The Marines looked at each other in shock at Ace's words. Crisis hung in the air; they did not expect such a claim at a moment so critical.
Ace stared at Fleet Admiral Sengoku with fierce emotion, his voice trembling yet determined,
"My father is Whitebeard."
Sengoku's expression was serious, gentle but firm.
"No, he is not."
"My Father is him!"
Ace shouted, the chains rattling on his wrists as he struggled with the weight of his heart.
Sengoku ignored the outburst for a moment, gathering himself. His voice softened, as if speaking for the world,
"Back then, we searched everywhere for any bloodline that man might have left behind. Based on intelligence from the Cipher Pol, we screened pregnant women and children across the islands, but we found nothing."
Ace's eyes widened.
Sengoku continued, his tone grave,
"Your birth was paid for with your mother's life. Portgas D. Rouge, on a small island in the South Blue called Baterilla, carried you in her womb for twenty months. When you finally came into the world, she exhausted her last breath. She died from sheer exhaustion."
The chains binding Ace clattered as he shifted, pain and shock crossing his face.
Sengoku took a steady breath.
"One year and three months after a certain man died, the most despised, greatest evil bloodline in the world reappeared … in you, Fire Fist Ace. Your biological father is none other than Pirate King Gol D. Roger. This execution today… is not just a death sentence. It bears the weight of history."
Silence fell across Marineford. Even the Marines froze. The revelation spread like wildfire: the blood of the Pirate King still flowed in the world.
Among the Shichibukai gathered at the front, shock registered on faces. None had suspected that Ace was Roger's son.
Suddenly, there was an alert from the Marine lookout towers. The Marines spoke in tense voices:
"Pirate fleets approaching! Whitebeard's fleet has been detected directly ahead. The Whitebeard Pirates' ships are here: Knight of the Sea Doma, Ice Witch Whitey Bay, Lightning Lord Makugai, Great Whirlpool Spider Squard … forty-three ships in total!"
Marine soldiers gripped their weapons, their nerves taut.
"Where is Whitebeard? Where is the Moby Dick?"
Sengoku said into his Den Den Mushi, his tone cold.
"They haven't appeared yet," came the reply, and it was enough to make his face harden.
"What is that old man plotting…"
Sengoku muttered, deep in thought.
In Crescent Bay, giant bubbles began to rise from the seabed. The Marines' eyes followed the spectacle, dread creeping in.
Tsuru, the Chief of Staff, raised her voice, serious,
"They are attacking from where we least expect."
And then, emerging from below, three great pirate ships broke through the waves. The Moby Dick and two identical support vessels surged up from beneath the sea, cutting through the Marine formation like a spear.
"They're here. The Whitebeard Pirates,"
a Marine yelled.
"The Moby Dick …"
another whispered.
"All fourteen Division Commanders are aboard,"
someone added, voice trembling with awe.
No one had predicted Whitebeard's entrance: as a Devil Fruit user, his fleet rising from underneath and appearing at the very heart of Crescent Bay was bold, shocking — and brilliant.
Garp, watching solemnly, shook his head,
"We underestimated him. Who would have thought Whitebeard would come from under the sea?"
Sengoku hissed,
"They appeared… directly in Crescent Bay."
Tsuru raised her voice again, cool and calculating:
"The warships outside are now less useful. But they're surrounded in the center. If we strike fast from all sides …"
Marco's gaze sharpened. Everything was just like he remembered from the story.
He invoked his level-detection ability to scan the Marine leaders:
Sakazuki – Magma-Magma Fruit (Logia), estimated strength: Strong Emperor Level
Kuzan – Ice-Ice Fruit (Logia), estimated strength: Strong Emperor Level
Borsalino – Glint-Glint Fruit (Logia), estimated strength: Strong Emperor Level
Monkey D. Garp – estimated strength: Peak Strong Emperor Level
Sengoku – Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Daibutsu form, estimated strength: Peak Strong Emperor Level
Fire Fist Ace – Mera Mera Fruit (Logia), estimated strength: Weak Emperor's Commander Level
He also scanned the Shichibukai:
Dracule Mihawk – estimated strength: Admiral / Emperor-grade
Donquixote Doflamingo – String-String Fruit, estimated strength: Weak Emperor's Commander Level
Boa Hancock – Love-Love Fruit, estimated strength: Strong Captain Level
Bartholomew Kuma – Paw-Paw Fruit, estimated strength: Strong Captain Level (at peak, Commander level)
Gekko Moriah – Shadow-Shadow Fruit, estimated strength: Captain Level
Marco swallowed. The gap between his crew and Marineford was wider than ever.
A sharp clashing echoed now over the plaza: the sound of weapons meeting the ground. Neither side moved for a moment — the silence was broken only by the metallic ringing.
Suddenly, Whitebeard's massive figure appeared, stepping forward. Marco activated his detection again:
Edward Newgate – Tremor-Tremor Fruit (Paramecia), estimated strength: Strong Emperor Level (at peak, Weak King Level).
Marco's expression tightened in respect. Of course Whitebeard was powerful. He had held the title of the world's strongest man for decades, even after Roger's death.
Whitebeard raised his voice, laughing in his booming way:
"Gurarararara, are you alright, Ace? My dear son."