Smoker looked at the cheering Marines and could not help but sigh.
"One hundred thousand elite troops… If anything goes wrong, the Navy's prestige will take a catastrophic hit."
Tashigi comforted him. "What kind of accident could happen? This execution is being broadcast live to the entire world. Fleet Admiral Sengoku must have prepared for everything!"
"The Whitebeard Pirates are strong, sure, but trying to fight the entire Navy with one crew is just a fantasy."
Anyone would feel confident when faced with an army of one hundred thousand.
Smoker, however, shook his head. "That man is called the strongest in the world. In front of him, numbers don't really mean much."
"If he did not need to rescue Fire Fist Ace, I honestly doubt whether Marineford would still be intact."
Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit could casually trigger earthquakes or tsunamis, disasters on a massive scale.
In front of nature's overwhelming force, whether there were one hundred thousand people or two hundred thousand made little difference.
If Oguro were here, he would absolutely applaud Smoker.
In the original timeline, Whitebeard destroyed half of Marineford with a single massive quake.
If not for worrying about Ace's safety, Whitebeard could have sunk Marineford without hesitation.
Tashigi slapped Smoker hard on the back, glaring at him in frustration.
"Talking like that right before the war, how discouraging!"
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku is known as the 'Strategist.' He must have considered every possible scenario. All you need to do is follow orders!"
Smoker scratched his head awkwardly and laughed. "You're right. Looks like my training still isn't enough. I actually got nervous before the battle."
He took a deep breath, determination appearing on his face.
"Let's go. We should get ready too."
The three saluted one another and headed to their assigned positions.
Watching the other two walk away, Aizen Sōsuke revealed a faint, cold smile.
"This war will probably exceed Sengoku's plans by a wide margin. Facing the surprise prepared by the Soul King, Fleet Admiral Sengoku… how will you respond? I'm very curious."
—
Nine in the morning.
Three hours remained until the execution.
The plaza was still bustling, weapons and artillery being moved everywhere.
Yet fewer and fewer people spoke. The atmosphere grew heavier by the minute, as if dark clouds were pressing down over Marineford.
"Is it finally time?"
Aizen glanced backward without drawing attention.
A bare-chested man with his hands locked in Seastone handcuffs was escorted onto the execution platform by two Marines.
Portgas D. Ace.
Many Marines stared at Ace in confusion.
Ace was a major pirate with a bounty of 550 million Berries.
But over the years, the Navy had captured pirates with even higher bounties.
Why did this man need to be publicly executed, to the point of mobilizing one hundred thousand elite Marines?
On the surface, it was said to be to deal with Whitebeard.
But to those who could think clearly, that explanation was a joke.
Whitebeard was indeed one of the Four Emperors and ruled the New World.
But how old was he?
How many more years could he truly dominate the seas?
Moreover, Whitebeard preferred treating his crew like family, playing pirates with his "sons."
In terms of threatening the world's balance, he was actually quite mild.
In fact, his presence deterred many ambitious troublemakers.
Otherwise, why do you think Fish-Man Island could fly Whitebeard's flag without the Navy harassing them?
Do not blame it on the dangers of the deep sea.
If Fish-Man Island needed Whitebeard's protection, that meant plenty of forces were capable of threatening them.
The Navy did not intervene simply because there was no need.
So why make such a massive move now?
Behind the execution platform, as Ace was forced to kneel, two figures stepped forward.
The two pillars of the Navy.
Sengoku and Garp.
"Garp, I'm about to make the announcement. If you can't accept it, leave now," Sengoku said in a low voice.
Garp's face twisted in struggle. In the end, he slumped. "Leave it to you."
Watching Garp walk away, the tension in Sengoku's body finally eased.
He was truly afraid Garp would lose control at such a critical moment.
If that happened, the Navy would become a laughingstock across the entire sea.
"Garp… don't blame me."
Sengoku silently apologized in his heart and stepped onto the execution platform.
Standing beside Ace, Sengoku roared into the transponder microphone.
"Everyone, silence! There is something that must be announced to you and to the entire world!"
"Regarding the necessity of executing Portgas D. Ace. I believe many of you have doubts!"
The plaza went quiet as all eyes turned toward him.
"So there really is something hidden here," Tashigi muttered.
Smoker looked completely confused.
Aizen, on the other hand, was calm. He already knew the answer.
Sengoku faced Ace and said coldly, "Portgas D. Ace, state your father's name."
The Marines erupted in shock. Was Ace not Whitebeard's son?
A few people quickly realized that Sengoku meant Ace's biological father.
Ace's face darkened as he roared, "My father is Whitebeard! And he will only ever be Whitebeard!"
"Wrong!"
Sengoku harshly rejected him.
"At the time, we received intelligence and finally located that island. But without concrete clues, we failed to find your mother."
"There was nothing we could do. After all, no one could imagine that a mother could, by sheer willpower, carry a child for twenty months before giving birth."
"Your mother, Portgas D. Rouge, exhausted her life force and died after giving birth to you."
"That is why you were born one year and three months after that man's death, becoming a son who should have been impossible in theory."
"Unfortunately, there are no eternal secrets in this world. Once you went to sea as a pirate, we eventually discovered the truth."
"You know very well who your real father is."
"Your biological father was the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger!"
The entire plaza fell into dead silence.
"The Pirate King's… son?" A Marine whispered, trembling as if struck by lightning.
"That's really something," Tashigi said, instinctively pulling out another cigarette.
Not far away, the Seven Warlords of the Sea also showed expressions of shock.
Sengoku continued, "Sadly, by the time we confirmed the truth, you were already under Whitebeard's protection. He even intended to cultivate you as the next Pirate King!"
"That's not true!" Ace roared. "I joined his crew to support my old man in becoming Pirate King!"
Sengoku sneered. "That may be what you believe."
"If we let you live, with Whitebeard's guidance, you would eventually stand at the pinnacle of all pirates, just like your father."
"For the peace of the world, you must be executed!"
***
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