At that very moment, Blackbeard, who had narrowly escaped, joined forces with the escaped convicts from Infinite Hell.
The two sides hit it off immediately. Then they stirred up the prisoners and freed a large number of them, forming a massive force in preparation to break through Magellan's blockade.
Jinbe was naturally among them as well. He hoped to do something for Whitebeard.
"Spear Wave: Group Rain!"
More than a dozen high-pressure pillars of water pierced through the purple venom blocking the door. Jinbe withdrew his hand and continued forward with the main group.
Then, they clashed head-on with the jailer forces led by Magellan!
While chaos erupted inside the great prison Impel Down, Marineford, Marine Headquarters, was solemn and silent.
And just like there, all kinds of people across the world were watching this great event.
Whether they were people of the underground dark world, citizens of Member Nations or Non-Member Nations, even the most ordinary civilians were paying attention.
However, because civilians lacked Den Den Mushi equipment, they could only wait with heavy hearts for reporters and photographers to spread the first-hand information before they could learn the details.
Those who could obtain Den Den Mushi received third-hand news through rebroadcasts of rebroadcasts.
After all, even reporters from the World Economic Journal could not possibly conduct direct interviews, records, and filming inside Marine Headquarters.
That place was the center of the battlefield, and the Marines would never allow outsiders to enter.
Fortunately, this execution was a public execution, and Den Den Mushi system equipment was operating to conduct large-scale broadcasts.
The largest broadcast center among them was on the Sabaody Archipelago.
A dense crowd of reporters packed the square of the broadcast center, staring at the images with extreme tension.
"Will he really appear? That legendary Whitebeard?"
"Not necessarily. Even Whitebeard is already very old."
"He'll definitely come. Otherwise, Marine Headquarters wouldn't have set up such a massive formation."
"But there are only three hours left, and Whitebeard still hasn't appeared…"
"There's nothing to worry about. This time, it's the full strength of Marine Headquarters."
"Do you want to think back to the nursery rhymes spread all over the world? Whitebeard's reputation has reached that level. It's better not to be too optimistic."
The reporters argued while staring at the grand scene within the images.
Three enormous screens hung in the broadcast center, playing live images of Marineford.
The screens switched viewpoints from time to time, occasionally cutting to an overhead perspective.
From there, one could discover that a full fifty large warships had been deployed around Marineford Island.
Each was led by a Marine Vice Admiral or a powerful officer.
Every ship could hold several thousand Marine soldiers and possessed terrifyingly powerful firepower. Their combined scale was enough to bombard and annihilate an island within ten minutes.
This was firepower enough to make any ordinary pirate crew despair, as though the Marines were displaying their confidence in certain victory to the world.
Past the outermost ring of firepower warships, one could see thousands upon thousands of cannons set up along the crescent-shaped harbor.
Among them were even majestic and far larger coastal cannons, with thick barrels so wide that several people together could not wrap their arms around them.
The artillery positions were packed with elite Marines gathered from all over the world. Every single one of them had their own reputation in their local region.
A total of one hundred thousand elites were spread across every part of the plaza behind the bay, creating a visual effect like a sea of people.
If one looked carefully, they could find several Marine Vice Admirals hidden among that sea of people. Almost every one of them, if taken out alone, was a familiar face in newspaper reports!
But the most eye-catching had to be the eight giant Vice Admirals lined up in a row.
Their massive bodies were more than ten meters tall. Like small mountains, they brought with them endless pressure.
Like gate gods, they stood guard in front of the execution platform, which was even taller than they were.
Their presence even made the towering execution platform behind them seem less lofty, stealing the strongest sense of presence in the entire image.
However, what the reporters were most focused on were still the figures appearing on the first battle line at the front of the harbor plaza.
"White Horse Cavendish!"
"Mad Monk Urouge!"
"Pirate Empress Hancock!"
"The world's strongest swordsman, Hawkeye Mihawk!"
"And Demon Ren!"
The reporters' gazes gathered on the five figures at the very front of the military formation.
Just standing there in their different postures gave people a sense of reassurance.
However, some people also realized something was off.
"Only five Warlords came?"
One reporter found it strange. "Before the war began, the Seven Warlords of the Sea were at full roster."
"Maybe it's because the other two don't dare oppose Whitebeard."
A colleague answered in a low voice, "Didn't you notice their positions are the farthest forward? Although they're all forces of justice, it looks like there are still ranks among them."
"Stop talking about that. Do you want to commit suicide by shooting yourself seven times in the back? The World Government won't allow that kind of news to appear.
"Better to look over there—he's here!"
Following another colleague's reminder, the broadcast image zoomed in. A man covered in injuries could be seen being escorted onto the execution platform.
"So that's Ace?"
"He's the man who could become the fuse that triggers a world-shaking war?"
The reporters quickly recorded Ace's appearance, and time flowed by amid it all.
There were now a little over two hours left until the execution.
The surveillance ships sent out by the Marines had gone completely silent, as though they had sunk into the sea.
Everyone understood what this sign represented. It was just that they had no eyewitness information about the Whitebeard Pirates.
As time passed and the execution drew closer and closer, the atmosphere at Marineford became even tenser.
Tashigi, who was mixed in among the forces, pressed her lips together and tightened her grip on her beloved sword.
Beside her, Smoker had a cigar clenched between his teeth, his gaze passing over the layers of people and landing on the sea.
Even though one hundred thousand elites had gathered in the plaza, it was so quiet that it seemed one could hear a needle drop.
There was not even a slightly louder cough. Everyone was in a state of extreme tension.
No one knew when or where the Whitebeard Pirates would come from.
The only thing they could be certain of was that the Whitebeard Pirates would absolutely come!
On this sea, there was no one who did not know that the Whitebeard Pirates would chase anyone who harmed their companions to the ends of the earth.
This was an "iron rule" brought about by one bloody battle after another!
And at that moment, the color of the sky over Marineford became even darker.
Faint angry thunder rumbled across the horizon. As the wild wind howled, it gave people the feeling of dark clouds pressing down upon a city, ready to crush it.
It seemed to be an omen that this place was about to become a land of calamity.
However, some people also noticed the source.
"A thunderstorm… Is Demon Ren making preparations?"
The reporters' gazes immediately fell on the frontmost battle line, on the young black-haired man lazily sitting cross-legged on the ground.
The youngest Warlord of the Sea in history. At only nineteen years old, he had clashed head-on with Kaido, left a scar on him, and escaped completely unharmed.
He had successively taken down at least two Warlords of the Sea.
Not long ago, there were rumors that Edward Weevil, who might have become a Warlord of the Sea, was witnessed on Beli Island dying at Ren's hands as easily as an ant being crushed.
If that was counted as well, then it should be a full three Warlords!
His strength was so terrifying that it could not be measured. No one knew whether he truly could not beat Kaido, or whether he had simply taken advantage of the situation and withdrawn.
In any case, in the world's understanding, this man was the second-ranked figure among the Warlords, just beneath Hawkeye Mihawk!
"I wonder how much shock this one will bring us."
One reporter chose to shift the focus of his record, seemingly because he had noticed the change in the weather and its source.
The broadcast image moved closer to Demon Ren, giving the reporters a chance to record him.
A few minutes later, the scene seemed to change again.
As the image shifted, it locked onto the three empty seats below the execution platform.
Tap, tap, tap, tap…
The sound of footsteps came from the high platform beneath the execution platform. In this plaza, which had gone silent to the extreme, it was like a boulder falling into water.
The Marines standing in formation raised their heads and turned toward the area below the execution platform.
Then, their morale soared, and smiles appeared on their faces!
"It's the Admirals!"
Three tall figures, one red, one white, and one yellow, arrived together. They sat down on luxurious high-backed chairs, then crossed their legs and struck arrogant poses.
The Three Admirals of Marine Headquarters.
Akainu, Sakazuki!
Aokiji, Kuzan!
Kizaru, Borsalino!
They had been famous across the sea for a long time, regarded by the world as the final and strongest core of the Marines' power. At this moment, they had arrived below the execution platform and become the final line of defense.
Even the Marines who felt fear toward Whitebeard's name could not help but feel their morale rise greatly at this moment!
Immediately after the Admirals took their positions, Marine Fleet Admiral Sengoku the Buddha also appeared.
He appeared together with Garp, and the two of them were still talking.
"Is this all right, Garp? Telling everyone all of this…"
"Does saying that now still have any meaning? Do whatever you want. I'm going down below."
Garp turned and left.
Sengoku took a deep breath and went straight up the stairs leading to the execution platform.
He came to Fire Fist Ace's side and ordered the two executioners away, immediately drawing the attention of countless Marines.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
"Bring me the Den Den Mushi."
"Yes, sir."
Sengoku took the Den Den Mushi, then stood upright. His low and calm voice resounded across the plaza.
"There is something I must convey to all of you in advance.
"It concerns the great significance behind the execution of Portgas D. Ace today."
"…"
The plaza once again fell into silence.
The Marines' gazes all gathered on Fleet Admiral Sengoku atop the execution platform.
"…"
Below the platform, Garp sighed. Beside him, Tsuru softly said, "This is not your fault, Garp."
"Women at a time like this really are gentle, little Tsuru."
Garp laughed twice, but there was no force behind it.
On the execution platform, Ace lowered his head, as though he had realized something. His eyes trembled slightly.
Sengoku glanced down at Ace. "Ace, state your father's name!"
"…My father is Whitebeard."
"Wrong!"
"There's nothing wrong about it. My father is Whitebeard. There is no one else."
Ace raised his voice in rebuttal. However, it had the opposite effect, making people even more curious.
"This really is watching the show live."
Ren quietly watched the scene. After Ace refuted him, Sengoku revealed even more.
CP0, the tip-off, and the story of a woman who forced herself to remain pregnant for twenty months for the sake of her child, exchanging her own life for the child's birth, unfolded before everyone.
"One year and three months after his father's death, a child who inherited the world's most evil bloodline was born.
"That was you. You cannot possibly be unaware that your father was—the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger!"
(End of Chapter)