Ace's background instantly detonated across the entire world.
Every ordinary person watching the live broadcast was left utterly speechless.
That Roger actually had bloodline still surviving in this world!
"This is huge news! Hurry, issue an emergency special edition!"
At the World Economy News headquarters, Morgans excitedly directed his staff to start writing at full speed.
"Report! Fleet Admiral Sengoku, something's wrong at the Gates of Justice!"
Just as everyone was still reeling from the shock, a messenger rushed up to Sengoku in a panic.
A cold glint flashed through Sengoku's eyes. "The Gates of Justice? What happened?"
"The Gates of Justice were opened for no apparent reason, and we've completely lost contact with the guards stationed there!"
Sengoku's brows immediately furrowed.
They had been tracking the Whitebeard Pirates for a long time. They would not be coming through the Gates of Justice.
And even if they did, it was impossible for the gates to open without any report being sent back.
"So… someone other than Whitebeard is here to stir things up?"
Sengoku's expression grew darker.
This feeling of things slipping out of control made him deeply uneasy.
Before Sengoku could dispatch anyone to investigate the Gates of Justice, a frontline lookout suddenly screamed.
"Ships! Ships incoming!"
Everyone turned their heads at once.
Outside the crescent-shaped bay, a massive fleet of nearly forty ships burst through the mist, charging straight toward Marineford.
"It's the Whitebeard Pirates!" the lookout roared.
Including their forty-three allied crews, the complete Whitebeard Pirates had arrived in force!
Sengoku's expression was solemn as his gaze swept back and forth.
More than forty ships was an intimidating sight.
But the most critical detail was that Whitebeard's flagship, the Moby Dick, still had not appeared.
Everyone knew that the decisive factor in this war was whether the Navy could defeat Whitebeard himself.
"That man wouldn't hide behind others," Sengoku muttered to himself.
Just then, the surface of the bay began bubbling violently, like a spring welling up from below.
In the next instant, a gigantic pirate ship surged up from beneath the sea, riding the waves. A translucent coating shimmered in the sunlight, releasing dazzling rainbow hues.
Behind it, three smaller pirate ships burst out of the water as well.
Seeing this, Sengoku instantly understood.
"So they came in with coating… No wonder they avoided our surveillance. Whitebeard, you really planned this well."
In the bay, the massive ship at the forefront was none other than the Moby Dick.
Whitebeard's flag flew wildly at its highest mast, and a towering figure stood proudly at the bow.
Just seeing that figure caused the Navy's overwhelming momentum to falter.
The strongest man in the world.
Whitebeard.
Edward Newgate.
"Gurararara! Sengoku, it's been decades since we last met, hasn't it?"
Whitebeard held the Supreme Grade blade Murakumogiri in his hand, laughing boldly as he addressed Sengoku.
The hundred thousand elite Marines before him did not even enter his eyes.
"Once I throw you into Impel Down, we'll have plenty of chances to meet again," Sengoku shot back.
In front of one hundred thousand Marines, Sengoku could not afford to lose face.
"Pops!"
At that moment, Ace, tightly bound, tears filling his eyes, lunged forward, only to be dragged back by the Marines at his sides.
Sobbing, Ace cried out, "Why did you come? Why! I was the one who disobeyed orders and acted on my own. Even if I die, I deserve it!"
"What nonsense are you talking, my foolish son?"
Whitebeard looked at Ace with gentle eyes and spoke calmly.
"You were clearly acting on my orders."
Ace froze, the guilt in his heart growing even heavier.
Whitebeard was taking all the responsibility onto himself, just to silence everyone else.
I'm sorry, Pops.
I really don't deserve to be your son.
Ace lowered his head as tears streamed down relentlessly.
Whitebeard said softly, "Endure it a little longer, my son. I'll save you soon."
As he spoke, Whitebeard clenched his fists, crossed his arms in front of his chest, then violently pushed outward to both sides.
Crack!
Space itself seemed to fracture as terrifying vibrations spread outward like waves in front of Marineford.
The earth trembled. The sea wailed.
Countless Marines screamed in terror, "Th-That thing… what is that?!"
On both sides of Marineford, massive columns of water shot into the sky, forming towering waves dozens of meters high.
"Ts-Tsunami!"
Before such colossal waves, even Marineford, the world's greatest fortress, looked utterly insignificant.
"An earthquake! The earthquake caused a tsunami!"
Sengoku saw through Whitebeard's power at a glance.
His booming voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Even with an absolute advantage in numbers, don't think victory is guaranteed!"
"That man possesses power capable of destroying the world!"
At that moment, the eyes of the entire world were locked onto the live broadcast.
Everyone knew it.
The war had begun.
Facing the terrifying tsunami, ordinary Marines turned pale.
They were elite soldiers, yes, but even they could not stand against the might of nature.
Yet the truly powerful remained completely unmoved.
Whoosh!
One of the three chairs beneath the execution platform suddenly stood empty.
Aokiji appeared in midair, half his body instantly turning into elemental form.
He spread his arms wide as bone-chilling cold surged outward.
"Ice Age!"
Crack crack!
Ice rapidly spread across the monstrous waves. In the blink of an eye, both tsunamis were completely frozen into colossal ice sculptures.
"We're saved!"
"As expected of Admiral Aokiji!"
Cheers erupted among the Marines.
Whitebeard looked at Aokiji, standing atop the frozen sea, his gaze turning cold.
"Aokiji brat… you dare interfere with my business."
Aokiji's expression did not change. Instead, he raised his hand and attacked.
"Ice Spears!"
Two massive ice lances shot straight toward Whitebeard. Whitebeard casually swung his arm.
A terrifying shockwave instantly shattered the ice spears and slammed viciously toward Aokiji.
Aokiji's body instantly entered full elemental form.
Boom!
In the blink of an eye, his elemental body was crushed into countless shards of ice that fell toward the sea.
The moment the ice touched the water, the ocean froze rapidly. The fragments reformed into a human shape, and Aokiji stood unharmed on the ice.
After several breaths, the entire bay was frozen solid. Whether Navy warships or pirate vessels, none could move an inch.
"Perfect, we've got footholds now. Attack! Rescue Ace!"
The Whitebeard Pirates leapt from their ships and charged toward Marineford.
"Attack!"
The Navy launched their counteroffensive as well.
The grand melee officially began.
Aizen Sōsuke rolled his wrist, glanced across the battlefield, and murmured to himself.
"Let's start from the edges and carve our way inward."
According to orders, only Marines of lieutenant commander rank and above were allowed to engage in the central battlefield.
But Aizen Sōsuke wanted to accumulate merit.
There was no way he was going to obediently stay on the outskirts.
***
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