THE STRONGEST CREATURE OF THE BEAST PIRATES

Sengoku stared at Alastor, his eyes narrowing as he disregarded Garp sitting next to Ace. It wasn't that he didn't care about Ace's fate, but rather that Alastor posed a far greater threat to the navy. His attacks were fierce and relentless, targeting mid- and high-level officers of the navy. No one, except Kizaru, could keep up with Alastor's extreme speed.

"Damn it, what is this guy planning?" Sengoku clenched his fists tightly. The moment Alastor made a move, Sengoku knew he would need to make immediate countermeasures. Allowing Alastor to run rampant like before was unacceptable.

The eyes of many powerful figures on the battlefield were locked onto Alastor, their attention drawn to the enigmatic figure who had emerged from the depths.

Alastor stood tall, his piercing gaze fixed on Whitebeard, a confident smirk playing on his lips.

"Whitebeard," he said calmly, his voice cutting through the tension, "do you want me to clean house for you?"

Whitebeard was taken aback by the unexpected question.

Alastor's return didn't come as a shock to him. After all, Whitebeard had personally witnessed Alastor's resilience, having fought against him before. But what did Alastor mean by "cleaning house"?

Whitebeard's face darkened, his grip tightening on his weapon, his naginata. "Little devil, don't speak nonsense. I have no traitors among my crew. They are all my beloved sons!"

"Really?" Alastor's smirk deepened. "What about Blackbeard?"

Whitebeard's hand trembled slightly at the mention of Blackbeard. Even now, the betrayal of Teach weighed heavily on him.

Suddenly, without warning, a burst of lightning shot through the air, transforming into a sharp, deadly projectile—Flying Thunder Finger Gun—targeting Whitebeard.

Whitebeard's eyes widened as he realized the attack wasn't aimed at him, but at one of his sons.

"Ahhh!" A scream echoed through the battlefield.

It was Squard.

Whitebeard turned to see Squard, blood pouring from a deep wound in his chest, clutching a long sword still crackling with electrical energy. He sank to his knees in agony.

"Squard!" Whitebeard roared, his voice reverberating across the battlefield.

His eyes burned with fury as he turned toward Alastor. "Bastard kid! Do you really think I'll let you get away with this?!"

Alastor maintained his calm demeanor, a playful grin still on his face. "If you're so angry, maybe you should ask your 'cherished son' why he pulled his sword on you."

The words cut through the air, drawing Marco's attention as he soared toward the Moby Dick from his battle with the Navy.

Marco landed beside Squard, glaring at him. "Squard, what do you think you're doing?"

Squard shoved Marco aside, his expression twisted with anger. "What do I want to do? I want to kill Whitebeard! Whitebeard, the man who only cares about Ace, is willing to sacrifice all of us for him!"

"What?!" The revelation sent shockwaves through the crew of Whitebeard's ship. The chaos spread, with many of the crew members beginning to doubt Whitebeard's leadership.

The sixteen captains of the main ship, however, stood firm, unwavering in their loyalty. Marco glared at Squard, his voice filled with fury. "What nonsense are you talking about? You don't believe in Dad?!"

But Squard didn't back down. "Akainu told me this! There's no way he could be wrong!"

Whitebeard, hearing the exchange, froze for a moment. His mind raced, piecing together the Navy's deceitful plan. They had manipulated Squard to plant doubts in the crew, hoping to break their unity. Without Alastor, Squard's blade could've ended Whitebeard's life.

"Gu la la la!" Whitebeard's booming laughter echoed through the battlefield. He turned to face the increasingly agitated Sengoku, who stood on the execution platform. "Admiral Sengoku, your plans are as predictable as they are foolish. It's laughable that you'd think I'd betray my sons!"

With those words, Whitebeard thrust his naginata into the ice-covered ground and activated his Tremor-Tremor Fruit ability. The icebergs on either side of Marineford shattered, creating a path of destruction. He raised his voice, addressing his crew.

"Believe whatever you want, but those who still stand by me, follow me into battle! Those who abandon me, stay and perish!"

The ground quaked as Whitebeard leapt from the bow of the Moby Dick, his power surging to the heavens.

Alastor observed with satisfaction, knowing that Whitebeard's full strength was still intact, far from being weakened by the betrayal of his "son."

"With you drawing their fire, Whitebeard, I can move more freely. Work harder—it's best if you sink Marineford entirely."

This was why Alastor chose to save Whitebeard. Although Whitebeard was his enemy, in this moment, he was the most indispensable ally.

With Whitebeard on the battlefield, the Navy would not be able to fully concentrate their forces on Alastor.

"Then, the hunting begins again. Who were the lieutenant generals who attacked me just now? Let me see."

A burst of lightning flashed, and Thunder Shura descended upon the Navy once more, spreading death and destruction.

The face of the Sengoku was visibly grim, his expression darkening further as he ordered the surrounding sea walls to rise quickly. However, before the walls could fully ascend, he was informed that the chains securing the takeoff and landing aircraft had broken—completely severed.

Sengoku immediately realized Alastor was responsible for the failure. His chest burned with rage, the normally calm and calculated admiral unable to contain his fury as he bellowed:

"Bastard! That man has ruined all our plans! Damn it!"

Whitebeard had entered the battlefield, shattering the Navy's countermeasures and boosting the morale of the Whitebeard Pirates.

The encircling wall, which the Sengoku had pinned all his hopes on, failed to rise. The balance of the battle began to tilt toward Whitebeard and his pirates, as more and more of the Whitebeard forces boarded Marineford's square.

The Sengoku gritted his teeth in frustration. If it weren't for Alastor's interference, none of this would have happened. The Navy's carefully laid plans were now in ruins, and victory seemed far from certain.

But anger wouldn't solve anything. He knew the most important thing was to find a way to regain control.

"There is no other choice. Even without the encircling wall and the pacifists' full firepower, we have to let them engage in the battle," Sengoku ordered through a phone bug.

Soon, a powerful figure stepped forward—one of the most formidable pacifists, leading a squad of mechanical warriors onto the battlefield. These pacifists were meant to unleash concentrated firepower, targeting the Whitebeard pirates trapped by the encircling wall. However, without the wall, their firepower was now scattered, reducing their efficiency drastically.

But even so, their destructive capabilities were enough to slow down the advancing Whitebeard forces.

"Meteor Volcano!"

Akainu roared, unleashing a barrage of lava meteors into the sky. The intense heat from the magma caused dark cumulonimbus clouds to form, plunging the battlefield into an ominous darkness.

The magma meteors rained down, targeting only the rear of the Whitebeard forces to avoid harming their own people. Still, more than half of the 60,000 Whitebeard pirates had already landed on Marineford's square under Whitebeard's leadership.

Alastor had cut off the chains securing the encircling wall, creating a massive setback for the Navy. The balance of victory had shifted, and the outcome of the battle was no longer certain, leaving the Navy in a dire position.

Undoubtedly, this prolonged the war and resulted in further casualties for the Navy. The Sengoku' anger was understandable, especially since Alastor had once again become a force of destruction on the battlefield.

Alastor's attacks were merciless, striking without regard for his own safety or the defenses of his enemies. His injuries were quickly healed as he returned to the submarine, only to resume his deadly assault.

"Physical Technique: Profound Flame Martial Body!"

Alastor's body crackled with jagged, violet-black lightning mixed with demonic flames, transforming him into a fearsome figure of death—looking like a demonic god emerging from hell.

Anyone who came into contact with him was struck with shattered bones or bodies exploding from the sheer force of his attacks. The battlefield was left drenched in blood, and even the Navy's elite couldn't help but tremble in fear at the sight of his destructive onslaught.

"That man... is terrifying," Bellamy stammered, his voice trembling as he spoke to Koby.

Koby said nothing at first, his gaze distant, his body shaking uncontrollably. Finally, he muttered, "So many people... so many deaths... I just want to leave… I'm so scared..."

Bellamy was taken aback, rushing to his side. "Koby, what's wrong?!"

But Koby didn't respond. His pupils were unfocused, tears streaming down his face as he whispered to himself, "So many… So many… I can't handle this…."

Bellamy, unable to comprehend the magnitude of Koby's distress, realized they were just spectators, paralyzed by fear while others like Alastor and Whitebeard fought on.

Meanwhile, above the battlefield, Marco, having witnessed Squard regain his senses and stop his foolish behavior, returned to the skies.

"He's already clashing with the red dog. His body seems fine for now." Marco observed Whitebeard. "Jozu is fighting Aokiji, and Vista and the others are advancing."

But his attention soon turned to the battlefield's wildest figure—Alastor, the Thunder Catastrophe.

"That guy is insane. Using so much energy, moving so recklessly… His strength and speed are unbelievable. But he's bound to exhaust himself soon, right?"

Marco sighed, shrugging it off. "Not my problem. Let him draw their attention. I've got more important things to do—saving Ace."

With that, Marco transformed into his phoenix form and soared toward the execution platform.

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