The first cannonball screamed through the air.
It struck the sea just before the Moby Dick, exploding in a plume of fire and water. A declaration of war. The moment the world had dreaded—and anticipated—was here.
The War of Marineford had begun.
Marineford — The Battlefield
Marines flooded the plaza, shoulder to shoulder, rifles raised, cannons primed. The three Admirals—Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru—stood in front of the platform, unmoving, radiating unbearable pressure.
And above them all, Ace sat chained, the shadow of the execution platform looming over him like a guillotine. His head was bowed, but his heart pounded with something new: hope.
Because they had come.
His brothers had come.
The Pirate Alliance Fleet
The Moby Dick split the waves with force, flanked by ships of infamous crews and new allies alike. At the bow stood Whitebeard, his bisento in hand, and just behind him stood Arkan, his obsidian blade at his back, eyes sharp as daggers.
Marco turned to Arkan. "We'll have to split the Admirals. We won't last long if they fight together."
"I'll take Akainu," Arkan replied without hesitation.
Jozu blinked. "He's the most ruthless of the three."
"I know."
Whitebeard chuckled. "He's Roger's boy, alright."
In the sky above the bay
Luffy, launched from a flying ship by the powers of Ivankov, soared toward the battlefield with Jinbe beside him.
"ACE!!!" he screamed, fist raised.
The Marines opened fire. Bullets and cannonballs filled the sky.
Luffy twisted mid-air, dodging like a whirlwind.
Below, Arkan leapt into action.
His feet struck the ground of Marineford like thunder. Waves of Haki exploded outward, dropping rows of soldiers.
Akainu marched toward him, magma boiling from his fists.
"So you're the hidden one," Akainu growled. "The forgotten stain of Roger's legacy."
Arkan raised his blade. "You killed Oden. You tried to kill Ace. You burned entire cities in the name of 'justice'. I'm here to end you."
They clashed.
Magma met steel, Haki collided in waves, and the battlefield trembled.
Elsewhere on the battlefield
Luffy landed with a crash, immediately activating Gear Second. Marines surrounded him.
"Get out of my way!" he shouted, blitzing through them.
Crocodile appeared from the smoke. "Tch. Don't die too early, Straw Hat. I owe you a debt."
Ivankov unleashed a scream of power. "DEATH WINK!"
Buggy tried to sneak off, only to be hoisted into the air by one of the prisoners.
At the execution platform
Garp stood beside Ace, silent.
Ace looked at him. "Gramps... if you let them kill me, will you ever forgive yourself?"
Garp didn't answer.
But a single tear rolled down his cheek.
Back to Arkan vs Akainu
Akainu launched a barrage of lava fists.
Arkan vanished.
He reappeared above the admiral, blade glowing with Armament and Conqueror's Haki fused together.
He brought it down.
A crater formed.
Smoke swallowed the plaza.
From within the smoke, Akainu emerged with burns across his body.
"You… are not like the others," he spat blood.
"I'm not here to be like anyone," Arkan said. "I'm here to burn the old world down."
Whitebeard advanced toward the center, splitting the sea with one strike.
"GUHAHAHA! Let's show them what the old era looks like when it's angry!"
Above, Sengoku watched it all unfold.
"This war… will mark the end of an age."
Beside him, Tsuru nodded. "Or the beginning of a new one."
As the dust settled, Arkan stood tall, bloodied but unbroken.
And in the distance, Luffy reached the base of the platform.
The three brothers—Luffy, Ace, and Arkan—were almost together again.
Almost.
But the price of freedom had not yet been paid.