Seeing the way Edward Newgate made his entrance, everyone fell silent.
Sengoku looked at Whitebeard with a dark expression. "You old man, did you really have to make such a huge spectacle?"
Hidden nearby, veterans like Monkey D. Garp and Tsuru also stared toward the Moby Dick without saying a word.
This moment belonged entirely to Whitebeard.
Anyone watching this "live broadcast" would never forget this scene. They would never forget the overwhelming presence of Whitebeard, like a king returning to his throne.
It made all the Marines' preparations seem meaningless, leaving countless viewers shocked and breathless.
At the same time, they could not help but think the same thing.
As expected of Whitebeard.
"Whitebeard really is something," said Borsalino from the Admirals' position on the second tier of Marineford, his eyes carrying a strange glint.
"Since he belongs to the previous era, why can't he just die quietly?" Sakazuki said angrily. To him, Whitebeard was nothing more than a pirate, and pirates did not deserve glory.
Beside them, Kuzan remained the calmest. Even now he looked lazy and relaxed. "Looks like this is going to be troublesome."
On the third tier, the Seven Warlords of the Sea each showed different reactions.
Dracule Mihawk stared directly at Whitebeard.
He had come partly because the Warlords were summoned by force, but also because he wanted to see what the strongest man in the world looked like.
"As expected of Whitebeard."
Even without seeing him fight, Mihawk already understood that this kind of opponent was far beyond what he could currently handle.
But his eyes sharpened with excitement.
A swordsman, especially one who carried the title of the world's greatest, never knew the meaning of fear.
"Since I've finally seen you…"
"You must take one of my strikes."
Donquixote Doflamingo glanced at Mihawk, noticing the rare excitement in his eyes.
He had known Mihawk for years, yet this was the first time he had seen him so eager.
Doflamingo then turned his gaze back toward Whitebeard.
Feeling the immense aura radiating from him, even he was shocked.
As someone who also possessed Conqueror's Haki, Doflamingo could sense Whitebeard's terrifying presence more clearly than anyone else.
His laughter gradually grew louder.
"The strongest man in the world, huh?"
"That presence really lives up to the name."
Compared to Mihawk and Doflamingo, who were stirred by Whitebeard's arrival, Boa Hancock and Gecko Moria remained relatively calm.
Bartholomew Kuma stood expressionless, giving no clue about what he was thinking.
As for the others, even the elite and giant Marine Vice Admirals were overwhelmed by Whitebeard's presence.
For a moment, they could not even find their voices.
"Sengoku."
Holding his naginata, Whitebeard stood at the front of the Moby Dick with a confident smile.
"It's been decades since we last saw each other, hasn't it?"
His voice carried across the battlefield.
"My dear son… he's safe, right?"
As he spoke, murderous intent flashed in Whitebeard's brown eyes.
If Sengoku so much as hinted that Portgas D. Ace had suffered even the slightest harm, no one doubted that Whitebeard would attack immediately.
"Gurararara!"
"Gurararara!"
The killing intent and overwhelming aura stunned everyone into silence.
Even the 150,000 Marine elites began to sweat.
This was Whitebeard.
The strongest man on the seas.
"Damn it…"
Looking at Edward Newgate standing before them, Sengoku could not hide the concern on his face.
He realized that after all these decades, the old rival who was rumored to have one foot in the grave had lost none of his former presence.
If anything, Whitebeard now seemed even sharper and more imposing than before.
"I never expected this… never."
Sengoku clenched his teeth as he thought about the more than three hundred warships he had deployed around the island.
"You actually managed to get this close."
"Gurararara!"
Hearing Sengoku's words, Whitebeard burst into laughter again.
His gaze shifted to the execution platform where Portgas D. Ace was being held.
"Did you really think I would follow your plan, Sengoku?"
Sengoku said nothing.
Of course he knew Whitebeard would not be easy to deal with.
Seeing that Sengoku had fallen silent, Whitebeard handed his naginata to someone beside him and slowly stepped onto the whale-shaped prow of the Moby Dick.
The muscles in his arms bulged as he crossed them before his chest.
"Ace, don't be afraid. Your old man is here to save you."
"Old man!"
On the execution platform, Ace shouted loudly.
Tears streamed down his face.
Memories of his life with the Whitebeard Pirates flashed through his mind.
Regret and unwillingness filled his heart.
"If… if only I had listened to you back then… none of this would have happened!"
"Nonsense!"
Cracks began to appear around Whitebeard's fists.
The sea that had just calmed suddenly began to surge again.
It was as if something deep within the ocean had responded to his call.
Even Marineford itself began to tremble.
"Wh-what is that?!"
Everyone began looking around in panic.
"What are those cracks?!"
All the Marines, including the giant Vice Admirals and elite Vice Admirals, showed fear on their faces.
They did not know the exact cause, but instinctively they understood one thing.
Whitebeard was responsible for it.
"Whitebeard…"
"He can make the ocean move?!"
"What was that explosion just now?!"
Gradually, two colossal walls of water appeared on both sides of Marineford.
They were more than four times higher than the Marine Headquarters itself and twice as wide as the island.
"Seaquake… He shook the ocean itself!"
Sengoku finally spoke.
As Whitebeard's longtime rival, Sengoku knew very well what ability he possessed.
Yet even he was shocked by how powerful Whitebeard had become.
If this attack succeeded, the entire island of Marineford would be swallowed by the sea.
Three hundred warships.
One hundred and fifty thousand elite Marines.
Even if their forces were ten times greater, they would still be destroyed by the power of Whitebeard's Gura Gura no Mi.
"So this is Whitebeard's power…"
"It's terrifying!"
At that moment, fear spread through the Marine ranks.
True fear.
The kind of power capable of casually destroying an island had already surpassed the limits of what humans should be able to achieve.
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