BOOM!!!

Under Whitebeard's singular slash, the Blackbeard Pirates scrambled to evade. The Marine fortress behind them, however, was completely obliterated; the massive castle crumbled into building-block fragments. Rebuilding Marineford was now an impossibility.

"As expected of a living legend. Terrifying, Whitebeard," Laffitte remarked, pressing down his top hat.

"Wiiihahaha! Now this is a problem, Captain!" Burgess threw his hands up and laughed.

Whitebeard's shockwave slash had forcibly split the Blackbeard Pirates into two groups. Teach, Redfield, Burgess, and Pizarro were stranded on the right, while the rest were on the left.

"TEACH!!"

Whitebeard had completely forgotten about Fujitora and Kizaru, with whom he had been clashing. His focus was solely on Blackbeard, the son who had committed an unforgivable sin.

Redfield's brows knit slightly. He shifted his body with the grace of a bird, moving over a hundred meters in an instant. "Though I promised to assist you, Newgate is an old acquaintance. I shall remain neutral for this."

Teach raised a palm, a vortex of Dark Water surging to nullify Whitebeard's tremors. He laughed maniacally. "Zehahaha! That's more than enough!"

Clenching his other hand into a fist, Teach swung at Whitebeard. "Pops! Your era is over!"

"Whitebeard-san has shifted his objective..."

Fujitora sheathed his gravity blade, his scarred face furrowing. "The tides of battle have fundamentally shifted due to the arrival of the Blackbeard Pirates. What should the Navy do now?"

Kizaru tucked his hands into his pockets and pondered. "Intervening in a fight between those two monsters is ill-advised. Besides Whitebeard, our primary goal in this war is to erase the bloodline of Roger, Fire Fist Ace."

Understanding Kizaru's intent, Fujitora asked, "Monitoring the battle between Whitebeard and Blackbeard, or pursuing the fleeing Fire Fist? Which do you intend to choose, Borsalino-san?"

Though they were similar in age, Fujitora deferred the choice to Kizaru based on seniority within the ranks.

"Well then~ I think I'll wait here. I can't take responsibility if Fire Fist Ace actually gets away."

"Understood."

With that, Fujitora unsheathed his blade again, carving an 'X' into the air. A massive slab of stone was sliced from the ground beneath him, and he took to the skies, pursuing the escaping Ace.

"Admiral Fujitora is targeting Ace!!"

"Ace, run!" 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Speed Jiru, Commander of the 14th Division, barked orders: "Half of you rescue Ace! The other half, save Pops immediately!"

"Stop!!"

Vista, Commander of the 5th Division, raised his swords to block them. "Your strength would only get in Pops' way! Speed, Atmos, you guys help Ace! Marco, Jozu, and I are enough to assist Pops!"

Among the Division Commanders, only Marco, Jozu, and Vista surged forward to join the fray.

No, there was one more, the former Warlord, Jinbe, who had been released by Alucard!

"Jinbe!?" the flying Marco exclaimed, seeing Jinbe running alongside him.

"Though I've promised to repay the Immortal Pirates for their kindness later, I joined this war for the Pops! Let me fight with you!" Jinbe shouted as he sprinted.

"We're counting on you!" Marco replied.

Just as the four of them were within half a mile of the clash between Whitebeard and Teach, a group suddenly intercepted them.

"Murunffuffuffu... I can't let you pass." Catarina Devon, the worst female criminal in history, chuckled as she drew her spear.

"I need to see for myself if that man is worth partnering with. Until then, I can't let you touch him." Shiryu of the Rain stood his ground, gripping his crimson cursed blade.

The Blackbeard Pirates!

"Damn it, get out of the way!!"

Marco flapped his wings, colliding with Shiryu. Vista's sabers met Devon's spear; Jozu's diamond body clashed with Burgess's sonic-vibration fists; Jinbe's Fish-Man Karate traded blows with Vasco Shot's heavy sleeves.

The four-on-four battle erupted!

At this moment, the total war between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Blackbeard Pirates had officially begun.

"Fuffuffuffu... how intense. Whitebeard versus Blackbeard."

Doflamingo squatted on a fragment of the fallen Marine HQ building, grinning. "But what do you plan to do next? To be honest, Blackbeard is an unstable variable. Personal feelings aside, I'd prefer to take him out right now."

Doflamingo had his own reasons for this stance. He had finally secured the chains that restrained the Yonko, partnering with Tesoro and Treasure to become a powerhouse in the New World second only to the Emperors themselves. If Teach actually managed to usurp Whitebeard's position, the situation would spiral out of control.

Thus, Doflamingo was leaning toward killing Teach here.

Clack.

Alucard suddenly stood up and began walking forward, drawing eyes from across the field. What did the man who just defeated Hawk-Eyes intend to do?

Was he going to help his fellow Yonko, Whitebeard? Or was he going to backstab his rival and claim the throne of the World's Strongest for himself?

Even Teach, locked in a fierce struggle with Whitebeard, felt a chill run down his spine. He had only appeared after hearing Whitebeard reject Alucard's help, ensuring the Immortal wouldn't interfere. If the man changed his mind now, it would be a disaster.

However, Alucard was not heading toward Whitebeard and Teach. He was walking toward the man a mile away who had been observing the battle: Redfield.

Seeing Alucard approach, Redfield shifted his gaze from the duel. "Alucard, is it? Do you have business with me?"

"What's the matter, Red the Aloof? Since when did you become a stray dog wagging its tail for others?" Alucard mocked.

Seeing the two monsters face to face, the Marine soldiers broke into a cold sweat. "Another terrifying pairing..."

"They were both at the Sabaody Archipelago with Fleet Admiral Kong. Back then, those three engaged in a three-way war. Even at twenty, Alucard was already invincible... What will happen now?"

Redfield spoke coldly. "Newgate, Garp, Sengoku... they all lost everything because of old age. I am merely making a temporary compromise with Blackbeard to pursue my dream."

"A wolf that compromises is no longer a wolf."

Alucard's killing intent surged, a far cry from his playful demeanor with Mihawk. "You're just a toothless cur!"

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