Marineford War: I Will Stand in the Sky

After a moment's thought, Yann said directly, "In that case, let's go together."

"it is good."

Immediately, Yann stepped onto the ice, and a stepped ice path formed beneath his feet, rapidly extending towards the mouth of the pure gold lanternfish in mid-air.

Whitebeard followed Yann onto the ice steps without hesitation, and as they walked side by side toward the pure gold lanternfish, he said...

"An interesting ability..."

“Just a little trick,” Yann replied calmly.

"Your Hueco Mundo organization is quite interesting. Hyorinmaru, how about we have a big fight after the banquet?" Whitebeard asked with a hint of fighting spirit.

“I prefer to spend my time on more important things rather than engaging in meaningless battles,” Yann refused.

"Now that you are immortal, does time still have much meaning?" Whitebeard retorted.

"The life of the immortal is long, but time is fair to everyone. If you don't do certain things now, other people's time will also pass away at a constant rate."

Yann's pointed reminder was meant to prevent Whitebeard from changing his personality and principles after gaining immortality, as this would be a rather troublesome change for Yann.

Whitebeard, who cherished his crew whom he considered family, would not cause wanton destruction like Kaido.

Therefore, in Yann's original plan, there was no special action against Whitebeard; it was enough to let time slowly erode Whitebeard's aging body.

But now that Whitebeard's body has unexpectedly gained immortality, it's possible that his thoughts might undergo some changes.

Whitebeard scoffed at the implied meaning in Yann's words.

"Tsk, I don't need a brat to remind me of this. If a man's will can easily change with the passage of time and life, it only means that man is only at that level."

“Good insight, Whitebeard,” Yann said.

"Who do you think I am? I'm Whitebeard!"

The white-bearded man said boldly, "You're the one who should be careful, little brat. Don't let the long passage of time and life change your will and dreams."

"Some things ingrained in our bones will not change with time..."

Yern answered casually, then changed the subject, feigning ignorance, "What were you planning to do inside the pure gold lanternfish?"

Whitebeard answered without hesitation, "To fulfill our promise and go fetch a son."

[Chapter 678. The Brothers' Pact]

Meanwhile, inside the second stomach of the pure gold lanternfish, Sabo and Ace were exploring deeper together. A blazing fireball was held aloft by Ace, bringing light and heat to Sabo and Ace in this world that had turned into solid ice.

"That's really exaggerated..."

As Ace continued to delve deeper into the second stomach of the pure gold lanternfish, he gained a clearer understanding of just how exaggerated this icy, snow-covered world was. The frighteningly large pure gold lanternfish was frozen solid from the outside in.

At least, Ace knew very well that his flames couldn't kill the pure gold lanternfish.

A sense of inadequacy arose intensely in Ace's heart!

Previously, when facing the sea frozen by Kuzan, Ace forcibly broke through the ice with the power of the "Flame-Flame Fruit" and successfully led his companions to escape the encirclement of the Marines.

That experience made Ace realize the power of the Marine Admirals, but he didn't feel that the gap between himself and Kuzan was so large that it was insurmountable.

However, this time, I stepped inside a completely frozen pure gold lanternfish and strolled through an icy world that seemed to stretch endlessly into the distance.

Ace inexplicably felt how weak his flames were!

Flesh and blood, islands, stomach acid... everything here was completely frozen, and even Ace's flames at this moment could not melt those ice blocks.

Immediately, Ace couldn't help but ask Sabo beside him, "Sabo, is this guy who froze the pure gold lanternfish also one of your comrades in the Revolutionary Army?"

Sabo shook his head, saying apologetically, "I'm sorry, Ace, I can't tell you about that person."

Ace wasn't angry about this; he simply asked, puzzled.

"Since there are such powerful allies hidden within the Revolutionary Army, why didn't they show up during the Wano Country war? Otherwise, the Revolutionary Army might not have lost the Wano Country war."

“That man has his own thoughts on everything concerning the Revolutionary Army,” Sabo replied.

Seeing this, Ace said with some envy, "That's great, Sabo. It seems you've found a very reliable partner too."

"Of course, that sir is absolutely the most reliable man in this vast ocean..."

After a pause, Sabo suddenly remembered something and spoke up.

"Ace, my identity as a member of the Revolutionary Army is still a secret, so could you please not mention it to anyone?"

Ace flicked the brim of his hat and answered without hesitation, "No problem, Sabo. Even if I die, I will never reveal your secret."

Seeing this, Sabo smiled and completely believed in the promise Ace had made.

"Thanks, Ace..."

Immediately, Sabo seemed to realize something, and while exploring deeper with Ace, he asked Ace and Lucci about their experiences over the past few years.

Ace made no attempt to hide anything from Sabo, and enthusiastically recounted his adventures since setting sail, joyfully sharing his happiness with his brother who had been missing for several years.

For a moment, the laughter of Sabo and Ace echoed in this cold and empty stomach.

Soon, Sabo and Ace arrived at the third stomach of the pure gold lanternfish and found a building resembling a research institute on the island where the third stomach was located.

However, this research institute was also sealed off by solid ice radiating extreme cold, making it impossible to open or enter in a normal way.

In the end, Sabo relied on Ace's "Flame-Flame Fruit" ability to melt some of the ice, and then used "Dragon Claw Fist" to forcefully break through the research institute's defenses, allowing him to enter smoothly.

After exploring, Sabo successfully arrived at the core area of ​​the research institute and saw a piece of gold the size of an adult's fist, radiating a dazzling light.

"Is this the legendary pure gold that's worth enough to buy the whole world and grants immortality?" Ace asked, his eyes filled with awe.

"That's right, that's one of the purposes of my trip..."

Sabo spoke with a joyful expression, then stepped forward and took out a pre-prepared box to put the pure gold inside.

Immediately, Sabo turned to Ace and gave him a bright smile, saying...

"In this way, all the mission objectives of this trip have been successfully completed, and I was also able to meet you, Ace. This is wonderful."

Ace smiled brightly upon hearing this, showing no interest in vying for the pure gold. It seemed that the attainable immortality held no allure for him whatsoever; he was simply enjoying the adventure with Sabo.

"That's right, this trip was indeed a perfect adventure, and even the final treasure reward was incomparably precious pure gold..."

After a pause, Ace asked with a hint of worry in his eyes.

"Sabo, with this incomparably precious piece of pure gold, perhaps the defeated revolutionary army will be able to rise again?"

Sabo was slightly taken aback, and couldn't help but chuckle. He had never expected that Ace would be so worried about his position as a member of the Revolutionary Army, and that he believed that Ace was searching for pure gold in order to accumulate enough to allow the Revolutionary Army to rise again after its defeat in Wano Country.

However, due to the Revolutionary Army's strict secrecy policy, Sabo was completely unable to explain this to Ace in detail.

“Don’t worry about me, Ace. I’m doing better than ever before, and the Revolutionary Army will never fall,” Sabo said firmly.

"That's good……"

Ace nodded, and then spoke.

"By the way, Sabo, if you need any help, be sure to tell me. No matter where I am, I will definitely come to help you."

Upon hearing these words, Sabo couldn't help but purse his lips tightly, suppressing the urge to cry from his burning eyes, and said...

"You too, Ace. We're brothers forever. If you ever run into trouble, I'll do everything I can to save you."

Upon hearing this, Ace awkwardly turned his head, then turned and walked out of the research institute, saying, "Tsk, who do you think I am? I don't need you to save me."

Hearing Ace's somewhat awkward tone, Sabo couldn't help but laugh and said, "Haha, what can I say? We're brothers, after all. I would never abandon you..."

"I should be the one saving you sooner or later. As a member of the Revolutionary Army, you'll be targeted by the World Government. You better watch out..." Ace said somewhat dismissively.

"Yes, yes, Ace, I understand..."

However, before Sabo and Ace could escape the frozen world of the second stomach of the Pure Gold Lanternfish as they returned along the way, a burly and tall figure blocked their way.

"A white...white beard?!"

[Chapter 679. Ways to Express Love]

"A white...white beard?!"

Ace couldn't help but gasp and instinctively assumed a fighting stance.

Sabo, standing beside Ace, also became vigilant, carefully observing Whitebeard's every move.

Ace, who had only been at sea for a few months, might not have fully grasped the extent of Whitebeard's terror, but Sabo, as one of the Revolutionary Army's high-ranking members, had access to a vastly different level of intelligence and experience compared to Ace.

Sabo knew better than anyone the level of the powerful beings in this sea.

Among them, Whitebeard is undoubtedly at the very top. Even though it is rumored that Whitebeard's body has weakened considerably in recent years, no one dares to underestimate the terrifying power of this man.

"Found you, Ace..."

Whitebeard slammed his Murakumogiri down on the ice, creating large cracks and whipping up a gust of wind that billowed his cloak, unleashing his unparalleled aura without reservation.

"What are you trying to do? Why are you here?" Ace asked solemnly.

Whitebeard raised his half-closed eyes slightly and asked, "Interesting question, Ace. Aren't you the one who wants to challenge me? What are you hesitating about?"

"You bastard..."

Ace clenched his teeth, and flames simultaneously erupted from his body.

If we don't mention this, Ace almost forgot about it amidst the joy of meeting Sabo.

Defeating Whitebeard is one of my biggest goals since I set sail!

Just then, Sabo's voice rang in Ace's ear, reminding him.

"Ace, don't be impulsive. You're no match for Whitebeard right now. Leave immediately and I'll hold him off. That lord should be nearby, so don't worry about me."

A moment of hesitation flashed in Ace's eyes, but he immediately rejected the idea of ​​running away and said...

"Sabo, how could I possibly turn my back on the path I'm pursuing to achieve my dreams? Even if I can't win, how will I know if I don't try?"

Immediately, without waiting for Sabo to persuade him again, Ace took a step forward, flames erupted, and he transformed into a blazing inferno as he sped toward Whitebeard.

"I'll risk everything to utterly defeat you here, Whitebeard!!!"

"fire punch!"

Suddenly, Ace, who was closing in on Whitebeard, unleashed a powerful punch forward, unleashing a burst of intense flames that could easily destroy several naval warships, melting large amounts of ice along its path!

"If that's all there is to it, then save this flame for lighting candles at my birthday party, Ace!"

However, as Whitebeard's somewhat contemptuous voice rang out, a casual punch he threw caused numerous dense cracks to appear in the air in front of him.