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Smoker looked at the cheering Marines and couldn't help but sigh.
"100,000 elites! If anything unexpected happens, the prestige of the Marines will suffer a devastating blow!"
Hina offered a slight reassurance, "Why would there be any unexpected events! This is being broadcast live, and Fleet Admiral Sengoku must have made thorough preparations!"
"The Whitebeard Pirates are strong, but trying to contend with the entire Navy single-handedly is delusional!"
Anyone who saw such an enormous army would have an explosion of confidence.
Smoker, however, shook his head.
"That man is called the World's Strongest Man! To be honest, sheer numbers are practically useless against him!"
"If he didn't need to rescue Fire Fist Ace, I doubt Marineford would even remain intact!"
Whitebeard's Gura Gura no Mi (Quake-Quake Fruit), a Logia-like ability, could easily trigger super-disasters like earthquakes or tsunamis. In the face of nature's formidable power, whether there were 100,000 or 200,000 people made no difference!
If Auguro were here, he would surely applaud Smoker. In the original timeline, Whitebeard destroyed half of Marineford with a single massive earthquake! If he hadn't been worried about Ace's safety, Whitebeard would have 100% sunk Marineford!
Hina smacked Smoker hard on the back, exasperated by his negativity.
"Don't speak such defeatist words right before a major battle!"
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku is the renowned 'Tactician'! He must have accounted for every possible scenario! You just need to follow orders obediently!"
Smoker smiled sheepishly at this. "You're right! It seems my training isn't enough yet! I'm still getting nervous before a major battle!"
Taking a deep breath, a look of resolve settled on Smoker's face.
"Come on! We should go prepare too!"
The three saluted each other and headed to their respective positions.
Watching the backs of the other two, Aizen Sousuke revealed a subtle, cold smile.
"This battle will likely far exceed Sengoku's planning! Faced with the surprise prepared by Lord Spirit King, how will Fleet Admiral Sengoku react? I am quite curious myself!"
9:00 AM.
Three hours remained until the official execution.
Though the entire plaza was still busy, transporting various guns and cannons, the chatter was dying down. The atmosphere was growing increasingly heavy, as if a dark cloud hung over Marineford.
"He's finally here, is he?"
Aizen Sousuke glanced subtly backward.
A man, shirtless and his hands tightly locked in Seastone handcuffs, was being escorted onto the execution platform by two Marine soldiers.
Portgas D. Ace!
Many Marines looked at Ace's figure, filled with confusion. Although Ace was a major pirate with a $550$ million Berry bounty, the Marines had captured plenty of pirates with even higher bounties over the years. Why was this man being publicly executed, to the extent that 100,000 elite Marines had been summoned for it?
Ostensibly, it was to confront Whitebeard. But to the intelligent people, this was a joke! Whitebeard was the head of the Four Emperors who ruled the New World, true. But how old was he? How many more years could he reign?
Furthermore, Whitebeard's greatest pleasure at sea was collecting 'sons' and playing house with them. In reality, his threat to the world order was minimal!
In fact, his very existence deterred many ambitious individuals!
Otherwise, why do you think Fish-Man Island could fly Whitebeard's flag without the Marines harassing them? The fact that Fish-Man Island needed Whitebeard's flag for protection proves that many people could threaten them. The Marines chose not to act because there was no need to!
But why such a massive mobilization now?
Behind the execution platform, as Ace knelt down, two figures emerged.
The two pillars of the Marine forces: Sengoku and Garp!
"Garp, I am about to make the announcement. If you can't handle it, step down now," Sengoku said solemnly.
Garp's face showed deep struggle, and he finally said dejectedly, "It's in your hands!"
Watching Garp walk away, Sengoku's tense nerves finally relaxed. He was truly afraid that Garp would lose his temper at this critical moment!
If that happened, the Marines would become a laughingstock of the entire world!
"Garp, don't blame me!"
Sengoku silently apologized in his heart and strode onto the execution platform.
Standing next to Ace, Sengoku lowered his voice into the amplifier, "Silence! There is something I must announce to everyone and the whole world!"
"Regarding the necessity of executing Portgas D. Ace! I believe many colleagues have similar doubts in their minds, correct?"
Sengoku's words silenced the crowd, and all eyes turned toward him.
"There's something more to this, after all!" Hina said with a strange look.
Smoker was utterly confused.
Aizen Sousuke was indifferent; he already knew the answer.
Sengoku turned to Ace and said coldly, "Portgas D. Ace, tell us your father's name!"
The Marines erupted in chatter. Wasn't Ace Whitebeard's son? A small fraction of people immediately realized that he must be referring to Ace's biological father!
Ace's face darkened, and he shouted, "My father is Whitebeard! And only Whitebeard!"
"That is incorrect!"
Sengoku sternly refuted Ace's statement.
"We received intelligence at the time and eventually found that island, but because we lacked concrete clues, we missed your mother!"
"However, it couldn't be helped! After all, no one would have imagined that a mother could rely on her sheer willpower to carry a baby for a full twenty months before giving birth!"
"Your mother, Portgas D. Rouge, died after expending all her life force giving birth to you."
"That is how you were born one year and three months after that man's death, becoming a son who, theoretically, should have been impossible!"
"Unfortunately, there are no eternal secrets in this world! Once you set sail as a pirate, we eventually found the clue!"
"You cannot possibly be unaware that your biological father is the King of the Pirates, Gol D. Roger!"
At this revelation, the entire plaza fell into a deathly silence.
"The King of the Pirates...'s son?" a Marine stammered nervously, seemingly stunned.
"Well, this is quite something!" Hina couldn't help but pull out another lady's cigarette and light it.
The Warlords of the Sea nearby also showed looks of surprise.
Sengoku continued, "Regrettably, by the time we obtained concrete intelligence, you were already being protected by Whitebeard, who was preparing to groom you as the next King of the Pirates!"
"That's wrong!" Ace roared, "I only joined his crew to help Old Man become the King of the Pirates!"
Sengoku sneered, "That's probably just what you believe!"
"If you were left unchecked, with Whitebeard's guidance, you would surely reach the pinnacle of all pirates, just like your father!"
"For the peace of the world, you must be executed!"