The following day.
Located at the center of the Grand Line, the place where evil is driven out under the banner of ' Justice'—Marine Headquarters, Marineford!
"Excuse us!"
"Everyone! The time has come. Please proceed to the port!"
A voice called from outside the door. The door slid open, and two Marine soldiers entered.
"Relax, Marine. It's still early."
"That may be so, but... we must prepare for the unexpected," the Marine soldier replied nervously.
At that moment, Kuma had already stood up. Beside him, Mihawk also rose, strapping his Black Blade to his back.
"Such enthusiasm," Doflamingo smirked.
Mihawk remained silent, prompting Doflamingo to scoff when he received no reply. "Hmph~ What a cold fish!"
"A boring wait," Hancock pouted.
"Heh heh heh heh~ My dear, after waiting this long, a few more moments won't matter," Aeridar chuckled, wrapping an arm around Hancock's slender, soft waist as he stood up and walked toward the door.
"Tch~" Hancock glared at him playfully.
Marineford, from a high vantage point, looked like a crescent moon. Fifty warships were positioned around the crescent-shaped bay and the entire island. The shoreline was lined with countless heavy cannons and multi-barrel guns, none smaller than 24-pounders.
Inside Marineford, the families of the Marines had already been advised to leave. One hundred thousand elite soldiers and officers from all over the world were stationed on the island, fully prepared. It could be said that every force of justice imaginable was gathered on this island.
The five great pirates, the Warlords of the Sea, who held the key to the war, could even be seen standing at the very forefront of the army at the port!
And below the execution platform, under the gaze of countless Marines, the Three Admirals had already arrived.
Everyone waited in silence for the arrival of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Because the Marine surveillance ships were sunk as soon as they set sail, they were completely unable to track Whitebeard's movements. The tension hanging over Marineford grew ever stronger.
The time until the execution was now less than three hours away.
"Gulp~"
"What's going on? This suffocating pressure..."
Under the heavy atmosphere, some Marine soldiers were frantically swallowing, finding it hard to breathe.
Meanwhile, people all over the world were watching this event. Many even speculated whether the world would still exist tomorrow, though many others held firm faith that the Marines would not lose.
On the Sabaody Archipelago, not far from Marineford, countless people gathered before massive screens, following the real-time progress of the public execution: civilians, merchants, nobles, pirates…
Reporters and photographers from across the globe had also gathered, standing ready to transmit the news to the world the moment it broke.
"Fire Fist Ace… that reckless, impulsive brat."
Standing in the middle of Marineford's port, Aeridar turned his head toward the execution platform behind him. Ace was kneeling powerlessly, covered in wounds and bound by Seastone shackles.
If he hadn't disregarded Whitebeard's warnings and impulsively gone after Blackbeard Teach, things wouldn't have come to this.
"Blackbeard, that guy… has he already made his move?" Turning back, Aeridar looked left and right but didn't see Blackbeard Teach. It seemed likely that the man had already gone to Impel Down, just as he did in the original story.
"Stand back, all of you!"
On the execution platform, Sengoku walked forward. The two executioners quickly stepped aside, withdrawing their swords.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
"What's happening?"
The Marines in Marineford Plaza were confused to see 'Buddha' Sengoku, his face serious, walk up to the platform.
Sengoku held a Den Den Mushi, standing beside Ace, and faced the hundred thousand Marines below.
"I have something I must inform you of beforehand."
"Portgas D. Ace. The major significance of this man dying here today."
Sengoku's voice was broadcast across all of Marineford, even reaching the people on Sabaody Archipelago via the transmission.
Aeridar narrowed his eyes, thinking to himself, 'The son of the Pirate King, Roger…'
He knew the secret, which was nothing to him, but it was a bombshell for everyone else.
Sure enough, just as Aeridar expected, after a brief exchange between Sengoku and Ace, the true identity of Ace was revealed—the son of the man with the world's most evil bloodline, the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger!
Fire Fist Ace's real name should have been, Gol D. Ace!
All of Marineford fell silent. It felt as though the entire world had been stunned into silence by the news.
A moment later, chaos erupted!
Everyone worldwide who was following Marineford was in an uproar!
"He's the Pirate King's son?" Hancock looked slightly bewildered.
"Hoh~" A hint of surprise flashed across Doflamingo's face.
Aeridar, Mihawk, and Kuma, however, remained mostly silent and expressionless. At most, Mihawk's gaze sharpened considerably.
Following this, Sengoku spoke about the significance of taking Ace's head, but Aeridar and the others paid little attention. At this point, more words were just wasted breath; the outcome would depend on whose fists were bigger.
Time passed slowly, but the sea remained calm and peaceful.
"It's so quiet," Aeridar murmured.
"Too unnatural," Doflamingo said, hands on his hips.
But then, mist began to rise over the sea, and one enormous warship after another emerged from the dense fog.
"They're here!"
A Marine soldier on the lookout tower shrieked.
The twin- and triple-barreled turrets rotated, aiming at the sea surface.
"They just appeared! Where did they come from?!"
Fleet Admiral Sengoku on the execution platform furrowed his brow.
"A grand pirate fleet… Tsk tsk, what a spectacle." Aeridar couldn't help but click his tongue as he watched the colossal pirate ships, flying their Jolly Rogers, appear in the distance.
"Doma the Bohemian Knight. McGuy the Thunder Lord. The Decalvan Brothers. Squard the Maelstrom Spider… Every one of them is a top-tier expert. Each is a captain famous across the New World. Forty-three ships in total, all affiliated with Whitebeard!" Hancock peered out, confused. "But where is Whitebeard's main ship?"
"Now, who could say?" Aeridar smirked wickedly, looking at the calm surface of the bay.
"Fuffuffuffu~ This is truly amusing! It's exhilarating!" Doflamingo spread his arms wide, grinning. "Come on! Whitebeard!"
Come on!
Gurgle gurgle gurgle… Gurgle gurgle gurgle…
Suddenly, just as everyone wondered where Whitebeard was, gurgling and bubbling sounds emerged from the bay, and the surface of the water began to churn.
"Don't tell me…" Sengoku stared at the bay, a look of disbelief crossing his face.
Below the execution platform, Garp grinned and asked his neighbor, Chief of Staff Tsuru, "Did he show up from an unexpected place?"
"Was our formation wrong?" Tsuru's face was also grim.