On the execution platform.
Tsuru slowly walked to Ace's side and knelt down.
Without the slightest concern for appearances, she sat cross-legged beside him and spoke in an extremely gentle voice.
"Child, those sins were never meant for you to bear."
"You yourself are innocent."
Ace, who had already decided to ignore the Marines entirely, suddenly lifted his head and stared at her in disbelief.
What was this woman saying?
Did she even know what she was saying?
He was Portgas D. Ace—a pirate being executed by the Marines because of his so-called sinful bloodline!
Sure, pirates and Marines were enemies by nature.
But without that bloodline, there would never have been a public execution.
He hadn't expected that among the Marine high command—
There would be someone who understood him.
If only she weren't a Marine…
A certain young female Marine's face surfaced in his mind.
Iska… you were right. There really are good people in the Marines.
(T/N: The female Marine who captured Ace.)
Tsuru, unaware of his thoughts, continued in her warm tone.
"Bloodline is not something we can choose. But the path we walk is."
"You've carried far more than you ever should have…"
Ace's tightly wound heart loosened slightly.
As expected of the Marine staff officer.
She wielded both iron and velvet with equal mastery.
He suddenly felt that this old Marine lady wasn't bad at all.
She even reminded him a little of the gentle Makino.
He'd only ever heard Garp mention Tsuru's name before.
He never imagined she would be like this in person.
Then—
Tsuru continued.
Still speaking.
"You're a good child. You deserve to see a more wonderful world."
To someone like Ace—who had grown up starved of love—
That sounded like:
You deserved to be born. It was your bloodline that burdened you.
In simple terms—
His defenses broke.
A trembling heart. Moist eyes.
But Ace celebrated too soon.
Just as he relaxed—
Tsuru's tone subtly shifted.
Still gentle.
But no longer comforting.
"So, child… let this old woman help wash away the sins you carry."
There it was.
The dagger revealed.
The word "wash" felt like a bucket of cold water dumped over Ace's head.
His warmth froze instantly.
He stared at the smiling, kind-looking old woman—
And suddenly she looked terrifying.
Because Garp had once told him—
Tsuru possessed the Wash-Wash Fruit.
She could cleanse people's hearts.
And if awakened…
She could even alter a person's thoughts.
Ace's face turned ghastly, cycling through shades like spilled dye.
He had just begun to open his heart—
And once again, he'd been played.
Comparing this old woman to Makino was an insult to Makino.
Rage and humiliation surged.
Even without using the Flame-Flame Fruit—
Ace's temperature skyrocketed.
"Get away from me, old hag! Don't touch me with your filthy hands!"
He struggled violently.
Even bound in Seastone, his will to survive flared fiercely.
Because he was afraid.
Afraid that if he were "washed"—
He would no longer be himself.
Afraid he might not want to be a pirate anymore.
And if he didn't want to be a pirate—
Would he still be Ace?
At the very least—
Garp definitely wouldn't want that.
Otherwise, he would've asked Tsuru to do this long ago.
On the execution platform now—
There were only Tsuru, a few execution Marines, and Ace.
From the outside, it looked like nothing more than conversation.
No one below paid much attention.
After all—
They were busy fighting with everything they had.
As long as Ace wasn't dead—
It was fine.
Meanwhile—
Taking advantage of the chaos—
Blackbeard mimicked Leno and stealthily crept near the clash between Whitebeard and Sengoku.
He hid behind ruins, greedy eyes flicking between the two titans.
But he didn't stare too long.
Afraid they'd notice.
He waited.
For the perfect ambush moment.
Whitebeard was too damn hard to kill.
If Whitebeard didn't die—
How could Blackbeard ascend?
How could he obtain the Tremor-Tremor Fruit?
So he lingered in the chaos, observing carefully.
Whitebeard and Sengoku were too locked in battle to spare attention elsewhere.
Otherwise—
They would've spotted him.
People don't feel tired when they're doing something bad.
Finally—
Whitebeard momentarily stiffened while blocking a shockwave from Sengoku.
"Now!"
Blackbeard's eyes gleamed viciously.
Still hidden—
"Liberation!"
All the debris previously absorbed by the Dark-Dark Fruit burst outward at once!
Whitebeard instantly sensed something wrong.
"Teach! You dare show your face again?!"
"This petty trick—useless!"
Without ceremony—
Whitebeard punched the air itself.
The atmosphere cracked—
Blasting the debris away in an instant.
But that wasn't the real attack.
Darkness surged from Blackbeard's palm—
Reaching for Whitebeard's back!
That ambush—
Was sudden enough.
Whitebeard couldn't fully evade.
He was still fighting Sengoku, after all.
The black hand struck.
A strange suction stalled Whitebeard's movements.
It landed.
But Blackbeard's attack power wasn't Leno's.
The damage was limited.
And the target—
Was Whitebeard.
A monster who had tanked Akainu's magma head-on.
Whitebeard turned.
Rage overflowing.
"Teach!!"
Ignoring the sting—
His left fist wrapped in a white shock sphere—
Smashed down.
Blackbeard couldn't dodge even if he wanted to.
BOOM!
Whitebeard's punch crushed into Blackbeard's skull—
Driving him straight into the ground.
Full damage taken.
The ice shattered.
Blood streamed down Blackbeard's face.
"Old man! Spare me! I was wrong!"
Blackbeard instantly begged.
Flexible as ever.
But Whitebeard had no time for him.
Ace was all that mattered.
Another punch slammed down—
Then he flung Blackbeard aside like garbage.
Blackbeard rolled through rubble like a torn sack.
His durability was absurd.
He staggered up again.
Bruised and bleeding—
But alive.
Clutching his head, resentment burned inside him.
"We both ambushed! Why could that brat Leno cripple Garp—while I can't even seriously injure Whitebeard?!"
Unwilling.
Unaccepting.
He stared at Whitebeard charging Sengoku once more.
His eyes turned colder.
"No… I will get the Tremor-Tremor Fruit."
Other fruits were either harder to seize—
Or weaker.
Leno's fruit looked strong too.
Unfortunately—
He couldn't beat Leno.
And Hancock was protected.
"The target is still Whitebeard!"
At least Sengoku was helping wear him down.
More opportunities.
Gritting his teeth—
Blackbeard charged again.
At the same time—
At Marineford's harbor.
Near the Gates of Justice.
The sea rippled.
A pirate ship slowly sailed in.
On its flag—
A skull marked with a streak of red hair fluttered in the wind.
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