Chapter 38: The True Purpose of the Warring States Period
Whitebeard swung his naginata with fierce momentum, the wind howling around him. Half of Aokiji's body before him shattered, falling to the ground as broken ice, while Kizaru maintained his usual calm expression.
Whitebeard was already valiant to face two Admirals simultaneously. Blood seeped from a finger-thick hole in his chest, pierced by Kizaru's photon rays.
A sharp pain radiated from Whitebeard's chest cavity. Su Xiao had once told him that his illness was not cured but merely suppressed and alleviated. To fully recover, he needed prolonged rest combined with Su Xiao's medicinal treatments. Unfortunately, Whitebeard had no time for that. His condition had only been suppressed for a few days before he came to fight the Navy.
Whitebeard's breathing grew heavy. The familiar stabbing pain in his chest returned. If he continued high-intensity combat, his heart would eventually give out.
A blinding light flashed before Whitebeard. He dodged sideways while swinging his fist. With a *boom*, the atmosphere cracked, and Kizaru, forced out of his elemental form, stumbled back a few steps.
Aokiji and Kizaru exchanged glances. They both noticed Whitebeard's labored breathing.
Whitebeard knew he couldn't maintain his current combat power for long. Fighting three Admirals simultaneously earlier had triggered a relapse of his old illness. Now that Ace had suddenly broken free, as long as someone could charge through, they had a chance to rescue Ace. After that, they only needed to consider retreat.
Whitebeard's gaze shifted to the massive ice walls on both sides of the battlefield. These were the waves frozen by Aokiji at the start. These ice walls clearly hindered the pirates' retreat.
Realizing this, Whitebeard bent his arms in front of his chest, preparing to use the Tremor-Tremor Fruit to shatter the ice walls on both sides of the battlefield.
Seeing Whitebeard's posture, the contractors behind the ice walls quickly retreated. They were all a bit excited. Once Whitebeard shattered these towering ice walls, large chunks of ice would scatter across both sides of the battlefield, creating numerous obstacles. This was their perfect opportunity to reap benefits.
"Don't even think about it."
A vigorous voice rang out. As the voice sounded, several finger-thick bullets shot toward Whitebeard.
Whitebeard flicked his naginata, blocking two bullets while sidestepping. Unexpectedly, the two bullets pierced through the naginata and struck his chest.
*Slap, slap.*
The bullets didn't penetrate Whitebeard's body. Instead, they spread open like suction cups just before impact, sticking to his chest.
The ground beneath Whitebeard cracked. The gravity around him suddenly surged, causing the ground under his feet to sink into a large depression.
"Two."
A man in combat gear with a very short crew cut walked over. He held a large-caliber black revolver.
The man flicked the revolver, and the cylinder popped out. A few empty shell casings fell to the ground. Without any visible movement, six bullets were loaded into the chamber—four pure black, two pure white.
"Black Yao, I thought you'd wait until Whitebeard was heavily injured."
A slightly hoarse voice came. The man holding the revolver paused mid-step.
"Apse."
The man in combat gear, Black Yao, looked toward the source of the voice. A gaunt man with dark green short hair and a pale face walked over.
"Since you're here, of course I won't just watch. Besides... there's a fierce 'newcomer' over there, though that guy doesn't seem like someone who just advanced to the Fifth Rank."
Apse didn't exude much pressure. It was the pregnant woman behind him who was terrifying. Her belly was huge, as if something inside was about to burst out at any moment.
Aokiji and Kizaru only glanced at the two Fifth Rank contractors. Clearly, these two had already gained the Navy's initial trust. However, Aokiji and Kizaru looked at Apse with some unease, especially Aokiji. The pregnant woman behind Apse—he had seen her last night.
"Then let's begin. Even if Portgas D. Ace can leave, it must be as a corpse."
The flesh on Apse's face withered. With a *thud*, the pregnant woman behind him collapsed. A transparent creature about one meter tall crawled out from her abdomen. If not for the blood on its body, no one present except Apse would have noticed its existence. This wasn't invisibility but movement through the gaps of alternate space.
Black Yao, Apse, Aokiji, and Kizaru surrounded Whitebeard in a diagonal formation. This situation was even more dangerous than when Whitebeard was besieged by three Admirals.
An abnormal fluctuation appeared on Whitebeard's left. He instinctively raised his arm. Though no attack was visible, a piece of flesh vanished from his forearm, as if sliced off by an invisible blade.
Whitebeard wasn't surprised. Having roamed the seas for decades, he had fought against even stranger Devil Fruit users.
The gradually intensifying gravity affected Whitebeard. The structure of these two bullets was unknown, but they weren't destroyed by the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power. Whitebeard reached for the bullets on his chest, but Aokiji and Kizaru had already charged forward.
On the other side of the battlefield, Su Xiao stood among a large group of pirates. After Ace broke free, he stopped advancing. Amu, covered in cold air, stood behind him.
The Whitebeard Pirates' charge onto the port had been too smooth. Based on Su Xiao's memory, Sengoku had set up steel walls in front of the port in the original story. Once those walls rose from the outer perimeter of the port, they could trap the Whitebeard Pirates inside the U-shaped harbor. Combined with the Pacifistas blocking the rear underwater, the Whitebeard Pirates would have suffered heavy casualties.
But until now, Sengoku hadn't done that. Instead, he let the Whitebeard Pirates charge into the plaza inside the port.
Su Xiao looked toward the execution platform. Ace's situation was precarious. Just Sengoku alone had beaten Ace to the point of being unable to fight back.
Ace was very weak. He had been imprisoned in Impel Down, subjected to several beatings daily. Even without the Sea Stone restraints now, his combat ability was very limited.
Clearly, Sengoku had a backup plan, and this plan went against the Navy's usual conduct. That's why he was in such a hurry to cut off all Den Den Mushi transmissions within ten minutes.
Sengoku's plan was still unknown, but Su Xiao could be sure of one thing: Sengoku's plan wasn't targeting Ace but Whitebeard.
Why did the Navy make such a big show of executing Ace? To announce that Ace was the Pirate King's son? To increase the Navy's deterrent power? To eradicate evil pirates?
None of that. Su Xiao was certain that Sengoku had set up this grand scene to target Whitebeard, or rather, to crush the Whitebeard Pirates. Executing Roger's only son sounded shocking, but in reality, the Navy gained little from it—mostly reputation. For something so intangible, would Sengoku set up such a massive operation? Spend years of military funding? War was the most expensive thing, bar none.
But once Whitebeard fell, the New World would immediately descend into chaos. Other Emperors would start fighting over Whitebeard's territory. That would be the Navy's opportunity—the chance to enter the New World.
The New World had always been a thorn in the Navy's side. The Four Emperors had formed a balance. Though they fought among themselves, once the Navy showed signs of entering the New World, they would immediately turn their guns and drive the Navy out.
The public execution of Ace was just for show. The Navy's real goal was to break the balance in the New World, create a large piece of fat for the pirates to fight over, and then take the opportunity to enter the New World in force and establish a foothold.
The Four Seas, the beginning and end of the Grand Line—all were Navy strongholds. Once the Navy entered the New World and gained control, they could potentially eliminate the emergence of major pirates at the source.
"It's time to start."
Su Xiao contacted Bubu Wang. Bubu Wang, who had been waiting, approached Ace.
*Boom!*
A thunderous sound came from near the execution platform. It was a shockwave from Sengoku. But Ace had already disappeared from the area. This reckless little guy had been beaten half to death by Sengoku. Bubu Wang took the opportunity to get close to him and used the Wolf Clan's heirloom to escape.