The scene shifted outside.
The plaza was now packed with an impenetrable crowd of Marines.
On a high platform, a Marine officer was delivering a final motivational speech.
“Don’t let your guard down! No matter what happens, there are only three hours left! Everything will be over then!”
“Ooh!”
As soon as the words fell, the Marines below, brandishing swords and sabers, let out earth-shattering roars.
The outermost perimeter was encircled by row upon row of warships.
On the decks of the warships, Marines scurried about, making final preparations for battle.
“Hurry up and get ready!”
“You there, stop dawdling!”
Their opponent was Whitebeard, one of the Four Emperors, a notorious and renowned pirate, the closest to becoming the Pirate King.
Facing such an enemy, no one dared to show the slightest carelessness.
Do not underestimate the resolve of the Marines in this operation.
To deal with Whitebeard, a staggering total of one hundred thousand Marines had gathered here. Fifty warships surrounded the crescent-shaped bay and the entire island, with an immense number of heavy cannons lining the shore.
From the harbor, eight giant Marines were particularly conspicuous.
But that was not all. Standing at the forefront of the army were the renowned Shichibukai: Bartholomew Kuma, Gecko Moria, Donquixote Doflamingo, Dracule Mihawk, and Boa Hancock.
If this display was enough to shock the Marine soldiers, what came next left them somewhat bewildered.
Amidst a wave of gasps, three figures clad in pristine white naval uniforms appeared.
“These are… the Three Admirals!”
“What’s going on? This suffocating pressure.”
Excluding Fleet Admiral Sengoku, who commanded Marine Headquarters, and the legendary hero Garp, the Three Admirals represented the absolute top fighting power within the Marines.
Even when facing the most troublesome incidents, at most one Admiral would appear. For all three to be present today was understandable cause for the Marines’ great astonishment.
The Three Admirals walked to their designated positions beneath the execution platform.
From right to left were Aokiji Kuzan, the user of the Hie Hie no Mi, Akainu Sakazuki, the user of the Magu Magu no Mi, and Kizaru Borsalino, the user of the Pika Pika no Mi.
Thus, all the righteous power that the Marines could conceive of had been gathered here, with the sole purpose of preventing Ace’s rescue and preparing for a decisive battle against the Whitebeard Pirates.
At the end of a long flight of stairs, escorted by two soldiers in khaki uniforms, a shirtless man walked with his head bowed, his gaze fixed on the shoes at his feet. His numb eyes showed no emotion.
The man’s expression was somber, and he bore numerous abrasions. A string of red beads adorned his neck, while heavy sea prism stone shackles were fastened to his wrists and ankles.
But these were not the focus of people’s attention. The highlight was the tattoo on the man’s back, the skull tattoo that proved his identity.
This person was none other than the protagonist of today’s events, the second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, Ace.
Seeing Ace falter, an impatient soldier tugged on the iron chain in his hand.
Ace, now wearing his shoes, stepped onto the cold stairs. Under the influence of the sea prism stone, every step he took was arduous.
By the time Ace reached the main gate, he had lost count of how many steps he had taken.
As the great doors opened and light streamed in, a series of images flashed before Ace’s eyes: an old man, Luffy, an old man, Dadan, and his brothers.
A familiar voice echoed in Ace’s mind, “One day, I will set sail and live as I please, free as can be.”
Ace raised his head to face the crowd, gradually straightening his back, as if he had accepted his fate.
Under the escort of two soldiers, he walked out of the gates. Listening to the excited cheers from below, a gentle breeze blew, and Ace appeared remarkably calm.
He completed the final leg of his journey under the soldiers’ escort.
Arriving at the execution platform, Ace knelt on the template. The two soldiers secured the chains binding Ace to the iron rings on the platform. Two long swords were crossed before Ace, ready to carry out the final execution at any moment.
“Truly brutal.”
From within a room, White cried out to Sengoku and Garp.
“Is it alright, Garp? I want you to say something about all this.”
“Whatever you say. I’m going down below.”
With that, he left Sengoku alone.
Sengoku continued forward, slowly ascending the execution platform. He glanced at the executioners on either side and said, “You two, step aside.”
“Yes.”
The two executioners retracted their swords and moved to the sides.
“Den Den Mushi.”
Taking the Den Den Mushi from a soldier, Sengoku stood beside Ace.
“There is something I wish to convey to everyone beforehand.”
Upon these words, everyone present fell silent, their gazes fixed on Sengoku above.
“Portgas D. Ace, regarding the profound significance of this man’s death here today.”
What Sengoku was about to say was also the question in everyone’s mind: why execute a mere second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates? Wouldn’t it be better to keep him for negotiations with pirates?
Even if he were to be executed, he was just a captain, at most a rising star. No matter how strong he was, he shouldn’t warrant this scale of assembly. The Three Admirals, the Shichibukai, the Fleet Admiral, the Hero of the Marines – by any measure, this was overly cautious.
Below the execution platform, Garp’s brows were furrowed, his eyes closed, his heart filled with complexity.
“The fault is not yours.”
Vice Admiral Tsuru, who was similar in age to Garp, spoke, her eyes gazing into the distance.
Garp’s body jolted, and then he let out a carefree laugh. “Women are so gentle at times like these, Little Tsuru.”
Though he was laughing, it was evident to all that he was merely putting on an act to mask his true feelings.
Sengoku above continued, “Ace, state your father’s name.”
Ace, who had been looking down, shifted his gaze slightly and looked at Sengoku.
“Father?”
“What’s happening? At this moment?”
The reporters watching on screen were utterly confused. Why ask this question at this particular time?
But then they realized that they genuinely didn’t know who Ace’s biological father was. They only knew his adoptive father was Whitebeard.
After staring at Sengoku for a few seconds, Ace lowered his head and said, “My father is Whitebeard.”
“That’s not right!”
“There is nothing wrong with that!” Ace retorted loudly. “Only Whitebeard, no one else!”
Sengoku did not argue further and continued, “We searched with our eyes wide open, to the best of our ability, for a child left by that man on some island. Relying on the limited intelligence and possibilities provided by CP, we thoroughly investigated infants who had just been born, or were about to be born, as well as their mothers. Yet, we found nothing.” (Sudan Novel Network)
By this point, many of the older Marines had begun to understand, looking at the young man on the platform with disbelief.
“It’s no wonder, then. Your monstrosity was bought with your mother’s life, or you could say it was your mother’s calculated scheme. She deceived our eyes, no, the eyes of this world. On an island in the South Blue called Baterilla, your mother’s name was Portgas D. Rouge. This woman’s actions surpassed our understanding. Devoted entirely to her child, she kept him in her womb for twenty months.”