In front of the Gate of Justice, Jiang Lin stared at the massive, sealed doors, his hands trembling slightly. After countless preparations and endless waiting, he had finally arrived at this decisive moment.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The dense sound of naval cannons fired like a ceremonial salute, echoing incessantly around Jiang Lin.
"How do we open the Gate of Justice?!"
Buggy stared at the enormous Gate of Justice before him, his face full of despair. After capturing the warship, he forgot that this barrier stood in their way.
Meanwhile, in Impel Down's Power Room, Blackbeard stood alongside Shiryu of the Rain.. Under their threat, the prison guards quickly pressed the control buttons before them.
"D! You cannot resist my will!"
As the guards activated the switches, Blackbeard swept the entire Power Room with his black mist.
"It… it opened?"
On board the ship, Buggy, having just vented his frustration, watched as the Gate of Justice swung open before him.
"Oh… could this be the contingency plan set by Captain Buggy? Captain Buggy! Long live!"
Standing at the bow as the Gate opened, Buggy was mistakenly credited by the guards on deck for the doors' opening.
"Wahaha… this… this is definitely my contingency plan… hahaha…"
Listening to the prisoners' praise behind him, Buggy accepted it without hesitation.
"D, was this all your doing?"
While steering, Jinbei cast a meaningful glance at Jiang Lin beside him.
"Just a little trade," Jiang Lin replied, casually freezing a cannonball that flew toward him before calmly moving to the railing. Ahead of him stretched a vast, unknown sea; behind him, over a dozen Marine warships pursued relentlessly.
"How is this possible? How did the Gate of Justice open? Could it be that Magellan has betrayed us?"
The commanding officer aboard a Marine ship stared in shock at the suddenly opened Gate. If Magellan could hear him, he would surely shout, "You're the one betraying—your entire family's betraying!"
With the obstacle gone, Jiang Lin's ship surged through the Gate of Justice, propelled by the ocean currents amidst the thunderous cannon fire.
As their ship entered the Gate, the world seemed stirred by a rising whirlwind. Across the Four Seas and the Grand Line, wherever civilization existed, everyone was talking about one thing—Whitebeard and Marineford!
The world felt the tremor of impending events; all eyes and attention turned to Whitebeard and Marineford. Everyone speculated whether Whitebeard would appear there and hoped to witness his presence firsthand.
"God! Where is the world heading?"
A priestess, kneeling half-bowed before a cliff, prayed for guidance, while the residents of Marineford waited tensely on the Sabaody Archipelago, watching a live broadcast of Ace's execution.
Reporters from around the world gathered alongside the residents, their faces tense with anticipation, all present to relay news to the world.
At Marine Headquarters, ten thousand Marines and fifty warships from around the globe had assembled at Marineford's plaza. Every soldier and all Marine forces stood fully prepared for this unprecedented war.
At the front lines stood five summoned Warlords of the Sea: Bartholomew Kuma, Donquixote Doflamingo, Boa Hancock, Dracule Mihawk, and Gecko Moria. Each radiated authority, intimidating the Marines around them.
Behind the Warlords were countless soldiers, urgently mobilized to face this historic conflict.
Further behind, three golden thrones stood in a prominent position, belonging to the Marine Admirals—the top-tier combatants of the Navy.
Aokiji, Akainu, and Kizaru sat with imposing presence, their authority permeating Marineford.
"Squeak!"
The wooden doors opened, revealing a youth covered in scars, chained and shackled. His arrival moved the world; he was the spark that ignited this global conflict—Fire Fist Ace.
"Plop!"
Ace knelt on the execution platform as the guards secured his handcuffs behind him. Slowly, he lifted his head. Before him stood the full might of the Marines. The "sea of justice," combined with the biting cold wind, froze the atmosphere around them.
"Clang!"
Two long blades crossed before Ace, sending a shiver of cold through the air. The preparations for the execution were complete.
Shortly after Ace was brought to the platform, Fleet Admiral Sengoku stepped forward alone.
"There is something I must inform you beforehand: Portgas D. Ace, the significance of this man dying here today is immense."
"Ace, state your father's name!"
Holding a Den Den Mushi, Sengoku addressed the world. His words left all viewers of the live broadcast puzzled, unsure of their true meaning.
"My father is Whitebeard!"
Ace said stubbornly.
"No!"
Sengoku denied with a straight face.
"There is nothing wrong! Only Whitebeard, no one else!"
Ace clenched his eyes shut and shouted defiantly.
"When we strained to find the child of that man on some island, we came up empty. Only after thoroughly investigating your mother, Portgas D. Rouge, did we learn that to evade our pursuit, she bore you for twenty months, giving birth to you and then perishing from exhaustion."
"And when she died, the child inheriting the world's most notorious bloodline was born—that is you, Portgas D. Ace!"
"And your father is none other than the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger!"
At Sengoku's words, silence fell across the world. After a brief pause, shock and fear surged globally.
The existence of the Pirate King's child could not be ignored. For the Marines, Ace's existence carried even greater significance. His identity compelled Sengoku to risk full-scale war with Whitebeard—he had to eliminate Ace. This was the Marines' justice.
"Oh!"
A deafening roar erupted across Marineford Plaza. Countless Marines brandished weapons, supporting Sengoku's actions.
As Sengoku's speech neared its end, a mysterious fleet entered Marineford through the Gate of Justice.