Squard’s stabbing of Whitebeard shocks the Whitebeard pirates, as does his statement that Whitebeard agreed to sacrifice his allies to save Ace. As the Whitebeard pirates question Whitebeard and become demoralized, the Marines gain the upper hand and Aokiji freezes Buggy, cutting the Transponder Snail footage. Whitebeard chastises Squard for falling for the Marines’ lies, but forgives him. He opens a path for his men to escape, telling them to follow him if they are prepared to give their lives. As their faith in him is restored, Whitebeard then jumps into the fray, determined to save Ace even if he dies doing so.