One Piece: Starting at the War of the Best

Thanks to the sneak attack, Teach—who had been pinned down by Whitebeard—escaped death, retreating to a safe distance to observe. He still hadn't shaken off the terror of facing Whitebeard.

Kaido stared grimly at the bald swordsman standing beside Sengoku. He couldn't help his serious expression — even if one set aside the man's strength, his identity alone was enough to terrify anyone.

A holder of the world's highest authority, one of the Five Elders, superior even to the Fleet Admiral and Supreme Commander of the Navy. The commands from this group had reshaped the fate of countless people and nations.

Kaido never imagined that due to his own butterfly-wing-like interference, the war at Marineford would evolve to this point — even the Five Elders had appeared!

At the same time, the remaining active admirals and high-ranking officers of the Navy, led by Aokiji and Kizaru, arrived en masse.

Likewise, all of Whitebeard's commanders and pirates with bounties over 100 million had arrived as reinforcements.

Only about 100 meters separated both sides — but for beings of their caliber, that might as well be no distance at all.

The air felt as heavy as lead, suffocating. Vice Admiral-level powerhouses, once mighty figures in the world, were now as common as weeds here, their presence barely noticeable due to the sheer number of top-tier combatants gathered.

"All units — attack!!"

At that moment, countless gazes locked onto Sengoku. Even if he might not have been the strongest on the battlefield, this order meant something else: the largest battle in 50 years was about to erupt.

If the clash between Whitebeard's pirates and Marine HQ determined the trajectory of the current era, then this next battle could decide the fate of the entire age.

If the pirates won, the Navy would collapse. The World Government's grip on the seas would weaken to the extreme, and the oceans would fall entirely into pirate hands.

If the Navy triumphed, however, the situation would flip. Their prestige would soar to heights never before seen, triggering massive global momentum. Control of the seas and pirate suppression would become far easier going forward.

Ssshhk—!!

Just before the war could begin, a sudden sword aura cleaved the space between both sides. At the same time, over a dozen powerful presences arrived on the scene.

In an instant, the battle that was about to erupt… stopped.

"Everyone, can you give me some face? Let this war end here."

"R-Red-Haired Shanks?!"

Once again, the bystanders were in shock. Just when they thought things couldn't escalate further, they somehow did.

Two of the Four Emperors had now appeared — was this the prelude to a world war!?

Couldn't all the big shots just come out at once instead of giving people heart attacks in waves?

"Shanks! What are you doing here?"

Sengoku was clearly not pleased by Shanks' sudden arrival. After all, Whitebeard had already suffered devastating injuries from Akainu and had lost his right arm. He was now operating at less than half of his original strength.

Although Akainu had also lost combat effectiveness, Sengoku had brought in two top-tier reinforcements — not to mention Garp, Aokiji, and Kizaru — giving the Navy the upper hand in high-level power.

That was why he had confidently given the order to attack. But now, all those advantages were neutralized the moment Shanks appeared.

"I'm here to end this battle. Both sides have lost too much already. So many have died — isn't it time to stop?"

Only when Shanks said this did people truly realize the price they had paid during this war.

Comrades, partners, close friends... the azure sea now reeked with the stench of blood.

The moment Shanks finished speaking, Sengoku's heart sank.

He could clearly feel the morale of the tens of thousands of Marines behind him plummet.

If he had an 80% chance of victory before, now it was down to 70% — maybe even 60%. As the saying goes, "when brave men meet on a narrow path, the one with higher morale wins." Morale may be invisible, but it's real — often the deciding factor in battle.

"Damn it!" Sengoku cursed again in frustration.

"Then… withdraw."

Just as Sengoku stood there, unsure what to do, a voice spoke up and issued a command. That person casually sheathed their sword and walked away, leaving only a receding back with no sign of hesitation. That one moment completely disregarded Sengoku's position — because that person was one of the Five Elders.

Before leaving, he glanced briefly at Shanks, an odd light flickering in his eyes.

"Sengoku, let's go."

Knowing that the situation was now beyond their control, Kong stepped forward to comfort Sengoku. He understood Sengoku's frustration all too well, but things had gone beyond what any individual could fix.

"Retreat… retreat!"

Sengoku didn't even know how those words left his mouth — all he knew was that they had drained every ounce of strength from him.

As the war's planner and commander, he had wanted nothing more than to secure this victory.

It wasn't just about glory. It was about laying the groundwork for the Navy's entry into the New World — and ending his career with a perfect conclusion.

But now, all of that is gone.

The Pirate King's bloodline survived. Whitebeard still lived. The Navy had achieved no significant result.

Worse, thanks to Kaido's interference, the Navy had suffered a deep humiliation.

He had failed.

Sengoku knew it at that moment — he had failed. Not only had he failed to end things perfectly, he had left behind a dark stain on his legacy.

As this thought consumed him, Sengoku couldn't help but glance again at Kaido. He was desperate to understand — what kind of power did this young man possess to repeatedly pull off the impossible?

And in that instant, he witnessed something unbelievable.

Kaido shoved something into Whitebeard's mouth.

Then… a miracle happened.

Despite suffering multiple life-threatening injuries, Whitebeard's aura stabilized in an instant.

Not only that — the gaping wound in his chest from Akainu's magma punch began visibly healing, new flesh rapidly filling in the destroyed area. The severed right arm stopped bleeding and instantly scabbed over, forming a new layer of skin.

In the next second, Whitebeard's state had returned to its peak. If not for the missing right arm, he was no different from when he first arrived.

"W-What… what just happened?!"

Even Whitebeard himself was stunned, immediately checking his body in disbelief. He was wary — after all, some miracle drugs severely drained lifespan.

But after a thorough check, Whitebeard only felt a sense of rejuvenation. There were no signs of overexertion. In fact, the lingering chronic pain he had suffered for years had lightened considerably.

Aside from the missing right arm, he felt better than ever.