On the island of Marineford stood a small town where the families of Marines lived.
Following the evacuation order, they had already withdrawn in haste, and now all of them were waiting on the Sabaody Archipelago, watching the images being transmitted from Marine Headquarters.
Photographers and reporters from all over the world had set up their equipment in Sabaody's plaza, their cameras locked firmly onto the screen as they recorded the opening signs of a war that would shake the world.
And yet, the Whitebeard Pirates, whom the Marines were fully prepared to face, still had not appeared.
Emergency reports had already piled high on Sengoku's desk.
Luffy had broken into Impel Down and successfully escaped with a group of major criminals.
The situation could no longer be delayed.
To face Whitebeard, the Marines had gathered an elite force of one hundred thousand soldiers from across the seas, all standing in formation in the central plaza.
The crescent-shaped bay was surrounded so tightly by fifty warships that not a gap could be seen, while heavy cannons lined the shore, their black muzzles aimed at the sea.
At the very front of the entire force stood the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
The Warlords participating in this battle were Bartholomew Kuma the Tyrant, Dracule Mihawk the world's greatest swordsman, Pirate Empress Boa Hancock, Gecko Moria, and Doflamingo.
The only ones absent were Jinbe, the Fish-Man who had been imprisoned in Impel Down for trying to save Ace and was now on his way here after being freed by Luffy, and the newly appointed Warlord Marshall D. Teach, Blackbeard, who had also broken into Impel Down.
"Wait. Doflamingo?"
Inside the high-level conference room, Sengoku suddenly turned toward Vice Admiral Tsuru, his tone filled with doubt.
"Wasn't that man bedridden with serious injuries? Tsuru, are you certain there was no mistake in your examination?"
"That was indeed the case."
Tsuru nodded, then shook her head.
"I truly didn't expect him to recover from such grave injuries in such a short time. That man will certainly become a major threat to the Marines in the future. But for now, since he is able to participate in this war, it means he is still a fighting force on our side."
…
Elsewhere, Cain had only been curious at first about just how much trouble those two little brats had caused, to the point that one had supposedly died and the other had been abandoned by his own old man.
When he first heard that Koby had died in an explosion, leaving not even a corpse behind, a hint of relief had even crossed Cain's heart.
At least the old man would no longer have to keep risking himself for that idiot.
But the more he listened to Helmeppo recount the whole story, the darker his expression became.
Although he had already learned through a Den Den Mushi why the Marines had captured Ace, hearing Helmeppo say it with his own mouth still made Cain furious.
What did he mean, "I couldn't hold on anymore, so I admitted it"?
What did he mean, "I was about to die, so I had no choice but to talk"?
Cain's anger flared instantly like wildfire.
Do you even understand what you said?
Scalding dragon breath gathered in his throat. Burning heat nearly burst from his nostrils.
Since you were so afraid of pain and heat, maybe I should let you taste something even fiercer.
Just as Cain was about to kill Helmeppo on the spot, a hand suddenly patted his shoulder lightly.
"Now isn't the time."
Cain whipped his head around.
The area around him was packed with Marine soldiers, and whoever had stopped him had already disappeared into the crowd, impossible to find.
In that instant, Cain forcibly suppressed his anger and calmed down.
Greed for life and fear of death were simply Helmeppo's nature.
Even without him, the fact that the Marines had captured Ace would not change.
Causing a disturbance now would be too early.
With that in mind, Cain dispersed the heat in his throat.
He gave Helmeppo, who was still trembling on his own, one cold glance, then ignored the fool completely and began searching the crowd for his scattered companions.
Only four hours remained until Ace's execution.
As expected, the Marine uniform on Cain's body gradually began to fade and dissolve.
The same happened to Katakuri and Yamato.
Lilith reacted quickly and restored her own disguise in time.
As for Cain, because he rarely appeared in public and had only a ten-million-Berry bounty, the sudden change in his clothing did not cause much commotion.
Yamato's situation was similar.
Only Katakuri was different.
With a massive bounty of 1.057 billion Berries, along with his identity as one of the Big Mom Pirates' Sweet Commanders, the moment he was exposed, the entire plaza erupted!
Marine soldiers swarmed forward.
The encirclement surged toward him like a dense tide.
Katakuri sighed softly.
"So in the end, the problem was the clothes. It seems I have no choice but to move early."
…
Inside Marineford's high-level conference room, Sengoku's voice rang with firm resolve.
"No matter what happens, the execution must be carried out in four hours! Even if Whitebeard does not come, this judgment cannot be withdrawn!"
After saying this, he led the high-ranking officers and turned to leave. But the moment they stepped out of the conference room, an urgent report shattered the silence.
"Fleet Admiral! An enemy has infiltrated!"
"Has Whitebeard arrived?!"
Sengoku suddenly stopped and asked.
"N-No… it's not the Whitebeard Pirates!"
The messenger's voice was filled with undisguised panic.
"It's Katakuri of the Emperor Big Mom's crew!"
"Hah… so it has finally come."
Sengoku's eyes darkened, and he immediately made a decision.
"Move up the execution! Bring Fire Fist Ace to the execution platform at once and force Whitebeard to appear!"
With his strategic mind, he instantly saw this as Cain's work.
Cain must have intended to use Katakuri's assault to drain the Marines' strength before Whitebeard arrived, paving the way for the pirate fleet to storm Headquarters.
And Whitebeard himself might already be hiding somewhere in the surrounding waters, waiting to launch an all-out attack the moment Ace appeared on the platform.
Sengoku was convinced of this.
What he never imagined was that all of this was nothing more than a complete accident.
…
Facing a group of Marine soldiers who could only serve as cannon fodder, Katakuri showed no fear at all.
Even as they swung their swords and stabbed toward him, he remained with his arms folded across his chest.
By relying on the abilities of the Mochi-Mochi Fruit alone, he calmly avoided every attack.
"Damn it! It's a pirate! Wait, look at the sea!"
A Marine soldier screamed in shock, pointing toward the distance with a trembling finger.
Everyone followed the sound and looked over.
On the horizon, one pirate ship after another, each flying a ferocious flag, was breaking through the waves.
Every crew aboard was made up of famous pirates from the New World, and they were charging straight toward Marineford with terrifying momentum.
"So it is just as I thought. Then where is Whitebeard himself hiding?"
Sengoku had just come out of the conference room when he saw this sight.
He had not expected Whitebeard to make a move the moment he issued the order.
But Ace's identity as the son of the Pirate King had not even been publicly announced yet, and the judgment had not officially begun.
Was this not too fast?
Before his words had even fallen, an earth-shaking roar tore through the sky.
Whitebeard's flagship, the Moby Dick, suddenly burst out from beneath the waters of the crescent bay, sending towering waves surging into the air!
At that same moment, Ace was being dragged forward in chains, step by step, onto the execution platform.
From behind, his figure looked just like that of the Pirate King, Roger, all those years ago.
The scene instantly fell into uncontrollable chaos.
The Marine soldiers were torn in all directions.
They did not know whether they should focus on surrounding Katakuri in the middle of the plaza or be shaken by Whitebeard's fleet in the bay.
Even though the commotion caused by Katakuri had not yet settled, the instant Whitebeard appeared, all the surrounding noise was suppressed by his singular presence.
This was the pressure of the world's strongest man.
"That man… is Whitebeard?"
"He's the strongest man in the world!"
Amid the murmurs, Whitebeard stepped heavily onto the deck.
His massive body stood like a mountain, and his thunderous laugh resounded across the entire battlefield.
"Gurararara! Sengoku, this is a little underhanded of you! The agreed time hasn't arrived yet, so why are you in such a hurry to begin?"
As it turned out, Whitebeard had already received news that conflict had broken out in Marineford's plaza.
Afraid that something might happen to Ace, he had driven his fleet forward ahead of schedule and rushed here at full speed.
Just as Whitebeard's gaze was about to fall on Ace atop the execution platform, before the words in his throat could come out—
"BOOM—!!!"
A detonation that shook the world suddenly exploded.
In the area where the Marine recruit formation stood, a violent blast of air swept outward like a tsunami.
Hundreds of soldiers were sent flying dozens of meters away, and smoke and dust billowed into the sky.
A figure stepped across the shattered ground and slowly walked out from the smoke.
Cain's impatient voice pierced through the haze, making people's eardrums tremble.
"Enough of this endless dawdling. What, do you think this is? a tea party?!"
Cain had been waiting since early that morning.
He had no idea how much anger had built up inside him by now.
Ace had finally been brought out, and yet Whitebeard was still standing there prattling on.
It was infuriating!
"If you want to act out some touching father-and-son drama, then take it back to your New World!"
He lifted his eyes and swept them over Whitebeard on the deck, his tone wild and arrogant.
"If you want to save Ace, why waste so many words? Just fight—"
At that moment, the Marine carrying the broadcast Den Den Mushi had already aimed the lens at the figure who had suddenly appeared.
The image spread through Den Den Mushi screens all across the world.
Countless eyes fixed themselves on the screen, and that defiant face was instantly branded into the world's memory.
"That one over there is Linlin's man? Then this brat…"
Whitebeard frowned slightly, looking first at Katakuri, then at Cain.
Beside him, Marco answered, "Pops, that's Ace's younger brother, Cain! His bounty's only ten million Berries, but that presence of his isn't weak at all!"
"Is this for real? Who is that guy? How dare he…"
The crowd broke into whispers.
"That brat's got some nerve," Moria said with a laugh.
Doflamingo was still laughing where he stood.
Kuma and Mihawk remained silent.
'That man is Luffy's…'
Hancock thought to herself.
Facing the eyes of the entire world, Cain showed not the slightest trace of fear.
His gaze swept across the one hundred thousand Marines in the plaza, the three Admirals and Sengoku on the high platform, then Tsuru and Garp nearby, before finally returning to Whitebeard.
In that instant, Cain's aura suddenly surged.
Black-red Conqueror's Haki erupted from him like a tsunami.
At the same time, from two other locations among the Marine soldiers, Conqueror's Haki also burst forth.
Three waves of top-tier Conqueror's Haki collided and clashed in the skies above Marineford!
Invisible pressure crushed the entire battlefield as though it had taken physical form.
Marine soldiers collapsed in droves.
Most were instantly knocked unconscious, and only a small number with firm wills or formidable strength could barely remain standing.
In an instant, the Marines' fighting force was cut by more than half.
Only then did Cain slowly finish his sentence.
"After all…"
"This is war!"