The entire world seemed to lose its voice.
Every gaze, whether on the battlefield or watching through transponder screens, was fixed upon the execution platform where the Fleet Admiral himself stood ready to carry out the sentence. Fire Fist Ace knelt there, shackled and exposed to the eyes of the world.
In the plaza below, Luffy and Sabo had already been intercepted. Marine forces had cut off every possible path forward. The captains of the Whitebeard Pirates and the commanders of the Revolutionary Army were all firmly restrained by Marine Admirals, their movements completely sealed.
Everything appeared hopeless.
"No…"
"Ace!"
Whitebeard's eyes burned with uncontrollable fury, his massive body straining forward. Yet even he was forced to a halt, jointly suppressed by Sakazuki and Borsalino. Facing two Admirals at once was no simple matter, even for the Strongest Man in the World.
An Admiral was not defined by destructive power alone. Their terrifying stamina and resilience were just as abnormal.
Boom.
From the distant frozen sea, a terrifying sword aura erupted without warning. The sky itself trembled as the shockwave tore through the battlefield.
In that instant, all of Marineford felt it.
A vast storm of sword energy surged upward, piercing the clouds and twisting the heavens into chaos. Black clouds churned violently, lightning flashing endlessly as they spiraled around a massive pillar of light that connected sea and sky alike.
The heavens split open.
A pressure so overwhelming washed across the battlefield that even veterans felt their breathing falter. This was not mere killing intent, it was the presence of a monster.
"Hey, hey, someone insane just showed up!"
"That aura…"
"It cannot be wrong. Ace's identity has been exposed for days. Those legends were never all gone."
"This level of power is terrifying."
Across the world, countless eyes watched the towering pillar of sword energy through flickering screens. The horizon itself seemed to bend and distort around it, an impossible sight that shook the soul.
"So it has still come to this."
Vice Admiral Tsuru released her grip on Garp and slowly stood, staring at the distant sword pillar. That aura was far too familiar.
Garp rose as well, saying nothing. His expression was tangled with emotions too heavy to put into words.
Buzz. Buzz.
The frozen sea began to quake violently. The pillar of sword energy descended, cleaving through sky and earth alike as it fell straight toward Marineford, toward the execution platform.
"Everyone, get away from that direction!"
"The attack is aimed at the platform, retreat now!"
"Damn it, who is this?"
Marines, pirates, and revolutionaries alike fled in panic from the area beneath the falling sword pillar. No one dared to test whether they could survive it.
Blinding light engulfed everything. The ice field shattered as massive cracks spread endlessly outward. Only the sword pillar remained untouched, descending relentlessly toward Sengoku.
Sengoku's expression darkened as golden light erupted from his body.
It had been many years since he had last seen this attack.
Veins surfaced along his arm as his hand formed a lotus seal. Behind him, a colossal Buddha materialized. Sengoku thrust his palm skyward, the massive golden hand expanding as it collided head on with the descending sword pillar.
The sky exploded.
Golden and white light flooded the battlefield, forcing everyone to shut their eyes. When the light finally faded, the world slowly came back into focus.
The Buddha vanished.
Sengoku staggered slightly. A thin line of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
An uproar erupted across the world.
The Fleet Admiral had been injured.
All eyes turned toward the horizon. Two figures streaked through the air before landing heavily on the shattered ice.
The first was an elderly man with long, curly white hair and a full beard. He wore simple clothes and round glasses, a vertical scar cutting across his right eye. The sword in his hand cracked violently before shattering into fragments that scattered across the ground.
Beside him stood another bald old man wearing sunglasses, calmly puffing on a pipe as smoke curled into the air.
"How is this possible…"
"They really came…"
"The Pirate King's right hand, Silvers Rayleigh, and Scopper Gaban."
"What? Those two are from Roger's crew?"
"I never thought they would show up."
"The Marines are in serious trouble now."
The battlefield and the world beyond fell into stunned silence.
These were legends. Men who once sailed alongside the Pirate King himself.
"Hahaha. It has been a long time, hasn't it, Sengoku, Garp, Newgate?"
Rayleigh retrieved another sword from the ground, his gaze moving calmly from Sengoku, to Garp, and finally to Whitebeard, who laughed thunderously in return.
"This era moves too fast. Even I am struggling to keep up."
Gaban exhaled a thick cloud of smoke and raised a hand in greeting toward the three old rivals.
"Sengoku," Rayleigh continued with an easy smile, "we have already retired. We really do not want to cause trouble. How about you spare our captain's son? You know us Roger Pirates, we are always easy to talk to."
His words were light, but the sword in his hand told a different story.
As Rayleigh finished speaking, all eyes locked onto Sengoku.
Before their arrival, the Marines still held a narrow advantage. Now, Rayleigh and Gaban stood as variables no one could control. Their strength alone outweighed entire armies.
And worse still, no one knew whether other members of the Roger Pirates would appear.
Pressure bore down heavily on the Marines.
Without further reinforcements, defeat was no longer unthinkable.
Sengoku remained silent, gripping his weapon tightly. His eyes were cold and resolute.
The Marines would never compromise. No matter the cost, they could not bow to pirates. If they did, the consequences would be catastrophic.
Thump. Thump.
Heavy footsteps echoed from behind the execution platform.
Each step struck like a hammer against the silence.
Rayleigh's relaxed expression faded.
Marineford grew so quiet that even breathing felt loud.
At last, ten figures came into view.
Leading them was a towering old man with bronze skin and a massive, bare chest, his muscles like carved stone. A stitched scar ran beneath his left eye. His presence alone exuded overwhelming authority.
Behind him stood nine figures, three women and six men, dressed in strange attire. Though they wore no masks, their identities were unmistakable.
"Kong…"
Rayleigh, Gaban, Whitebeard, and the others all grew serious. None of them had expected this man to step onto the battlefield personally.
"Who is that?"
"That is Steel Bone Kong. Former Fleet Admiral, now the Commander in Chief of the World Government."
"The Marines were prepared for everything. Even the CPO are here."
"They must have anticipated that this war would go far beyond the Whitebeard Pirates."
"It will be remembered throughout history."
The tension continued to rise.
This war now involved the Four Emperors, the Seven Warlords, the Revolutionary Army, and the full might of the Marines. Its outcome could reshape the entire world.
Fire Fist Ace was merely the spark.
This war would not end easily. Only annihilation or retreat could bring it to a close.
Across the seas, countless civilians watched with dread. Though cruel, order was still better than chaos. If the Marines fell, piracy would surge unchecked, and the innocent would suffer most of all.
Prayers echoed across the world.
____
Patreon = _Zeph