Journey to One Piece

250. He is out of juice

"So you do remember them. Do you recall the promise you made to us when we were young?" Ken's voice grew louder with each passing second. Ace had once pledged to them that he wouldn't die, so why had he seemingly given up on life while he remained in chains?

Ace fell into silence, unsure of how to respond. He gazed at Ken with a trace of shame evident in his expression.

"You're a man, and man keep their promises, so damn it, don't lose hope," Ken shouted. Ace continued his silence and turned his gaze towards the battlefield. He desired to live, but a sense of guilt gnawed at him due to the lives lost. Yet, he also remembered the commitments he had made to others.

He couldn't surrender now. He still had so much to accomplish. Ace's eyes began to reflect determination, the very thing Ken had been urging for.

"I'll give it my all," Ace declared through gritted teeth.

"Good," Ken said, and just as he was about to disappear, the Gedo Mazo suddenly transformed into a puff of white smoke and vanished. Ken turned around, only to find that Sengoku had brought down the Gedo Mazo, causing significant damage to Marineford in the process.

Sengoku leaped in and landed on the platform. His golden form slowly reverted to his normal appearance, with only a few bruises marring his body. The stature of the Gedo Mazo might have been formidable if it possessed the chakra of the tailed beasts, but it remained an empty shell.

Using the Gedo Mazo to hold off Sengoku for a while had served its purpose.

"Sengoku-san, you've defied your own timeline. You attempted to execute my brother ahead of schedule. I can't allow that," Ken explained, justifying his summoning of the colossal being to confront Sengoku.

"What kind of Devil Fruit did you consume?" Sengoku inquired, his temper subsiding. Ken had initially come to converse, but the interaction with Ace had reignited his will to live, a determination he had lost earlier. However, the past insults still clouded his judgment.

"Perhaps a God God Fruit. Who knows," Ken remarked with a roll of his eyes.

"A God God Fruit? Are you jesting?" Sengoku exclaimed.

"Why not? It's not as if it's the first time a fruit with divine connotations has appeared."

"What?" Sengoku questioned, his confusion evident. Ken turned and regarded Sengoku intently. Sengoku's expression morphed into one of puzzlement at Ken's words. "Oh, dear Sengoku-san, how much have they kept hidden from you?"

"What do you mean?" Sengoku pressed, yet Ken chose not to elucidate, disappearing once again. Sengoku didn't pursue Ace's life. He felt ashamed for contemplating Ace's death and avoided looking at Garp. He couldn't fathom how he would face his friend after harboring such intentions.

Ken materialized once more, this time on the Moby Dick. He took deep breaths, visibly exhausted from his reappearance. Employing Almighty Push and bringing the Statue into play had drained a significant amount of his chakra, leaving his reserves considerably depleted.

The Moby dick was empty so Ken got his own time and started accumulating chakra again. While this happened, the battlefield had thrown into further chaos. Oars Jr. was finally in the battlefield and had started rampaging.

But this was not the only chaos. Two CP agents was able to sneak in and were able to heavily injure Whitebeard. They used finger pistols on him and this was the first mortal wound Whitebeard had suffered.

Of course Whitebeard proceeded to use his tremor fruit powers on them and blasted the CP agents of, but this attack was enough to hurt the morale of Whitebeard pirates. Meanwhile Sabo with his crimson cloak and a swift gesture of his hands, casted protective enchantments upon the some of the Whitebeard Pirates, creating shimmering shields that deflected incoming attacks. His fingers danced in intricate patterns as he weaved spells that bolstered the crew's strength and resilience, infusing them with magical energy that invigorated their bodies and spirits.

With a commanding incantation, he summoned ethereal chains of energy that coiled around Marines, especially the CP agents. They were harassed by the chains and thus Whitebeard was able to obliterate them.

"Gurararara... Ace had quite a brother," Whitebeard's hearty laughter boomed across the tumultuous battlefield, his voice filled with a mix of admiration and amusement as he watched Sabo, the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army, display his formidable magical prowess.

"Happy to be of help to a legendary pirate," Sabo replied with a confident smile, acknowledging Whitebeard's words while maintaining his focus on the unfolding chaos around him.

However, Sabo's journey through this battlefield was far from over. As his arcane sigils and symbols swirled in the air, his spells of confusion took hold, sowing discord among the ranks of the Marines. The once-cohesive units found themselves turning against each other, their actions driven by a haze of disorientation and misplaced aggression.

But the appearance of Sabo and his powerful magic had drawn the attention of those who sought to put an end to his intervention. Suddenly, amidst the chaos, a group of Cipher Pol agents emerged, each masked and intent on subduing the enigmatic sorcerer. Their orders were clear – Sabo was to be neutralized at all costs.

Sensing the encroaching danger, Sabo's focus sharpened. With a gesture of his outstretched hands, he called upon the elements themselves, conjuring storm clouds that crackled with electric energy. His resounding incantation echoed across the battlefield, and bolts of arcane lightning lashed out with precision, striking down the advancing Cipher Pol agents.

The electrifying onslaught was swift and deadly, catching the agents off guard. Some were struck by the lightning bolts, their bodies convulsing as the mystical energy coursed through them. Those who managed to dodge the initial barrage found themselves in the direct path of Sabo's crimson-cloaked charge.

Sabo's movements were a blur as he closed in on his foes. A kunai, imbued with the power of Vacuum style, glinted in his hand, its blade distorted by the sheer force of his approach. With a swift, fluid motion, he thrust the kunai forward, and the blade found its mark – piercing the heart of a Cipher Pol agent who had attempted to block his path with Tekkai.

As the agent fell lifeless, Sabo wasted no time. His crimson cloak billowed behind him as he seamlessly transitioned to his next target. His movements were a dance of death, a symphony of magic and combat prowess that left those who witnessed it in awe and terror.

The Marines who had been observing the unfolding events watched with a mixture of relief and trepidation. Sabo's intervention had turned the tide of battle in favor of the Whitebeard Pirates, but his ruthlessness was undeniable. The Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army had proven himself to be a force to be reckoned with, a spellbinding warrior who wielded magic with the same precision and deadly intent as any blade.

Elsewhere on the battlefield, Oars Jr. made a valiant effort to breach the defenses and reach the platform. Despite the constant onslaught from Vice Admirals and even the likes of Kizaru, he pressed forward. However, his journey was cut short when Aokiji, one of the Marine Admirals, unleashed a massive ice blade that struck Oars Jr.'s legs and froze him in his tracks. The giant stumbled and fell, his colossal frame crashing to the ground.