"Ice Partisan!"
After freezing the massive waves, Admiral Aokiji immediately followed up with an attack. Two razor-sharp ice spears descended from the sky, aiming directly at Whitebeard, their piercing cold radiating intimidation.
"Brat Kuzan, don't get too cocky!"
With just a casual tremor of his hand, Whitebeard shattered the ice spears mid-air before they could even touch him. Not only that, the shockwave even fragmented Aokiji's body, scattering him into chunks of ice that plummeted toward the sea.
However, the moment the shattered ice touched the water, it reformed into Aokiji's figure. The sea beneath his feet instantly froze over, creating a battlefield of ice in an instant.
Thanks to Aokiji's handiwork, the landing battle began in full force. The roar of cannons, the shouts of soldiers, and the screams of the wounded merged into a chaotic symphony—the war that had captured the world's attention had officially begun!
After witnessing the clash between Whitebeard and Aokiji firsthand, the last remnants of Kidd's confidence were utterly shattered.
Whether it was Whitebeard instantly summoning hundred-meter tsunamis or Aokiji freezing the entire sea in an instant—these were feats far beyond Kidd's current capabilities.
And this was just the result of their casual attacks. If they truly unleashed their full power, the devastation would be unimaginable.
[Ding!]
[Supreme-grade Conqueror's Haki detected from Garp. Extract?]
[Earth-grade physique detected from Sengoku. Extract?]
Just as Kidd was drowning in despair, the system's mechanical voice rang out—a sound he hadn't heard in a long time.
"Extract!"
Without a second thought, Kidd made his choice. Right now, he was starving for power—he wouldn't refuse any opportunity to grow stronger.
A familiar warmth flowed through his body. When it faded, Kidd felt an overwhelming surge of strength, so intense that he almost believed he could punch through space itself.
Though he couldn't test it right now, Kidd could clearly sense his own progress.
The limitations on his physical abilities didn't surprise him—after all, he had experienced this once before.
Even so, Kidd felt an enormous leap in power. Compared to his previous Mystic-grade Lv.5 physique, his current Earth-grade Lv.10 was on an entirely different level. The explosive growth in strength when he obtained this ability was something his past self could never have matched.
While Kidd quietly savored his newfound power, the battlefield's situation suddenly shifted.
The Marine artillery positions, which had been dominating earlier, were now being devastated by an unexpected attack.
The artillery commander stared in shock at the massive sea king that had crashed into their position.
Just moments ago, as they were bombarding the enemy, this sea king had inexplicably come flying at them—not only disrupting their assault but also destroying numerous cannons. Half of their position was already in ruins.
"General! L-look at that!"
Following his subordinate's trembling finger, the commander saw something he would never forget—a giant standing dozens of meters tall.
"Is that even a giant?! How is it so huge?!"
The Marines had giant soldiers among their ranks—some were even participating in this battle. But compared to this towering figure, the usual 10-meter-tall giants looked like mere infants. This thing's sheer size defied all logic.
"Ace! I'm here to save you too!"
The deafening roar was like thunder, as if the voice alone could shatter all of Marineford.
"Go, Little Oars Jr.! Show them what you've got!"
Oars' arrival sent the Whitebeard Pirates' morale skyrocketing. The Marine artillery had been a major thorn in their side, and they had been itching for payback. Now that Oars was here, they weren't about to let the Marines off easy.
"ROOOAAAR!"
With an angry bellow, Oars swung into action. His massive hand plunged into the sea and yanked out a 10-meter-long sea king as if it were nothing.
At this sight, the Marine commander finally understood where the earlier sea king had come from. But what truly horrified him was the sight behind Oars—what could only be described as the world's largest fishing net, filled with dozens of massive sea kings.
Just one had nearly obliterated their position. If Oars was allowed to keep throwing these monsters freely, the destruction would be catastrophic.
"Protect the artillery! Protect the artillery!"
There was no time to think. Oars had already hurled the sea king in his grip—it soared through the air in a high arc before crashing down toward their position. The Marines could only scramble to defend.
But the result was pure despair.
Despite their desperate efforts, stopping a 10-meter sea king mid-flight was impossible.
Bullets and cannonfire barely left a mark, only splattering blood without halting its descent.
At the last second, a sword slash flashed through the air—cutting the sea king clean in half.
But while the slash split the beast, it couldn't stop the two halves from crashing down.
BOOM! BOOM!
The sea king's remains smashed into the artillery position, obliterating the few remaining cannons.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Realizing Oars' threat, the remaining artillery positions focused all fire on him, launching endless barrages of cannonfire.
But not every shell could cross the hundred-meter distance to reach him.
And even those that did barely scratched him.
His colossal body could withstand a hundred cannonballs without issue. One or two hits were nothing—just minor flesh wounds.
Meanwhile, Oars' attacks were anything but minor.
Each dozens-of-tons-heavy sea king he threw carried destructive force that only Vice Admiral-level fighters could hope to withstand. Anyone else was helpless.
And right now, all the Marine Vice Admirals were already engaged in battle, unable to break away.
As a result, Oars alone suppressed the entire Marine artillery force.
In contrast, the Whitebeard Pirates' cannons were now free to fire.
Seizing the opportunity, all 47 pirate ships unleashed their artillery, bombarding the Marines in the bay without restraint. Not only did they suppress the Marine offense, but they also advanced their position significantly.
Watching Oars from afar, Kidd finally confirmed—Ace had indeed met with Whitebeard and shared the plan.
Because in the original story, Oars hadn't fought like this. Back then, he had charged recklessly toward Ace and paid for it with his life.
This change could only mean one thing—Whitebeard had adjusted the strategy.
If Ace was already safe, the next priority was minimizing losses.
Ace was his son, but so were the others.
He wouldn't let them die needlessly.