"Look, it's Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
At that moment, not only did the marines stationed at Marineford spot Sengoku stepping onto the execution platform, but even the reporters watching from the broadcast in the Sabaody Archipelago recognized him immediately.
Whenever Sengoku appeared front and center, it usually meant something major was about to happen. But far from being concerned, the reporters were buzzing with excitement and anticipation. A public execution of the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division Commander was already headline-worthy, but journalists thrived on spectacle—and they hoped for something even bigger.
"I have an announcement to make," Sengoku declared, standing solemnly beside Ace on the platform. "This concerns the true significance of Portgas D. Ace's execution."
He turned to Ace and asked in a grave tone, "Ace, tell them—what is your father's name?"
The crowd, both at Marineford and in the Sabaody broadcast center, was puzzled.
"What kind of question is that at a time like this?" some reporters whispered among themselves. "Does it really matter who his father is?"
Kneeling on the platform, Ace responded slowly, "My father… is Whitebeard."
"No!" Sengoku interrupted sharply.
"My father is Whitebeard! No one else!" Ace shouted defiantly, his voice filled with emotion.
Though Jack had recently rekindled his will to survive, Sengoku's words had clearly shaken him, pushing him toward emotional extremes once more.
Unfazed, Sengoku ignored Ace's protest and began revealing the hidden truth—how Ace's mother had managed to deceive the World Government's intelligence agencies and conceal the secret of Ace's birth.
"That's right. You were born one year and three months after your father's death, carrying the bloodline the world considers the most dangerous. There's no way you don't know—your father was none other than the Pirate King, Gold Roger!" Sengoku declared, his sharp gaze fixed on Ace.
"Gold Roger, huh? They don't even have the courage to speak your name outright anymore, Captain..." In a quiet corner of the Sabaody Archipelago, Rayleigh sat near the broadcast screen, sipping his drink and muttering to himself.
"What?! He's the Pirate King's son? How can that be?!"
"He's actually Gold Roger's biological child?"
Shock rippled through the crowd, both at Marineford and in the Sabaody Archipelago. The revelation stunned everyone, from reporters to marines to bystanders.
"We only discovered the truth about two years ago," Sengoku continued. "You emerged as the formidable leader of the Spade Pirates, drawing attention with your exceptional strength. But before we could act, Whitebeard took you under his wing. He allowed the son of his greatest rival to sail under his flag—because he intended to make you the next Pirate King!"
"No! I joined Whitebeard to help him become Pirate King!" Ace snapped, his voice filled with conviction. That had always been his truth.
Sengoku let out a cold laugh. "Perhaps that's what you believe. But the reality is different. We've hesitated all this time because Whitebeard shielded you. But if we let you live, you may one day rise to dominate the next pirate era. That's why your execution today is more than symbolic—it's necessary."
"Even if it means going to war with Whitebeard!" Sengoku bellowed.
His declaration instantly ignited the morale of the navy forces. The entire plaza buzzed with renewed energy—after all, they stood for "justice."
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku! Urgent report—the Gate of Justice has been opened without any command issued! We've lost communication with the power room as well!" A navy messenger suddenly shouted as he rushed forward.
"What?" Sengoku's eyes widened in disbelief. This was completely unexpected. Why would Whitebeard manipulate the Gate of Justice? Could this be part of a larger scheme?
What he didn't yet know was that the gate had been opened because of Luffy. After escaping the Impel Down, Luffy and his crew had briefly crossed paths with Blackbeard. However, unaware of Blackbeard's role in Ace's capture, Luffy merely clashed with him briefly before both groups went their separate ways—each with their own mission, and neither ready for a full confrontation.
"Report! A pirate fleet has appeared at the port!" Another messenger called out just as Sengoku prepared to give an order.
"Damn it! Where did they come from?!" Sengoku snapped, lifting his gaze toward the sea—only to see an armada of pirate ships advancing toward Marineford.
"They're from the Whitebeard Fleet—all well-known pirate captains from the New World!"
"I've counted at least 43 pirate crews in total, but Whitebeard himself and his division commanders haven't appeared yet!"
The sudden arrival of such a formidable force sent a wave of tension through the navy ranks. Eyes widened. Muscles tensed. The battle was about to begin.
"Fufufufufufu… how entertaining. Come on, Whitebeard—I can barely contain myself anymore," said Donquixote Doflamingo, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, grinning wickedly as he eyed the approaching pirate fleet.
"I just wonder if Whitebeard and his division commanders will actually show up from there," murmured a nearby navy officer, unease creeping into his voice.
But at that very moment, the top brass of the Marine forces—Sengoku, the three admirals, and others—heard an unexpected sound: the bubbling churn of seawater rising.
"No… it couldn't be…" Sengoku muttered, turning his eyes toward Marineford's harbor.
"He really popped up in the least expected place," Garp pointed out, amused, watching the water.
"Seems our formation may have been set up in the wrong direction," added Vice Admiral Tsuru with a calm smile.
Although the navy's full defense formation had been arranged facing outward, Whitebeard's flagship, the Moby Dick, had emerged from beneath the sea—rising from the depths like a leviathan. It appeared the crew had employed the same bubble-coating technology used in the Sabaody Archipelago, allowing the ship to bypass the blockade and surface directly inside Marineford's port.
Despite the surprise entrance, the navy veterans weren't entirely caught off guard—after all, they were facing Whitebeard.
"Gururara…"
"Pops!!" Ace cried out from the execution platform as he caught sight of Whitebeard.
At that moment, a rush of emotion surged through him. He remembered Whitebeard's stern warnings before he left the ship, the countless times his crewmates urged him not to act impulsively. Even Jack had gone to great lengths to find him, repeatedly cautioning him about the danger Blackbeard posed. But he had ignored them all—and now, here they were.
"Why won't you just let me take responsibility for my own actions? It was my recklessness that brought this upon us!" Ace shouted, his voice filled with emotion.
"What are you talking about? Wasn't it me who sent you?" Whitebeard replied with a calm smile.
"Stop lying! That's not true—you tried to stop me back then!" Ace shouted again, his uncharacteristic outburst betraying his inner turmoil.
"I was the one who gave the order, wasn't I, Marco?" Whitebeard said, ignoring Ace's protests and turning to his First Division Commander.
"Oh, I heard it loud and clear," Marco replied, nodding with a grin. "You've been through a lot, Ace. But out here on this sea, everyone knows—you don't mess with our crew and expect no consequences."
The pirates standing behind them erupted into laughter, their spirits suddenly reignited by Marco's defiant tone. The surge of morale swept through the ranks like a rising tide.
"Gurararara…" Whitebeard chuckled deeply, then casually lowered his massive weapon before raising his fists and slamming them into the air on either side of him.
Crack! Craaaack!
The very atmosphere fractured like shattering glass, rippling with visible cracks as if reality itself were splintering under the force of his blow.
"What the hell?! Did he just crack the sky?!" gasped a stunned sailor, staring in disbelief.
"That's Whitebeard—the strongest man in the world," Sengoku said gravely. "He wields the power to destroy the very earth beneath us."
"Looks like some real monsters just entered the field," Aokiji muttered with a weary sigh from his position beneath the execution platform.
"This is seriously annoying~" Kizaru muttered lazily, tilting his head as he watched the pirates flaunting their power.
But just then, the ground beneath Marineford began to tremble. The surrounding seawater churned violently, and on either side of the island, towering waves—tens of meters high—rose and surged toward the harbor, threatening to engulf everything in their path.
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