His voice grew louder and louder, transmitted through the Broadcast Den Den Mushi to every corner of the world:
"Back then, after the King of the Pirates, Gol D. Roger, was executed, we Marines opened our eyes wide and searched desperately.
We searched for the bloodline left behind by that man on some island, the child who might inherit his evil will!
Relying on the limited intelligence from the CP organization, we conducted thorough investigations of all newborns, expectant mothers, and even their families, leaving no clue unchecked. Yet, in the end, we found nothing.
No wonder—your life was bought with your mother's life.
South Blue, Baterilla Island. Your mother, Portgas D. Rouge.
To deceive the world and protect you, she forced you to remain in her womb for a full twenty months, giving birth to you only a year and three months after Roger's death.
And she herself paid with her life for this extreme perseverance.
Listen well! This man, Portgas D. Ace, has inherited the most evil bloodline in this world!
His father is none other than the former King of the Pirates who once dominated the seas, Gol D. Roger!"
These words exploded like thunder across the world.
Upon hearing them, everyone was plunged into utter shock.
No one could have imagined that this pirate about to be executed was actually the son of the King of the Pirates, Roger.
Sengoku paused for a moment, giving the world enough time to react, then clenched his fist, his tone growing even more impassioned:
"That old man Whitebeard saw your bloodline from the start. He adopted you, nurtured you, all to groom you into the next King of the Pirates!
With your talent, as long as you continue to grow, you will undoubtedly stand at the pinnacle of the next generation of pirates, bringing endless disaster to these seas!
That is why today, we must execute you here!
To sever this most evil bloodline at its root!
To protect the peace of these seas!
To prevent Roger's tragedy from repeating itself!
This is the greatest significance of this war!!"
"I have only one father, and that is Whitebeard!" Ace roared again, his voice filled with boundless rage:
"I stayed on his ship to help Old Man become the King of the Pirates! Who is Roger? I don't even know him! And I never once thought of inheriting any will of his!"
His roars could not change any facts.
Sengoku merely gave him a cold glance, ignoring his rebuttal, and turned back to the Broadcast Den Den Mushi, announcing icily:
"Enough talk. The execution is about to begin!"
As his words fell, Marineford instantly fell into dead silence. Everyone held their breath.
The air was thick with a murderous aura.
Marine soldiers tightened their grips on their weapons, their eyes fixed firmly on the distance, awaiting an attack that could come at any moment.
The Three Admirals and Ivan remained seated calmly, their expressions serene, yet they were already prepared for battle.
In that moment of dead silence, a frantic shout suddenly rang out from the lookout tower:
"Not good, a large number of pirate ships are approaching! They're from the Whitebeard Pirates, forty-three ships in total, heading rapidly toward Marineford!"
These words exploded over Marineford!
All the navy soldiers instantly tensed up, looking up and gazing toward the distant sea.
In the next moment, forty-three pirate ships broke through the thin mist over the sea, swiftly closing in on Marineford.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku stood on the execution platform, his hands clenched into fists, his face filled with disbelief as he said:
"They've appeared. How did they bypass the Gates of Justice and get here?"
The Gates of Justice were Marineford's first line of defense, heavily guarded and constantly patrolled by navy warships.
Bypassing the Gates of Justice and approaching Marineford undetected was nearly impossible.
Yet now, the ships of the Whitebeard Pirates were right before their eyes.
This filled Sengoku with a deep sense of unease, a foreboding that spread through his heart.
Watching the pirate ships draw closer, a Vice Admiral shouted to Fleet Admiral Sengoku:
"Admiral, the pirate ships are getting nearer. Should we launch an immediate attack to stop them from approaching Marineford?"
Sengoku slowly shook his head, his tone grave:
"No need. That old man Whitebeard would never reveal himself so easily. He must be nearby.
Our primary task now is to guard against Whitebeard's surprise attack. We cannot fall into his trap."
He knew Whitebeard all too well—the man who once ruled the seas alongside Roger, a mind of extreme cunning.
Now, with the Whitebeard Pirates' main fleet appearing first, it was likely a diversion to draw the navy's attention.
Whitebeard himself was probably still lurking in the shadows, preparing to strike a fatal blow at the critical moment.
Just as Sengoku finished speaking, Ivan, Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji, seated below the execution platform, all frowned almost simultaneously, their eyes fixed on the sea below.
Beneath the surface, dense bubbles were slowly rising from the depths toward the sea.
Standing on the execution platform, Sengoku's expression changed abruptly. He sprang to his feet, exclaiming in shock:
"Could it be...?"
Under everyone's watchful gaze, the sea suddenly began to churn violently.
Huge waves surged upward as three massive ships slowly emerged from beneath the water, coming to a steady stop on the surface.
The lead ship was none other than the flagship of the Whitebeard Pirates—the Moby Dick!
Flanking the Moby Dick were two other colossal ships, their designs strikingly similar to the flagship.
Seeing these three ships, Sengoku's heart finally sank. He said solemnly:
"They actually used a Coating to sail their ships underwater, bypassing the Gates of Justice. What a clever plan!"
The Whitebeard Pirates had used a Coating to circumvent the Gates of Justice.
This made Sengoku realize that this war might be even more challenging than he had imagined.
"The Moby Dick! It's the Moby Dick!"
The navy soldiers exclaimed as they saw the familiar massive ship.
The Moby Dick's reputation had long spread across the seas. It was Whitebeard's symbol and the pirate ship the navy feared most.
Now, with the Moby Dick making its appearance, it meant Whitebeard was finally about to reveal himself.
Immediately, everyone's gaze shifted to the bow of the Moby Dick.
There, the fourteen division commanders stood in orderly rows on both sides of the bow, their expressions cold and fixed intently on Ace on the execution platform.
At that moment, Sengoku's face revealed utter shock.
On the bow of the Moby Dick, he saw two individuals who were not members of the Whitebeard Pirates!
One of them was a member of Shadow Garden—Uchiha Madara, who had appeared not long ago at Sabaody Archipelago!
And standing beside him was Misaka Mikoto, who had recently caused chaos at Impel Down!