Having traveled underground by digging through ice and soil the entire way, the Straw Hat crew hadn't encountered many obstacles.
The only time they came close to danger was when Whitebeard's Conqueror's Haki-infused slash split the ice layer in half.
That strike missed the Thousand Sunny by just over ten meters.
Other than that, there were no other close calls.
One minute before the Thousand Sunny breaks through the surface.
Franky looked at the position marked on the signal radar and pushed up his goggles.
"We're here. The spot above us is where Luffy's brother is."
He spoke seriously to the other crew members. Even as a pervert, he was feeling some tension now.
Although they hadn't witnessed the scale of the battle firsthand, the sounds they heard through the ice and soil layers were enough to keep everyone on edge.
Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji all showed eager expressions. Among pirates, their nerves were considered quite thick.
Meanwhile, the Cowardly Trio were nearly paralyzed with nervousness.
Usopp used his new slingshot, [Kuro Kabuto], as a makeshift cane on the deck to keep his legs from buckling.
Unlike Nami and Chopper, Usopp was the first among everyone to awaken Observation Haki.
And he was currently the one with the deepest understanding of the terrifying situation above.
Precisely because he knew more, the fear intensified.
Each faint collision and slaughter he perceived was no less than a terrifying explosion in his mind.
Chopper had been nervously holding a Rumble Ball, ready to take it.
But upon seeing Usopp's state, he immediately cast aside his own nervousness, hurrying over on his short legs.
"Usopp! You look terrible! Let me get you some medicine!"
Under the Thousand Sunny's lights, Chopper could see Usopp's pale face and the cascading sweat.
He reached into his small pouch but was stopped by Usopp.
"I'm... fine... I'm... okay!"
Usopp slapped his thigh hard, slowing his trembling legs.
There was no chance to turn back now.
"Alright! I am the great Captain Usopp (self-proclaimed)! A brave warrior of the sea! I'm ready!"
Nami, beside him, saw this, and her fear lessened slightly.
Even Robin, usually always smiling, bit her lip nervously.
She didn't understand why she had agreed to do this with Luffy and the others.
In the past, she would avoid the Marines at all costs, let alone actively come to Marineford to rescue a condemned prisoner right under countless Marines' noses.
This was unthinkable in the past.
'Have you changed me too, Luffy?'
Robin's gaze focused on the captain standing ahead, her mind thinking uncontrollably.
In this tense atmosphere, Franky's hands flew over the controls.
"Alright, angle adjusted. We'll charge up in a moment. Luffy, you must seize the chance to rescue your brother!"
"No problem! Leave it to me!"
Zoro and Sanji silently stepped beside their captain, ready to protect Luffy at any moment.
And so, in this atmosphere, the Thousand Sunny finally broke through the ground, then shot into the air with the force of Coup de Burst, arriving directly above the execution platform.
…
"Ace! We're here to save you!!"
Under everyone's dumbfounded stares, Luffy, leaning over the ship's bow, violently threw his arm forward, grabbing Ace's waist on the execution platform and wrapping around it several times.
But that alone wasn't enough.
"Damn it! I can't pull him free!"
Luffy gritted his teeth, pulling with all his might, but apart from nearly making Ace's intestines pop out, it was useless.
Different from the original fate, considering the primary target and potential enemies, the Marines had not only put Seastone shackles on Ace but also locked him to the execution platform. Luffy's brute strength alone couldn't pull him free.
"Zoro, Sanji!"
No further words were needed. The captain's right and left hands understood immediately.
"Yeah!" x2
"Air Force Powered Kick!"
Zoro leaped up, landing on Sanji's shin.
Then, as Sanji exerted force, Zoro shot towards the execution platform like a flash of cold light.
Mid-air, Zoro held his sword in one hand and scabbard in the other, his arms covered with a thin layer of Armament Haki.
It wasn't much, but it was enough.
"Ittoryu Iai: Shishi Sonson!"
Was it the 'naming' effect? Even a simple Iaido slash was made to sound like an ultimate move by Zoro.
But the effect was perfect.
Under Zoro's precise control, Sandai Kitetsu sliced through the Seastone shackles without harming Ace himself.
Seastone's hardness was astonishing. Honestly, if not for the recent training, the old Zoro would have found it almost impossible to sever Seastone with one slash.
The moment the shackles fell away, a voice sounded simultaneously.
"Don't you dare!"
It was Sengoku!
Despite his lingering doubts, he couldn't simply watch as Ace was rescued.
So, his body acted faster than his mind, transforming into his Buddha form and charging into the air at even greater speed.
Seeing this, Naruto prepared to put aside the nearly finished Nusjuro and lend a hand.
But someone was faster.
"Don't lay a hand on my son! Sengoku!"
A terrifying Conqueror's Haki-infused slash shot straight at Sengoku. Whitebeard's figure charged like a cannonball.
Below him, the thundercloud Zeus seemed ready to stick its tongue out from exhaustion.
"Tired... so tired... even more than carrying Mama."
In the distance, Kaido looked perplexed at Big Mom beside him.
"Old hag, you're actually helping Whitebeard? Not like you. Did you eat too much cake and go stupid?"
However, Big Mom just gave him a sideways glance.
"What does a brat like you know?"
"Even in the pirate world, there's benevolence and righteousness!"
After Big Mom righteously declared this, she added with a ferocious expression,
"Besides, I really want to get back at the Marines too!"
"As long as it makes them unhappy, it makes me happy! Mamamama!"
This was overheard by the recovering Kizaru and Aokiji.
-As for Akainu, his current state was unknown.
"Then you're probably going to be greatly disappointed..."
Kizaru, for the first time, took off his Justice Cloak and rolled up his sleeves.
Aokiji was even more direct, attacking Kaido without a word.
The battle here reignited.
Meanwhile, many pirates witnessed with their own eyes Whitebeard swiftly approaching the execution platform, carried by the thundercloud.
"It's Oyaji! Oyaji is flying!"
"Idiot! That's Big Mom's creation!"
"Zeus?"
Katakuri, who had finally managed to shake off several God's Knights, also saw this. He glanced back towards the battlefield center where Naruto's group still fought, then looked at the distant Big Mom resuming her fight. His steps halted.
"Damn it!"
After shouting, he once again ran back towards the battlefield center.
Among Big Mom's many children, perhaps only Katakuri had perfectly inherited the so-called 'pirate's benevolence and righteousness'.
For him, there were countless reasons to retreat to his mother's side, but only one reason to go to the battlefield's center.
To help his friend.
Uzumaki Naruto was a friend he acknowledged.
Even if he couldn't help much in the fight, he had to remind him that the Marines still concealed a group with formidable combat power, completely immune to harm.
Sengoku's hands were also coiled with Conqueror's Haki, clashing with Whitebeard's Murakumogiri mid-air.
This brief clash was enough to buy time for Ace.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Four bursts of flame blossomed in the air, forming the symbol of the Whitebeard Pirates' flag.
"It's Ace!"
"They did it!"
Many Whitebeard Pirates members cheered joyfully. Even some allied pirates helping out unconsciously smiled.
Meanwhile, Ace transformed into a man of fire, throwing Zoro back onto the Thousand Sunny.
"Ace! Hurry and come with us!"
Luffy waved frantically at Ace. But before Ace could respond, another attack struck.
"Don't you dare!"
It was Ju Peter, the giant sandworm occupied by Byrnndi World.
Lacking Conqueror's Haki, even though Byrnndi World used weapons magnified a hundredfold to chop the sandworm into several sections, it would recover completely at an incredible speed.
It can be said that Ju Peter was currently in the best condition among the Five Elders.
Seeing the giant sandworm about to devour the entire Thousand Sunny along with the criminals, Ace immediately flew downward, his fist gathering power.
"Flame Commandment: Fire Pillar!"
Terrifying heat erupted from his palms, firing furiously into the sandworm's mouth!