After sending Tsuru to Mary Geoise, Sengoku took several deep breaths, forcefully suppressing the anxiety and fury raging in his chest.
Whatever was happening elsewhere—
Marineford was the priority.
He returned to the center of the execution platform, his expression once again calm and unshakable.
As long as he stood there—
The Marines would not falter.
If he lost composure now, not only would Impel Down be doomed—
Marineford itself might collapse.
Sengoku was known as the "Wise General."
He would not make such a blunder.
He cast aside every distracting thought and focused solely on one question:
Where would the Whitebeard Pirates attack from?
Why had none of the Marine scouts reported back yet?
Could Whitebeard also possess some kind of strange "door" like Luo Xing?
No.
Impossible.
Whitebeard and Kaido were bitter enemies.
Intelligence from the New World confirmed that Kaido and Big Mom had allied to seize Whitebeard's territories.
Red-Haired Shanks was reportedly moving to stop them.
All four Emperors were mobilizing.
An unprecedented event.
Whitebeard and the Beasts Pirates were sworn enemies.
From their feud aboard Rocks' ship…
To Kaido's execution of Kozuki Oden.
They were oil and water.
There was no way Luo Xing would lend that strange door to Whitebeard.
Not from the surface.
Not from the sky.
Then—
Only one possibility remained.
The sea floor.
"They'll come from below," Sengoku realized.
He was just about to issue orders to monitor the seabed—
When—
Glub, glub, glub—
Bubbles erupted across the harbor waters.
Then—
A pirate ship surfaced.
Then another.
And another.
Within seconds, dozens of ships burst forth from beneath the sea before the stunned eyes of one hundred thousand Marines.
"They're coated!"
"They came from the seabed!"
Before the shock could settle—
Larger bubbles surged upward.
Waves exploded outward.
Some Marines near the shore were knocked off their feet.
Then—
A colossal vessel rose within the inner harbor—
Barely a thousand meters from the execution platform.
The Moby Dick.
The flagship of the strongest man in the world.
Heavy metallic thuds echoed from its deck.
And then—
A towering figure appeared.
Bare chest.
White captain's coat draped over his shoulders.
His chest was etched with scars—each one earned in battle against legends.
Those scars were his pride.
Edward Newgate.
Whitebeard.
He glanced once at Ace on the platform—
Then at Sengoku.
Grinning.
"Been a long time, Sengoku."
"My dear son… treating him well?"
Even before one hundred thousand Marines—
Whitebeard stood fearless.
That was the aura of an Emperor.
—
At the same time—
Blackbeard was grinning ear to ear as he sailed toward Impel Down.
He could barely contain his excitement.
His decades-long plan was unfolding perfectly.
Kill Thatch.
Steal the Dark-Dark Fruit.
Capture a powerful pirate.
Secure a position as a Warlord.
Provoke a war between the Marines and Whitebeard.
Then—
Use his Warlord status to infiltrate Impel Down.
Recruit the monsters of Level Six.
Return to the battlefield.
And seize the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
It was flawless.
Even fate seemed to favor him.
Ace had foolishly chased him alone.
The son of Roger.
Whitebeard's favorite son.
His execution guaranteed war.
And the war was even larger than Blackbeard had imagined.
"Zehahaha!"
With the Marines fully occupied at Marineford—
Impel Down would be undefended.
Whitebeard's failing health meant he would likely die.
Everything would fall into place.
Perfect.
Too perfect.
Blackbeard laughed all the way.
The sea route to Impel Down was treacherous, guarded by whirlpools and the Gates of Justice.
But that was precisely why he had become a Warlord.
Claiming he was acting under government orders, he tricked the gatekeepers into opening the Gates of Justice—
Then casually killed the Marine who questioned him.
"Government orders? Who are they to order me around?!"
"Whitebeard's era ends today! The future belongs to me! Zehahaha!"
His fleet sailed through without resistance.
And then—
He saw it.
His laughter froze.
His eyes bulged.
"Eh…? Wh-What the hell is this?!"
Impel Down—
In ruins.
The so-called iron fortress was reduced to rubble.
Corpses of guards and prisoners lay everywhere.
Blood dyed the surrounding sea crimson.
Blackbeard slapped himself.
"Am I dreaming—?!"
"Ow! That hurts!"
With his heightened pain sensitivity, he yelped.
But the sting on his face was nothing compared to the one in his chest.
This was real.
Someone had invaded first.
"Which bastard dared to beat me here?!"
His mood plummeted from heaven to hell.
Jesus Burgess tried to reassure him.
"Captain! Whoever it is, we'll kill them too!"
But Blackbeard felt something else—
A powerful clash from the lower levels.
A familiar, overwhelming presence.
He swallowed.
Please don't let it be him.
Please don't let it be that man.
He rushed downward.
Through Level Two.
Through Level Three.
And then—
Level Four.
At the entrance stood a figure with hands in pockets, looking bored.
Blackbeard's face twitched.
His expression crumpled like he was about to cry.
"No way… it's really you…"
"Fifth Emperor Luo Xing!"
At Alabasta, too—
I was first!
Why do you always ruin my plans?!
Luo Xing flashed a bright grin.
"Well, if it isn't little Blackie."
"What a coincidence. We meet again so soon."
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