Before the Gates of Justice, Mizuchi stared at the massive doors sealed shut, his hands trembling slightly. After all this preparation, all this waiting, he had finally reached the final step.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The relentless cannon fire rang out beside him, like a grand ceremonial farewell.
"How do we open the Gates of Justice?!"
Buggy stared at the towering doors with despair etched across his face. After hijacking the warship earlier, he had completely forgotten that the Gates of Justice still stood as a barrier ahead.
Inside the Impel Down power chamber, Blackbeard appeared with Shiryu of the Rain. Under their threat, the guards hastily pressed the control switches in front of them.
"D! You cannot stop my will!"
The moment the switches were pressed, Blackbeard unleashed a sweeping black fog throughout the power room.
"It's… open?"
On the warship, just as Buggy had vented his frustration, the Gates of Justice swung wide.
"Oh… could this be Captain Buggy's hidden contingency? Long live Captain Buggy!"
Since Buggy happened to be standing at the bow as the gates opened, the guards on deck misunderstood the truth behind the doors' opening.
"Wahaha… yes… this is definitely my contingency… hahaha…"
Amidst the prisoners' compliments, Buggy accepted them without a second thought.
"D, was this all your doing?"
Jinbei steered the ship, glancing at Mizuchi with meaning in his eyes.
"Just a simple transaction."
Mizuchi casually froze a cannonball flying toward him, then walked to the railing with composed grace. Before him stretched the vast, unpredictable sea; behind him, over a dozen Navy warships pursued relentlessly.
"This is impossible… the Gates of Justice… opened? Could Magellan have betrayed us?"
On the Navy ship, the commander stared at the suddenly-open gates, shock overtaking his face.
If Magellan could hear him, he would have cursed, "You're the traitor—you and your entire family!"
With the Gates of Justice suddenly open and no obstacles remaining, Mizuchi's warship surged forward with the ocean current amid the rumble of cannon fire.
As their ship passed through the gates, the world itself was stirred by a growing whirlwind of tension.
Across the Four Seas and the Grand Line, wherever humans lived, wherever civilization endured, there was only one topic on everyone's lips—Whitebeard and Marineford.
The world felt the tremors of fate. Every eye, every attention, focused on Whitebeard and Marineford. Would Whitebeard appear there? Would they witness the man himself at Marineford? All were waiting, all were speculating.
"God… where will this world go?"
On a cliff, a priestess knelt half-bent, praying earnestly for guidance. Meanwhile, the residents of Marineford quietly watched the live broadcast of Ace's execution on the screens before them, tense and expectant.
Beside the residents, reporters from around the world had gathered, each with a nervous, expectant gaze. They were here solely to deliver news to the world.
At Marine Headquarters, thousands of Navy soldiers and dozens of warships, drawn from across the globe, assembled on Marineford's plaza. One hundred thousand troops, fifty warships, and the Navy's full might were arrayed in strict formation, ready for the unprecedented battle.
At the frontlines stood the five summoned Shichibukai: Bartholomew Kuma, Donquixote Doflamingo, Boa Hancock, Dracule Mihawk, and Gecko Moria. Each exuded a formidable presence, intimidating the surrounding Navy forces.
Behind them stretched countless mobilized soldiers, all hurriedly dispatched to meet this unparalleled war.
High above the soldiers, three golden thrones dominated the stage—the seats of the Navy's highest strength: the Admirals.
Aokiji, Akainu, and Kizaru sat with imposing authority, their very presence reinforcing Marineford's aura.
"Creak!"
The massive wooden doors opened, revealing a young man, battered and chained, standing before all. His presence stirred the world itself—he was the spark that ignited this war: Fire Fist Ace.
"Plop!"
Ace knelt on the execution platform. The guards fastened his shackles behind him, and he slowly raised his head. Before him stood the Navy's full strength. The "sea of justice," coupled with biting winds, froze the atmosphere to near perfection.
"Click!"
Two long blades crossed in front of Ace, radiating an icy chill. Every preparation for the execution had now been completed.
Shortly after Ace was brought to the platform, Fleet Admiral Sengoku strode up alone.
"There is something I must inform everyone beforehand—Portgas D. Ace. The significance of this man dying here today is immense."
"Ace, state your father's name!"
Sengoku raised his Den Den Mushi and addressed the world. Those watching the live broadcast were puzzled; none could fathom the full meaning behind Sengoku's words.
"My dad… is Whitebeard!" Ace said stubbornly.
"No!"
Sengoku's expressionless voice denied it.
"There is nothing false! Only Whitebeard, no one else!"
Ace clenched his eyes shut and roared.
"When we strained our eyes, desperately searching some island for the child left behind by a man, we found nothing. Until we investigated your mother thoroughly—yes, that woman named Portgas D. Rouge. To evade our pursuit, by sheer will, she carried you for twenty months, and after giving birth, she perished."
"And when she died, the child who inherited the world's most evil bloodline was born. That child… is you, Portgas D. Ace!"
"And your father… is none other than Pirate King Gol D. Roger!"
As Sengoku's words left his mouth, the world fell into stunned silence. Moments later, shock and terror surged across the globe.
The existence of the Pirate King's child could not be ignored.
For the Navy, Ace's existence carried even greater significance. His identity alone compelled Sengoku to wage all-out war against Whitebeard—to eliminate him at all costs. This was the Navy's, this was Sengoku's justice.
"Oh!"
A thunderous roar echoed across Marineford Plaza. Countless Navy soldiers raised their weapons, cheering Sengoku's words.
And as Sengoku's speech neared its end, a mysterious fleet passed through the Gates of Justice, entering Marineford.