First to appear were the humanoid weapons known as Pacifistas, modeled after the "Tyrant" Bartholomew Kuma.
Then came the betrayal: "Whitebeard" was stabbed by Squard, who had been swayed to the Marines' side, and immediately after, he was struck with a devastating blow from Admiral "Akainu."
The mighty Whitebeard—who had stood unrivaled for an era—failed to evade either attack and now bore grievous wounds.
Age and illness weighed heavily upon him, leaving their cruel marks.
No matter how one looked at it, the advantage was firmly in the Navy's hands.
Even with the aid of the Impel Down escapees, the tide of Whitebeard's forces was pushed back again and again.
The division commanders had to constantly watch over Whitebeard's worsening condition, unable to fight with full force for fear of another assassination attempt against him.
"It's now or never." Koby clenched his fists, trying to summon courage for himself—and for Helmeppo. "Helmeppo, we will win. Let's go together!"
"O-Okay!" Helmeppo's voice trembled as he forced a reply.
Koby's legs had gone numb from crouching in a corner for so long. As soon as he tried to step forward, they gave out under him, and he collapsed face-first to the ground.
His vision spun in darkness, his face pressed to the earth. All he could hear was the stampede of countless hurried footsteps around him.
Panic seized him, and he curled up reflexively, screaming:
"Don't kill me, don't kill me!"
"Koby! Nobody's trying to kill you!" Helmeppo rushed to haul him back up.
Still trembling, Koby looked around.
Sure enough, his fellow Marines were laying down their lives to shield him from the pirates' assault. For the moment, the spot where he stood was relatively safe.
But that fleeting instant of darkness dragged him back to that day—to his encounter with Davy Jones.
Just the thought of that man made Koby shiver uncontrollably.
He wanted revenge. He wanted to end the torment haunting his heart. He wanted to cast aside his weakness and stand as a man.
Yet here, in the crucible of battle, all of those desires collapsed into sheer terror.
His hand brushed against his mechanical right arm. He stared blankly ahead, lost in despair, unable to see any way to free himself from the whirlpool of dread consuming him.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku—the "Buddha"—looked across the battlefield at his old rival: Edward Newgate, Whitebeard.
Their relationship was unlike that of Garp and Roger.
Garp and Roger had fought side by side on occasion, but between Sengoku and Newgate, there was only endless enmity—countless battles where neither would yield.
And today, Sengoku knew, their rivalry would find its conclusion.
On the battlefield, both Newgate and his "sons" were covered in wounds.
But none suffered more than Newgate himself—his chest pierced through, his body scarred with burns and shrapnel, his forehead on the left side mangled and bloodied.
This was the chance.
Sengoku raised his voice in a command—both as an order and as a taunt, meant to force Newgate into a desperate, final strike.
"Whitebeard! You want to see Ace's future? Then watch closely—I'll show you! Executioners, proceed!"
He knew: if he could draw out Newgate's death-willed assault and snuff it out, the battle would be decided for good.
The aged, sick, and wounded Newgate lifted his massive naginata, Murakumogiri, his eyes coldly fixed on Sengoku.
Then, slowly, he raised his arm and clenched his fist.
For a fleeting instant, Sengoku thought he saw the Newgate of old—still in his prime.
If this were that man, he would unleash Advanced Conqueror's Haki right here and now…
But those days were long past.
The savage strength, the fearless might—gone. Even his control over Conqueror's Haki had waned. Much less could he wield its supreme forms.
More likely, he would unleash the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power instead. But even that was not to be underestimated.
Sengoku coated his entire body in Armament Haki, ready to take the brunt of Newgate's quake head-on.
The executioners raised their blades high.
Ace closed his eyes, serene in the face of death, ready to accept his fate.
But then—
The frozen sea shattered.
Enormous chunks of ice exploded into the sky as a colossal black ship burst up from beneath the freezing waters, crashing down onto the slick battlefield. Countless Marines and pirates alike, unable to dodge, were crushed into pulp beneath its hull.
At its mast, a pirate flag unfurled—depicting a monstrous figure with countless writhing tentacles.
The entire battlefield reeled in shock.
No one—on either side—had foreseen another pirate vessel entering the fray.
Even more shocking than when Little Oars Jr. had hurled a ship toward the execution platform… this time, both sides were completely at a loss, unsure what scheme this might signal.
"Davy Jones?!" Sengoku's eyes widened as he recognized the flag. "Why is he here? Don't tell me he's also come to—"
There was no more time to hesitate.
He spun toward Ace, shouting at the executioners—startled and frozen by the intrusion:
"What are you waiting for?! Finish it!"
The executioners snapped out of their stupor and raised their blades again.
But then—
A strange humming reverberated through the air. Only those attuned to Observation Haki could hear it, yet its effects struck almost everyone present.
Sweat trickled down Sengoku's brow. He turned in shock as Marine and pirate alike collapsed in droves, unconscious.
Even the two executioners at his side crumpled.
"Conqueror's Haki…"
Sengoku had already heard from Admiral Aokiji that Davy Jones possessed Conqueror's Haki.
But never—not once—had he imagined it would be this vast, this intense.
The battlefield fell into a chilling silence.
In half a year… this monster has grown beyond my ability to restrain?
Worse still: another monster stood not far away. Ravaged with wounds, yes—but Whitebeard's ferocity remained undimmed.
Whatever Davy Jones's purpose, whatever accord he may have with Newgate, Sengoku could not—must not—allow them to succeed.
Without hesitation, he strode toward Ace.
He would carry out the execution himself.
Ace, expecting the executioners' blades to fall, was confused when nothing came. Then he felt the shock of overwhelming Conqueror's Haki.
At first, he thought it came from his father. But when he opened his eyes, what he saw was an unfamiliar black ship.
He didn't recognize it.
Could it be yet another ship from Impel Down? But that was impossible—how could a pirate ship have passed through the Gates of Justice?
Footsteps pounded toward him.
Ace raised his head. Sengoku loomed over him, Armament-clad fist poised to strike.
Ace's hands were shackled with seastone, his body drained of strength.
Not only was the Flame-Flame Fruit useless—he couldn't even muster Armament Haki.
And yet, Sengoku still wrapped his fist in Armament, determined to make the kill absolute.
So this is it…? Ace's pupils shrank.
But before Sengoku's fist could fall, a figure stepped between them.
"Garp!" Sengoku roared. "What do you think you're doing?! Harboring Roger's son was already a grave crime—I covered for you once! And now you would block the execution yourself?!"
The one standing before Ace was indeed Garp.
Hands clutched to his forehead, Garp neither met Sengoku's eyes nor looked back at Ace.
The truth was, even he didn't know what he meant to do. He had acted on instinct—when he saw his old friend preparing to kill Ace, his body had moved to stop it.
He couldn't bear to see Ace die. Yet he also knew how much Sengoku had prepared for this day.
Only by executing Ace could the Marines uphold their justice.
After a moment's hesitation, Garp stepped aside. He turned his back to Sengoku and Ace, eyes shut tight, unwilling to watch what would come.
Sengoku glanced once at Garp's desolate figure, then looked down at Ace.
But before his fist could fall, two figures sprang onto the execution platform.
"Straw Hat" Luffy.
And another…
A young man in a top hat, who tipped the brim up to reveal a face Ace knew all too well.
The first glance was familiarity. The second, recognition.
"No way… Sabo… Sabo's supposed to be dead…"
Sabo smiled, but gave no explanation. He simply stood shoulder to shoulder with Luffy, planting himself between Ace and Sengoku.
Luffy had intended to rescue Ace from Impel Down. Along the way, he had encountered Sabo. Through Luffy's words, Sabo's lost memories had returned.
The truth came out: Ace, Sabo, and Luffy—three sworn brothers by bond.
All this time, Ace and Luffy had thought Sabo dead, and Sabo—robbed of memory—had vanished from their lives for nearly ten years.
They hadn't reached Ace in Impel Down, but together they had followed him here.
"Sabo… Luffy…" Garp turned at the sound, his eyes widening in shock.
He had seen Luffy aboard the escapees' ship, and knew why he came—but Sabo? How could Sabo be alive?
Ace was just as stunned.
Sengoku studied Sabo, then glanced at Garp's shifting expression, and understood.
He sneered coldly.
"Garp. Another fine child you've raised, is it?"
Garp stared back, puzzled.
"You don't even know who that is?" Sengoku jabbed a finger at Sabo. "That's one of your son's top men—the Revolutionary Army's Chief of Staff, Sabo!"
As Fleet Admiral, Sengoku's first enemy was always the pirates. But the Revolutionary Army could not be ignored, and Sabo was known to him.
His identity was top secret, and Garp—who never paid much heed to government affairs—was unaware.
"You damn fool, Garp!" Sengoku's fury boiled over. "Your son's a revolutionary! Your grandson's a pirate! His sworn brothers—one a pirate, the other a revolutionary! Aside from Aokiji, you haven't raised a single decent soul!"
Garp clutched his head in despair. He had never imagined things would spiral like this.
"I don't care who they are," Sengoku bellowed. His golden light blazed as his body expanded, transforming into the colossal form of the Buddha. "I'll show no mercy! Garp—today, I'll cleanse your house for you!"
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