[Marineford]
There was less than one hour left before Fire Fist Ace's execution.
Ace had already been transferred from Impel Down to the Navy and was now being escorted to the execution platform.
Clear live images of the scene were broadcast across the world through visual transponder snails.
Just in the Sabaody Archipelago alone, tens of thousands of people were watching this broadcast.
Ace carried the bloodline of the Pirate King. If left unchecked, in the future he would surely stand at the peak of the next generation of pirates, throwing the world into chaos.
Precisely because of this, Ace's execution held tremendous significance for the World Government. Even if it meant going to full-scale war with the Whitebeard Pirates, they would not hesitate.
Whitebeard was the man standing at the very top of this world, and the military force under his command was extraordinary.
Besides his core crew, he commanded forty-three allied pirate crews across the world.
Their numbers reached fifty thousand.
It was precisely to prevent the Whitebeard Pirates' assault that the Navy had gathered one hundred thousand elite soldiers from all across the world.
Even the Vice Admirals who usually guarded their own regions had all assembled here.
The Navy's top combat power, the three Admirals, were seated just below the execution platform.
After Akainu stepped down, the vacant Admiral position was filled by Fujitora.
Although the Seven Warlords of the Sea didn't get along with the Navy, almost all of them had shown up as well.
Because of the special timing, before the execution the Navy had negotiated with Doflamingo and Crocodile.
The two would be allowed to retain their Warlord titles until the war was over.
Of course, this was a bit of a joke.
Doflamingo and Crocodile didn't care at all about the title of Warlord.
But in the end, they still agreed.
Doflamingo wanted to witness Whitebeard's power.
Crocodile had personal grudges with Whitebeard and wanted to take his head.
In truth, the biggest reason was that prison had been far too boring, it was better to come out and have some fun.
After being utterly crushed by Jotaro, both of them had long lost their former spirit.
Now they simply lived one day at a time.
Jinbe, upon learning that the Government intended to execute Ace, had caused a huge uproar at Navy Headquarters, strongly opposing the war, and was ultimately stripped of his Warlord title.
Blackbeard temporarily filled Jinbe's vacant seat.
Yet, before the Summit War broke out, Blackbeard suddenly betrayed them, turning to attack Impel Down instead.
With Marineford's situation already in chaos, Sengoku had no time to care about what was happening there.
"The Whitebeard Pirates have appeared!"
"Everyone prepare for battle!"
The Moby Dick unexpectedly surfaced from underwater.
Whitebeard stood at the bow, grasping his Supreme Grade Blade, his aura overwhelming as he faced millions without the slightest change in expression.
"My dear son, you're still alive, right!!!"
"Ace, hold on a little longer! We're coming to save you right away!"
Battle was about to erupt.
Whitebeard was the first to unleash his Devil Fruit power, triggering an airquake and raising a massive tsunami.
The terrifying might left everyone present utterly stunned.
"Even though we have the greater numbers, don't think that guarantees victory!"
"It could be us who are wiped out instead! This man possesses the power to destroy the world!"
Sengoku was one of the few who had seen Whitebeard's full force before. Seeing him attack now, Sengoku's expression darkened as he roared at all the Navy forces.
The war had officially begun.
"Ice Age!"
The Navy was not to be outdone. Aokiji leapt high, the bone-chilling cold radiating from his body instantly freezing the giant waves Whitebeard had raised.
The war had officially begun.
"Great Eruption!"
Akainu laughed madly, a blazing magma fist blasting straight at Whitebeard on the Moby Dick, announcing his return.
Fujitora silently sheathed his blade.
'What the hell! I'm the Admiral here!'
He had just been promoted, and most of the Navy still didn't know his strength. This was the perfect chance to show himself off.
But instead, Akainu, rushing back from who-knows-where, had stolen the spotlight.
"Sakazuki!? His injuries are healed already?" Sengoku hadn't expected this.
"Ahahahaha! Whitebeard, prepare to die!"
Akainu launched attacks without regard for his own life.
After becoming mechanized, although his potential had been capped, with the Magma Fruit and Haki, the power he unleashed was no less than before.
And now, with almost no sense of pain, he was like a berserker, in some ways, his combat power was even stronger than in the past.
"Whitebeard! Last time it was because of your interference that I couldn't kill Jotaro!"
"That's why!!"
Akainu ground his teeth. Even if his body could no longer feel pain, just thinking back to Alabasta made his breathing grow ragged, his eyes filled with hatred.
If not for Jotaro being given ample time to recover, how could he have possibly lost to him.
"I'll kill you first, test out this new body, and then I'll kill that bastard Jotaro too!"
"I'll wipe out all the evil in this world!"
"What a madman!"
Whitebeard sighed once, blocking several of Akainu's strikes with Murakumogiri, then called to his men to launch a fierce assault toward the execution platform.
———
"Jotaro, look at that child, she's about to sink!"
After falling into the water, Sugar had struggled a little.
But seawater was the nemesis of Devil Fruits, her strength had instantly drained away.
"Don't bother with her! Think about where we are! How could there just be a girl falling into the water for no reason?"
Jotaro was very clear that this girl was an enemy, so he simply watched as she sank toward the sea's depths…
"Yare yare…"
He suddenly leapt off the ship.
The reason he had thrown Sugar out was to test her depth.
He hadn't expected her to be this useless.
Golden ripples danced under Jotaro's feet as he walked across the surface of the sea as if it were solid ground.
"Amazing! Big Brother Jotaro!"
The two giants raised their fists in cheer.
This was the first time they had ever seen someone walking on water.
The Donquixote Family, sailing over, widened their eyes in shock.
'What in the world is happening?'
In the blink of an eye, Jotaro had already advanced a thousand meters across the sea.
Navy warships were equipped with special devices to avoid the Sea Kings of the Calm Belt.
But as Jotaro moved away from the great ship, the Sea Kings around Impel Down were drawn toward him.
"I say... I say, maybe we shouldn't go over there. How about letting the Sea Kings take care of him for us?" Trebol suggested.
"Idiot! What if the Sea Kings attack Sugar as well?" Monet glared coldly at him.
"Beh heh heh, true, you're smarter than me." Trebol gave up on scheming and the group sailed straight toward Jotaro.
Jotaro pulled the half-dead Sugar out of the water, and in that instant his Haki burst outward.
BOOM!
The Sea Kings, as if struck by lightning, rolled their eyes back and floated lifelessly to the surface.
"I advise you not to come closer! Otherwise your end will be worse than these Sea Kings!"
Jotaro's cold voice carried clearly to the Donquixote Family.
They all froze in place.
The terrifying pressure made even breathing difficult.
Splash!
A submarine suddenly shot up from the depths. The hatch opened, and Trafalgar Law stepped out, his face slightly pale, hastily explaining, "Boss Jotaro, we mean no harm. Please, withdraw your power."
As expected, his reputation was well-deserved, Jotaro's strength had far surpassed Law's comprehension.
He had never before seen someone release such terrifying Conqueror's Haki.
Even when facing Silvers Rayleigh's Conqueror's Haki, he had remained calm.
But before Jotaro, sometimes he felt an almost irresistible urge to bow his head in submission.
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