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[TIOP] Chapter : 103
🕑 Added 2025-04-25 05:45:28 +0000 UTC"Oh dear~ This is getting out of hand again. They're at it once more!"
"The cursed bloodline must be wiped out!"
Just when it seemed the Navy, Whitebeard’s remnants, and the Blackbeard Pirates could take no more, Kizaru and Akainu finally returned to Marineford's central plaza.
"Ace, watch out!" Marco shouted, his heart tightening as he saw Akainu charging straight at Ace.
"Fire Fist: Shiranui!" Injured though he was, Ace still had more stamina left than most of Whitebeard’s followers. He had been at the heart of the defense, shielding the others with everything he had.
"Hahaha! Marco, now that the Navy's reinforcements have arrived, maybe it’s time to consider an alliance?" Blackbeard suddenly called out, a sly grin spreading across his blood-smeared face. "I mean, I wasn’t the one who killed our old man!"
Marco glared at him, the very suggestion making his blood boil.
Meanwhile, with both Akainu and Kizaru now on the battlefield, the chaotic three-way clash temporarily ground to a halt.
"Fleet Admiral, what are your orders now?" someone asked in the uneasy silence.
"Prioritize the annihilation of the Whitebeard remnants. As for Teach... you’d best get out of here while you still can," Sengoku said coldly. Deep down, he knew the Navy couldn’t take on both the Whitebeard and Blackbeard Pirates simultaneously—even with the admiral reinforcements.
From a tactical standpoint, it made more sense to crush the weakened Whitebeard forces now than chase Blackbeard, who had already disrupted everything with his prison break.
But Jack immediately stepped forward. "Fleet Admiral, with all due respect, Teach is the real threat here. Without Whitebeard, the others are scattered. But Blackbeard... he’s building something far more dangerous."
"Heh! Well then, we’ll be going!" Teach suddenly laughed, his tone shifting on a dime. A moment ago, he’d been begging Marco for an alliance. Now, seeing the tides turn, he was ready to vanish into the shadows.
Marco clenched his fists. His father’s hard-fought legacy was slipping away again—destroyed by their enemies... and their own hesitation.
"Hellhound!" Akainu growled, launching a ferocious magma fist directly at Ace, not giving Jack another moment to reason with Sengoku.
"Damn it. Is the plot really this stubborn?" Jack cursed under his breath. He could feel it—the pull of fate, dragging them back to the tragedy he’d hoped to change.
"Fire Fist!" Ace roared back, barely deflecting the deadly blow. Gasping, he landed beside Marco. "What now?"
"We need to recover Dad’s body," Marco said, his voice low and resolute. "We can’t let the Navy get their hands on it. We owe him that much."
He took a deep breath, then barked orders:
"I’ll handle Kizaru. Ace, you keep Akainu busy. Vista, hold off Aokiji for as long as you can. Everyone else, do everything you can to retrieve Dad’s body. With Teach gone, this is our final chance!"
"Understood!"
The crew nodded, their resolve unshaken. If they had to die here—then so be it. At least they would die beside their captain... their father.
Just then, Diamond Jozu appeared at Marco’s side, bloodied but standing strong.
"Vista, let me handle Aokiji. You lead the team to recover Dad. I’m ready."
But Marco looked down at Jozu’s heavily injured arm and shook his head.
"Jozu, you’re in no shape to fight. Don’t be reckless. Let Vista go instead. You lead the others... and bring Dad home."
"Oya Oya What a terrifying pirate!" Kizaru’s mocking tone echoed as he launched his next attack. Marco barely had time to finish talking to Jozu before he had to spring into action, intercepting Kizaru mid-air.
Meanwhile, across the battlefield, several infamous pirates—liberated by Blackbeard from Impel Down’s sixth floor—glanced toward their captain.
"Captain, are we still sticking to the plan?" One of them asked with a grave tone. "You brought us together for a reason."
Blackbeard stared at Whitebeard’s body, his expression a mix of frustration and longing.
"We’re so close... but no," he muttered, shaking his head. "Those damn Navy dogs and the Whitebeard stragglers won’t give us the breathing room we need to act."
"Then what now?" Shiryu asked, calmly sheathing his bloodstained blade.
"We pull back for now. Neither the Navy nor Whitebeard’s remnants can make proper use of his body. When the dust settles... then we move."
But Blackbeard never got to finish his sentence—because Jack's attack came crashing in out of nowhere.
Without waiting for orders, Jack launched himself straight at Blackbeard.
"Sengoku! What is the meaning of this?!" Blackbeard shouted, dodging the blow and turning directly to the Navy leader.
"Jack! Stand down! Didn’t you hear my command? Focus on the Whitebeard Pirates first!" Sengoku roared, furious.
But Jack only pouted in defiance.
"Fleet Admiral, you yourself promised I wouldn’t have to participate in the campaign against Whitebeard. So naturally, I’m going after the pirate who’s no longer under the protection of the Seven Warlords."
Technically, Jack wasn’t wrong. But strategically, his timing was a disaster. The Navy couldn't afford another front right now. Still, Sengoku couldn’t publicly reprimand him without undermining his own authority. Caught in a bind, Sengoku was left speechless.
To make matters worse, Jack’s defiance caused unrest among the Navy ranks. Whispers spread. A soldier disobeying direct orders during a war? That was dangerously close to mutiny.
But then Jack made a sudden feint—drawing everyone’s attention—and slipped past the chaos straight toward Whitebeard’s body.
For a brief moment, the battlefield froze.
Everyone—Navy, Blackbeard Pirates, Whitebeard's remnants—paused, stunned. The unspoken rule had been that anyone approaching Whitebeard’s corpse would immediately be attacked by both other sides. But Jack had broken that pattern.
"Sengoku-san!" Jack called out, his hand resting on Whitebeard’s fallen form. "As per your orders, I’ve secured Whitebeard’s body." He gave a sharp, knowing smile.
Sengoku was momentarily stunned... then quickly understood Jack’s play.
"Excellent," he said coolly, turning to Blackbeard. "Teach, since the body is now secure, perhaps you’d like to assist us in wiping out the remaining Whitebeard Pirates?"
Blackbeard blinked—caught off guard for a moment—then let out a hearty laugh.
"Of course, Marshal Sengoku. It would be my pleasure!"
Just like that, Sengoku flipped the situation. He turned Jack’s rogue action into an advantage, using the leverage of Whitebeard’s corpse to forge a temporary alliance with Blackbeard.
The Navy didn’t care about the body itself—they wanted the glory of defeating Whitebeard. If giving the corpse to Teach meant fewer Navy casualties, it was a price worth paying.
Meanwhile, Marco stood at the center of it all, surrounded by enemies on all sides. His expression was bitter, eyes locked on Ace.
"Ace... take Luffy and run. This is on me. I acted without thinking. I’ll clear a path for you."
But before anyone could move, a voice cut through the tension—familiar, yet uncanny to Ace.
"Who here is Ace? Or perhaps... Straw Hat Luffy?"
"Who's Ace? Or is Straw Hat Luffy here?"
The moment that unfamiliar yet commanding voice rang out, the battlefield froze. All eyes instinctively turned toward its source.
"Sabo-boy?!" Ivankov was the first to recognize the figure, his voice hoarse with shock.
"Sabo?!" Ace’s eyes widened. Though Jack had once hinted that Sabo had survived, rescued by unknown forces, Ace never imagined he’d actually meet him here—on this very battlefield.
Yes, the man who had arrived was none other than Sabo—donning his signature noble top hat adorned with goggles, his once-boyish face now marred by disfiguring scars.
"Saaabo..." Luffy, lying barely conscious on the ground, began trembling as tears welled in his eyes.
"Huh? Ivankov? You're here too?" Sabo’s voice was warm and familiar as he spotted Ivankov aboard one of the Navy ships.
"Sabo! It's really you!" Ace shouted, his voice filled with joy.
Sabo looked at him, confused. The face was familiar… and yet, distant.
"You're Ace?" he asked slowly, struggling to place the memory. "It feels like I know you somehow..."
He clutched his head as a dull ache pulsed through it. Though the pain wasn’t as intense as before, it still clouded his thoughts.
Long ago, a tragic accident had taken Sabo's memories and left him with his scars. Luckily, he’d been rescued by none other than Dragon of the Revolutionary Army. Since then, fragments of his past had haunted him, flickering in and out like whispers in the wind.
"Sabo, it’s me—Ace! Don’t you remember?!" Ace’s voice cracked as he took a desperate step forward.
"I’m sorry..." Sabo said quietly. "I lost my memory during the accident. I came here hoping... hoping that finding you would help me remember."
He began walking toward Ace—but was quickly intercepted by a wall of Navy soldiers who raised their weapons cautiously.
"Tch~ So Jack was right all along..." Ace muttered. "We’re brothers, Sabo. You, me, and Luffy—we shared brotherhood wine under the same sky! Look, there's Luffy—our little brother!"
Tears streamed down Luffy’s dirt-smeared face.
"Sabo~~! Haha... I can’t believe it’s really you!"
But then, just as the moment turned hopeful—Sabo suddenly cried out in agony, clutching his head.
"Ahhh—my head! It hurts! It hurts so much!"
"Sabo!"
"What’s wrong with you?!" Ace and Luffy shouted in panic, watching helplessly as Sabo dropped to his knees in pain.
Ivankov’s expression darkened. He rushed to the edge of the ship and called out:
"Sabo-boy! Stop forcing the memories! Don’t push it!"
Turning to Luffy, he quickly explained, "Straw Hat-boy! Sabo was the child your father saved years ago. But ever since, whenever he tries to recall the past—he suffers intense migraines!"
The Navy soldiers blocking Sabo exchanged confused looks, uncertain whether to attack, help, or simply step aside.
Then, a cold, resolute voice cut through the hesitation:
"If they’re allies, then we eliminate them all."
It was Akainu—his fists smoldering with rising magma as he prepared to strike.
At that moment, Jack calmly approached Sengoku, dragging Whitebeard’s body behind him. His voice was serious, but his eyes gleamed with mischief.
"Sengoku-san, I believe our situation just got more complicated."
In truth, he was secretly thrilled—his unexpected presence had clearly disrupted the original flow of events. Sabo’s arrival was never supposed to happen here… And that meant anything was possible now.
Sengoku's brow furrowed. "Who is he?" he asked, eyes narrowing at the mysterious newcomer.
"The Revolutionary Army’s Chief of Staff," Jack answered without hesitation. "Second-in-command—Sabo."
