Three hours left until the public execution.
At this moment, all of the Marine's elite forces were gathered at Marineford, waiting for the arrival of the Whitebeard Pirates.
The live broadcast had already started, and people all over the sea were watching the upcoming public execution.
On the execution platform, Ace, shackled in chains, knelt beside Sengoku.
"Ace, say your father's name!" Sengoku, holding the Den Den Mushi, sternly asked.
When Ace heard the word "father," his calm heart suddenly skipped a beat, but he quickly regained his composure.
He closed his eyes and answered calmly, "My Pops is Whitebeard."
"No!"
"Your mother's name was Portgas D. Rouge..." Before Ace could finish, Sengoku immediately interrupted.
When Sengoku mentioned Ace's mother's name, Ace's heart grew uneasy. This was the most painful and tender spot in his heart.
"One year and three months after your father died, a baby was born with the world's most evil bloodline. That baby is you. Your father was the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger!" Sengoku loudly declared Ace's identity to the entire world!
At this moment, Ace was in great pain. His teeth were gritted, and he couldn't understand why he had to be the son of the Pirate King!
This identity brought him endless suffering.
After Roger revealed Ace's identity, the entire Marine Headquarters, as well as civilians all over the sea, were stunned.
No one had expected that the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, still had bloodline descendants!
Among the people, some were frantic, some filled with hatred, but most were terrified, like the nobles, who now felt a sense of relief, because the last bloodline of the Pirate King had been captured!
"This old man really doesn't hold back..." In another space, Nojiko looked at the scene outside in disbelief.
"He's so ruthless!" Daisy said angrily.
"This is normal. Sengoku is the Marine Fleet Admiral, and Gol D. Roger was the Pirate King. They were always on opposite sides," Ryuen said calmly.
"I remember you once said, 'Those who play politics are all dirty,'" Hogg said quietly.
"Ryuen, are we really not going to rescue Ace?" Leah asked, her voice full of sympathy.
"..."
"To be honest, it's not about whether we save him or not. He brought this upon himself; it's the path he chose. And the weight of what he carries is too much for him," Ryuen said softly.
"But..." Nami started to say something but didn't finish.
"This is the reason you don't want to truly join the Marines, isn't it, Ryuen?" Nojiko asked, looking at him.
"Partly."
"After all, the Marines' evil is no less than that of pirates, and might even surpass it. They are destined to be overthrown," Ryuen said calmly.
"Overthrown?"
"Who could overthrow the Marines? They have the World Government backing them. At least right now, there's no force strong enough to overthrow them," Hogg asked, somewhat puzzled.
"The people who have been oppressed by the World Government for eight hundred years," Ryuen answered quietly.
...
"They're here!"
"Everyone, get ready for battle!" The Marine security team immediately relayed the orders.
Through their telescopes, they spotted a huge pirate fleet, and the alarm in Marineford kept ringing!
"Quick, confirm where Whitebeard is!"
"The cavalry commander Doma, Ray Qing Makugei, the Dikalban brothers, 'Big Whirlpool Spider' Skuyado—each one is a top-tier expert, captains known across the New World!"
"43 ships in total, but no sign of Whitebeard or his commanders! But there's no doubt that these are Whitebeard's pirates!"
The appearance of so many pirate ships, and with Whitebeard not showing up, caused a lot of panic among the Marines in Marineford.
"What's there to panic about? Such useless people!" Vice Admiral Tsuru scolded.
...
Everyone was searching for Whitebeard's whereabouts, but things were getting exciting.
At this moment, bubbles kept rising from the center of the bay.
"Could it be...?" Sengoku's face turned grim as he stared at the bay.
"He wouldn't show up from an unexpected place, would he?" Garp said casually.
"Did we misplace our formation...?" Vice Admiral Tsuru also seemed surprised.
~~~~~~
"Finally, he's here?" Hogg said, a little excited.
After all, Whitebeard was known as the strongest man in the world, and he was eager to witness such a figure.
...
Under the shocked gazes of everyone at Marine Headquarters, several Moby Dick ships appeared from the bay, and Whitebeard made a grand entrance with an overwhelming presence!
As soon as he appeared, he delivered a devastating blow using his Quake-Quake Fruit, causing a massive tsunami!
"Hisssss!"
"This power is truly incredible!" Leah said, shocked at the tsunami that was taller than the Marine Headquarters building.
But in the blink of an eye, the tsunami was frozen by Aokiji!
The battle began on the ice-covered bay.
"Why doesn't Whitebeard use his power again to shatter this high iceberg? It should be just as damaging as the tsunami, right?" Daisy wondered, confused.
"Maybe... it's for the sake of the plot?" Ryuen said casually.
"For the plot?" Nami asked, puzzled.
"Uh... never mind, maybe Whitebeard is getting old. After all, using that kind of attack requires a lot of energy," Ryuen diverted the topic.
"That makes sense!" Leah agreed wholeheartedly.
...
"Look, Mihawk is moving!" Daisy suddenly shouted.
Everyone immediately turned their attention to Mihawk. When Kuina saw him make a move, she subconsciously tightened her grip on the Sword of the Spirit!
Mihawk swung a dark green slash, but it was blocked by Diamond Jozu.
After this scene, Sengoku gave the order for a full counterattack. Countless cannonballs rained down on the pirate ships outside the bay!
"Gomu Gomu no Storm!!!"
Boom!!
Just then, a pirate ship soared over the Iceberg and landed straight into the bay!
"Ace!"
"Ace! We're here to save you!"
"Luffy!"
"No… wait… Sabo???"
Compared to seeing Luffy, Ace was even more shocked to see Sabo appear.
But that shock quickly turned into overwhelming joy.
"Sabo!"
"You're alive!"
For the first time since stepping onto the execution platform, Ace smiled.
"The Straw Hat Pirates!"
"And those other strange-looking guys… who are they?"
…
Among the Marines, people kept gasping in shock.
"Dark King… Rayleigh!"
Sengoku, seeing that white-haired figure, was first stunned—then his expression turned grim.
---
You can read 10 Chapters ahead on my
pat reon.com/GMadman