Beneath the towering Iron Wall, a hundred thousand elite naval soldiers gathered, nervously watching the blue sea ahead.
The sea was calm, with no signs of pirate ships in the distance. As time ticked by, although the Navy soldiers remained vigilant, the prolonged tension made them feel a hint of fatigue.
Suddenly, a series of dense bubbles appeared on the surface of the sea, spreading rapidly. The entire port seemed to boil as the bubbles intensified. Amid the bubbling noise, the soldiers raised their weapons. Huge black shadows began surfacing with the bubbles.
"Enemy attack!"
One of the naval soldiers shouted, drawing his sword and pointing at the massive pirate ships emerging from the sea. On the execution platform, a heavily injured man was forced to kneel. Among the fleet of pirate ships, the largest one, the Moby Dick, surfaced. Whitebeard stood at the bow, holding his massive weapon, Murakumogiri.
Looking up at Ace on the execution platform, Whitebeard casually stabbed Murakumogiri into the deck beside him.
"Ace! Dad's here to take you home!"
"Sengoku! You old coot! You dared to capture my son. Aren't you afraid I'll destroy your Navy Headquarters today?"
"Whitebeard!" Sengoku stood up, laughing as he addressed the countless pirates below. "With this rabble, do you think the Navy's justice is so fragile? Today, let's end this! A new era is upon us!"
"Gurararara!" Whitebeard laughed, raising his fists. A white halo began to form around them, solidifying with power. "In that case, I'll tear this Navy Headquarters to the ground today. Ace, wait there a bit longer. Dad's coming for you."
Whitebeard's body sank slightly before both fists slammed into the surrounding air.
"Sea Quake!"
With a thunderous shout, the space around his fists shattered. The resulting seismic force radiated outward, causing massive waves to rise. The waters around Marineford erupted with violent tremors, and colossal waves, reaching nearly a hundred meters high, surged toward the island.
On the ground, as the tremors subsided, the Navy soldiers, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, realized the sun had vanished. A massive shadow loomed over their heads—a giant wave descending with destructive force.
On the high platform, Aokiji was about to act when Klee suddenly climbed out of her oversized seat. Golden light began to radiate from her small body as her voice echoed in front of the enormous wave.
Radiating light like the sun, Klee raised her small hand and declared, "Stop for Klee!"
Her childlike voice resonated in the wind, and the waves, as if obeying a ruler's command, halted their advance. Supporting her chin with her hand, Klee muttered, "What should Klee do about this?"
"These waves still carry that grandpa's power. If Klee sends them back, it might cause an earthquake."
"Leave it to me," Aokiji said, appearing beside her with a gentle smile. He patted Klee's head and emitted a chilling aura. Extending his hand, now encased in ice, he touched the waves.
"Ice Age."
Aokiji's calm voice reverberated as the waves froze solid. The Navy Headquarters, surrounded by towering walls of ice, resembled a fortress.
"Gurararara!" Whitebeard laughed, looking at Aokiji and Klee, who were admiring the icy walls. "Not bad, Aokiji boy! But since when did the Navy bring children onto the battlefield?"
"Big-bearded grandpa, thank you for worrying about Klee." Waving her small arms enthusiastically, Klee smiled up at Whitebeard. "Don't worry, Klee is strong! But why is grandpa being a bad guy?"
Descending from the air, Klee approached Whitebeard, her curiosity piqued. "Grandpa feels like a good person to Klee."
Stopping Marco and Jozu, who were about to rush forward, Whitebeard looked at Klee standing fearlessly beside him. "Little one, don't you know this is a battlefield? We're enemies, and yet you've come to me without any guard."
"Battlefield?" Tilting her head, Klee asked, "But Brother Hiroshi said this is where bad guys are fought. What's a battlefield? Besides, Klee isn't afraid of grandpa. Klee is strong and can tell grandpa is a good person."
"Gurararara!" Laughing, Whitebeard squatted down and looked at Klee. "Your name is Klee, right? Would you like to be my daughter?"
Shaking her head quickly, Klee refused. Grabbing Whitebeard's crescent-shaped mustache, she said seriously, "No way. Grandpa is too old. Klee can't be grandpa's daughter. But Klee can be your granddaughter."
With her hands on her hips, Klee proudly declared, "Klee is very smart."
"You little rascal," Whitebeard chuckled, patting her head with his massive hand. "Fine, today you're my granddaughter! Stay behind grandpa, little Klee. Grandpa has to rescue Ace."
"No, Klee wants to fight the bad guys," she said, shaking her head. Pointing to pirates rushing from the frozen waves toward the Navy, she added, "Some of those bad guys feel really evil to Klee. They're super bad guys!"
"Brother Hiroshi is busy elsewhere. Klee must defeat these bad guys!"
Whitebeard sighed, watching the determined Klee. "Little Klee, some of those guys are indeed wicked, but they've come to rescue Ace. If your target is bad guys, I can't let you stop us. Ace is still on the execution platform!"
"Rescue Ace?" Klee blinked and pointed at the platform where Ace was shouting. "But that big brother isn't going to die."
"Klee knows. That big brother is Grandpa Garp's grandson and feels like a good person. Everyone planned to use Ace to draw the world's attention so the government wouldn't notice something else."
Covering her mouth in panic, Klee looked at the stunned Whitebeard, Marco, and Jozu. "Grandpa, uncles, don't tell anyone Klee said that. Brother Hiroshi isn't back yet."
Whitebeard looked down at Klee, then up at Sengoku and Garp, who were glaring at him. A sly grin spread across his face. "Looks like Sengoku has something planned."