Broadcast live for the entire world to witness, the bloody battle finally erupted with the dramatic and thunderous arrival of the Whitebeard Pirates and their allies.
As the fierce clash between pirates and marines raged across the open battlefield, Ace could do nothing but remain shackled helplessly atop the execution platform, his hands tightly bound behind his back. If it were not for the chains crafted from Sea Stone, suppressing his immense strength, he would have already shattered them and joined his crew in the fight without hesitation.
Better yet, none of this disastrous situation would have come to pass if it were not for his own reckless carelessness.
He had caused this entire circumstance.
But unfortunately, there was no remedy for regret, no chance to rewind the clock and undo the fateful moment he had fallen directly into Teach's treacherous trap.
Now, all he could do was stand there, heart heavy and burning with frustration, watching as his beloved crew risked their lives against the relentless marines below.
Suddenly, the sound of approaching footsteps caught his attention. Turning his head slightly to the right, Ace saw Garp settling himself beside him, sitting cross-legged with a relaxed, almost casual posture.
Well aware of the complicated bond between the two, Fleet Admiral Sengoku eyed Garp with suspicion, his face hardening with disapproval. With a commanding voice that carried over the chaos, Sengoku warned, "You had better not even think about doing something foolish, Garp."
In response, Garp let out a loud, booming laugh, a sound so brazen and carefree that Sengoku's frown deepened into a full scowl.
Although Sengoku disapproved of the old man's antics, he could not deny the truth. Fire Fist Ace was the child Garp had fiercely protected for years, claiming him as his own grandson when the world had turned its back.
So why, on the very day of his grandson's execution, did the old man act so infuriatingly nonchalant, even cheerful?
As if sensing Sengoku's turbulent thoughts, Garp said with a broad grin, "Since I'm a marine, of course I don't pity a pirate. But as a family... The least I can do is stay by his side until the moment he loses his head."
Despite Garp's flippant attitude, Sengoku remained alert, his gaze sharp and unwavering. "I will warn you once more, Garp. If you attempt anything foolish, I will treat you as I would any other traitor!"
Unexpectedly, Garp simply burst into another hearty laugh, even louder than before. "BWAHAHAHAHA!"
"Stop laughing! This is not a joke!" Sengoku barked, nearly choking with exasperation.
After a moment, Garp finally reined in his laughter. With a teasing twinkle in his eye and a sly grin tugging at his lips, he said, "You know, Sengoku... whether it's me or that old fool Whitebeard, we're not the ones you should be worrying about the most right now."
Sengoku's frown deepened.
"What do you mean by that?" he demanded sharply.
Leaning forward slightly, Garp replied casually, "Since you and the others did such a thorough background check on my family back on that little island, you should already know. This brat here is not the eldest among my grandchildren."
"Old man…" Ace looked at his grandfather, asking him an unspoken question through his eyes, asking if he was going to reveal Naru's identity.
Sengoku did not comment on Garp's indirect but firm declaration of the criminal as his family, nor did he deny the matter of secret investigation that was done on the family of his own colleague and old friend.
Instead, he asked stiffly, "Are you talking about your missing granddaughter?"
"Missing?" Ace repeated the word under his breath, an amused glint in his eye.
In truth, Naru's departure to the Grand Line was far from a secret. The Dadan Family knew. The villagers of Foosha Village knew. With sufficient digging, the World Government could easily deduce that she had ventured into the Grand Line.
Yet where she had been or what she had done over the past ten years was a mystery only she could reveal.
Ace was not just anyone, and neither was Garp.
"I do not know where you gained the confidence to think my granddaughter was missing," Garp said finally, pride clear in his voice. "I may not have seen her for a long time, but I assure you, she was never lost."
He seemed ready to continue when something high above caught his attention. Squinting, he peered upward.
"Huh? What is that?" he muttered.
Ace, chained and restricted, craned his neck as far as he could, his eyes widening in disbelief. It was not a bird, not a cannonball, not an attack. No, it was a full marine vessel, plummeting from the sky like an enormous, furious meteor.
Gasps erupted across the battlefield. Pirates and marines alike paused, eyes frozen on the impossible sight. A full-sized ship, battered but intact, descended rapidly, casting a monstrous shadow over the frozen sea.
BOOOOOOOM!
The ship crashed into the thick ice covering the bay, sending spiderweb cracks outward from the point of impact. A wave of snow and shattered ice exploded outward, enveloping the surroundings in a blinding white cloud.
Then, from the wreckage, a familiar figure hurtled forward, radiating an energy that defied reason and good sense alike.
"ACE!" a voice yelled, unmistakably exuberant.
Ace's heart leaped. He knew that voice anywhere.
"LUFFY?!" he shouted, eyes wide in horror and disbelief. He strained against the Sea Stone shackles, which of course refused to yield.
From the cloud of ice and debris, Luffy tumbled forward, his straw hat perfectly perched on his head, a massive grin plastered across his face despite the chaos.
Ace's stomach twisted, relief and panic warring inside him like two furious sea kings.
Luffy's face brightened further as he saw Ace, shouting, "ACE! FINALLY, I GOT TO SEE YOU AG—"
Mid-run, mid-yell, mid-victory cheer, Luffy's eyes caught Garp, very much present, very much glaring, very much real.
"—ARGH! GRANDPA IS THERE TOO!"
Luffy skidded to a halt, leaving trails in the ice, arms flailing as he struggled to stop, nearly falling flat on his face.
Ace could not help it. He laughed, a choked, hoarse sound that was half sob and half joy. His reckless little brother had actually come for him.
"Oh my god, you idiot," Ace muttered under his breath, shaking his head with helpless fondness.
Garp heaved a heavy sigh, rubbing his forehead as if already feeling a migraine. "Looks like we are having a full family reunion today," he muttered, gruff yet affectionate.
Ace tightened his fists behind his back, nails biting into his palms, fear twisting anew as he watched Luffy bounce around, dodging confused marines like a pinball while shouting about meat and saving his brother simultaneously.
Please, Ace prayed, please let him be alright. Do not let him get hurt. Please.
Gunfire tore him from his thoughts. The marines had begun regaining their senses, shouting orders to capture the intruders from Impel Down. Luffy was not alone. A ragtag band of dangerous figures emerged from the wreckage, each stranger and more menacing than the last.
Ace recognized none of them, or maybe one or two from wanted posters, but it did not matter. All that mattered was that they were on Luffy's side.
Luffy punched through a few marines without breaking stride. "I am here to save Ace!" he shouted, broadcasting his intent to the world, as subtle as his genius had always been.
Garp, still cross-legged, closed his eyes and muttered, "Of course he shouted it out loud. This is my own grandson, after all." He shot Ace a sideways glance. "Between the two of you brats, I will end up dying of sheer embarrassment."
Ace remained silent. His throat was tight.
He watched, heart hammering, as Luffy, small, wild, and fearless, charged toward the execution platform with the determination of a raging typhoon.
All around them, the battle escalated further.
Marines scrambled to intercept Luffy and his group, while pirates pushed forward with renewed fury.
Sengoku, at the forefront, seethed, bellowing orders over the chaos. "STOP THEM! STOP THEM AT ALL COSTS!"
Garp leaned back casually, balancing himself on his hands as if lounging on a beach instead of a battlefield.
"Heh," he murmured. "This old man has a bad feeling about today."
Ace did not respond. His eyes remained glued to Luffy, still praying, still begging the heavens.
Please. Let my reckless little brother reach me. Please, do not let him fall.
The family reunion had begun.
But whether it would end in salvation or tragedy... that remained to be seen.
.
.
.
The battlefield roared with chaos, the fierce cries of marines and pirates colliding in the air, the relentless ringing of swords against swords echoing from every corner, deafening explosions rattling the ground beneath their feet, and the heavy scent of gunpowder hanging thick like an oppressive mist. Bullets rained down mercilessly, indiscriminately claiming the lives of those who dared to stand their ground with courage and desperation.
Marineford, once proudly standing as the shining symbol of unwavering justice, had now descended fully into a war zone, battered, broken, and barely recognizable as the island that had inspired fear and respect across the seas.
Luffy, lying weak and battered amidst the wreckage, could not help but wonder how events had spiraled so far out of control.
How had a simple journey, meant only to coat his ship, ended up dragging him straight into the heart of this nightmare, into the middle of a full-scale war?
Sprawled pitifully on the frozen ground after being blasted by the devastating beam of Admiral Kizaru, the so-called "light man," Luffy felt completely drained, helplessly watching his beloved older brother, Ace, still shackled and kneeling atop the towering execution platform.
"Guts alone are not enough. If you lack the strength, there are things you simply cannot save, no matter how desperately you try," Kizaru's calm and cruel voice echoed mercilessly in his mind.
The Admiral's cutting words burned deep into his skull, swirling endlessly like a storm, refusing to leave him any peace or reprieve.
Even when another faceless enemy roughly kicked him aside, Luffy barely reacted. It was only when an enormous, familiar hand shot out and caught him midair, the hand of none other than the legendary Whitebeard, that he was yanked back from the brink of despair.
Everything else became a blur around him.
The shouting of marines, the rallying cries of pirates, the frantic pounding of boots against ice, all faded into nothingness. The only sound he could focus on, repeating over and over in his mind, was that brutal truth: without strength, you cannot save anyone, no matter how much you want to.
It unearthed a buried memory, one he had not thought about for many long years.
He remembered vividly the scolding he had received as a stubborn seven-year-old, shouting and declaring that he would become strong enough to protect everyone, no matter the cost.
The voice of his older sister, fierce yet filled with love, returned to him like a warm wind cutting through bitter cold.
She had been right all along.
Without strength, no matter how loud he screamed or how much he fought with every ounce of his heart, he would lose, over and over again, just as he was losing now.
As Whitebeard carefully passed his battered body to another ally, a deeper resolve stirred within Luffy, sparking a surge of memories and emotions he had thought long buried.
He could hear her words, so sharp and clear as if she were standing right beside him:
"Then become strong," she said, her voice lowering, rich with quiet power. "Strong enough that you'll never fear any enemy. Strong enough that we can protect each other without hesitation or fear. Because one day, whether we want it or not, we'll face the same enemy. It will be us against the entire world."
Words that he once dismissed as the exaggerations of a child had now come true.
Because of their bloodlines, because of who they were, the entire world had turned against them, just as it had happened with Robin, stolen away by the World Government merely for knowing how to read the forbidden stones, ancient truths carved into time itself.
Back then, he and his precious crew had fought tooth and nail to save her.
But this was not about Robin.
This time, it was Ace.
His brother, his family, was the one being threatened with death by the hands of the world itself.
The World Government, the so-called protectors of peace, were the enemy.
Luffy clenched his teeth as a fire ignited deep within him, hotter than any emotion he had ever felt before.
He knew now, with every fiber of his being, exactly who the true enemy was.
That memory, that conviction, burned away the weakness in his limbs, the doubt clouding his mind, and the exhaustion that threatened to paralyze him.
It did more than awaken him.
It set him on fire, ablaze with unrelenting determination.
Driven by sheer willpower and raw resolve, Luffy forced his battered body to rise once more, refusing to remain crushed under the weight of despair.
He would fight.
He had to fight.
Not only for Ace.
Not only for himself.
But for all of them.
For the future they had promised each other, a future where they could stand together, unbreakable, against a world determined to see them fall.