When Sabo and a mysterious man in black confronted each other, a group of dark figures emerged from a private house behind them. These men were all dressed in the same uniform as the mysterious man and had a powerful aura.
They looked down on everyone—pirates, revolutionaries, prisoners, and even the Marines—as if to say to Fleet Admiral Sengoku, "We'll handle what the Marines can and what they can't."
This was the Army, the personal guard of the World Government and the Celestial Dragons from the Red Line. There weren't many of them, less than a hundred, but each one looked incredibly capable.
They stood on the side, near the execution platform, and showed no intention of fighting, almost as if they were there just to watch. All the Marine executives looked furious, hating these arrogant soldiers for their passive presence.
At that moment, the hijacked Marine warship and the prisoners it carried crashed into the bay, right into the large hole left behind by the giant pirate, Joz. The pit was filled with seawater, which was a blessing, as everyone was immediately able to swim to safety. Not long after, Jinbe, Emporio Ivankov, Crocodile, and Buggy appeared on the highest point of the warship.
Their motley crew, standing together for the world to see, was a strange sight. The Marines were confused, and the Whitebeard Pirates were taken aback. However, the Whitebeard Pirates quickly realized that none of that mattered. The important thing was that Jinbe was there, and he was an ally.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku couldn't help but roar, "Jinbe, you fool! Is this your answer?!"
Jinbe yelled back, "That's right! I've decided to quit being a Warlord! I'm here to help Pops save Ace!"
As a Warlord, Jinbe was supposed to be on the Marines' side, but now he was fighting against them. This news dealt a huge blow to the morale of the Marine soldiers. Still, many sailors weren't surprised, because pirates, after all, were never to be trusted.
Suddenly, Crocodile turned into a wisp of sand and flew toward Whitebeard. The Whitebeard Pirates' crew members were instantly on high alert.
"Hey, Whitebeard, long time no see!" Crocodile called out, aiming his hook at the old pirate.
"You've got a short memory," Whitebeard grumbled, punching Crocodile without even looking at him. The force of the punch sent Crocodile flying, and he landed hard on the ice, spitting up a lot of blood.
Several Whitebeard Pirates immediately surrounded him and his partner, Daz Bonez, who was protecting his boss. Daz Bonez turned his hands into blades and cut down several of the pirates, but the two were still completely encircled.
"You damn Crocodile, how dare you try to attack Pops?!" one of the pirates shouted.
Crocodile simply wiped the blood from his mouth and ignored them, his eyes still fixed on Whitebeard. The killing intent was still very clear.
Not far away, Buggy became annoyed. "Dammit! Crocodile wants to get ahead of me? He's got a lot of nerve!"
Jinbe stood in front of the Moby Dick**, ready to stop Crocodile. "I won't let you disrupt Pops, Crocodile!"
The moment they reached Marineford, the prison escape alliance had fallen apart, and the two sides had become enemies again.
Ivankov sighed, "Croc boy, don't you dare start a fight here!"
Crocodile shot back, "Ivankov, I only agreed to escape with you. The deal is over. You can't threaten me anymore!"
"Even if we wanted to kill Whitebeard, we have to wait until this is all over," Ivankov reasoned. "Otherwise, we'll be dealing with the entire Marine force. Do you really want to die here? Because if you do, I don't mind exposing your little secret before you die. What do you say, Croc boy?"
"Tch!" Crocodile glared at Ivankov.
To show his allegiance to the "cause," he took Daz Bonez and went to fight the Marines. Since he couldn't kill Whitebeard, he would just take his anger out on the soldiers. Seeing that Crocodile was no longer an issue, Jinbe apologized to Whitebeard and rushed toward the execution platform.
Ivankov glanced at Sabo high in the sky, a look of worry on his face. He then saw Luffy fighting Kizaru and let out a sigh of relief.
"Hee-haw! Let's go, my candies!" Ivankov followed Jinbe's lead, and the other prisoners excitedly followed him.
Only Buggy stood still. The prisoners found a coat of justice for him, and someone had crossed out the word "justice" with a red marker. It made Buggy look very impressive. The prisoners stared at him, waiting for their savior to get Whitebeard's head.
"Huh? Aren't you the red-nosed guy from Roger's ship? It's been a while," Whitebeard said.
Buggy froze. "Who are you calling red-nosed?! Be careful, I'll… Poof! Whi… Whitebeard?!" He was shocked that Whitebeard remembered him and was speaking to him.
"Did you come from Impel Down to take my head?" Whitebeard asked.
"That's right!" the prisoners shouted loudly in unison.
"Hey! You guys!" Buggy was startled. These idiots weren't afraid of anything.
The prisoners quickly apologized. "That's right, that's what Captain Buggy was going to say! Captain Buggy, show him your amazing power!"
Buggy wanted to die from embarrassment, but seeing their bright, hopeful eyes, he decided to play along. "Alright! Whitebeard! It's been a while! Just you wait! I'm coming to get your head!"
Whitebeard frowned. "I don't mind, but look around. We're surrounded by Marines. If we fight each other and lose, won't that just help them? I'm worried about that. Why don't you join forces with me? We can deal with the Marines together, and you can take my head later."
Buggy was stunned. Since when was Whitebeard so easy to talk to? He actually sounded... respectful? The prisoners' eyes lit up. "Just as we expected! Captain Buggy can talk to Whitebeard as an equal! Oh, who's our savior? It's Captain Buggy, of course!"
Buggy felt his ego swell. Pointing at Whitebeard, he yelled, "Fine! I'll cooperate with you! But remember, I'm the one helping you!"
"Yeah! Who is it? It's our Captain Buggy!" the prisoners cheered in unison.
With his confidence soaring, Buggy grabbed his daggers and, with his army of prisoners, charged straight into the Marine forces.
------------------------
For Advance chapters visit : patreon.com/Mythic_Muse