An Unthinkable Incident

The news spreads around the world in an instant: Roger's son, Ace, a member of the Whitebeard Pirates, was not saved, and the captain, Whitebeard, died. The narration says this historic incident could be passed on for generations, but the people witnessing it could only watch in silence. Around the world, crowds cry out and read the news as it arrives. At Marineford, Doflamingo grins and says, "So you're gone, Whitebeard."

The narration names Whitebeard fully: the captain of the Whitebeard Pirates, the great pirate Edward Newgate, aka Whitebeard. It says he was a man who sailed the seas with the Pirate King, age seventy-two at the time of his death. In the bay of Marineford, the Whitebeard Pirates and the combined forces of Marine HQ and the Shichibukai fought a great battle, and there he lost his life. The page shows his enormous body still standing in the devastated plaza while the battlefield remains split and smoking.

The commanders and pirates react to Whitebeard's death while still obeying his final order. They shout, "Don't just stand there!! Get on the ship!!!" and "Did you forget the captain's last order!?" Others call, "Jimbei!! Get Ace's brother!!" and answer, "Right!!" The fleet pulls away through the ruined bay. Near Whitebeard's body, Blackbeard laughs, "Haa... haa... hehehe!! Now, let's get started!!" while his crew gathers around the corpse and someone reacts, "!?"

Blackbeard begins a strange ritual around Whitebeard's body. His crew warns, "They're still planning something!!" and "That bastard Teach!!!" Others shout, "He's doing something to our dead boss!!!" A black cloth is thrown over Whitebeard and Blackbeard together, and Marines ask, "What's that black cloth? Blackbeard and Whitebeard are inside!!" Teach laughs, "Zehahaha... Now I'll give you the ultimate show." Catarina Devon says she is looking forward to this, while Shiryu warns, "If it fails, are we splitting up?"

Buggy's crew panics and flees, shouting, "Captain Buggy!! Where are you...!?" Buggy races away with his followers, yelling, "We're gettin' outta here, you idiots!!! We can't take Whitebeard's head anymore!!!" Some protest that he could have taken Whitebeard's head after Whitebeard showed him mercy, but others say Buggy is crying and remind everyone that yesterday's enemy is today's friend. The pirates rush toward the sea while the chaos around Marineford continues.

Jimbei carries the broken Luffy away, telling him, "Hang in there!!! You have to live!!! Ace is gone, but you must live... day after day!! And survive!!!" Nearby voices call "Haa... Luffy!!!" while Marines fire. Jimbei remembers Ace entrusting Luffy to him: "If I die like this... Jimbei... Could you... look after my little brother for me?" Ace had said he knew Jimbei should not think highly of him and that Jimbei only helps men he respects, but if Luffy lives in the pirate world, Ace wanted Jimbei to protect him.

Jimbei runs toward the ships with Luffy while allies call, "Jimbei, get on here!!!" but Aokiji freezes the sea around the fleet. Marines and pirates shout, "Damn!! He froze the sea!!!" The ships cannot depart, and voices cry, "Hurry, do something!!" and "We can't depart!!" Aokiji stands calmly in the ice and says, "Push Aokiji back!!!" is shouted from the ships as the escape route begins to close again.

Akainu returns from underground by melting through the ground, shocking the pirates. They cry, "Akainu!!! You weren't down!?" and explain that he melted through the ground and came around them. Akainu says, "I already said I wouldn't let him escape. Won't you idiots just give up already?" The ground erupts with magma and smoke, cutting off the escape path as Jimbei and the others realize Akainu is still pursuing Luffy despite Whitebeard's final attack.

Akainu demands, "Give me Dragon's son!!" Jimbei refuses: "I can't do that." Akainu says, "Well then... I won't ask again!!!" Jimbei answers with his decision: "I'll protect this man, even if it costs me my life." The two face each other amid smoke and lava, with Luffy unconscious in Jimbei's arms. This page turns Ace's request into Jimbei's own resolve, setting him directly against Akainu to preserve Luffy's life.

The Whitebeard Pirates and allies rally around Luffy. They shout, "Protect Ace's brother!!!" and "Ace's family is our family too!!!" Ivankov moves in, yelling, "Move it, Jimbei!!! You won't take the Strawhat boy!!!" and attacks with "Hell Wink!!!" The blast pushes ships and enemies across the bay, trying to clear space for escape while Marines and pirates are thrown by the force. The page shows the whole allied force turning Ace's last bond with Luffy into a shared order.

The black cloth is removed and Blackbeard emerges from Whitebeard's body, laughing as his crew calls, "Blackbeard's come out!!" The crowd asks, "What did he do?" and "Whitebeard looks the same!!" while someone says Blackbeard does not look any different either. Teach calls to the Marines: "Now that it's clear we'll be enemies again... let me show you my power." He opens darkness with "Black Hole!!!" and declares, "This is the power of my Yami Yami fruit!!!" Then he shifts into Whitebeard's stance, saying, "And this..."

Blackbeard unleashes Whitebeard's quake power, smashing Marineford and horrifying everyone. The pirates yell, "This is the power of my Gura Gura fruit!!" and realize, "H-he took Whitebeard's power!! How can he use it!?" Others shout, "The boss's earthquake power!?" while Blackbeard's crew cheers, "Zehahaha!! You did it, captain!!" Teach declares that he now has the power to return everything to nothing, the gravity of darkness, and the power to destroy everything, the power of earthquakes. He boasts, "I've got it all!! Nobody can stand against me anymore!!! I am the strongest man in the world!!!"

Blackbeard announces the new era. People ask how it is possible and say a normal human should not be able to have two Devil Fruit powers, while another remarks that everyone knows Teach is a little different and that the structure of his body is strange. Blackbeard shouts, "This is my age!!!" and orders the world to watch: "To the Marines!!! To the World Government!!! To all the boring, peace-loving citizens!!! And to all the pirates out there!!! This world's future has been decided!!! Zehahaha...!! Yes... from now on..." Sengoku, Marines, pirates, and Blackbeard's crew stare as the threat of Teach's new power becomes clear.

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