Super Card System

Before this, Ian had never considered whether the life force extracted from someone could be used on another person.

This was similar to how Devil Fruit users develop their abilities. Ian was constantly exploring the potential of his card abilities.

Under certain rules and conditions, Ian could achieve abilities not originally part of his cards. For example, he could use Enel’s electro-refining technique or substitute Hiei’s flames for Iori’s, using Iori’s skills. These were likely hidden abilities.

So Ian wondered if the life force extracted by Orochi’s card could only be destroyed or returned to its original owner, or if there were other hidden effects he wasn’t aware of.

Coincidentally, he hadn’t destroyed the life force he took from Kaido immediately. He could try using it on Whitebeard.

However, to Ian’s surprise, Whitebeard shook his head and refused without hesitation after hearing his proposal. “No need, Ian. I’m already content with regaining my health at the end of my life. I don’t want to become an undying monster.”

“Huh?” Ian was stunned, then scratched his head in confusion. “Living a bit longer means you can spend more time with your family. Isn’t that a good thing?”

Whitebeard glanced at his sons around him, smiled, but still shook his head. “That would be nice, but you need to understand, as a father, the happiest thing isn’t how long I can stay with my children, but watching them grow and achieve. The Whitebeard Pirates have been under my shadow for too long. One day I will pass away, and one day one of these children will take on the responsibility of being the captain. I… I can’t always keep them under my wing. That’s what makes a truly qualified father, do you understand?”

Ian didn’t respond because he suddenly realized he had underestimated the Whitebeard.

No one wants to die. The pursuit of longer life is a biological instinct, no matter which world you’re in. However, faced with the temptation of extending his life, the Whitebeard refused. Was it because he didn’t want more time with his family? No, he surely did, but he understood very clearly that as long as the Whitebeard existed, this pirate crew would always be under his shadow. While the world knew about Phoenix Marco, Fire Fist Ace, and Diamond Jozu, they were always referred to as members of the “Whitebeard Pirates,” which showed how overwhelming Whitebeard’s influence was on the crew.

The older generation thinks more about issues of legacy. Whitebeard hopes that one day a child will take up his flag and bring glory to the pirate crew, rather than it continuing to be called the “Whitebeard Pirates”…

Whitebeard’s greatness lies in the fact that he never considered himself a pirate, but instead saw himself as a true father. What he wanted wasn’t the prestige of being one of the Four Emperors or a long life; he simply wanted his children to grow up.

Once Ian understood this, he fell silent. The world viewed Whitebeard as a monster, but only when you got close and really understood him would you realize he was just an ordinary old man. It was only to protect his family and friends that he would transform into a demon.

“The old era will always pass, and the new era will always come,” Whitebeard said. “This is an unchanging truth. I am very grateful to you, Ian. If it weren’t for your appearance, this war would have been a huge crisis for the Whitebeard Pirates, potentially leading to the collapse of the entire crew. But I appreciate your goodwill… Do you know? Seeing you makes me think of my sons. Under my renown, they haven’t achieved as much as you have on your own. That’s my fault. I protected them, but I also confined them…”

“Could it be, Oyaji, you want to retire?” Ian guessed Whitebeard’s meaning from his words and couldn’t help but be a bit surprised.

“Why not?” Whitebeard laughed heartily, looking towards Sengoku and Garp. “It’s not just me. Those two old guys are in the same boat. This war is actually the last clash of us old folks. Win or lose, in the end, we all have to bow out. They couldn’t take me down, and I can’t take them down either. Perhaps a peaceful end like this is the best result…”

“But it seems there are still some among them who are not willing to give up…”

Ian turned to look as well, noticing that sporadic battles were still occurring on the battlefield. These were led by Vice Admirals like Doberman and Onigumo, who were engaged in combat with several captains of the Whitebeard Pirates.

Within the Navy, Akainu’s ideology of absolute justice was quite popular. Doberman and Onigumo, ruthless in their own right, adhered to the same principles as Akainu. They had always been his supporters within the Navy.

However, Akainu, as the figurehead of this ideology, had lost both his arms in this war. This was a tremendous blow to his followers.

So, the battle that Ian had angrily initiated wasn’t something Doberman and the others wanted to end easily, even with Kaido gone. They even pretended not to hear Sengoku’s orders…

They openly defied Sengoku’s orders, which made Sengoku very angry. However, Sengoku also understood that he couldn’t punish these Vice Admirals. At most, he could only reprimand them because these Vice Admirals represented a faction within the Navy. You couldn’t say their insistence on fighting was wrong, and it was impossible to forcefully order them to stop… because, in their minds, they were avenging Admiral Akainu.

However, these sporadic battles were very dangerous at this moment. Because, whether pirate or navy, after losing the focal point of Kaido, they gradually noticed these captains and Vice Admirals who were still fighting. Under their influence, both sides could very well erupt into even fiercer combat again.

At this moment, the Red-Haired Pirates’ ship landed.

They stopped their ship far from the edge of the ice, and then the Red-Haired Pirates, led by Shanks, stepped onto the ice and began walking towards them.

Perhaps it was because he had been tricked by Kaido, but Red-Haired Shanks was in a very bad mood. No one would have thought that a madman like Kaido would one day play a trick like secretly maneuvering forces. The influence brought by Doflamingo joining Kaido was something no one could have anticipated.

So, from the moment Shanks set foot on the shore, his overwhelming Conqueror’s Haki swept across the entire area!

As he led the Red-Haired Pirates closer to the battlefield, with each step, more navy soldiers and pirates around them fainted. It wasn’t just the weaker ones—even some of the stronger individuals felt dizzy and disoriented under the impact of Shanks’ Conqueror’s Haki.

Like mowing down wheat, people from both sides kept collapsing in droves.

“That red-haired brat!…” Whitebeard, seeing this scene, couldn’t help but feel annoyed. He squinted at Red-Haired Shanks, feeling like the kid was showing off.

At this moment, Flower Sword Vista was in the middle of a duel with Onigumo. As Shanks walked closer, the surrounding navy soldiers and pirates who had been fighting all fell to the ground. Seeing Shanks approach, Vista chuckled, parried Onigumo’s blade, and stepped aside, twirling his mustache and watching Shanks.

“Step aside,” Shanks said, tilting his head slightly and looking at Onigumo.

Onigumo gripped his sword, hesitated, and remained silent, not immediately moving out of the way.

Shanks placed his hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist and said slowly, “I’m not like that madman Kaido. If your navy insists on continuing this fight, then I will stand firmly with the Whitebeard Pirates.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to move aside?”

Hearing Shanks’ words, Onigumo’s pupils shrank. He silently sheathed his weapon and stepped aside.

Shanks continued his march, effectively separating all the vice admirals still engaged in battle, until he finally stood before Sengoku.

He glanced at Whitebeard, then at Sengoku, and said,”Sengoku, look around you. This war has already caused too much suffering. It’s time to stop!”

Following Shanks’ suggestion, Sengoku looked around. During the intense fighting, it hadn’t been as apparent, but now that the battlefield had quieted down, everyone could see that at some point, the white surface frozen by Aokiji had been stained red with blood.

Countless severed limbs and numerous bodies lay scattered, with both the navy and pirates having many wounded. They sat on the ground, clutching their wounds and groaning in pain.

Sengoku closed his eyes in agony and tilted his head back, unable to bear the sight.

“Both pirates and navy men have families,” Shanks continued. “Don’t let more young lives be lost on this battlefield. This time, the navy has lost, but the conflict between pirates and the navy can’t be settled by just one war. You still have hope to invest in the future.”

“Do me a favor, marines… withdraw!”

Taking a deep breath, Sengoku looked up at the sky and suddenly shouted, “All navy soldiers, listen to my command! Withdraw… to Marineford!!”

The war was over! But for some reason, when the navy heard Sengoku’s command, they didn’t feel any sense of defeat; instead, they felt a sense of relief.

Silently, they helped their wounded comrades, gathered the bodies of their fallen friends, and slowly and orderly retreated back to the frozen navy warships.

Seeing this, Whitebeard remained silent for a moment, then said, “Ace, give them a hand!”

Ace nodded, stepped out of the crowd, and walked to the shore. He raised his right hand, conjuring a massive Fire Emperor fireball, which he then hurled onto the ice.

Under the high temperature of the flames, the ice began to melt, and the navy ships could finally move…