Garp's favor, the relatively restrained behavior of the Whitebeard Pirates, and his own deep doubts about the meaning of this war… all of these things led him to choose the path of least resistance.

If it had been Big Mom's or Kaido's crew, he would've fought with everything he had.

As a high-ranking officer in the Marines, he knew better than anyone how rotten and cruel the World Government had become, he'd witnessed much of it firsthand. But still, no matter how bad order was, it was better than total chaos at sea. Most pirates weren't like the Yonko or adventurers like Luffy.

Those bastards who burned, looted, and killed were no better than the Celestial Dragons. The Marines' existence was the only thing maintaining even a shred of justice.

He'd already seen what happened with Akainu. Although shocked, he knew that's how battles went, even the strongest could lose.

He hadn't risen through the ranks at the same time as Akainu or Kizaru, and his relationship with Akainu had always been lukewarm. In fact, they'd clashed when they were younger. In his eyes, anyone who kills must also be prepared to be killed. Sympathy for Akainu didn't come easily.

After this battle, Sengoku would likely retire. The next Fleet Admiral would be chosen between him and Borsalino. If he became the Fleet Admiral, he could do a lot more.

"Don't think you can shake my sense of justice."

He closed his eyes, deciding to ignore whatever Whitebeard said like a monk ignoring nonsense.

"I was a witness to the God Valley Incident, you know. That's still a secret among you Marines, right? Hahaha."

Aokiji's ears perked up slightly.

---

Back on the battlefield, which had become eerily strange after Akainu's defeat, a battered warship fell from the sky like a meteor and crashed hard into the sea.

The entire field was ice, except for the spot where the ship landed. Had it fallen just a bit off target, at least half of the people on board would have died. Must've been saved by another ice user.

Ice shards scattered and shockwaves swept the area. In the smoke and dust, several figures stood out.

"Ace! We're here to rescue you!!!"

Luffy arrived, alongside Buggy and Crocodile. Not far behind were Ivankov and Jinbe. These people were supposed to be key reinforcements in the original plan laid out by Itachi.

But now… they realized they might be too late.

Ace had already broken free from his restraints and stood atop a blue bird with a strange man in a black cloak patterned with red clouds. He even waved cheerfully down to Luffy: "Took you long enough!"

Luffy's jaw hit the deck. "Eh...?!"

They had risked everything escaping from Impel Down, only to find out Ace had already gotten out on his own?

Buggy's snot bubble popped. "What the heck is going on?!"

Crocodile didn't bother talking, he immediately went elemental and launched an attack on Whitebeard.

This time, Whitebeard didn't see Crocodile as a serious threat. Empowered with Haki, he used his Tremor-Tremor Fruit to strike back, sending Crocodile flying and coughing up blood.

Only then did he turn and stare at Luffy with surprise. "Ace's little brother, huh? That guy Itachi was right again."

"Garp! Look at what your damn family's done!"

Seeing yet another one of Garp's grandsons appear, Sengoku exploded in fury, yelling at the Vice Admiral beside him.

Akainu's downfall was hard for him to accept, after all, he was the Marine's sharpest sword.

Sengoku had originally planned to end this battle by taking down Whitebeard, retire, and pass the position of Fleet Admiral to Aokiji. He believed that the gentle-natured Aokiji could wield that sharp blade responsibly and lead the Marines into a new era. But the endless unexpected developments had drained even this master strategist. All he could do now was vent his frustration to his old friend.

Garp's expression was dark as steel.

The Marines had suffered a massive defeat this time, and the root cause was, embarrassingly, his own family.

With Ace's escape, the familial bonds in his heart were once again suppressed, and his sense of duty as a Marine surged back to the surface.

A large cross-shaped vein bulged on his forehead.

"Ace! Luffy! You damn brats!"

He suddenly leapt into action.

A storm tore through the air. Even before the iron fist landed, the force caused the ground to crack and collapse beneath it!

The previously friendly green-tagged Garp suddenly turned hostile, leaping high with overwhelming Haki, and launched a direct attack on the unsuspecting trio.

Itachi turned in shock, wasn't Garp supposed to be the employer's grandfather? Did the Hokage give faulty intel?

He had fallen victim to linear thinking.

In the world of pirates, people might be laughing today and crying tomorrow. Alliances flipped at a moment's notice, and reconciliation or betrayal came without warning. Everyone operated with a completely different logic.

Marco reacted in the nick of time, spreading his wings to hurriedly block the attack.

Boom!

The iron fist, coated in Armament Haki, slammed the three of them from the sky.

Mid-fall, Ace suddenly twisted around, arms crossed into an X-shape.

A blazing wall of fire erupted, barely cushioning the impact. When the three crashed into the ice, Marco's wings were already wrapped protectively around them.

Ace dropped to one knee to stabilize himself, sighing helplessly, "Looks like his Marine side is winning again over family."

"What now, Ace?" Marco asked, having returned to his human form. As he spoke, his healing flames burned softly on Itachi's wounds.

Itachi remained silent. Whether to fight or not wasn't his decision, as a mercenary, that was up to the client and the one footing the bill.

"Run, I guess. No point getting into a full-on fight with him."

Under a hail of cannon fire and chaos, the three of them sprinted toward Whitebeard's main ship.

As they ran, Ace clicked his tongue in frustration. "Tch, I was hoping to take this chance to off Blackbeard too… guess we'll round up everyone and do it next time."

Marco, treating Itachi while running.

---

The Blackbeard Pirates appeared.

Looking at the battlefield, Blackbeard realized there wasn't much opportunity left for scavenging.

The Whitebeard Pirates had actually won a sweeping victory, this left him in a very awkward position. Now, they might soon be the ones on the run, hunted down by the full might of a Yonko crew.

"Let's go, hahahaha! Plans always come with a few surprises!"

He didn't lose heart. If he got discouraged by minor setbacks, he would've never made it this far.

But at that moment, with Vista now retreating, Mihawk found himself growing bored. His sharp eyes spotted the fully assembled Blackbeard Pirates.

He perked up with interest. Wasn't that the man rumored to have captured Logia users who had mastered Haki?

How about a quick test, see how he compares to Shanks?

Let's say hello.

He unleashed a massive slash with Yoru.

BOOM!

The Blackbeard Pirates were sent flying like rag dolls, letting out horrific screams.

"Huh?" Mihawk tilted his head.