Naruto: Copy System#647+648: Ace Still Dies, The Future is Changed

"Blackbeard, you're not exactly captain material. Shiryu and Catarina are dead, and you haven't said a word."

After Shin’s Pluton had departed, Avalo Pizarro seized the opportunity to challenge Blackbeard.

Blackbeard’s face was already grim, but now he shot a vicious glare at Pizarro.

"Don't forget who got you out of Impel Down." Blackbeard looked ready to throw down.

He usually didn't mind Pizarro’s ambition, but now was not the time. If he let Pizarro run his mouth, the newly formed Blackbeard Pirates would fracture before they even set sail.

Perhaps wary of Blackbeard's power, Pizarro fell silent. The others said nothing.

The Blackbeard Pirates’ ship set a course for Marineford, even though they had seen Shin's ship heading in the same direction. Going to Marineford now was risky, but Blackbeard had no intention of changing course.

Whitebeard's Devil Fruit was a prize Blackbeard had to claim. Of course, he would have preferred Shin's, but he knew that was out of his reach.

In truth, Shin had never eaten a Devil Fruit—he wouldn't willingly saddle himself with a weakness. But no one knew that. Everyone on the seas, including the Five Elders, believed Shin had eaten some unknown, powerful Devil Fruit.

While Blackbeard was still en route, Shin's ship had already returned to Marineford, taking up its original position.

——————

"REPORTING TO THE FLEET ADMIRAL! THE KUJA PIRATES ARE BACK! THEY'RE IN THE SAME SPOT! AWAITING YOUR ORDERS, SIR!"

A Marine, his voice trembling with panic, rushed to report the moment the Pluton reappeared.

Sengoku, who had been focused on the battle against Whitebeard, immediately looked over.

"What's going on?"

"We don't know the specifics, sir, but the Kuja Pirates have returned."

The Marine hadn't seen much. All he knew was that the Kuja Pirates had come back. As for their intentions, that was still unclear. The moment he saw them, he had rushed to report.

"Alright, I understand. Go back and keep an eye on them," Sengoku said after a moment of thought.

"Remember, if anything urgent happens, contact me immediately via Den Den Mushi," Sengoku added as a reminder.

The soldier nodded and left, and Sengoku turned his attention back to the fight with Whitebeard.

Garp alone couldn't hold off Whitebeard. He had been able to trade blows at first, but as the fight dragged on, he was starting to lose ground. This was a testament to Whitebeard's terrifying strength in his prime—even Garp was slightly outmatched.

Now, Aokiji had joined Garp.

The two of them together could just about hold Whitebeard back. This suggested that Garp's combat power was at least equivalent to two Admirals. Before, it had taken three Admirals to stall Whitebeard—now, Garp and Aokiji were managing it.

"Purupurupuru!"

Just then, the Den Den Mushi in Sengoku's hand rang, he tensed.

Had the Kuja Pirates made a move?

But after glancing at the Den Den Mushi, Sengoku breathed a sigh of relief. It was the one used exclusively to contact the Five Elders. They must be calling him. It wasn't about the Kuja Pirates. That was a relief.

"Sengoku, execute him now. Ace must die!!"

The voice of one of the Five Elders came through. It didn't matter which one it was—the order was clear.

"Carry out the execution," Sengoku said calmly.

His words made Garp, who was fighting Whitebeard, falter for a split second.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!"

Whitebeard roared, throwing a punch at Garp. Garp would normally have been able to react, but in the end, he only managed a defensive posture and was sent flying.

After knocking Garp back, Whitebeard glared at the two executioners and unleashed a wave of Conqueror's Haki, knocking them out instantly. At this point, Whitebeard didn't care about the collateral damage.

"<Ice Partisan!>"

Just as Whitebeard was about to advance, Aokiji, wielding two spears of ice, charged at him.

"Hmph."

Whitebeard completely ignored Aokiji's attack, covering his body in Armament Haki and continuing towards Ace.

"<Impact Wave!>"

Sengoku transformed into his giant Buddha form and slammed a palm strike towards Whitebeard.

Luffy, who had been rushing to save Ace, was also sent flying by the attack.

Garp caught the airborne Luffy. A quick check confirmed that although his grandson was badly injured, his life wasn't in danger. Seeing Luffy was alright, Garp finally relaxed.

However, when he looked up again, his world went dark.

Akainu had suddenly abandoned his fight with a Whitebeard Pirates commander, appearing in front of Ace. Ignoring Whitebeard's incoming attack, he drove his magma fist straight through Ace's chest.

Ace, still bound by Seastone cuffs, was powerless to resist. Akainu's magma fist blasted a gaping hole clean through him.

He was done for...

Just like in the original story, there was no difference. Ace was going to die.

Of course, Akainu didn't get off easy either. He took a direct hit from Whitebeard's fist, a blow that severely injured him.

But it was too late to change anything. Ace's fate was sealed.

With a magma fist through his torso and his heart gone, how could Ace possibly survive?

Akainu was truly ruthless, paying a steep price to ensure Ace's death.

"DAMN YOU, AKAINU!" Garp put Luffy down, roared in fury, and charged straight at Akainu.

"Garp, what the hell are you doing?" Seeing Garp about to attack Akainu, Sengoku immediately intervened. He wouldn't let his old friend spend the rest of his life in the depths of Impel Down.

Whitebeard, seeing this, felt tears well up in his eyes. He couldn't believe Ace had died right in front of him.

Well, Ace wasn't dead just yet. The people of this world had incredibly tenacious life force. He still had a breath left in him.

"Pops..."

Ace glanced at Whitebeard, then closed his eyes, his body slumping to the ground.

——————

"I didn't expect to walk in on Ace getting killed."

Shin had just returned to witness Akainu kill Ace with a single punch. It seemed that even with his interference, Ace still died in the end.

In fact, his death was even more pathetic than in the original story. At least then, he had been rescued before sacrificing himself to save Luffy.

Now? He was killed without even a chance to fight back.

Akainu had successfully drawn a lot of hatred. Both Whitebeard and Garp now despised him.

<><><><><><><><>

As Shin observed the situation at Marineford, he suddenly spotted a familiar figure.

Silvers Rayleigh had arrived. But wasn't he a little too late? Ace was already gone.

"This war... Whitebeard has lost," Robin said. With Ace dead, the Whitebeard Pirates had lost.

Sengoku, on the other hand, could finally breathe a sigh of relief. If the Whitebeard Pirates had actually managed to rescue Ace, the Marines' reputation would have been in tatters.

"DIE!"

Ace's death sent Whitebeard into a complete rage. He unleashed the full power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.

The sea churned, and the very island of Marineford began to shake, countless fractures spreading across its surface.

"Pops!" Marco cried out.

Hearing Marco's voice, Whitebeard snapped back to his senses, his rage subsiding slightly.

Seeing his father calm down, Marco felt a wave of relief. The Tremor-Tremor Fruit wasn't a power to be used indiscriminately—it didn't distinguish between friend and foe. Their own people could get caught in the crossfire.

"Garp, you need to calm down too..." Sengoku said to the despondent Garp.

Garp's eyes were bloodshot. Sengoku was certain that if he let him go, Garp would beat Akainu to death. And he had no doubt Garp had the strength to do it.

Held back by Sengoku, Garp finally managed to calm himself, but only because he was being restrained.

"I know Ace is your grandson, but he was still a pirate," Sengoku said to Garp.

Then, he glanced in Luffy's direction and whispered in Garp's ear, "Get your other grandson out of here. I'll pretend I didn't see anything for now."

Sengoku was known for his impartiality, but he had his reasons for saying this. Garp had already lost one grandson. If he lost another, even a man like Garp might break.

"Thanks," Garp said to Sengoku. It was his duty to deal with pirates—he couldn't hold a grudge against Sengoku. He probably shouldn't hold a grudge against Akainu either, but he couldn't help it.

——————

"I was a step too late." Rayleigh looked at the fallen Ace with a hint of sadness.

But he didn't feel overly guilty. Though Ace was Roger's son, it didn't mean Rayleigh was responsible for him. Ace was Ace, and Roger was Roger.

They were two different people.

He had come to save Ace out of respect for Roger. If he couldn't, then that was Ace's fate.

Spotting Luffy, Rayleigh made a beeline for him.

He recognized Luffy.

If it weren't for him, Luffy would have never escaped Kizaru.

"..." Rayleigh glanced at Ace's body, then turned away. He was so well-hidden that few people had noticed his arrival. And even among those who did, not many recognized him. After all, he had been retired for many years.

Rayleigh grabbed Luffy and disappeared into the distance. This, of course, did not escape the notice of Sengoku and Garp.

"Looks like he doesn't need your help. I wonder how he got involved with Rayleigh. Your grandson is a real troublemaker," Sengoku said, giving the retreating Rayleigh a deep look.

As he finished, Garp’s eyes shot a sharp glare at him. He didn't want Sengoku scheming against his grandson.

The truth was, Rayleigh had saved Luffy because of the straw hat Shanks had given him—it marked him as Shanks' chosen successor. This was a legacy being passed down through generations.

Otherwise, Rayleigh wouldn't have stuck his neck out for some random kid.

——————

Rayleigh came and went, taking only Luffy with him.

Though Luffy was unwilling to leave, in Rayleigh's hands, he had no chance of struggling free.

"Ace is dead. This war is drawing to a close," Shin said. Now that Ace was gone, there was no reason for the battle to continue.

"Yes, the war is ending. Is this what you predicted?" Olvia asked Shin.

"I didn't predict any of this."

From the moment he helped Whitebeard recover his peak strength, the course of this war had changed. But it was different from the original story.

Whitebeard hadn't suffered any major injuries and hadn't been backstabbed. He was in good condition. He probably wouldn't die at Marineford.

This meant the Whitebeard Pirates wouldn't fall, and the Blackbeard Pirates wouldn't rise.

Though Shin hadn't seemed to do much, he had truly changed the future of the world. The Whitebeard who was supposed to die here was still alive.

This was the biggest change. As long as Whitebeard, the heart and soul of the crew, was still around, they would remain the overlords of the sea.

Just as Shin had predicted, with Ace dead, the Whitebeard Pirates had no intention of staying. Their morale was shattered. They'd come here to save Ace, and now he was gone. What was the point?

They had to retreat. Continuing to fight the Marines would just get more of their people killed.

As for revenge—sure, the Whitebeard Pirates were like family, but not everyone had been close to Ace. When he was alive, they'd risk everything to rescue him. Now that he was dead, even if they wanted payback, this wasn't the time.

Whitebeard sent Aokiji flying with a devastating punch. Even in retreat, he was determined to take Ace's body with him. He refused to leave it in Marine hands.

Ace was gone—Whitebeard wouldn't let them defile what remained.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!"

A white halo of energy formed around Whitebeard's fist as he smashed it towards Akainu.

When dealing with Akainu, Whitebeard showed no mercy. This was the man who had killed Ace. How could he possibly hold back?

The punch smashed directly into Akainu's face.

What was the cost of taking a punch from Whitebeard to the face? His face was completely caved in.

Akainu was severely injured by the blow. No one could stop the enraged Whitebeard.