Not only the Marines, but even the Seven Warlords of the Sea couldn't help but take a few extra glances at Alex.
Judging by that man's posture and bearing, he was clearly no ordinary person.
Otherwise, how could he appear beside Sengoku at a moment like this?
His status within the military was probably on the same level as the three Admirals or Vice Admiral Garp.
Even if he wasn't quite there, he couldn't be far off.
But that was exactly the problem—they had never seen this man before.
Still, the Seven Warlords only spared him a brief look and nothing more, without paying much attention.
Given their status, ordinary people simply weren't worth noticing.
"Are we about ready, Sengoku? When can we start?"
It was only when Alex casually addressed Sengoku in a tone of equal standing that the Seven Warlords truly began to pay attention.
Sengoku?
This man actually called Sengoku by name?
That was the Fleet Admiral of the Marines!
Across the entire Marine force, who would dare address the Fleet Admiral so directly?
"We can begin."
Yet Sengoku didn't seem bothered by Alex's attitude at all and simply replied calmly.
After that—
Things unfolded much like in the original story.
Sengoku first revealed Ace's true identity in front of all the news outlets, instantly causing an uproar across the seas.
At the same time, Sengoku ordered the entire Marine force to stay on high alert, watching every movement on the surrounding seas—
To "welcome" the arrival of the Whitebeard Pirates.
But what puzzled Sengoku was that the execution was about to begin, and Whitebeard still hadn't appeared!
There was no sign of activity on the sea.
This struck Sengoku as extremely strange.
Had Whitebeard decided to abandon Ace?
That didn't fit Whitebeard's character at all.
Boom! Boom! Splash! Splash!
Just as Sengoku was pondering this, the calm waters before the execution platform suddenly erupted into towering waves!
One pirate ship after another emerged straight from beneath the sea!
"Whitebeard! It's Whitebeard!"
"They're here—Whitebeard's pirates!"
"First Division Commander Marco the Phoenix, Third Division Commander Diamond Jozu, Fifth Division Commander Vista of the Flower Sword… all the commanders are here!"
"The entire Whitebeard Pirates crew has arrived!"
In an instant—
The scene exploded with excitement, and the atmosphere reached its peak.
News agencies went completely wild, broadcasting the massive lineup of the Whitebeard Pirates across the entire world.
The Marines, on the other hand, felt immense pressure.
The Whitebeard Pirates had arrived.
"Dad, don't!"
"Don't come!"
On the execution platform, Ace cried out in pain and guilt.
He knew Whitebeard would come to save him—and that was exactly what Ace didn't want to happen.
No matter how strong the Whitebeard Pirates were, they were still nowhere near capable of directly confronting Marine Headquarters.
This was Marineford!
"Ace, we're here!"
"Ace, wait for us!"
The Whitebeard Pirates' commanders and crew shouted passionately toward Ace.
"Ace."
"My son."
"Your old man is here."
Standing proudly at the bow of his ship, Whitebeard spoke calmly, his gaze steady.
His face was filled with unwavering resolve.
He knew exactly what this operation meant.
But how could Whitebeard ever abandon his son?
Crack!
Suddenly—
Whitebeard raised his fist and smashed it forward toward the sea.
With a sound like shattering glass, a terrifying shockwave rippled outward.
Crash—!
Massive waves surged skyward!
They rose more than a hundred meters high, with raging seawater following behind, crashing toward the Marines.
By the look of it, the entire Marine Headquarters was about to be swallowed whole.
"T-this is Whitebeard?!"
"S-so terrifying!"
In an instant—
Shocked cries rang out everywhere. Countless ordinary Marines were so frightened they nearly wet themselves.
The name of Whitebeard, one of the Four Emperors, was legendary among Marines.
But very few had ever witnessed Whitebeard in action.
After all, Whitebeard was a relic of the previous era—"a remnant of the old age," as he himself once said.
His days of conquering the seas with the Tremor-Tremor Fruit were long past.
In recent years, Whitebeard rarely made a move.
So while Marines knew the Four Emperors were terrifying, very few truly understood just how terrifying—
Until now.
Only at this moment did they see it with their own eyes.
They were utterly stunned.
So this… was the power of a Yonko?
Too terrifying.
Fortunately, the Marines weren't helpless.
Just as the massive wave was about to engulf them—
Whoosh!
Admiral Aokiji leapt into the air, activating his Ice-Ice Fruit.
Crack! Crack!
The colossal wave froze solid!
Not only the wave, but the entire sea was frozen over.
The crisis was effortlessly resolved by Aokiji.
This immediately boosted Marine morale.
So even Admirals were this powerful?
Equally outrageous!
"My sons!"
Standing at the bow, Whitebeard's voice boomed like thunder as he pointed his bisento forward.
"Let's bring Ace home!"
"Bring Ace home!"
"Charge!"
Led by the commanders, the Whitebeard Pirates surged forward.
The Marines responded in kind.
In an instant—
Marineford erupted with movement, battle cries shaking the sky.
The Paramount War had begun.
"I'll take care of Whitebeard. I'm not dealing with the small fry."
Alex stepped forward and casually said this to Sengoku.
"As long as you deal with Whitebeard, that's enough," Sengoku replied without objection.
In fact, this suited Sengoku perfectly.
He couldn't have Alex doing everything—that would only make the Marines look utterly useless.
Boom!
A sonic boom echoed.
Sengoku realized that Alex had vanished from beside him.
The next moment—
Alex appeared ghostlike before Whitebeard.
Floating in midair, staring at him eye to eye.
"You shouldn't have come."
After calmly uttering that sentence, Alex said nothing more.
He simply raised his hand—
And threw a single punch at Whitebeard.
Boom!
With that punch—
Whitebeard's massive seven-meter-tall body shuddered violently, as if struck by an overwhelming force.
He was sent flying backward—
And then collapsed to the ground, completely motionless.
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