At Marine Headquarters,
Marineford,
It was 8:00 AM. There were just seven hours left until the public execution of Fire Fist Ace. Unlike any other morning, a palpable sense of tension and cold anticipation filled every corner of Marineford. Today was a day the world would never forget, as Marine Headquarters and the Whitebeard Pirates were set to clash in a superwar of epic proportions.
One hundred thousand Marine elites, summoned from branches all over the world, were ready for battle. All kinds of cannons and warships had been assembled along the crescent-shaped harbor. The gigantic war machine of Marine Headquarters was now fully operational.
In the Fleet Admiral's office, Sengoku looked at the assembled phalanx in the plaza, calculating his every move to ensure a flawless victory.
"Fleet Admiral, our patrol boats still haven't found any sign of the Whitebeard Pirates," a communications soldier reported.
"Continue the reconnaissance, and do not relax," Sengoku commanded in a low voice. "Those insidious pirates could pop up at any moment."
Where in the world are the Whitebeard Pirates? How will they attack? These questions had been tormenting Sengoku's mind since the day the pirates disappeared from the New World. As Marine Fleet Admiral, Sengoku wanted to use this public execution of Ace to show the entire world Marine's strength and easily wipe out the Whitebeard Pirates, ushering in a new era for Marine. But the enemy wasn't playing by the rules. Their complete lack of a presence made Sengoku feel like he was punching a pillow.
"Hey, Sengoku, I have to warn you," the Great Staff Officer Tsuru said from the side, her wise eyes gleaming. "It's best not to think about completely wiping out the Whitebeard Pirates. Although his sons are his greatest weakness, if they are eliminated too early and he has no one left to protect, I believe you don't need me to tell you the terrifying power he could unleash."
Sengoku's face darkened, but he couldn't deny it. Tsuru was right. Even if Whitebeard was at the end of his life, he was still the strongest pirate, a man who stood at the pinnacle of the pirate world. In terms of sheer destructive power, the Tremor-Tremor Fruit was arguably the strongest in the world. If Marine were to kill all the sons Whitebeard held so dear, his rage could cause an incalculable amount of damage to Marine. This was the last thing Sengoku and the other top officers wanted. These 100,000 men were the absolute elite, the future of Marine.
"I understand. I'll know when to stop," Sengoku said helplessly.
Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside. A communications soldier ran in, panicked.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, I... Blackbeard has disappeared! We've searched the entire island, and we still haven't found him!"
"What?!" Sengoku's face contorted in a look of disgust. With just over five hours left before the execution, and the Whitebeard Pirates possibly appearing at any moment, that Blackbeard brat had vanished! Damn it, pirates are so unreliable!
"Oh, and we just got news from Impel Down that an unauthorized warship has arrived at the port there."
Sengoku had a bad feeling. His expression turned serious as he looked at Tsuru. "Tsuru, what do you think?"
"I'm afraid these two events are not a coincidence." Tsuru frowned, a look of contempt in her eyes. "Blackbeard's willingness to take such a big risk to become a Warlord of the Sea must have been part of a long-planned scheme... He was likely waiting for this day to come."
If Adrian was here at that moment, he would've sincerely said, "Brilliant." From the beginning, Blackbeard's only purpose for becoming a Warlord was to gain access to the monsters on Level 6 of Impel Down. Now that the battle between the Whitebeard Pirates and Marine was imminent, he had nothing to worry about. Naturally, he no longer took orders from Marine Headquarters seriously.
The blame, of course, was on Sengoku for being too loyal to the World Government. After Blackbeard became a Warlord, Sengoku had never doubted his motives.
"That... bastard!" Sengoku, realizing he'd been played by Blackbeard, looked grim and enraged.
"And... Fleet Admiral, there's another piece of news," the communications soldier said cautiously. "We just received a call from Vice Admiral Onigumo, who is in charge of escorting Fire Fist Ace and Straw Hat Luffy. He said... another Warlord who has never reported for duty, TheCorpse Collector, Adrian, is currently on his escort ship!"
"What did you say?!" Sengoku and Tsuru exclaimed in unison.
"Why is that bastard there, and what is he trying to do?" When Adrian's name was mentioned, Sengoku got even angrier. After his initial appearance in Mariejois, he had disappeared without a trace. If Empress Boa Hancock hadn't guaranteed he would arrive before the war, Adrian would likely have been Sengoku's top priority for a bounty. Who would have thought this kid would show up on Onigumo's escort ship? Sengoku simply couldn't guess what Adrian was thinking.
The communications soldier replied weakly, "Vice Admiral Onigumo said that the other party's reason is that he is afraid the prisoners on the ship will be taken away by foreign forces."
On a special channel between Impel Down and Marineford, six huge Vice Admiral-class warships were traveling against the vortex, heading toward Marineford.
On the lead warship, Vice Admiral Onigumo, in charge of the escort, looked at Adrian, who had suddenly appeared on the deck. "I don't care if what you said is true or not, and I don't care if you're a Warlord of the Sea," Onigumo said coldly. "If I find you have any ill intentions, I won't show you any mercy."
Onigumo was one of the five permanent Vice Admirals of the Buster Call. He had a fierce expression and a cruel nature, and he was known for being a ruthless character who would even injure his own subordinates to complete a mission. He was a staunch follower of Admiral Akainu and an uncompromising hawk in Marine. In the original story, it was Onigumo who used his hair to hold Marco still and handcuff him with Seastone, preventing him from regenerating and leaving him vulnerable to a devastating attack from Kizaru. His strength was not to be underestimated.
"I'm not the one you should really be worried about... at least not right now." Adrian smiled.
When he was travelling through air, he had spotted the Blackbeard Pirates on another warship sailing in the opposite direction. By now, they must have reached Impel Down. Though there were a few ruthless characters he wanted to target, for now he couldn't leave, to stop the Revolutionary Army's attack to rescue Luffy. Besides, even if Blackbeard got into Level 6 before him, with his cautious nature, he would never dare to confront those people without a plan. Adrian, however, was different.
Ignoring Onigumo's warning, Adrian walked over to Ace. He looked at the bruised and listless Ace and said with a playful smile, "Hey, Fire Fist Ace. I've always wondered, since you hate your father, Roger, so much, why did you still become a pirate and call someone else your dad?"
Adrian had no sympathy for Ace. In his eyes, Ace was arrogant, selfish, reckless, and stubborn, just like his brother. The downfall of the Whitebeard Pirates was, in a way, caused by him alone. Even putting everything else aside, during the Battle of Banaro Island, Ace, a second-rate pirate, couldn't even beat Blackbeard. Then, in the most crucial moment of the war, when thousands of people risked their lives to save him, he acted like an idiot, foolishly challenging the strongest admiral, Akainu, whom he could never defeat.
Adrian couldn't understand what was going through Ace's mind. If he truly cared about Whitebeard, shouldn't he have escaped with the other captains and tried to fight another day? Was it worth it to cost Whitebeard and thousands of lives over a verbal taunt? He couldn't figure out why so many people loved such a selfish and ignorant character. Ace's actions were those of a selfish fool who threw away thousands of lives for nothing. If he had considered Whitebeard or Luffy even for a second, the outcome of the Summit War in the original story would have been very different.
Even if Ace regretted his actions, Adrian wouldn't let him live. He had long coveted the Flame-Flame Fruit. There was no way he would let Ace continue to live.
"Bastard! Don't you dare say that filthy name in front of me! I'm Whitebeard's son! He's my dad!" Fire Fist Ace, who had been restrained by Seastone shackles, suddenly went mad when he heard the name Roger. He struggled desperately. That name was like a curse, a forbidden word that brought out a bottomless hatred from deep within him. He looked like a rabid dog, drooling and baring his teeth.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You really do have a great father." Adrian mocked with a smirk. "But even if you don't admit it, Roger's blood still flows through your veins, and Marine wants to use that to end the era of pirates that Roger started. Oh, I almost forgot, they're planning to kill your stepfather, too."
Adrian thought this kid's brain must have been smashed by Garp when he was young. A normal person would understand how much effort and sacrifice Roger made just so he and his mother, Rouge, could live. How many innocent people died because of them? Yet for some reason, Ace was full of resentment instead of gratitude.
"My... my dad and the others won't come! This is all my fault! I didn't listen to them and acted on my own!" Ace seemed to be in a trance, laughing and crying to himself. "They definitely won't come. Yes, that's right. Dad must still be angry with me. He won't come to save me, so we won't get ambushed by Marine!"
Adrian immediately lost interest in teasing him further.
"Hey, Ace, why are you crying?" On the other side, Luffy, who had been sleeping soundly, opened his eyes. He was about to try and comfort Ace, but he suddenly saw Adrian. He immediately began to struggle and roar like Ace.
"You bastard! If you hadn't caught me, I would have found everyone a long time ago! I'm going to beat you up!"
"I'd advise you to save your energy. Why don't you open your eyes and appreciate the 'dying sky' above your head? Both of your fates... are destined to be the same." Adrian's deep gaze suddenly turned to the other side of the sea, where a thick fog had gathered. His lips curved into a high arc.
"Dragon, you're finally here."