Bahr stood suspended in mid-air, the Black Sword Autumn Water resting casually on his shoulder. His gaze swept past the chaotic battlefield, settling on the restrained figure atop the execution platform.
The sea breeze whipped at his robes, making them flutter noisily. Suddenly, he raised his voice, cutting through the smoke and clearly reaching every corner of the battlefield: "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, let me add some fuel to this fire!"
On the execution platform, Sengoku's heart sank violently. A wave of intense unease crawled up his spine as he glared at Bahr, demanding sharply, "What do you think you're doing?!"
Bahr didn't answer. Instead, he slowly raised his hand, palm facing upward, fingers slightly spread. A faint, nearly transparent ripple swirled around his fingertips, like water gently disturbed.
"Is that guy trying to—?" Aokiji's pupils constricted abruptly. Instinctively, he took a step forward, an icy chill instantly spreading around him.
The next second, Ace vanished from the execution platform without a trace.
"Ace?!"
"Fire Fist Ace is gone!"
The Marine ranks erupted in chaos, shouts of shock and fury rising one after another. The soldiers tasked with guarding Ace turned deathly pale, scrambling frantically to the edge of the platform—only to find empty shackles swaying in the wind.
"You bastard…" Sengoku glared at Bahr, his voice laced with suppressed rage. Though the tactician hadn't lost his composure, his eyes had turned as cold as ice.
Akainu's body surged with molten lava, the scorching airwave causing the surrounding ice to melt. He pointed at Bahr in the sky, his voice as frigid as steel: "That man must not be forgiven!"
Kizaru's figure instantly transformed into a streak of golden light, shooting toward Bahr as his glowing sword gathered blinding radiance: "Oh my, oh my… this is getting out of hand…"
"It's Ace! Ace has been rescued!" In stark contrast to the Marines' fury, the pirates erupted into wild jubilation.
The Whitebeard Pirates were stunned for a moment before bursting into deafening cheers, their roars nearly drowning out the battlefield's cannon fire.
Bahr glanced down at the still-dazed Ace beside him and gave him a casual push, sending him flying toward Whitebeard's direction.
"Here's your precious son," he called out, his tone almost nonchalant. "Now you can go all out with your powers."
After all, Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit was an area-of-effect attack of devastating scale. If not for Ace being held hostage by the Marines as leverage, Marineford would have long been reduced to ruins.
In the original timeline, once Ace died, Whitebeard unleashed his full power and nearly obliterated Marineford—proof enough of the terrifying might he wielded.
Now that the tables had turned, Bahr was eager to see how the Marines would handle this.
Ace adjusted his posture mid-air, flames erupting beneath his feet as he landed steadily beside Whitebeard. Seeing the wounds covering his father's body, his eyes reddened instantly. "Pops…"
Whitebeard reached out and gave his shoulder a firm, reassuring pat. Then, lifting his gaze to Bahr in the sky, the corners of his lips curled into a rare smirk. His rough voice carried a hint of amusement: "You brat… you're actually pretty interesting."
At that moment, Whitebeard forcefully drove his glaive into the ground, the deafening impact shaking all of Marineford. He surveyed his bloodied crew fighting fiercely around him and boomed with a voice like thunder: "Listen up, everyone! Ace has been rescued!"
"Now!" His voice rose sharply, carrying the authority of a king: "All forces, retreat! Return to the New World!"
"Oyaji..." Ace stared at Whitebeard's scarred back, wanting to say more, but the old man's sudden piercing gaze silenced him.
"This is your captain's order!" Whitebeard's eyes were as sharp as blades, boring into Ace's very soul. "If you still acknowledge me as your father, then retreat first!"
Ace clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white, finally gritting his teeth and bowing in acknowledgment. "Yes, sir!"
"Move out! Follow Ace!" Marco soared over the battlefield, his wings beating as he assessed the crumbling formation. "By Oyaji's command, all personnel withdraw immediately!"
Jozu's diamond body smashed through the advancing Marine ranks as he roared: "Cover the left flank! Don't let the Marines pin us down!"
The Whitebeard Pirates obeyed their captain's command without hesitation, their formation pulling back like a receding tide. The glow of Fire Fist and diamond cut a path through the chaos.
On the execution platform, Sengoku's face darkened like a stormcloud, his fists clenched so tightly beneath his cape that his knuckles whitened. "All Marines, pursue and engage! Under no circumstances can we allow Ace to escape!"
His voice trembled with suppressed fury. What should have been a flawless execution had descended into utter chaos. If Ace escaped alive, the Marines' dignity would be utterly shattered.
"Boom—" The Marine battalions advanced like rolling thunder, their cannons firing in succession, weaving a deadly net of artillery fire across the sky.
Hovering midair, Bahr observed the escalating tension below and suddenly raised an eyebrow, his lips curling into an amused smirk. "Whatever the Marines want to do, I, Bahr, will make sure to interfere."
His voice cut through the battlefield as he shouted: "Underlings! Full support for Ace's retreat!"
On the deck of the Ark Maxim, Enel's eye twitched violently, his golden rod crackling in his grip. "Who the hell are this bastard's subordinates?!"
Mr. 1 flipped over the railing without a word, his actions speaking louder than any declaration.
"Someone's eager," Mr. 5 clicked his tongue before leaping down, with Paula following close behind.
Miss. Valentine leaned against the railing with folded arms, her gaze flickering with unease at the carnage below. "Th-this level of fighting... hardly requires my intervention..."
"Y-yeah, it's much safer to just watch from the ship~" Porche gripped her baton tightly, her smile stiffening slightly.
Perona crouched on the mast, clutching her Hollow doll and muttering: "Sc-scary... so much blood... only idiots would fight..."
"Disgraceful!" Enel spat when he noticed the God Enforcers looking at him expectantly. Turning to Porche, he commanded imperiously: "Use your ability to elevate my sacred vessel! I won't tolerate these insects damaging it!"
"Right away~" Porche hastily waved her baton, the massive ship humming as it gradually ascended, evading the artillery fire below.
Enel transformed into a blue-white streak of lightning as he launched himself overboard, electricity spiderwebbing around him. "Perfect chance to vent my anger on these insignificant ants!"
His target was unmistakably clear—he specifically bombarded the dense naval formations. Wherever the lightning struck, screams erupted. Clearly, he was venting all the frustration from being suppressed by Kuma earlier onto the Marines, his usual domineering and volatile temper on full display.
The four God Enforcers and God Attendants, witnessing this, immediately leaped over the ship's railing after him, their loyalty to Enel etched into their bones.
"You bastard!" Sengoku's voice seethed with suppressed fury, his dark gaze locked onto Bahr, even his goatee trembling slightly from the intensity of his anger.
Bahr scoffed, utterly unfazed. His gaze swept past the chaotic battlefield, settling on the distant, grandiose structures of the Marine headquarters.
The pristine white walls stood out starkly amidst the smoke of battle, the two massive characters "Marine" at the top arrogantly overlooking all of Marineford.
"Since it's so lively," he murmured, his fingers lightly tracing the hilt of his sword at his waist, a roguish smirk curling his lips, "I'll give you Marines a little gift."
Before the words had even faded, Bahr suddenly tightened his grip on the hilt. The relaxed muscles of his arm instantly tensed, veins bulging like coiling dragons, spreading from his forearm to his shoulder. His entire body resembled a fully drawn great bow, the very air around him trembling faintly from the sheer force of his gathering power, stirring minute Spatial Ripples.
"Hah!"
With a low shout, his arm swung forth with a sound like tearing air, unleashing a condensed, ink-black Slashing Wave.
This was no ordinary blade's edge—it was a dimensional fissure infused with Space Warp, its edges flickering with silver-white lightning. Where it passed, even light was mercilessly swallowed, leaving behind a fleeting trail of nothingness.
The Slashing Wave carved a bizarre arc through the air, its speed nearly impossible to track, yet carrying a heart-stopping sense of sluggishness, as though the very space along its path was being forcibly stretched and distorted.
Like a black serpent choosing its prey, its gaping maw devoured spatial particles. Any rubble or smoke that came near was instantly ground to dust, leaving not a trace behind.
As it surged forward, the Slashing Wave continued to expand, chaotic light and shadow faintly visible within its dark halo. When it swept over the battlefield, the soldiers below felt their scalps prickle—an instinctive terror toward an incomprehensible power, as though they might be utterly erased by this fissure in the next moment.
Finally, this Slashing Wave, condensed with Bahr's full strength, carried a world-destroying momentum as it ruthlessly crashed toward the Marine headquarters' structures.