Marineford, Marine Headquarters.
Within the crescent-shaped harbor, dozens of Marine warships were neatly arranged, their dark muzzles pointed at the sea.
On the fortress plaza, tens of thousands of Marine soldiers were busily transporting supplies, calibrating weapons, and, more often, reinforcing defensive structures.
"Faster! Even faster!"
"Transport all these cannonballs to the artillery platforms!"
"Inspect all cannons; there must be no mistakes!"
The roars of the officers rose and fell.
At the edge of the plaza, several young Marine soldiers, carrying heavy ammunition boxes, were panting with exhaustion.
"Hey, did you guys hear?" a soldier with a youthful face whispered, "This time, we're facing the Whitebeard Pirates!"
"Nonsense, who doesn't know that?" a companion beside him rolled his eyes. "Fire Fist Ace was captured; that old monster Whitebeard will definitely come to rescue him."
Another soldier swallowed, "That's the strongest man in the world. I heard he can cause a tsunami with one punch and split an island with one sword."
"Stop talking!" the veteran leading them glared fiercely. "What are you afraid of? We are Marineford. The Three Admirals are here, along with Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Garp. Plus, the Seven Warlords of the Sea. No matter how strong Whitebeard is, we'll make sure he never returns!"
"But," the young soldier's voice grew even softer, "I heard Whitebeard has sixteen divisions under him, and each captain is a great pirate with a bounty over 100 million."
The veteran fell silent.
The atmosphere became somewhat oppressive for a moment.
"Forget it, don't think so much," the veteran took a deep breath. "We just need to do our own job. In a battle of this level, we won't make much of a difference."
Despite his words, the expressions of the few men were not good.
They indeed wouldn't make much of a difference, because they would most likely become cannon fodder in this war...
Fleet Admiral's Office.
Sengoku sat behind a large desk, piled high with documents and reports.
He flipped through them one by one, occasionally signing documents or picking up a den den mushi to issue orders.
"Have Borsalino take the high ground."
"Kuzan will be stationed at the port. Once Whitebeard's ships appear, immediately freeze the sea."
"Sakazuki," Sengoku paused, "have him guard near the execution platform."
Orders were issued from this office, spreading throughout Marineford.
"Report!"
A knock came from outside the door, and a Marine Vice Admiral pushed it open.
"Vice Admiral Momonga," Sengoku looked up, "Have the summons for the Seven Warlords of the Sea all been sent out?"
"Yes, Fleet Admiral," Momonga saluted. "Doflamingo, Bartholomew Kuma, Gekko Moriah, and Hawkeye Mihawk have all received their summons. However..."
He hesitated, then cautiously added, "As for Boa Hancock—"
Sengoku frowned, "What about Hancock? She's not thinking of refusing the summons, is she?"
"No," Momonga carefully replied, "According to the intelligence I received, Boa Hancock has already been brought back to the Holy Land by Saint Ian."
The pen in Sengoku's hand stopped.
The office was silent for a few seconds.
Then, Sengoku's mouth twitched slightly. He put down his pen and rubbed his temples. "Since Hancock has already been brought back to the Holy Land by Saint Ian, you don't need to leave Marineford. Stay here and assist Sakazuki with the defenses."
"Yes!"
Momonga saluted and turned to leave.
The office door closed, and the room finally became quiet.
Sengoku leaned back in his chair, letting out a long sigh.
Then he turned his head to look at the reception area in the corner of the office.
On the sofa in the reception area, a burly old man was holding a bag of senbei, munching away with relish.
Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral, the hero who single-handedly protected all participating Marine soldiers during the God Valley incident!
"Garp. If you don't have anything else to do, please return to your own office. You're constantly munching on senbei over there, making it hard for me to concentrate!"
Garp ignored him, stuffing another handful of senbei into his mouth.
Sengoku stared at him for a few seconds, then finally sighed.
As an old friend who had walked through most of his life with him, he understood Garp's current mood all too well.
Fire Fist Ace, who was about to be publicly executed, was not only the commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division but also the child Garp had raised since he was young.
Although there was no blood relation, others might not know the depth of the grandfather and grandson's feelings, but he was perfectly clear about it.
Of course, none of that was important. What was important was Ace's other identity.
The posthumous son of Pirate King Roger.
"Sengoku."
Garp, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke.
His voice was very low, devoid of emotion, "If... I mean if..."
"There is no 'if'," Sengoku interrupted him. "Garp, you and I are Marines. Ace is the son of Pirate King Roger; this identity dictates his fate."
"Furthermore, the public execution of Ace, to lure the Whitebeard Pirates to rescue him, was an order personally given by Saint Ian."
"Even if you are a hundred times unwilling, it changes nothing. That crown prince of the Holy Land is not someone we can defy."
Silence fell over the office once more.
After a long while, Garp slowly stood up.
"I'm going for a walk."
With that, Garp stood up and walked towards the door without looking back.
Sengoku did not stop him.
The door opened and then closed.
In the vast office, only Sengoku remained.
Just then, the den den mushi on the desk rang.
Sengoku casually picked up the receiver.
"This is Sengoku."
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku," a calm female voice came from the den den mushi, "This is Gunzogū."
Sengoku instantly sat up straight.
Gunzogū, a member of the Manmaya Family, and a core member of the God's Knights.
Most importantly, Gunko had always been Saint Ian's personal maid. Her call at this moment was clearly not a personal matter but a message from the most powerful crown prince of the Holy Land!
"Lady Gunzogū, what are your orders?"
"Young Master Ian asked me to inform you," Gunzogū's voice was devoid of any emotion, "that he will personally attend the public execution at Marineford."
Sengoku's pupils sharply contracted.
"Furthermore," Gunzogū continued, "the Young Master said that in this war, the Marine must achieve complete victory. If even one member of the Whitebeard Pirates escapes, you should know the consequences."
Before Sengoku could react, the den den mushi call was abruptly cut off.
Sengoku's expression changed slightly.
Saint Ian was actually coming to Marineford in person?
After a brief moment of shock, Sengoku slowly put down the receiver, a layer of cold sweat beading on his forehead.
The pressure of this war was already immense.
Now, that crown prince was personally coming to the battlefield. If anything unexpected happened to Saint Ian during the war, even if they achieved ultimate victory, the Holy Land would absolutely not let them off lightly!
Thinking of this, Sengoku closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and said in a deep voice, "Someone, send out the order."
"All officers of commodore rank and above are to immediately gather in the conference room."
"We need to redraw the war plan!"
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Starting tomorrow, two updates daily. I will strive to improve!