Chapter 521: Flames of Resolve

An explosion ripped through the air, and a massive fire erupted right where Luffy and the others stood.

“Straw Hat!”

Ivankov had already smashed all the robots nearby. With a fierce punch, he sent the Navy soldiers in front of him flying and then turned in panic toward Luffy’s direction.

“Luffy!”

Jinbei felt the same. Luffy’s fearless bravery had moved him deeply.

The longer he spent at Luffy’s side, the more Jinbei felt at ease—something he’d never experienced since setting out to sea.

If not for the situation on Fishman Island, Jinbei might have joined Luffy’s crew without a second thought.

“That’s Ace!”

“Mr. 3—he’s in there too! No way all three of them got wiped out, right?”

Such fierce bombardment, all aimed at them—especially Ace, still wearing those seastone shackles.

“With those seastone shackles on, Fire Fist is just an ordinary guy now.”

“There’s no way he makes it out. Straw Hat is doomed too.”

Crack!

Clank! Clank!!

As shocked Navy eyes watched, an unlocked chain tumbled from the air and crashed onto the icy surface.

Through the smoke, tiny sparks appeared, forming a cross-shaped blaze. In the center, a red skull emerged, encircled by a ring of fire that suddenly erupted upward in a pillar of red flames.

“There’s a path of fire cutting through the smoke!”

The pillar of fire tore right through the dark haze, burning a tunnel clear. The heavy smoke couldn’t touch it.

“You’ve always been like this, Luffy.” Flames curled around Ace’s body as he reached back with his left hand, grabbing hold of Luffy’s collar—while Luffy clung tightly to Mr. 3. “You never listen to me. You always do your own thing.”

“Hahaha! Alright, we made it!”

“Ace, you’re okay!”

“Unbelievable.”

“Straw Hat and Mr. 3 made it out unharmed!”

The pirates erupted in cheers when they saw Ace and his group alive and well.

With Ace finally rescued, the toughest part was done. Now all that was left was getting him to safety and escaping Navy Headquarters.

Compared to fighting their way in, this part felt almost easy.

“Oh? So you’re still alive, Second Division Captain Ace. But you’re not my target today.”

“Old man, I’ve been waiting for this moment a long time.”

“Jiehahahaha!”

…

“Admiral, Ace has been rescued. Looks like the Whitebeard Pirates are planning to retreat. Should we…?”

From a distance, King turned to Kaido for instructions. Their orders were clear: plunge in and crush Navy Headquarters, making sure no forces could be sent to support Mariejois.

If Navy Headquarters sent their strength to back up Mariejois, at least five admirals and dozens of vice admirals would shift the balance of the war in a big way.

That went against everything they’d set out to do.

“Wororororo! Gulp—!”

But Kaido just took another swig of his drink and roared, “Whitebeard wants to leave? Fine, but does the World Government agree to that?”

Kaido never once believed Sengoku wouldn’t plan for every possibility. Back in the day, Sengoku had been called the Tactical Genius. If he hadn’t gotten promoted to Fleet Admiral, the New World might not have known a moment’s peace. Besides, right now, they were up against a Four Emperors pirate crew at their peak.

“King, the real show’s only just begun. Keep watching. Besides, Blackbeard over there isn’t about to let this end quietly.”

“And we’re not the only ones hoping this battle will rage on.”

Don’t let Kaido’s brute strength from the original story fool you into thinking he’s all brawn and no brain.

Back then, that sharp mind of his figured raw strength was all he needed to deal with enemies.

Why not crush any threat with overwhelming force?

But now that so many in this world surpass him, that clever brain of his finally kicked into overdrive.

Sengoku might have been called a tactical genius, but Karl’s no pushover—they’re from the same era.

From the very start, this battle had slipped out of Sengoku’s hands. This was the fuse that could light Red Line up.

Even Karl wouldn’t let this fight end so soon. He was determined to draw things out as long as possible.

To stretch a war of this scale any longer, what you needed was more and more powerful fighters thrown into the fray—until everything spiraled out of control.

“Sengoku, Garp, you two… I’m honestly a little disappointed.”

The old, dignified voice drifted out from Navy Headquarters, low and steady but echoing across the entire plaza in an instant.

“Wait, that voice—?”

“Who’s there??”

“The former Fleet Admiral?”

Steel-Bone Kong had been retired twenty years now, but some of the older Navy Vice Admirals immediately recognized his voice.

A moment later, Steel-Bone Kong appeared at the entrance of the execution platform, his white cloak of justice draped across his shoulders and two Holy Knights walking at his side.

At first, Kong just wanted to watch things unfold from the shadows as Sengoku and the others carried out the execution.

Those two Holy Knights? Just a precaution, in case Whitebeard lost control and tried to destroy Marineford. No one expected things to go sideways—that even Kong himself would be caught off guard.

First Garp was knocked flying by his own grandson’s punch, then Sengoku unleashed a deluge on the battlefield, and that’s how Ace managed to escape.

“So Kong’s here now?”

“Gurararara! Sashiburidana!”

Kong’s arrival meant everything was about to turn upside down. Whether Ace was rescued now all depended on what Whitebeard did next.

“You all know why we’re here, so I won’t waste time. Rescue Ace with everything you’ve got.”

“Yeah! Charge! Stay behind Whitebeard!”

“Let’s go!”

Whitebeard, Cloud Cutter in hand, leapt from the Moby Dick. The war on Marineford reached a whole new scale.

If they wanted to rescue Ace from the execution platform, they’d have to get through Steel-Bone Kong and the Holy Knights. As for Garp and Sengoku, they’d go easy—for Luffy’s sake, they wouldn’t go for the kill.

“Meadow, Snail—you two handle Ace. I’ll deal with my old friend.”

Steel-Bone Kong shrugged off his justice robe and, with a powerful leap, jumped from the platform straight toward Whitebeard charging at him.

Whether Meadow and Snail could finish Ace off wasn’t even on Kong’s mind. To him, no matter how strong Ace got, he couldn’t outrun two admiral-level pursuers.

Whitebeard saw Kong sprinting straight toward him from the execution platform. He didn’t hold back, spinning Cloud Cutter a few times before covering it in Conqueror’s Haki.

“Hmph, ‘growing stronger with age’—that phrase never fit you, Newgate!”

Kong noticed the crackling Conqueror’s Haki rippling along Whitebeard’s blade, but he didn’t think Whitebeard could still fight like he did in his youth.

Clang!!!

Like a bell’s toll, the ringing impact thundered across the battlefield. The shockwave sent nearby Navy and pirates clutching their bleeding ears, crying out in pain.