The pirates within the bay were stunned by the sudden appearance of an army of Kumas.

"They all look just like the warlord, Kuma."

"No way. It's got to be some kind of illusion."

"Well, this just got weird."

Everyone who watched the battle on Sabaody was just as surprised as the pirates when they saw the Kumas. Some of them had already witnessed them and their power just a week earlier.

"I think I know those guys. They went on a rampage here just a little while back."

"It's like having an army of Warlords."

"But there were that many when they attacked us."

The reporters were quick to relay this bit of news to their head offices.

"Head office! Reporting in! You've got to hear this!"

The real Kuma was still facing against Mala, something which Stoick's men were quick to realise.

"So this one's got to be the real Kuma, right?"

"I thought this was just some rumour, but I've heard word that Dr Vegapunk has been working on some sort of human weapon, and he's been shipping out the prototypes to back up the Navy. This could be them."

"Well, that looks like a human weapon if I've ever seen one."

"Sure, but why are they all Kuma?"

Sachihiro was leading the Kumas, or the Pacifistas, as they were known to the Navy. He then pulled out a transponder snail and contacted Kia.

"Hey, uncle," he said. "This isn't looking like the plan we talked about. I thought the pirates were supposed to be rounded up inside the bay? So we can pick them off like fish in a barrel. While this can be all over the place?"

Stoick's pirate allies outside the bay were trying to figure out what was happening.

"That big guy with the axe, can you make out what he's saying?" Gomer asked.

"I believe I have deciphered the Navy's plan," said Karl. "They lease the Intel about the decision to expedite Ace's execution, knowing that it would send us into a frenzy to save him. After that, all they had to do was slowly back their forces to fully lure us, pirates, into the bay, and then they blocked off the bay head with their human weapons to close the trap. Checkmate."

"Now it all makes sense. That's why Stoick ordered us to sink those Navy ships instead of advancing."

"He saw right through their plan."

"If it weren't for him, we would have been trapped."

"Yeah."

Sander knew the situation wasn't ideal, but they had no choice but to press on with the operation.

"We can still attack on the front and the rear even though they're not closed in the bay!" he said through a transponder snail. "Stick to the plan and take out the Allied forces first! Eliminate any pirate trying to stray any closer to advance."

"And there you go," said Kia to Sachihiro.

"Got it," said Sachihiro. "And if I, our ships, get crossed in the crossfire?"

"Let's just try and keep it to a minimum, okay."

"So that's the plan, huh?" Sachihiro huffed. "Then, time to work!"

The eyes of Pacifistas began to glow.

A pirate then came charging in with the bludgeon firmly in hand. "Bring out as many Kumas as you want! We'll knock them down!"

He then jumped into the air and swung his bludgeon down upon one of the Pacifistas. He laughed triumphantly, but his victory was short-lived. The moment his bludgeon made contact with it, it shattered. Then, if that wasn't bad enough, it fired a laser permits map directly at the pirate, taking him out instantly.

Upon seeing this, the remaining pirates realised how dangerous these human weapons were. Half turned towards the bay, while the other half faced the open water.

"Now fire Pacifistas!" Sachihiro ordered.

The Pacifistas fired upon the pirates, instantly taking out the front line.

"They vaporised them," said Gomer.

Some of the Pacifistas then jumped onto the Navy vessels the pirates had boarded and attacked everyone on board, effectively destroying the ship in the process.

Stoick grimaced upon seeing the explosions. "Sick bastards. They're even willing to sacrifice their own men." He then turned towards his men. "Do not lose faith! March on! Charge the Plaza with all your might!"

Upon hearing those orders, everyone began to attack the Marines with much more ferocity. Gobber, with his flaming wings, took out an entire squad by himself.

"The only retreat I know is death," he said. "But I will rescue Ace before I go down on that road."

"Everyone, get off the ship now!" Gomer ordered as Pacifistas began to attack the ship he and his crew were on. "Destroy the mechanical monsters!"

His men cheered, and they began to engage the Pacifistas.

"Have at you," said Karl as he drew his lightning sword. "I shall not falter."

"All units, get off the ice and defend the frontline now!" Sander ordered as the pirates began to advance. "Do whatever it takes to ensure the pirates do not reach the Plaza!"

"Go, fall back!"

The Marines began to fall back, making their way to the wall.

Hawkeye and Flashburn were still duelling, and eventually, they backed off from one another.

"It is quite the unexpected pleasure to cross blades with the world's greatest swordsman," said Flashburn. "Aren't I a lucky guy?"

"Your swordsmanship is of no small renown either," Hawkeye acknowledged. "We were certain to cross paths. Now, show me your skill."

"I am more than happy to give you a peek. Flash Dance!"

Flashburn then jumped into the air and began to dance in midair. As he did, he unleashed a massive flash of light. Hawkeye merely swung his blade, unleashing his slashing attack, which Flashburn managed to block and deflect towards the sky.

The two swordsmen then looked at one another with mutual respect.

The Pacifistas continued to attack the pirates, splitting up to attack the pirate groups on both sides outside the bay.

"Onward! Drive them in!" Sachihiro commanded.

"Hell no!" said a pirate, aiming his bazooka at one of the Pacifistas. "Now, suck on this!" He fired a shot at the Pacifista and exploded right in its face. "How does that feel?"

However, when the smoke cleared, the Pacifista was completely unharmed. It then opened its mouth and fired a laser in retaliation.

Everyone on Sabaoby watching the battle unfold was utterly shocked by the slaughter from the Pacifistas.

"There's no way those things are made from flesh and bone."

"Well, they're obviously not human."

"Then what are they?"

Suddenly, the screen went blank, and so did a second, which showed the battle with the Pacifistas. Only the central monitor showing the fight within the bay was still on.

"Hey, what happened to the screen?"

Sander looked down at Stoick. 'Struggle all you want, Stoick; we still have the upper hand ready to crush you.'

He then turned her attention to his men. "As soon as every video feed has been cut, activating circling walls. Once that is set, we will immediately execute Ace and round up all of our remaining enemies."

"Yes, sir!"

Hiccup was still rushing towards the wall as quickly as he could.

"Move it!" he yelled as he punched a Marine.

More Marines moved in to apprehend him, but he quickly overpowered them.

"They're about to kill Ace, I had better hurry," said Hiccup.

He was just about to move when Kia suddenly appeared before him in a burst of light.

"Sorry, back to square one," he said, kicking him across the face.

Hiccup was sent flying backwards.

"Hiccup, no!" Jinbe yelled, rushing to his aid and catching him.

"Jinbe?" Hiccup winced.

Hiccup was utterly exhausted. He had gotten very little sleep on the journey here and had been fighting nonstop for the past hour.

He then looked up at Kia. "Looks like the Admiral was getting in on the fight."

"Yet we must press on regardless," said Jinbe. "We knew we would face insurmountable odds and undefeatable foes. Them sending out their best only means we're getting too close for their comfort."

A Marine was aiming his pistol at Hiccup without him noticing. "Die, son of Stoick and Valka."

However, before he pulled the trigger, he was shot by Izo, the 16th Division Commander of the Hairy Hooligan Pirates. His garments clearly showed that he came from Wano, though he could easily be mistaken for a woman.

"Hey, Hiccup, you're not running out of steam, are you?" he asked.

Both Hiccup and Jinbe's eyes widened as more Division Commanders had arrived.

"Stoick's commanders," Jinbe gasped. "We won't find any better backup than that."

"You can't let one man halt your advance," said Izo. "Now, follow us!"

"Yeah, let's take them!" said Hiccup, following them into battle.

"The Navy is pulling back, so now is our chance! We're breaking through these bastards!"

"Well, lookie here, it's a real fight," said Kia.

Moira was currently facing the 10th Division Commander, Armload. He was a muscular red-scaled drake, completely armed to the teeth with all sorts of weapons.

"Well, if it isn't 10th Division Commander, Armload," Moria sneered. "Look at that angry glower. Do you really want to die with such a sour face? You realise you will be buried on this page if you stay here. First, Ace will die, and then your cronies will be trapped and wiped out. I honestly couldn't care less about who's going to win this war, but watching Stoick die is fun!"

"Stoick and Ace won't die, not when I'm around!" Armload yelled.

Moria, at least a swarm of shadow bats and Armload, began to gun them down with every gun in his arsenal.

Hawkeye and Flashburn were still duelling, and there hasn't been a winner so far. Once again, the two of them pulled away from one another.

"Shall we put this match on hold, Flashburn?" Hawkeye asked.

"As much as I hate to, we do have other matters to worry about," said Flashburn.

Elsewhere on the battlefield, Stormfly had just cut for another group of pirates before turning her attention to Smoker.

"We've got to back down," she said. "So let's go, Smoker."

Smoker was rather annoying as he was starting to get the upper hand on Astrid, who was utterly worn out from the battle.

"Didn't you hear the orders?" Stormfly asked.

"Yeah, I heard them," Smoker growled. "Next time, Dragon."

He then began to fall back with Stormfly.

Once they were gone, Astrid gave a sigh of relief and practically toppled over. "That had to have been the toughest fight in my entire life." However, her eyes immediately turned towards Hiccup. "But I can't rest now, I still need to help Hiccup."

Sander was starting to get impatient; something was definitely holding up the next phase of his plan.

"Why the hell has the video feed been cut?" he demanded.

"Sorry, sir. It'll just be another minute," said a Marine. He then quickly turned around and pulled out a transponder snail. Hey, have you found it?"

"Uh, no. We're still searching, but it's just gone missing."

That last transponder snail was actually in the hands of Buggy, who was just about to showcase himself to the entire world.

On Saboday, everyone watching the screens was confused as to why only one was still broadcasting, and that one had signs saying, "Please stand by."

"We're all set," said a voice.

"Hey, Geth, you're blocking the shot."

The crowd was still very much puzzled about what was going on.

"Seems like the cut off all the cameras feed except for one."

"But what's with this stupid message? Just show us already."

Buggy was preparing for his debut, and his followers had set up some lighting and camera equipment. How they acquired such equipment was unknown, but they were already for Buggy.

"The camera is good to go."

"Okay, then we're going live. In five… four… three… two… one… Action!"

They then pulled away the noticeboard, allowing everyone to see what was happening.

"Hey, it came back on!"

"So, sorry… We apologise for keeping you waiting," said one of Buggy's followers, surprising everyone.

"Wait, who was that talking?"

"We live here at Marineford," said the announcer as the camera hovered over the battlefield. "Surrounded by the bodies of dead pirates and Marines."

"They're doing a commentary?"

Sander soon became aware of the situation and was less than pleased.

"Hey, what's going on down there?" he demanded. "What is this feed?"

The cameraman pointed the transponder snail directly at Buggy, who had his back towards everyone.

"Wait, is that who I think it is? Oh, it is! I can't believe it's him! He has been laying low all these years but was a member of the legendary merry crew that once served under Gold Roger, the King of the Pirates."

The audience looked at one another, confused.

"Who is it?"

"Can it really be the renowned pirate Captain Buggy!" said the announcer.

"I'm sorry. Did someone say my name?" said Buggy as he turned around and smiled.

Everyone in the crowd looked at one another, not recognising Buggy in the slightest.

"It is classified information, but I admitted, I am the legendary pirate," said Buggy.

His nose then began to bleed.

"Hey, hold, guys!" said one of his followers, noticing his bleeding nose. "Captain Buggy, stop! You've got a nosebleed."

Buggy rubbed his nose and panicked when he saw the blood.

His acting director then turned towards the camera. "Cut! Standby!"

They quickly put up the; please stand by message back on the camera.

Sander was furious. "What the hell is happening here? How many times have I ordered you fools to cut the stupid video! We can't move with the world watching!"

"I understand, sir," said a Marine. "But I'm afraid the escaped prisoners have somehow managed to steal one of the video transponder snails from us."

"What?! How could you have let this happen?!" Sander roared.

Buggy's followers were quickly sorting Buggy while they attempted another go at the broadcast.

"Makeup!"

"Ready to roll!"

"Alright, guys, market! Take two! And three… two… one…"

They then removed the sign and resumed the filming.

"Oh, is that who I think it is? The legendary crew member of Gold Roger and sworn brother of Alvin the Treacherous of the Four Emperors? Could it really be the mythical pirate Captain Buggy?"

Buggy then turned to face the camera. "Did someone say my name?"

"Stop those idiots right this second!" Sander roared.

The Marines immediately fired upon Buggy and his followers, though they didn't hit the main camera crew.

"Whoa, that was close!"

"They found us! Run for it!"

Some ran off while the main camera crew remained stationary and continued filming.

"I saw you get sliced in half by the infamous Hawkeye, but there's not even a scratch on you."

"Who me?" said Buggy. "That's right, I'm Buggy. The living legend."

The people watching the broadcast were exactly impressed; they were far more annoyed than anything else.

"Blow them away! I want them dead!"

"Get back to the war, damnit!"

"Why are we getting a video of this moron?"

"Get back to Ace; we're going to miss the execution!"

"I want to see that army of volunteer Kumas."

Meanwhile, The Pacifistas continued attacking the pirates outside the bay, and they were slaughtering them.

"They're driving us into a corner," said a pirate.

"Stand tall, men," said Gomer. "We can't stop now, not until we know that Ace is safe! Let's go!"

Gomer then led the charge and attacked the Pacifistas, who fired back at them.

Stoick was well aware the fighting outside the bay was not going well, and the Marines inside the bay were putting up a fearsome fright.

"Hey, Stoick," said a voice behind him.

Stoick turned his head and saw Squall standing there. "Oh, Squall. Good to see that you're alive."

"Yeah, barely," said Squall approaching him.

"Is that so?" said Stoick, turning his head back towards the bay. "I was trying to reach you earlier. How are things looking at the bay head now?"

"I am sorry to say, but your allies would be him pretty badly. As for me, I only managed to get out of the room by sheer dumb luck."

"Sander is one merciless bastard," Stoick grunted. "He's pulling out every dirty trick he can think of."

"Judging from your shift in tactics, I'm guessing you picked up on the enemy's plan," Squall assumed.

"I have known Sander and what he's capable of for a long time."

"I see."

"Little does he know that it works in our favour that they're attacking us from the rear," said Stoick as he raised his battleaxe. "I'm joining the fight. Our only chance is to keep pushing forward."

"I couldn't agree more," said Squall.

Gobber then noticed Squall standing alongside Stoick. "What's Squall doing up there?"

"You have 43 allied captains willing to die for you," said Squall as he reached for his sword. "They are all in your debt, for now and for always. We consider it a privilege to risk our lives for you and your crew."

He then unsheathed his sword and looked ready for battle.

"And I am grateful, but this fight is…" said Stoick.

"Yes, I know," Squall nodded. "This fight is to save a member of your family. The great pirate Stoick the Vast is a man who would do anything for his family, and your loyalty inspires loyalty. That is why everyone follows you to this hell."

Stoick smiled and began to take a few steps forward, preparing to join the fight.

"I do wish things were different," said Squall regretfully as he grasped his sword. "But at the end of the day, I am not a part of your family."

Then, to everyone's shock, Squall suddenly spun around and plunged his sword into Stoick's chest.