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•———•———•———•———•Chapter's Events:
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"Whitebeard has reached the platform!!!"
Whitebeard gripped his spear-like weapon, its sharp head enveloped by the power of an earthquake. Veins bulged on his shoulders as he alerted his crew:
"Get down, my sons…!!"
Hearing this, the pirates retreated like a tide, then it happened. A devastating explosion, a crushing force. With one sweep of Whitebeard's weapon, hundreds, if not thousands, of Marines were felled.
"Ueaaaahhhh!!!"
The vice admirals, including Momonga, remained standing with effort, while the three admirals did not budge an inch.
Whitebeard appeared grim, aware that the stab wound inflicted by his son had significantly weakened him. But this did not deter him as he shouted:
"All right, men!!! Let's save Ace!!!"
Whitebeard's sons gathered around him once again, raising their weapons with renewed morale.
"Destroy the Marines!!!"
...
"… Garp…"
On the execution platform, Sengoku rolled up his sleeves while calling to Garp, who was not far away.
"Yeah…" he replied.
Sengoku formed a fist, saying:
"We can't let this go unchallenged…!!"
•———•———•———•———•
"Whitebeard… He looks exhausted… barely able to muster this much power," Garp sighed sadly at the state caused by Squardo's betrayal, speaking from the art store in the Kingdom of Sorbet.
"If your counterpart and Sengoku join the battle… well, we might as well close this volume now and do what we need to do today."
Dragon sensed that the situation was turning unfavorable for Whitebeard's pirates after Sengoku announced his intention to fight.
"Could Whitebeard be feigning weakness?"
The young Crocodile's eyes gleamed with a sudden idea, speaking without thinking.
"Well, anything is possible with pirates and their tricks… but a great pirate like Whitebeard doesn't need to pretend, boy. Your counterpart is more rational than you, but you're still young, so I excuse you. Buwahahaha!"
Garp laughed after giving the young Crocodile a lesson. Crocodile's face turned red as Garp mocked him in front of everyone, but he kept his anger in check to avoid Garp's infamous "fist of love," which hurt for a whole week.
"Another pirate might pretend, but Whitebeard is different… he's already an old man, eagerly awaiting to see how Whitebeard's journey will end in this sea… perhaps it won't be less epic than Roger's end, right?" said Garp.
"What's special about Roger's end in the manga? Didn't he die an unfitting death at the hands of mere executioners?" Little Bonney asked curiously.
Little Bonney was better off now, having already come to terms with her father Kuma's death in the manga.
"Hmm? I wish I could regain a child's perspective to see the world in pink as I did when I was a kid."
Hearing this, Ivankov, Dragon, Kuma, King Sorbet Bulldog, and his mother Conney nodded as if they agreed with Garp's words.
"Hey kid, listen to me, Roger's end as the Pirate King in the manga is the reason for everything happening now."
"He paved the way for the next Pirate King, and perhaps he foresaw the end of this world at the moment of his execution, departing with the sight of the world's end in the eyes of all those whose hearts were moved by his words about the One Piece."
"What could the One Piece be, I wonder? I have a feeling that this Whitebeard, who sacrifices everything for my grandson at this moment, knows as well."
"And you, son…" Garp said, looking at Dragon. "I know my counterpart well… He won't fight in this battle, and even if he does, he will only protect the execution platform and perhaps won't have the strength to protect it from Luffy."
"Well… not perhaps, he won't…"
With that, Garp's gaze returned to the next chapter of the volume.
...
In the next chapter, titled 'Marineford Marine HQ, Orisu Plaza,' Whitebeard, his sons, and his allied crews were deeply engaged in events that had escalated to an unprecedented level.
The art store on Sphinx Island was unusually quiet at this time. After a while, it seemed as if the readers had awakened from the hypnosis caused by the chapter.
"Oh my God! What's happening here!"
"Fight! Fight! Fight! Everyone's fighting!"
"Even Garp joined the battle!"
"Oh, what a strong punch Marco took from Garp! He hit the ground like an arrow!"
"My God! Diamond Jozu made Aokiji bleed!"
"How did Aokiji survive Whitebeard's stab in the first place?!"
"That's puzzling too, they said Whitebeard used Haki, right?"
"Man! Akainu face-to-face with Whitebeard! When did that happen!!"
The readers were in an unprecedented state of excitement at this moment. Whitebeard and his sons felt the excitement in the air and shared the same emotions as the ordinary people in Sphinx!
"Gurarara! This Admiral Akainu is interesting… Let's see what gave you the courage to stand before the old man."
Whitebeard's eyes gleamed with infinite disdain toward Akainu, who showed no respect before his counterpart.
"Harsh… this is extremely harsh -yui."
Meanwhile, Marco touched the right side of his face, sympathizing with his counterpart who had just been punched by Garp.
"I can't believe it… Does Garp want to see his grandson executed this badly?"
...
The atmosphere in the art store on Baterilla Island was not much different from that in Sphinx. However, here, Roger Pirates were present instead of Whitebeard's pirates.
Although the war between the Marines and Whitebeard Pirates did not necessarily concern them, the fact that Ace, their captain's biological son, was the one being sentenced to execution made them feel involved.
"Come on, Buggy… what has your counterpart been doing all this time?"
"Isn't he supposed to show his hidden strength at this crucial moment and save Ace?"
"Why is he still playing the clown for heaven's sake!"
"It's not like I know! Why are you asking me? Ask him!" exclaimed Buggy.
"How are we supposed to ask a character in the manga, you idiot!?" said Gaban.
Roger's pirates were teasing Buggy as usual.
Despite the light-hearted banter, tension filled the air. Roger's pirates were more than eager to see how the events would unfold, knowing that each passing moment brought Ace closer to his fate. Their eyes were glued to the pages, anxiously hoping for a miraculous turn of events that would save their captain's son.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 733: Whatever the End, We Must Accept It.
Chapter 734: Should I Have Been Born?
Chapter 735: Decisive Akainu!
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