"Stop dawdling around!"
"Hurry, hurry! Load those cannons! If the Whitebeard Pirates show up and I don't see what I want in those barrels, I'll stuff you into the cannon and fire you out!"
"Align those cannons! If anyone misses, I'll shoot them myself!"
On the coastal fortress of Marineford, countless white-clad figures were bustling about.
Crates of cannonballs were hauled up to the walls.
Elite Marine officers, summoned from all over, were feverishly preparing for the battle.
"Listen up! No matter what happens, we have less than three hours left.
Three hours from now, everything will be over.
This battle will go down in history!
In the future, when you talk to your sons and grandsons about today, you bastards will be proud of what you did here!
Victory to the Marines!"
The officers kept rallying the troops.
With an impregnable formation in the fortress, the vanguard could not afford to disgrace themselves right under Marine Headquarters' nose.
"Roar!"
"Victory! Victory to the marines!"
"Justice will prevail!"
Excitement spread like a plague through the hearts of every marine soldier.
They raised their swords and muskets.
Shouts echoed like thunder.
"Hmph! What a racket."
Hearing the war cries of the marines, Boa Hancock, standing below the execution platform, frowned slightly, her displeasure evident.
"Fufufufu... Boa Hancock, this isn't your Kuja Island. You'd better behave yourself here."
Donquixote Doflamingo, wearing a sinister smile, looked Boa Hancock up and down.
Then he turned to Mihawk, the "Hawk Eyes," and said, "What do you think, swordsman?"
Mihawk, who had little patience for the likes of Doflamingo, narrowed his hawk-like eyes, giving Doflamingo a sidelong glance without a word.
"Hey, hey, hey... Heavenly Yaksha, it seems our esteemed swordsman here can't be bothered with you. How embarrassing, eh? Hehehe."
Newly healed, Gecko Moria sneered at Doflamingo.
"Brat, are you tired of living?"
Doflamingo, his expression unchanged, raised his hands, making a threatening show of the nearly invisible strings.
A defeated dog dares bark here?
"Hmph!"
Lacking the strength to match the flamboyantly dressed king of Dressrosa, Moria snorted and subtly distanced himself from Doflamingo, sidling up to "Tyrant" Kuma.
"Zehahahaha." Blackbeard laughed heartily.
The "Seven Warlords of the Sea" were indeed a colorful bunch.
As he laughed, a movement tugged at his wounds, and his dark face turned pale.
The internal injuries inflicted by Whitebeard still pained him.
But it didn't matter.
As long as he seized this opportunity, his disgrace would be washed away!
Blackbeard licked his dry lips. "The Tremor-Tremor Fruit..."
Just as the "Four Heavenly Kings" must have a fifth, so too must the "Seven Warlords of the Sea" actually number six.
Looking at the six figures, Fleet Admiral Sengoku's face was solemn.
Garp, picking his nose, sidled up with a grin. "Pirates are unreliable."
"So are you," Sengoku retorted without turning. "Done bonding with your grandson?"
"Yeah, I won't let him die," Garp said without a hint of concealment.
Sengoku's temple throbbed.
After a long pause, he exhaled. "For the sake of our friendship, the boy can live. But you must strictly control him in the future. I'll personally explain it to the World Government...
What I really want is the lives of Portgas D. Ace and Whitebeard."
Garp blinked and calmly said, "Ace's life isn't yours to take either."
Nothing's ever easy with you, is it?
Sengoku gritted his teeth. "Get out of my sight!"
Unfazed, Garp scratched his backside and waddled away.
Time ticked by.
Soon, it was noon.
Sengoku glanced up at the sun, squinting slightly, and asked for the Den Den Mushi.
"Ahem." He cleared his throat, speaking formally, "Marines, before the execution begins, I must tell you something..."
A hush fell over the hundred thousand marines.
But before Sengoku could continue, the sea suddenly roiled.
A massive whale-shaped figure burst from the water!
It was the Moby Dick, flagship of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Pop!
The protective bubble burst, revealing the colossal ship.
At the bow, Whitebeard stood with his sword.
Scanning the assembled marines, he laughed loudly, "Gurararara, quite the turnout."
Unfazed by the impending doom, his bravado was unmatched.
This was the "Strongest Man in the World," Whitebeard, Edward Newgate!
For a moment, everyone watching the war around the world swallowed nervously.
Whitebeard slung his sword over his shoulder, calling out, "Sengoku, I came here today for 'Straw Hat' Monkey D. Luffy. Hand him over, and I'll leave."
If possible, the old man hoped to avoid a clash between the Whitebeard Pirates and the navy.
But did Sengoku organize such a massive spectacle just to execute a few minor pirates?
Of course not!
The "Supernovas," including "Straw Hat," were merely bait.
The goal was to lure out the Whitebeard Pirates!
Sengoku's face was stern as he resumed his interrupted announcement, "Marines, listen up. The commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' second division, who broke out of Impel Down, Portgas D. Ace..."
He took a deep breath.
"Is the son of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger!"
Silence fell over the world.
Behind Whitebeard, Ace was speechless.
Jon scratched his eyebrow.
So what if he's the Pirate King's son?
I am also a descendant of Joseph (The Rascal) Joestar.
I might even have Pillar Man blood.
Am I proud of it?
Not really.
Snapping back, Whitebeard shouted, "Ace is my son, no doubt about it... Sengoku, if you want a war, I'll give you a war!"
By the end, the old man's eyes were filled with murderous intent.
Bang.
The boarding ramp dropped heavily.
Battle began!
Gunfire, swords, shouts, and roars.
In mere moments, decades of animosity between the Marines and pirates exploded.
Blood and smoke mingled, creating a pungent stench that assaulted every nerve on the battlefield.
They mercilessly attacked anyone who stood in their way.
In this most direct and primal of battles, no one hesitated or retreated.
When two paths converge...
The brave will win!