"Here," Ethanbaron said.
Leon quickly put on experimental gloves and curiously accepted the object.
"Is this bone belong to Rocks D Xebec?"
"Yes. It was recovered from God Valley and has been confirmed as his."
Leon nodded and examined it carefully.
It felt like an ordinary bone, giving no hint that it once belonged to the world's most heinous pirates, Rocks D. Xebec.
"Leon, Sengoku, Garp—there is something we must tell you," one of the Five Elders speak as his face turn extremely grim.
He ordered Lucci and the others to leave, then looked seriously at the Marine's high command.
At this, Sengoku and the others seemed to anticipate what was coming.
The atmosphere in the room became heavy with seriousness.
"What I am about to tell you is this: Rocks is not dead. He is hiding in some corner of the world."
The words landed like a thunderclap, shocking everyone present.
"How is that possible?!" Garp exclaimed, his composure breaking for the first time.
"I was there! Roger and I defeated him together! How could I have possibly let him escape alive?"
The Five Elders shook their heads. "We used scientific analysis to identify the remains at the site. We did not find Rocks's corpse, only this small piece of bone belonging to him."
Garp frowned, while Sengoku and the others were shocked into silence.
"We cannot be 100% certain," an elder admitted. "But we know that the other powerful members of his crew—Whitebeard, Kaido, Big Mom, and Shiki—did not take his body. The other crew members were confirmed dead. So, if Rocks died, how did his body disappear?"
The Five Elders sighed. "Also, do not underestimate the resilience of a man who sought to rule the world. The possibility that he is still alive is very high."
Hearing this, Sengoku and the others felt an extremely heavy weight settle upon them.
Such an enemy was far more terrifying than any of the current Four Emperors.
"That being said, we naturally hope he died long ago and will not bring calamity to the world again," another elder said with a hollow laugh.
But no one answered him.
Everyone fell into a heavy silence.
If Rocks wasn't dead, his injuries from all those years ago had likely healed by now.
In the worst-case scenario, he could have already formed a new, terrifying pirate fleet, hiding in the shadows and monitoring the world.
The pressure of that thought was immense.
Leon, however, was the least concerned.
Looking at the small piece of bone in his hand, a hint of excitement welled up in his heart.
With Rocks's bone, he could extract his lineage factor and begin research and development on a "Overlord-class" Seraphim.
He got to work immediately.
Seeing this, the Five Elders and the Marine's high command retreated, not wanting to disturb his experiment.
"Sengoku," one of the elders spoke. "Since the three Admirals now possess dual Devil Fruit abilities, we do not need to wait any longer."
Sengoku understood immediately.
"In other words... we are going to announce the public execution of Fire Fist Ace?"
He was immediately overjoyed, and behind him, Akainu's eyes lit up.
They had waited for so long, and finally, the moment had come.
Executing the 2nd Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates would greatly enhance the Marine's prestige.
With Whitebeard's personality, he will definitely come to save Ace, Akainu thought, a thrill of excitement running through him.
To fight against Whitebeard, the "World's Strongest Man," and his entire crew... Akainu was more than ready.
"Yes," the elder confirmed. "Strike while the Marines has its greatest advantage. Even if he leads his entire pirate fleet, our Marines has nothing to fear. Use your newfound strength to shock the world!"
"Understood!" Sengoku nodded heavily.
A short time ago, the prospect of war with Whitebeard would have been a grave concern.
But now, with three dual-ability Admirals, a Yonko-class Seraph, a considerable number of Admiral-class Seraphim and anywhere door, what was there to fear?
"Hmph, if Whitebeard dares to come, I'll annihilate his entire army," Akainu growled, his eyes filled with a frenzied killing intent.
Tsuru began considering the battle plans.
Aokiji's usually indifferent expression became more serious, a hint of fighting spirit rising in his heart.
Only Kizaru remained unmoved.
Garp remained silent, his face extremely ugly.
His fists, renowned as "iron fists," were now clenched so tightly.
He gritted his teeth, his face was a mask of pain.
Ace... you damn fool... what am I supposed to do?
******
[HUGE news! The Marines will execute Fire Fist Ace, Second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, at the Marine Headquarters in one month!]
The news, issued directly by the Marines, swept across the world like a bomb, detonating the entire sea.
Countless people were shocked.
It was rare for the Marines to publicly execute a pirate of this significance, an act that was undoubtedly a direct provocation of the Emperor Whitebeard.
It was well known that Whitebeard considered his subordinates to be his own children.
He would definitely come to storm Marineford on the day of the execution to rescue his son.
A great battle was coming: the Marines versus the Yonko Whitebeard.
It was a battle that would change the state of the world, regardless of the victor.
The sea was calm, but undercurrents were surging.
It was the calm before the storm.
******
"Fufufufu... Execute Fire Fist Ace? Isn't that the same as declaring war on Whitebeard?"
In his palace on Dressrosa, Doflamingo laugh was filled with joy.
"But for such an important war, the Marines isn't calling on the Seven Warlords for aid? Are they that confident?" His eyes darted back and forth.
"Hehe, now I want to see just how strong the marines really is."
With that goal in mind, Doflamingo actively contacted the Marines, requesting to participate in the coming summit war.
...
"Zehahahahaha! The opportunity has finally come!"
On a pirate ship somewhere in the sea, Blackbeard laughed loudly, his eyes full of ferocity and ambition.
"Impel Down! The summit war! All of it will become my stepping stone to becoming an Emperor, and then the Pirate King! Fellows, now the final piece is in place! It's time for the Blackbeard pirates to make their appearance!"
....
The other Warlords—Gecko Moria, Boa Hancock, Dracule Mihawk, and Bartholomew Kuma—all contacted the Marines and requested to join the war, each for their own reasons.
Kuma, naturally, was there to gather intelligence for the Revolutionary Army.
Only Jinbei of the Fish-Man Pirates did not respond.
.....
On an extremely secluded island in the Grand Line, the remnants of the Kaido and Big Mom alliance had made their temporary headquarters here.
"Mamamama! I didn't expect the Marines to declare war on Whitebeard so suddenly." Big Mom laughed.
"Hmph, serves him right for being the weakest now and refusing to ally with us!"
Kaido just pouted while looking disdainful at the news, but his eyes flickered with a predatory light.
"Mamamama, Kaido, with your personality, you'll definitely want to get involved and cause some trouble," Big Mom said with a sinister smile.
Kaido snorted but didn't refute it.
"It's fine," she continued. "I want to get involved, too..."
At this, Judge stood up. "Kaido, Big Mom, I don't think you should focus only on this war. Think about it. Where in the world are the most powerful individuals gathered in one place?"
Kaido and Big Mom frowned, then looked at each other as realization dawned.
Their eyes lit up at the same time, and they said in unison.
"Impel Down!"
"That's right," Judge said with a ferocious smile. "We can take this opportunity to break into Impel Down and obtain the lineage factors of all the legendary prisoners held there. With that many samples, we can create an entire legion of Yonko-class Seraphim."
Hearing this, Kaido and Big Mom showed expressions of wild joy.
"Good, Judge! We'll do as you say!"
.....
On another deserted island, Shanks and Dragon sat facing each other, their expressions was solemn.
Shanks looked at the newspaper, his eyes full of helplessness.
He had tried to persuade Whitebeard to call Ace back, but in the end, the worst had come to pass. Shanks, who considered Ace a friend, naturally wanted to help.
"Red-Hair, for the Marines to be this bold, they must have made some new progress," Dragon said, stroking his chin.
"Yes, indeed," Shanks nodded. "We must also speed up our own preparations to face this war, even if we don't participate directly."
Just then, Benn Beckman walked over.
"Captain, we have the latest news. A crew under the Whitebeard Pirates attacked a Marine supply convoy. But that's not the crucial part. The report says that Whitebeard and Shiki both took action personally, along with a man named Weevil who was as fierce as Whitebeard and more powerful than an ordinary Seraphim."
Shanks and Dragon looked puzzled.
"Attacking a supply convoy? Why would Whitebeard and Shiki do that? It's meaningless. Are they trying to get petty revenge?"
They were both captains of large fleets; logically, they shouldn't be so impulsive, especially with the real war coming soon.
"It feels strange, doesn't it?" Benn Beckman said, taking a puff of his cigarette.
"I've asked our contacts to investigate it."
*****
At the same time, in the Fleet Admiral's office.
"Hmph, Whitebeard and Shiki attacked our warships, so be it!" Sengoku's face was cold.
"Let them see our retaliation! Immediately order an attack on Whitebeard's territories!"
With Sengoku's order, the Marines launched a counterattack.
For a time, both sides had victories and defeats as they were fighting fiercely.
But the confrontations did not escalate, with both sides tacitly holding back their strongest fighters.
They were all enduring, silently preparing for the war that was to come.
The storm is coming.
-----------------------------
Read 30 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator