Summary:
Whitebeard tells his allies not to be intimidated by Garp as he is just an old man. Akainu reminds Whitebeard that they are of the same generation, then proceeds to fire a dog made of magma at Whitebeard, who deflects the attack and causes more damage to Marineford.
The pirates continue to cut their way through the marine forces, heavily damaging the pacifist in the process. Ace suddenly begins to cry as he remembers his childhood; everyone he talked to about Roger’s disdain for the man, causing Ace to retaliate by beating them half to death. Ace once asked Garp if he was really meant to be born; Garp replied that it was something that could only be discovered through life. Ace begins to hate himself and says that he is so happy that his allies care enough to shed blood for him, that he can’t stop crying and that he suddenly wants to live.
Meanwhile, Buggy and the refugees from Impel Down remain on a block of ice outside the perimeter wall. One of the pirates tells Buggy that he was thawed by a sea of magma. Buggy tells himself that he plans to get revenge on the Marines.
Suddenly, Whitebeard collapses and succumbs to the effects of old age. Marco rushes to protect him, but in his madness is unable to anticipate Kizaru’s attack, which impales him. Distracted by Kizaru’s attack, Jozu has Aokiji’s hand frozen. Akainu then lands a devastating magma-powered blow directly into Whitebeard’s chest. Ivankov berates a collapsed Luffy who asked for another dose of stress hormones. Ivankov says that Luffy has been through too much during Impel Down so far and that moving on would be throwing away his life. Luffy says that he will do whatever he can even if he dies because not being able to fight and not saving Ace would make him want to die anyway. Ivankov chastises Luffy, saying that if Luffy dies, then he will no longer be able to face Dragon; however, Ivankov tells Luffy that he can have it “his own damn way”, injecting him with another dose of stress hormones. Re-empowered, Luffy stands up and shouts determination.