Sailing: I was falsely accused of watching Nami bathe, but I'm blind.

He even... forgot to breathe, forgot his heartbeat, forgot where he was, forgot... who he was.

His body, like an empty shell devoid of a soul, collapsed limply to the ground, completely losing consciousness.

My mental state... collapsed.

That Straw Hat boy who was always full of sunshine and energy, who could always create miracles, and who could always turn despair into hope... this time, finally... was completely defeated.

Nothing can destroy a person's spirit more than watching the most important person in your life die in front of you, especially in such a cruel and "betrayal" way.

Kaina's cold and merciless slash, like the last straw that broke the camel's back, pushed Luffy... completely into the endless abyss of darkness.

Ace's death and Luffy's mental breakdown were undoubtedly a double blow to the Whitebeard Pirates, who were already in dire straits, and... tolled the death knell for their doom.

The old man has died in battle (though his body still stands), Ace has been killed, and now even the Straw Hat boy, who was considered "hope," has lost consciousness... All their efforts and sacrifices seem to have become meaningless.

A profound sense of despair and sorrow, like dark clouds, enveloped the hearts of all the remaining members of the Whitebeard Pirates.

But they didn't give up!

"Protect Luffy!!!"

I wonder who was the first to shout that out!

Immediately afterwards, all the pirates seemed to be injected with new power, and once again they burst forth with an astonishing fighting spirit!

They knew that their father had paved the way for them with his life! Ace had protected his brother with his life! They... absolutely could not let their father and Ace's sacrifices be in vain! They had to... protect the spark of hope for the new era that Ace had given his life for—Straw Hat Luffy!

"Cover Luffy's retreat!!!" Marco suppressed his immense grief over the loss of Ace, his eyes burning with the flames of revenge, but he knew even better what was most important right now! He immediately gave the order!

"Jinbe! I'm begging you! You must take Luffy away!" Marco shouted at Jinbe, who was equally grief-stricken.

"Leave it to me!" Jinbe's eyes were also bloodshot, but he still forcibly suppressed the pain in his heart, picked up Luffy who had lost consciousness and was like a rag doll, used his huge body to protect him, and began to retreat desperately!

The other Whitebeard Pirates captains and members formed a human wall like the strongest shield, doing everything in their power to stop the Navy's relentless pursuit!

"We absolutely cannot let them get away! Especially Straw Hat Luffy! Kill him! Avenge Ace (Akainu seems to blame Luffy's appearance entirely for Ace's death)!" Akainu's murderous roar rang out again! Like a demon returned from hell, he strode forward with lava-burning steps, madly pursuing Jinbe and Luffy! He wanted to completely annihilate these two "evil bloodlines" (although Luffy is not Roger's son, he is still a scourge that must be eliminated in Akainu's eyes) right here!

·0 requests for flowers········

An even more brutal and tragic battle of cover and pursuit erupted on the chaotic battlefield!

The members of the Whitebeard Pirates rushed toward Akainu like moths to a flame, trying to buy even a second of time with their own lives!

Flames! Frost! Blades! Sword shadows! All sorts of attacks surged towards Akainu like a tidal wave!

But Akainu is simply too powerful! His molten lava can melt almost anything! His Armament Haki is indestructible! His attacks are devastating!

puff!puff!

Members of the Whitebeard Pirates continued to fall screaming under Akainu's lava, turning into charred remains!

But not one of them retreated! They continued to surge forward like a tide, one after another! With their own flesh and blood, they built a tragic and heroic line of defense for peace and Luffy!

Kai had long since moved away from the epicenter of that brutal conflict.

He remained hidden in the shadows further away, coldly observing everything.

He saw (perceived) the moth-to-a-flame sacrifices of the Whitebeard Pirates.

He saw (sense) Jinbe carrying Luffy, and with Marco and the others desperately covering their retreat towards the sea.

He saw (sensed) Akainu's terrifying figure, relentlessly pursuing him like an inextinguishable volcano.

His heart remained completely unmoved.

He knew that from the moment he swung that sword, he had completely placed himself on the opposite side of the Straw Hat Pirates and all their allies.

He has become their... mortal enemy!

fair enough.

Kai thought to himself.

................

Only by cutting ties with the past can we better move towards the future.

This road is destined to be lonely.

It is also destined that... we will face those once-familiar faces on the battlefield.

Just as Akainu was about to catch up with Jinbe and Luffy, and the giant lava fist capable of melting everything was about to fall again and completely engulf the two of them!

suddenly!

An overwhelming, all-encompassing, yet undeniably majestic aura... Conqueror's Haki! Like an invisible hurricane, it swept across the entire Marineford battlefield!

This Conqueror's Haki is completely different from Luffy's nascent Conqueror's Haki, which was filled with anger and despair! It is also different from Whitebeard's aged but still dominating Conqueror's Haki!

It is more... peaceful, more... reserved, yet more... irresistible! It's as if the entire world submits to it!

Kai's heart skipped a beat! This feeling... this level of Conqueror's Haki... could it be?!

He immediately focused his senses on the source of the Conqueror's Haki!

On the outskirts of Marineford, in the area that had been tightly sealed off by the naval fleet, a pirate ship... with a dragon head on its figurehead, entirely black, and exuding an aura of legend, had silently broken through the naval blockade and appeared there!

On the deck of that ship stood a group of... powerful figures whose auras differed, yet each one was as unfathomable as an abyss!

The leader was a tall man with fiery red hair, three prominent scars above his left eye, and a hearty smile on his face!

He simply stood there casually, yet he seemed to become the center of the entire world! That terrifying Conqueror's Haki that swept across the entire area and made countless marines and pirates tremble was emanating from him!

"Redhead" Shanks!!!

One of the Four Emperors, "Red-Haired" Shanks! He actually... came too?! And... he brought his legendary crew with him?!

Kai was utterly shocked!

He never expected that just as the Marineford War was about to end in its most brutal form, another Yonko-level being would descend upon the land!

The appearance of Shanks, with his unparalleled Conqueror's Haki, instantly calmed the entire chaotic battlefield!

Even the seemingly mad Akainu, upon feeling the oppressive aura of Conqueror's Haki, involuntarily stopped his pursuit, his face revealing an extremely solemn and fearful expression!

"That's it!"

Shanks' magnetic yet undeniably authoritative voice clearly resonated throughout every corner of Marineford!

"Whether it's the Navy or the Whitebeard Pirates... give me some face! This war... should end!"

Although his words were calm, the weight they carried was enough to make the whole world take notice!

One of the Four Emperors personally intervened, demanding an end to the war!

Kai knew that this war at Marineford, perhaps the most brutal, chaotic, and pivotal in history, was finally... coming to its true end.

And he himself, this "ghost" hidden in the shadows, should... completely disappear.

He has gotten what he wanted, and he has paid the corresponding price.

The stage ahead... isn't his turn yet.

Chapter 97 The Blind Hunter! The Name of Tranquility! Resounds Throughout the World!!!

The sudden arrival of Shanks was like a sedative injected into the already out-of-control Marineford War.

His unparalleled Conqueror's Haki, and the undeniable weight of his words "Give me some face," forced both the bloodthirsty Marines and the desperate, grief-stricken remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates to temporarily halt their actions.

The entire Marineford battlefield fell into an extremely eerie silence, filled with tense confrontation and complex emotions.

Kai, hidden in the distance, clearly sensed this subtle and crucial moment.

He sensed that Fleet Admiral Sengoku, the "wise general" who had always sat firmly in the central command tent, was also filled with struggle and weighing of options at this moment.

Continuing the fight? While the Navy holds the advantage, the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates are still a force to be reckoned with. Add to that the sudden appearance of the Red-Haired Pirates, a huge variable, and the ever-present threat of Blackbeard Teach, who has just acquired the Tremor-Tremor Fruit… the Navy is likely to suffer even heavier, perhaps unbearable, losses! Moreover, the war's objectives (execute Ace, strike a blow against Whitebeard) have been largely achieved. What's the point of continuing? It will only further increase the Navy's losses and destabilize the world situation!

He also sensed Akainu's aura, which was filled with resentment and killing intent.

This admiral, who upheld "complete justice," was clearly unwilling to give up so easily! He wished he could wipe out all the pirates completely! But faced with the direct threat of Shanks, another of the Four Emperors, and the possible orders from Fleet Admiral Sengoku, he had no choice but to temporarily suppress his killing intent, his face as gloomy as the sky before a storm.

He also sensed that, despite the immense grief of losing their father and Ace, the Whitebeard Pirates, though still filled with deep hatred for the Marines (especially Akainu) and the mysterious "blind man" (Kai), seemed to be willing to accept this cruel ending and choose to retreat, thanks to the mediation of Shanks, one of the Four Emperors with a special relationship with their father (who could even be considered a kind of "successor"? "637"). In order to protect the seriously injured and unconscious Luffy and preserve their last remaining strength, they also seemed to be willing to retreat.

Ultimately, faced with Shanks's powerful aura and unwavering resolve, and after a calm and painful deliberation of the overall war and future situation, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, the old man who bore the name of "justice" for the entire Navy and the World Government, slowly and heavily issued that... perhaps one of the most difficult orders of his life:

"……armistice!!!"

These two words, as if possessed by magic, instantly spread throughout the entire Marineford!

The Marineford War, which lasted for hours, shook the world, caused countless casualties, and buried an era, finally... came to an end in a way that no one could have fully predicted, thanks to the unexpected intervention of Shanks, the Red-Haired "mediator."

Kai sensed the battle cries and explosions slowly receding from the battlefield like a tide, and the still thick, lingering aura of killing, gradually being replaced by sadness, exhaustion, and endless uncertainty about the future.

He knew that an era had truly come to an end.

A new, more chaotic, and more unpredictable era has quietly arrived.

With the issuance of the ceasefire order by the Sengoku general, Marineford, a battlefield that had just undergone a baptism of fire, began to enter the stage of taking stock of casualties and cleaning up the mess.

Under the command of their respective officers, the naval soldiers began to systematically clear the battlefield, collect the bodies of their comrades, treat the wounded, and arrest the pirate prisoners who were unable to resist.

Their faces mostly bore the weariness and numbness of surviving a catastrophe, but their eyes also revealed a trace of... bewilderment after the "victory" of the war.

Meanwhile, the Whitebeard Pirates and their allies, under the "escort" (or rather, surveillance?) of the Red-Haired Pirates, silently collected the remains of Whitebeard and Ace (Red-Haired Shanks promised to give them a funeral befitting their status), along with the bodies of their other fallen comrades, carrying endless sorrow and deep-seated hatred. They boarded the surviving pirate ship and slowly, like a ghost fleet, sailed away from this sorrowful place that had cost them so dearly.

Their silhouettes were filled with tragedy and... the flames of revenge for the future.

Blackbeard Teach and his crew from hell had already taken advantage of the chaos during Shanks' confrontation with the Marines, disappearing silently from the battlefield like the most cunning hyenas, no one knows where they've gone to brew new conspiracies and storms.