Shanks' apology, carried across the world through the Den Den Mushi, struck everyone's heart like a sudden clap of thunder.
The Marine soldiers looked at one another, their gazes drifting almost instinctively toward the red-haired man at the center of the battlefield.
Who exactly was this "family" who could make one of the Four Emperors lower his head and say, "I'm sorry"?
What shocked them even more speechless were Buggy and Cain.
Those two had actually dared to attack the famous 'Red-Hair' without hesitation, and even curse him out to his face.
That nerve, that complete lack of fear before a top-tier powerhouse, lit a fire in the hearts of many pirates.
Quietly, they cheered them on.
Dracule Mihawk watched Shanks from afar. Then he sheathed Yoru, turned around, and left.
This war no longer held any reason for him to stay.
Once the island had settled back down, Shanks faced everyone on the battlefield with his crew behind him and spoke.
"If this battle continues… it will only increase the casualties on both sides. If anyone still hasn't had enough, then come."
"We'll be your opponents."
His words struck like thunder across open ground, instantly silencing all four directions.
Sengoku watched Shanks calm the conflict, then looked toward Marineford, which had finally sunk back to sea level.
At last, the weight hanging over his heart eased slightly.
Now that Red-Hair had intervened, both sides had lost the will to keep fighting.
This was the best chance to end this chaotic war.
He cleared his throat and was just about to speak when he caught sight of Akainu lying on the ground nearby.
Akainu was covered in wounds.
Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, yet he still refused to give in.
He struggled, trying to prop himself up. Even though he could no longer stand, he still stretched out a trembling hand and rasped,
"I still… have to fight… must fight… to the end…"
"Maybe save your strength at a time like this."
Kizaru and Aokiji walked over side by side.
Kizaru shook his head and sighed as he looked at Akainu.
The moment he finished speaking, he casually stuffed Aokiji's hand beside him into Akainu's mouth.
"You're burning magma all over the place. You really need to cool down."
Kizaru stretched lazily, his tone as unhurried as ever.
"And now it's finally time to clock out. Ah, I'm exhausted."
Aokiji's face darkened with irritation.
He yanked his hand out of Akainu's mouth and shook it off, the tips of his fingers still faintly hot.
Seeing Akainu still trying to reach forward and struggle, Aokiji no longer hesitated.
He brought both hands together, and cold air instantly spread outward, freezing Akainu from head to toe into a block of ice.
For now, that counted as properly settling down the Admiral obsessed with fighting.
Cain watched from the side and could not help letting out a low laugh.
Sure enough, having Kuma transfer Doflamingo's injuries onto Akainu had been the right choice.
After fighting Whitebeard like that, Akainu barely had the strength to speak, let alone mock Ace.
Shanks' gaze swept across the battlefield again before finally settling on Whitebeard's body.
His tone turned solemn.
"Leave Whitebeard's funeral to us. The sight of this battle has already been shown to the whole world. Don't make a spectacle of his death any further."
Several Marine officers looked displeased and were just about to object, but Sengoku raised a hand and stopped them.
He looked at Shanks and said in a heavy voice,
"I'll allow it, Red-Hair… I'll take responsibility for the consequences."
Sengoku's face looked stern on the surface, but inside, his thoughts were already roaring.
'Consequences, my ass! Once I clean up this mess, I'm resigning immediately!'
'Damn it, this war has been nothing but a headache. How the hell am I supposed to write the report afterward?'
He turned his head and looked at Akainu, who had been frozen solid, then glanced at Aokiji, who was still wiping his hand.
He began silently calculating.
'This time, I'll make the two of you write the report. Consider it a test to see which one of you is fit to inherit the position of Fleet Admiral. Heh.'
That was what Sengoku thought.
His expression, however, remained grave.
He took a deep breath, accepted the amplified Den Den Mushi from Tsuru, and shouted into it.
"THE WAR…"
"IS OVER!"
The Den Den Mushi carried that declaration to every corner of Marineford, and from there, to every corner of the world.
And with that, the largest and bloodiest battle since the beginning of the Great Pirate Era, the Summit War of Marineford, finally came to an end.
…
Once the signal marking the end of the war was given, the broadcast Den Den Mushi were shut off one after another.
Marines and pirates each began cleaning up the aftermath of the battlefield. The atmosphere was so oppressive it was hard to breathe.
Both sides still looked at each other with hostility, but with so many powerful figures present, no one dared to be the first to speak.
Only then did everyone belatedly realize that Blackbeard and his crew had long since vanished without a trace.
And the pursuit patrol that should originally have fallen to Akainu naturally landed on Aokiji's shoulders instead.
Cain finally let out a breath of relief and turned his gaze toward Law, who was sitting in a corner.
Because he had overused his ability, Law was still resting with his eyes closed.
As though sensing Cain's gaze, Law slowly opened his eyes and looked toward him.
"…Cain-ya. Earlier, you told me to stop Blackbeard, or I'd be the one in trouble later. What did you mean by that?"
Hearing this, Cain simply sat down beside him and explained,
"That guy seems to have a way to steal other people's Devil Fruit abilities. You know better than anyone how tempting your Op-Op Fruit is, right? There are plenty of people who'd love to get their hands on it. Also, don't call me '-ya.' Just Cain is fine."
"As expected of someone who influenced the entire direction of this war. We only met once back on Sabaody, yet you already saw through my ability."
Law sighed softly, then turned his head toward the other side of the battlefield.
"Cain, aren't you curious why I came here?"
"It was because of Doflamingo, wasn't it?"
Cain followed his gaze.
That was exactly where Doflamingo was.
"That's right. Back on Sabaody, I saw your strength for myself. I originally wanted to use this chance to build a connection, then perhaps cooperate with you in the future…"
"No, no, no. Why does everyone keep coming to me to team up? If you want to talk cooperation, go find our captain. I don't make those decisions! Besides, we won't be staying together for a long time after this, so that wish of yours probably won't work out."
Cain hurriedly waved his hands as he spoke.
"I see. Then I won't bother you."
Law stood up to leave, but Cain grabbed him and stopped him.
Cain lifted his chin toward Doflamingo's direction, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"Don't be in such a hurry. Wait a little longer, there's still one more good show about to start."
...
On the other side, Doflamingo slowly woke up.
Earlier, he had been controlled by Uta, and because his injuries had been so severe, he had fallen unconscious.
The moment he opened his eyes, what entered his vision was a scene of broken walls and ruined buildings.
Everything was devastated!
When he turned his head, he saw a group of Marines closing in on him with sharp, hostile eyes.
At the front was none other than Vice Admiral Tsuru, the woman who always gave him a "headache."
Her face was unusually serious as she slowly spoke.
"Doflamingo. In light of your abnormal conduct during this war, we will be conducting an investigation into you."
"NANI?!"
Doflamingo's voice suddenly shot up, his mind a complete mess.
Wait.
Those pleasant days in his dream, where he returned to the peak of the Celestial Dragons, were all fake?
No, something was even more wrong!
He had clearly been in Dressrosa. How the hell had he ended up in this damn Marine Headquarters?
And why were all his injuries gone?!
What the hell happened?!
"We have reason to suspect that you intend to withdraw from the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Until the investigation is complete, you are not permitted to leave Marine Headquarters."
"You have the right to remain silent, but every word you say may be used as evidence against you."
Listening to the Marines' standardized warning, Doflamingo was completely stunned.
Then, almost instinctively, he started laughing.
"Fuffuffu… fuffuffuffuffu, hahahahahahaha—"
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
"CAN SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENED?!"