The execution platform was set, and the executioners stood ready. The world held its breath.
Then, the sea erupted. Whitebeard, the strongest man in the world, and his massive fleet surfaced, their power instantly overwhelming the plaza.
"ACE IS MY SON!" Whitebeard's roar shook the very foundations of the world.
Sengoku gave the order. The battle began immediately.
Kenji stood up, calmly addressing the other Warlords. "My alliance is tactical. I will defend the platform, but I will not engage the Whitebeard Commanders unless provoked."
He focused his immense power outward. He knew the true, initial threat was Whitebeard's Devil Fruit power.
• Target: Gura Gura no Mi (Quake-Quake Fruit) power and the concept of Vibration/Kinetic Force Generation.
• Copying...
• Apex Enhancement Active...
• Resulting Ability: [Apex: Absolute Vibration & Kinetic Field Mastery] Acquired. (Full, absolute control over all forms of vibration, shockwaves, and kinetic force, including the ability to generate or instantly nullify earthquakes).
Whitebeard unleashed his first world-shaking blow, punching the air and sending a massive shockwave tearing toward the Marineford platform, capable of splitting the plaza in half.
Kenji didn't lift a hand. He merely established a perfectly counter-balanced vibrational field using his new Apex power.
The immense shockwave, the power that could destroy the world, hit Kenji's invisible field and dissipated instantly, harmlessly canceling out the kinetic force.
The entire plaza, expecting devastation, was left untouched.
Sengoku, the Admirals, and the Commanders of Whitebeard all stared at the small, calm figure of Kenji.
"He... he stopped Whitebeard's Quake!" Sengoku bellowed, his voice laced with disbelief.
Kenji opened his eyes, now a transcendent master of the strongest Paramecia ability. "Your power is countered, Whitebeard. I will not allow this world to be destroyed in a fit of emotion."
The battle had just begun, and the world had witnessed the Apex User neutralize the greatest destructive force in the world. The long, slow war for Marineford had officially changed forever.