Chapter 43: Deterrence
The blood energy floating in the air dissipated, revealing a semicircular crater on the ground. The pit was filled with splattered bloodstains. Akainu lay at the bottom of the crater, his skull deformed, most of his body shattered, with flesh and bone fragments scattered far and wide.
Su Xiao’s innate ability, Blood Beast, had nothing to do with elegance or flashiness. It was entirely blood-red in color, and the moment it formed, it lunged at the enemy. First, it dealt impact damage, then exploded. The final blood energy explosion was the most terrifying—Akainu couldn’t withstand this move and died miserably at the port.
Su Xiao pressed one hand against his shoulder, stepped into the crater, and picked up the treasure chest beside the corpse.
Several dozen pirates rushed past the crater. When they saw the mangled remains inside, they all stopped in their tracks.
“Akainu… seems to be dead.”
The pirate who said this swallowed hard. Even though Akainu’s body was already in tatters, this pirate still felt that Akainu might stand up again. The relentless bombardment of magma fists earlier had left him with psychological trauma.
“He should be… dead, right?”
These pirates only paused for a moment before quickly fleeing toward the outer edge of the port.
Inside the crater, Su Xiao grabbed Akainu’s marine coat and dragged the corpse out. Just as he reached the edge of the crater, countless marines rushed toward him.
“Maintain formation! Don’t let Kukulin Bai Ye get close to the crowd!”
The marines were about to surround him when a corpse flew toward them, landing with a thud on the ground. The word “Justice” on the white marine coat was now blurred by bloodstains.
“This… can’t be possible.”
The marines closest to the corpse stopped in their tracks. Their eyes widened, filled with uncontrollable terror.
The charging marines suddenly halted. The soldiers behind them, unaware of what was happening, nearly collided with those in front.
Akainu’s corpse lay there. No marine dared to step forward. This was the advantage of killing an enemy general—it dealt a devastating blow to the enemy’s morale.
Blood dripped down Su Xiao’s arm. Despite his injuries, no marine advanced. Whoever took a step forward would die.
Below the execution platform, Sengoku, who was watching from atop a pile of rubble, looked slightly puzzled. The vanguard squad of marines had stopped—those were the elite of the elite.
“Marshal.”
Sengoku’s adjutant ran over in a panic. Seeing his expression, Sengoku’s heart sank.
“According to confirmed battle reports, Admiral Sakazuki was killed in action three minutes ago, at the hands of Kukulin Bai Ye. That is all.”
“…”
Sengoku was stunned for a moment. Then he turned his gaze to a certain person. Noticing Sengoku’s look, Garp lowered his head.
“Garp, I’m leaving Marine Headquarters to you. Tsuru, you’ll serve as the temporary battlefield commander.”
Sengoku tore off his marine coat and walked bare-chested toward the front lines.
“Leave it to me.”
Garp said in a low voice. His old friend didn’t force him to fight. Instead, he was tasked with guarding Marine Headquarters, preventing the “rampaging” Whitebeard from destroying that iconic building.
Sengoku’s decision to join the battle now was very wise. Setting aside the gap in high-end combat power left by Akainu’s death, the blow to morale alone was something the marines couldn’t afford. So Sengoku had to personally enter the fray to restore the soldiers’ fighting spirit.
“All marines, hear me! Not a single pirate is to escape! Sakazuki sacrificed himself to uphold the ideal of justice. Do you want his sacrifice to be in vain?”
Sengoku’s shout came from behind the mass of soldiers. They all turned around and saw Sengoku in his Great Buddha form.
“The next Marine Admiral is among you! Carry on Sakazuki’s will! If even we fear pirates, who will protect those who cannot fight?!”
These simple words reignited the fighting spirit of all the marines. Sengoku’s speech was masterfully crafted. The first few lines glorified Akainu, instilling a sense of tragedy and unity among the marines.
The later lines were even more effective. “Akainu is dead, don’t be afraid. Now there’s an opening for an admiral. One of you might be the next Marine Admiral.” The final line stirred the soldiers’ heroic instincts: protect the weak, fight for those who cannot fight.
“Avenge Mr. Sakazuki!”
A loud shout came from among the marines. Hearing this, Sengoku felt both gratified and a sense of sorrow for his fallen comrade.
The soldier who shouted would not be a minor figure in the future. He had directly elevated Akainu from “Admiral” to “Mr.,” carrying a wealth of implications.
“Don’t be afraid! Marshal Sengoku is right behind us!”
It was the same marine soldier. Sengoku saw his face and committed it to memory.
“Charge!”
“Yes! We can’t let these pirates escape! We represent justice!”
The marines who had slowed down earlier all accelerated. However, one group of marines remained motionless—the ones in front of Su Xiao. They had also been stirred by Sengoku’s words, but after seeing Su Xiao holding his long blade, they quickly cooled down, as if doused with cold water.
A large wave of marines surged forward, but just as they crossed the middle of the plaza, a rumbling sound came from beneath their feet.
A dull explosion erupted from within the mass of marines. It was Whitebeard, covered in blood. His chest was riddled with sword wounds and bullet holes, and two marine officers clung to him, gripping their sword hilts, their faces full of terror.
Whitebeard hadn’t been killed by the marines’ siege, but he was already very weak.
Whitebeard bent his right arm, raising his fist to the opposite shoulder. His veins bulged all over his body. The power within him was so terrifying that blood spurted from his wounds.
Whitebeard swung his fist down sideways, striking the air. The marines within a hundred meters were sent flying backward.
Whitebeard let out a furious roar. The cracks beside him rapidly spread, extending across nearly half the battlefield before stopping.
With a thunderous crash, the ground centered on Whitebeard shattered. The marines, who had just regained their momentum and were preparing to pursue, were thrown into chaos. Even Sengoku stopped in his tracks.
“Whitebeard… that bastard.”
Sengoku immediately guessed what Whitebeard was about to do, but it was too late.
Crack, crack, crack…
The ground beneath Whitebeard’s feet quickly split apart. He struggled to leap forward a few steps to avoid falling into the widening chasm.
The entire island of Marineford began to tremble. The marines and pirates on the plaza crouched down, pressing their hands to the ground. The island was experiencing an earthquake.
When the violent tremors stopped, a few pebbles fell into a deep trench. This trench was at least thirty meters wide and bottomless, splitting the entire port plaza in two, like an abyss.
The pirates who had been preparing to flee stopped. Most of the marines were now separated on the other side of the trench. Even if those were elite marines, they couldn’t jump across such a wide gap. The officers could indeed leap over, but doing so would be meaningless—it would only be suicide.
The outer edge of the trench was packed with pirates. A small number of marines stood with their backs to the trench, trapped between two fronts. On the other side of the trench, countless marines stood, with only one pirate: Whitebeard.
Whitebeard held his naginata, standing tall, his back to the pirates. He didn’t look back, because this was farewell. He had led the Whitebeard Pirates into battle, and now he had to send off his beloved sons. Each of them was special to him in his heart, whether it was Ace or the others who had died on the battlefield.
“Marines! Your only opponent now is me!”
Whitebeard punched the air in front of him, causing a large expanse of the atmosphere to crack.