Across the world, the revelation continued to spread.
In one kingdom, an elderly man stared at the broadcast in disbelief.
"Roger's son…"
In another, a group of young pirates watched with wide eyes.
"So that's why the Marines are executing him."
A bartender slowly lowered the glass in his hand.
"If that's really Roger's son…"
He looked toward the sea.
"Then today isn't going to end peacefully."
The news reached pirates, civilians, kings, soldiers, and criminals alike.
The name Portgas D. Ace suddenly carried an entirely different weight.
Some feared him.
Some pitied him.
Others wondered what would happen if Roger's blood survived the execution.
But one thing became clear to everyone watching.
Marineford was no longer merely preparing to execute a pirate.
It was preparing to erase a bloodline.
Ace listened to the distant roar of the world.
He could barely hear individual voices anymore.
Everything had become a mixture of shouting, Den Den Mushi transmissions, and hurried orders.
Yet one thought remained clear.
So they finally told everyone.
Ace lowered his head.
He had never wanted people to know.
Not because he was ashamed of his father.
But because he had spent his entire life trying to determine whether he had the right to exist despite the blood flowing through his veins.
He remembered the people who had accepted him.
The people who had called him family.
And the man who had given him a place among his sons.
Whitebeard.
Ace slowly closed his eyes.
"I don't care whose blood I carry…" His voice was quiet.
"I know who my father is." He opened his eyes again. "Whitebeard."
For the first time since arriving at the platform, a genuine smile appeared on Ace's face.
Across the battlefield, Marines began receiving reports from the outer observation posts.
One after another, Den Den Mushi rang through Marineford.
"Report from the western sea!"
A Marine officer hurried toward the command post, his face pale.
"Multiple ships have been sighted on the horizon!"
Sengoku turned sharply.
"How many?"
"We don't have an exact count yet, sir. But they're approaching from several directions."
The officer raised a pair of binoculars toward the distant sea.
At first, only tiny silhouettes could be seen against the horizon.
Then more appeared.
And more.
Ships began emerging from the mist, their sails growing clearer as they advanced toward Marineford.
The Marines along the fortress walls stared in disbelief.
"Those aren't ordinary pirate ships…"
"Look at their flags!"
Several officers recognized the symbols.
"The Whitebeard Pirates…"
"No. Those are the pirate crews allied with Whitebeard!"
The realization spread rapidly through the Marine ranks.
The pirates had arrived.
Not as a single crew.
But as an alliance.
Dozens of ships advanced across the surrounding waters, their crews preparing weapons as they closed the distance.
On the execution platform, Ace lifted his head.
His eyes widened.
"They're here…"
Garp remained silent.
His expression hardened as he looked toward the horizon.
Sengoku's gaze followed the approaching ships.
"So it begins."
The assembled Marines immediately prepared for battle.
Cannons were loaded.
Weapons were raised.
The giants shifted their positions.
The Shichibukai watched the approaching fleet without moving, each observing the battlefield in their own way.
Then—
The sea beneath Marineford began to tremble.
A deep rumble rolled beneath the harbor, so low that it seemed to come from somewhere beneath the earth itself. The surface trembled, sending ripples across the water around the Marine fortress.
Several Marines looked down in confusion.
"What is that?"
Another tremor followed.
This time, the entire harbor shook.
Sengoku's eyes narrowed.
"Everyone, stay alert."
The Marines along the walls tightened their grips on their weapons. Cannons were already aimed toward the approaching pirate alliance, but the strange disturbance was coming from somewhere else.
Bubbles began rising from beneath the surface.
Then the sea erupted.
BOOOOOOM!
A transparent coating surrounded its massive hull, allowing it to travel beneath the sea without being crushed by the pressure of the depths.
A massive ship burst upward from beneath the harbor.
Water cascaded from its hull as a gigantic white whale-shaped vessel emerged from the depths.
The Marines froze.
The ship continued rising until its enormous hull towered above the surrounding water.
The Moby Dick had arrived.
A shimmering coating still clung to its surface, allowing the ship to survive the journey beneath the sea and bypass the Marine blockade.
A collective gasp spread across Marineford.
"The Moby Dick!"
"Whitebeard is here!"
The ship settled onto the surface with tremendous force, sending waves crashing against the harbor walls. The coating gradually disappeared as the vessel completed its ascent.
Then the figures standing upon its deck came into view.
Standing proudly upon the deck was the man the entire battlefield had been waiting for.
Edward Newgate.
Whitebeard.
Behind him stood his commanders and the members of his crew.
Marco.
Jozu.
Vista.
And the rest of the Whitebeard Pirates.
The sight alone silenced Marineford.
Whitebeard slowly looked across the battlefield.
His eyes eventually settled on the execution platform.
Ace stared back at him.
For a brief moment, neither spoke.
Then Whitebeard's massive hand tightened around his bisento.
His voice carried across the harbor.
"Gurararara! How many years has it been since we last met, Sengoku? My son… you're still hanging in there, aren't you?!"
Ace lowered his head.
"...Pops."
The old Emperor's expression hardened.
"We're here to take you home."
The Marines raised their weapons.
Sengoku watched from above.
The words hung over Marineford like a warning.
The Paramount War was about to begin.
The two legendary figures stared across the battlefield.
Neither needed to say what everyone already understood.
There would be no negotiation.
There would be no surrender.
Ace's execution had become the spark.
And Marineford was the powder keg.
Whitebeard suddenly shifted his stance.
The atmosphere around him changed.
His fingers tightened around the handle of his bisento.
Then he slammed the weapon downward.
Whitebeard planted his feet firmly and clenched his fists, quake-generating energy gathering around them. He thrust his arms outward, striking the air and sending cracks through the atmosphere. The force of the attack surged toward the sea, parting the waters and forming two massive tsunamis that threatened Marineford.
The sea responded.
A violent tremor spread across the harbor.
BOOM!
The water rose.
Then rose again.
The entire ocean seemed to bend beneath the force of Whitebeard's power.
The Marines stared in horror as enormous walls of water began forming on both sides of Marineford.
"Those waves…"
"They're coming toward us!"
"Everyone, brace yourselves!"
Two colossal tsunamis rose above the battlefield, towering over the Marine fortress like mountains of water.
Ace's eyes widened.
The Marines below the platform began shouting orders.
"DEFENSIVE POSITIONS!"
"GET THE CANNONS READY!"
"THERE'S NO WAY WE CAN STOP THOSE!"
Sengoku remained still.
His eyes followed the enormous waves.
"Whitebeard…"
The tsunami began crashing toward Marineford.
Then a figure stepped forward.
Aokiji.
The Admiral calmly raised one hand.
"Ice Age."
A wave of freezing energy erupted from his body.
The sea instantly began turning white.
Ice spread across the surface at incredible speed, racing toward the approaching waves.
The towering tsunami froze.
For one breathtaking moment, the enormous walls of water stood motionless above Marineford.
Then—
CRAAAAACK!
The ice spread throughout them.
The waves became gigantic frozen mountains.
Chunks of ice broke away and crashed into the harbor, sending shockwaves across the battlefield.
The Marines stared upward.
Aokiji lowered his hand.
"That's enough."
The immediate threat had been neutralized.
But the battlefield was no longer calm.
The Whitebeard Pirates had arrived.
Their allied crews were surrounding Marineford from the sea.
And the world's strongest pirate had just announced his intention to take Ace back.
Marco looked toward the frozen harbor.
"Everyone."
The commanders prepared themselves.
"Move!"
The allied pirate crews surged forward.
Ships advanced.
Cannons roared.
The Marines answered immediately.
"FIRE!"
A storm of cannonballs crossed the battlefield.
Explosions erupted across the sea.
The frozen surface shattered beneath their feet as the first wave of combatants charged toward Marineford.
Ace watched from the execution platform, his fists trembling against his restraints.
The war had begun.
And somewhere beyond the battlefield, another force was still making its way toward Marineford.
But for now, the attention of the entire world belonged to the two sides standing against each other.
The Marines.
And Whitebeard.
Neither intended to take a single step back.
The first exchange of cannon fire had barely faded when the battlefield descended into chaos.
The frozen harbor became a road for the pirates.
Whitebeard's allied crews surged across the ice, weapons drawn as they advanced toward the fortress. Marines poured out from their defensive positions to meet them, their ranks supported by giants stationed along the front line.
The air filled with smoke, gunfire, and the thunder of steel colliding.
From the highest point of Marineford, Sengoku watched the battlefield spread before him.
"Begin the counterattack."
The order traveled through the Marine ranks.
"ALL UNITS—ENGAGE!"
The Marines moved as one.
At the center of the battlefield, a familiar figure stepped forward.
Dracule Mihawk slowly drew his enormous black blade.
His eyes settled on the distant figure of Whitebeard.
"So this is the man they call the strongest."
The world's greatest swordsman raised his sword.
Then he swung.
A gigantic flying slash tore across the battlefield, cutting through the air with enough force to split the frozen sea beneath it.
Several pirates looked up in alarm.
"It's Mihawk!"
"Get out of the way!"
The slash continued toward Whitebeard.
Before it could reach him, a massive figure stepped forward.
Jozu.
His body transformed, covered in brilliant diamond.
"Not so fast."
He slammed his shoulder into the attack.
BOOOOM!
The enormous slash shattered against him.
Fragments of frozen ice exploded across the battlefield.
Jozu grinned.
"You'll have to get through us first."
Mihawk's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Interesting."
Nearby, Marco watched the exchange before turning toward Whitebeard.
"Pops, leave the front lines to us."
Whitebeard grinned.
"Don't let them get to Ace."
Marco's body burst into blue flames.
In an instant, the First Division Commander launched himself into the sky.
A barrage of cannon fire thundered toward Whitebeard's position. Marco shot upward, intercepting the barrage before it could reach his captain.
His body transformed completely into the form of a phoenix, blue flames trailing behind him as he regenerated from the impact.
"Not today."
He descended toward the battlefield.
The Marines around him stared in disbelief.
"A Devil Fruit user?"
"He regenerated!"
"That's Marco!"
The Whitebeard Pirates roared.
"THE PHOENIX!"
The battle intensified.
Then the ground shook.
A gigantic shadow appeared beyond the advancing pirate forces.
The Marines looked toward the frozen harbor.
"What is that?"
A massive figure emerged from among the allied pirate crews.
Little Oars Jr.
His enormous frame towered over the battlefield.
The giant pirate raised his weapon and charged.
"GET OUT OF OUR WAY!"
Several Marines opened fire.
Cannons exploded against his body.
Oars continued forward.
"FOR ACE!"
His footsteps shook the ice beneath him.
The Giant Squad immediately responded.
"STOP HIM!"
Marine giants charged to intercept him.
The two sides collided with tremendous force.
Weapons struck.
Ice shattered.
Pirates and Marines were thrown into the air as the battlefield became a massive melee.
Oars swung his weapon through a Marine defensive position, sending several soldiers flying.
"KEEP MOVING!"
Behind him, the allied pirate captains pushed forward.
Whitebeard watched the advancing forces from the Moby Dick.
His expression remained calm.
"That's it…"
He tightened his grip around his bisento.
"Keep pushing."
Then another sound reached the Marines.
A mechanical hum.
One by one, massive figures emerged from behind the Marine defensive lines.
Their faces were expressionless.
Their bodies were enormous.
Their weapons were already prepared.
"Pacifista units!"
The Marines began cheering.
"The Pacifistas have been deployed!"
Several of the Whitebeard Pirates turned toward them.
"What the hell are those things?!"
A Pacifista raised its hand.
A brilliant beam of light erupted.
BOOOOOOM!
The explosion tore through the battlefield.
Pirates scattered.
Another Pacifista fired.
Then another.
The Whitebeard Pirates were forced to split their formation.
Marco immediately noticed the change.
"They're trying to divide us."
Jozu looked toward the machines.
"Tch. More trouble."
Whitebeard's eyes hardened.
"Don't let them break our formation."
The commanders responded immediately.
"YES, POPS!"