Chapter Twenty-Two: The Arrival of Blackbeard

Akainu stepped forward, and the pirates shouted, “Stop Akainu, now!”
They brandished their blades, charging at him in near madness. With a single punch, he had destroyed everything the Whitebeard Pirates had fought for. They hated this man before them with all their hearts.
Even knowing death awaited, they were determined to cover the retreat of their comrades.
Akainu’s magma engulfed them without mercy.
Cannons roared; half of Akainu’s body disappeared, but still he pressed on, unhurried and relentless.
“What… what kind of monster is this?”
“Firearms are useless against Logia types!”
“What do we do? Ace…”
Akainu reached Ace’s side, looking down at him with disdain. “Ace, it seems you still cling to life. Let me finish it for you.”
He raised his hand, magma swirling. One blow would chill Ace to the core.
Whitebeard, seeing this, was about to unleash his powers—but Kizaru interrupted him with a burst of laser light.
Kizaru, hands in his pockets, remarked lazily, “You actually let me hit you head-on, Whitebeard.”
Whitebeard grunted coldly. His body was in utter ruin, even his Observation Haki faltering.
Akainu threw his punch; Jinbe rushed to block it. Even with Armament Haki, Jinbe’s palm was scorched red-hot.
Jinbe gritted his teeth. “I won’t let you pass!”
Akainu, unimpressed, readied another punch.
“Jinbe, duck!”
Two figures burst from behind Jinbe, slashing across Akainu’s body, leaving him wounded.
They were Marco and Vista, freed from the Sea Prism Stone shackles.
Akainu muttered, “How tiresome… Haki again.”
The wounds on his body healed rapidly. Using Observation Haki, Akainu preemptively shifted into his elemental form, dodging the surprise attack.
Momentarily, Akainu was held at bay.
Ace managed a smile; Luffy stared at him, stunned. “Ace, you can still be saved, right? There’s still hope, isn’t there?”
Ace spoke gravely. “I know my body. It’s too late. My organs are roasted by magma—there’s nothing left.”
In desperation, Luffy remembered the one who’d saved him before: Ivankov, the Okama King. He turned and shouted,
“Ivan! You can save him, can’t you? You saved my life—inject Ace with the excitement hormones! Hurry!”
Ivankov examined Ace’s wounds, his face troubled; he shook his head. “There’s nothing I can do for Ace.”
“How can that be… how can that be…”
Luffy cried out in anguish.
Ace smiled gently. “Luffy, don’t make it hard for him…”
His body went limp, breath fading. Ace’s life card burned away to nothing.
Luffy stared at Ace’s lifeless form cradled in his arms. Memories flooded back, and his mind refused to accept it; his eyes rolled back, and he lost consciousness.
Marco and Vista blocked Akainu, shouting, “Jinbe, get Ace’s brother out of here!”
Jinbe scooped up Luffy and ran toward the ships.
Marco and Vista followed close behind.
Akainu prepared to pursue them, but his expression suddenly tensed. As he turned, he was met by a massive hand.
Whitebeard appeared behind him, gripping Akainu’s head in his giant palm. He activated his Devil Fruit power, slamming Akainu violently into the ground.
Akainu was driven deep into the earth, blood pouring from his mouth and nose.
Whitebeard leapt lightly, bringing his foot down hard on Akainu’s head.
Akainu scrambled to evade, putting distance between himself and Whitebeard, hurling fireballs at his adversary.
Whitebeard ignored the attack, advancing. Even his signature white mustache had lost a tuft. He punched Akainu with tremendous force, sending him flying, then strode after him.
Akainu collapsed on the ground, staring at the furious, charging Whitebeard. At the moment Whitebeard threw his punch, Akainu unleashed his Hellhound technique, his body shifting into magma and launching a surprise attack.
Another heavy blow pierced Whitebeard’s chest, magma churning inside him.
Whitebeard grunted deeply. After a brief silence, he seized Akainu’s throat with one hand—he was still alive.
He hurled Akainu high into the air, then struck him with a mighty fist. The entire crust of Marineford trembled, and Akainu briefly lost consciousness, blood streaming from his mouth and nose.
The ground split open, leaving a vast chasm.
Akainu, gravely wounded, fell into the fissure.
Whitebeard gasped for breath, now utterly exhausted and battered.
Facing the oncoming tide of Marines, Whitebeard swung his blade. The energy wave that surged forth obliterated everything before him, clearing the path.
Dust and smoke filled the air.

As the haze dispersed, several figures appeared atop the platform.
Ao Temple stared intently: “Blackbeard Marshall D. Teach! He actually escaped from Impel Down?”
“And Magellan?”
Blackbeard looked down at Whitebeard, his face alight with a gleaming smile.
Whitebeard glared at the newcomers, his voice low and grim. “Damn…”
Blackbeard surveyed the crowd from above. He had gathered all the subordinates he desired—though missing a poison doctor and the giant wolf.
Blackbeard laughed, “So I’ve finally been discovered? To see you one last time before your death—it’s truly an honor, Pops!”
Whitebeard replied, “You bastard…”
Nearby, Sengoku, confronted by these dangerous figures, was incredulous. He spotted a familiar face: Shiryu of the Rain, former deputy warden of Impel Down.
He shouted, “Shiryu, you bastard! What happened to Impel Down? What about Magellan? How did you all get here?”
The minor pirates who escaped Impel Down earlier hadn’t worried Sengoku much. They were dangerous, but not enough to threaten the world order.
But now, facing these criminals, he could no longer remain calm.
Shiryu smirked. “I won’t answer that here, Fleet Admiral Sengoku. If you want to know, go see for yourself. Anyway, I’ve decided to join these guys and become a pirate!”
Blackbeard stood atop the wall, arms spread wide, laughing uproariously. “Ze-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha…”
He boasted shamelessly about how he infiltrated Navy headquarters and his reasons for joining the Seven Warlords.
Suddenly, a sword aura charged with white energy streaked toward them, full of murderous intent.
Dust and debris exploded, the wall crumbled.
As the smoke cleared, Blackbeard and his crew emerged unscathed. He remarked, “That was close.”
Blackbeard brushed off the rubble and looked at Whitebeard. “You really have no sentimentality at all.”
Whitebeard shouted, “Teach! Among all my sons, you alone violated the one iron rule of the Whitebeard Pirates—you murdered your own family.”
“You are my worst son, Teach!”