Flames scorched the land.

The sky burned red.

Aboard the warships, Pacifistas continued unleashing wave after wave of laser fire.

Marineford, once the proud headquarters of the Navy, was now being consumed by destruction.

It was about to become history.

---

The fleeing Marines were gripped by despair.

None of them had ever imagined that the World Government they served so faithfully would be capable of something this monstrous.

Suddenly, a figure soared into the sky.

With both hands raised, Aokiji released a chilling surge of frost, erecting a towering wall of ice in a desperate attempt to shield his comrades.

But it was futile.

The wall crumbled almost instantly beneath the relentless onslaught of lasers.

Watching the tragedy unfold before him, Aokiji once again fell into silent reflection.

Just like that day… when he'd stood before his old friend Jaguar D. Saul.

"Justice"… What even is justice?

Is it destroying so-called threats at all costs?

Or is it staying true to your heart—seeking light, truth, and meaning?

It had been over a decade, and still, he had no answer.

He stared, confused, at the disintegrating Marineford, knowing only one thing:

This… wasn't the justice he believed in.

---

Aokiji stood atop the icy battlefield, blankly observing as Marineford fell into ruin.

---

ROAR!! ROAR!! ROAR!!

The howls of an ancient beast—fierce, furious, primal—echoed across the island.

"Hmph… Sounds familiar."

From within the smoke-choked ruins of Marineford, the monstrous voice of Ghidorah boomed forth.

---

BOOM! BOOM!

Suddenly, a violent windstorm swept across the battlefield, tearing away the thick smoke.

The golden-scaled beast spread its massive wings—thunder crackling across the sky.

The moment his wings unfurled, the heavens and sea responded—

A storm of despair rushed from the Navy Plaza outward, slamming into the inner bay and beyond.

Dark clouds churned, forming a sky of ink.

Golden lightning rained down like divine punishment.

It was a sight both beautiful and terrifying—a vision of apocalypse.

---

"Graviton Beams!"

In a flash, the three colossal dragon heads opened their jaws—

With a hum, three golden beams of destruction burst forth, coiled in searing arcs of electricity.

---

Golden light flooded the heavens, warping the very air with its world-ending power.

Zzzzt…

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The beams pierced through the Pacifista lasers, striking the distant warships directly.

The deafening explosions ruptured eardrums, leaving the survivors momentarily deaf.

Blinding energy bloomed outward, ballooning into massive spheres of destruction.

The ocean and ice surged upward into a giant dome of force—

Before erupting skyward, sending wreckage flying in all directions.

---

Another wave of shockwaves swept the battlefield.

"Aaaahhhhh!!"

"S-Somebody, help!!"

"I don't want to die!!"

The sheer force instantly annihilated everything nearby.

Even those farther away, upon seeing the incoming energy surge, fled in blind panic.

When gods go to war, mortals suffer.

In this moment, only the weakest—those low-ranking Marines—suffered.

---

"Why… why is this happening…?"

A young Marine with pink hair collapsed to the ground, trembling.

Tears and terror filled his eyes as he stared at the hellish landscape before him.

This scene was nothing like the dream he once had of serving justice.

It shattered everything he believed in.

---

"Father… What do we do?"

In the midst of the roaring storm, the Whitebeard Pirates remained frozen on the ice.

Marco, his clothes whipped by the howling wind, looked toward the man who was their pillar of strength—his face pale with fear.

"What do we do?"

"We run."

"Sons—prepare yourselves."

Whitebeard, the once-mighty king of the seas, had never looked more serious.

Even his heart wavered.

---

With a sudden roar, his arms bulged with power.

The wind howled around his tattered cloak, revealing his scarred, battle-worn body.

His eyes turned razor-sharp.

And with a thunderous double punch to the air—

CRACK!

The space around him shattered like glass.

In the next instant—

BOOM!!

The ice imprisoning the crew exploded into fragments.

A massive tidal wave surged beneath them, lifting every pirate ship and carrying them toward the open sea.

---

"Oi, oi, oi… Don't you think you're being a little reckless?"

On the outskirts of the blast zone, Kizaru called out, expression grim, as he watched Sentomaru escape with dozens of Pacifistas.

For once, the lazy admiral looked genuinely displeased.

He'd grown up in poverty.

Beneath his aloof, half-hearted exterior was a heart full of pain.

Now, watching helplessly as so many low-ranking Marines were sacrificed—

His anger quietly boiled over.

This wasn't about status or rank—

It was about human decency.

"I had no choice… the Gorosei gave the order."

"Don't throw the Gorosei in my face."

Kizaru's voice, though still soft, crackled with fury.

"Can't you see there are tens of thousands of Marines still trapped down there?!"

Sentomaru blinked in surprise.

But before he could speak again—

"Sorry," he said quietly. "I didn't have a choice either."

---

"Yo, yo… Who would've thought the brat from back then would grow up and think for himself?"

Kizaru's wrinkled, fox-like eyes narrowed as he studied him.

"Or maybe… those five old bastards are threatening you with something?"

At those words, Sentomaru's body tensed—just a fraction.

But it was enough.

Kizaru understood.

"Tch… What a disgusting bunch."

He raised a glowing finger—

and aimed it straight at Sentomaru.

---

"Then I guess… I don't have a choice either."

Zzzzt!

A golden laser burst from his fingertip.

Sentomaru's eyes widened in shock.

But the beam missed—

Barely grazing his chubby cheek as it flew past and struck a Pacifista behind him, detonating it in a fiery blast.

---

"That feels a bit better."

Kizaru turned away.

Looking toward the frozen bay, he said to Sentomaru:

"Remember—you're part of the Science Division.

Not the Gorosei's lapdog."

With that, he shot into the air in a flash of golden light.

---

"Seems I don't even need to resign…

The Navy probably won't want me around after this anyway."

"Pissing off the Gorosei isn't exactly a good career move… but hey—at least I get double pay."

He glanced down from the sky at the chaos below:

Whitebeard's ships riding waves to escape.

Navy foot soldiers suffering massive casualties, trapped in the ice.

He spared a glance at Aokiji, still frozen in place.

Still too young, huh…?

Then he muttered:

"Yata no Kagami."

In an instant, Kizaru's hands lit up with golden light.

He unleashed a hailstorm of light orbs—his laser barrage, fine-tuned to perfection.

Each one struck with expert precision.

The ice shattered.

And somehow—not a single ship or person was harmed.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The explosions jolted Aokiji out of his daze.

He watched Kizaru's technique in awe—

And suddenly, the answer he'd been searching for all these years became clear.

---

No matter the type of "justice" the world offered,

It wasn't the justice he was looking for.

If he couldn't find the justice he wanted—

Then he would forge it himself.

To follow one's heart… is justice.

---

With clarity in his heart, Aokiji sprang into action.

He dashed across the ice, joining Kizaru in evacuating the remaining soldiers.

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