"Father's love? Lord Xia Te, what are you talking about?"
Sandersonia couldn't help but ask after hearing his words.
—
"The Revolutionary Army's leader—Dragon. His full name is Monkey D. Dragon."
Xia Te smiled.
"Does that make it clearer?"
—
"Monkey D. Dragon?!"
Elder Nyon's eyes widened in shock.
"Then that Straw Hat Luffy who was captured by Akainu and sent to Impel Down a month ago… he's—"
—
"Captain!"
At that moment, Shiryu appeared at the doorway, leaning against the frame as he reported:
"Less than four hours remain until Portgas D. Ace's execution."
—
"This war is getting livelier than I expected."
Xia Te stepped out of the shogun's residence, with Shiryu, Hancock, and the others following behind.
—
"You saw it yourself in our clash with the Red-Haired Pirates, didn't you, Shiryu?"
"The gap between us and the Four Emperors."
—
"Yeah."
Shiryu stroked his chin.
"Without Kaido, we had no chance at all."
"Even the newest Emperor crew, the Red-Haired Pirates, has over a decade of foundation."
"And us? We've only been together for barely a month."
—
He frowned slightly.
"Captain… can we really reach Emperor-level strength from just this war?"
—
He knew Xia Te intended to profit from the war—
but he couldn't see how.
—
The most direct way to grow stronger would be recruiting powerful members.
But back in Level 6 of Impel Down, many prisoners had begged Xia Te to take them along—
and aside from Shiryu, he took no one.
—
That alone proved how high his standards were.
—
Could he be planning to poach from Whitebeard or the Marines?
Even Shiryu found that idea far-fetched.
—
"Heh."
"Tell Weevil and the others to get ready."
"We're moving."
Xia Te smiled confidently.
—
"But Ace's execution is still four hours away…"
Hancock's stunning face showed confusion.
—
"Who said we're going to Marine Headquarters?"
Xia Te smirked.
"First stop—Impel Down."
Impel Down – Level 6
Chaos reigned.
—
Considering that anyone released from this level could shake the world—
the Revolutionary Army had only freed a select few prisoners deemed manageable or useful.
—
Such as:
Crocodile.
Eustass Kid.
—
Most of the truly monstrous criminals remained locked away.
—
But when the Blackbeard Pirates arrived—
everything changed.
—
"Why don't you all fight it out?"
Teach grinned wickedly, missing teeth visible.
"I'll recruit the winners as my crew. Sounds fair, right?"
—
"Really?!"
"As long as we win, you'll free us?!"
"Hahaha! Our chance has come!"
"Those damn revolutionaries left us behind!"
"When I get out, I'll kill them first!"
—
Level 6 plunged into even deeper chaos.
—
Yet among the prisoners—
a few figures remained silent, coldly observing everything.
—
When Teach's eyes met theirs—
even he felt a trace of caution.
—
As expected of Level 6… even I can't fully control monsters like these.
—
Marine Headquarters – Marineford
The plaza was filled with 100,000 elite Marines gathered from across the seas.
—
Atop the execution platform:
Four Warlords of the Sea stood.
Dracule Mihawk – "Hawk-Eye"Donquixote Doflamingo – "Heavenly Yaksha"Gecko Moria – "Shadow Master"Bartholomew Kuma – "Tyrant"
—
Frankly—
the Warlord lineup looked rather underwhelming.
—
Jinbe had refused the Government's summons outright after learning of Ace's capture.
Blackbeard never intended to serve—he only used the title to infiltrate Impel Down.
And Hancock—
had already left and joined Xia Te.
—
Even so—
the three Admirals seated below the execution platform radiated overwhelming pressure.
—
Even people watching through Transponder Snail broadcasts—
felt their legs tremble.
—
Before the war even began,
many who dreamed of becoming pirates—
had already abandoned the idea.
—
If the Marines won—
this era of chaos might finally be suppressed.
—
If Whitebeard won—
the world would plunge into even greater upheaval.
—
At this moment—
on the live broadcast—
Ace, shackled in Seastone chains, was brought onto the execution platform.
—
Sengoku and Garp appeared soon after.
—
"Garp, your family causes more trouble than you ever did."
Sengoku said darkly, his face grim.
"You'd better not try anything."
"If you do, I won't hesitate to tear you apart."
—
Before, those words might've been said in anger.
But now—
Sengoku meant them.
—
Father and son had turned Impel Down upside down.
Before the war even began—
the Marines had already suffered massive losses.
—
Sengoku was furious.
—
"…Do whatever you want."
Garp said quietly.
"I'm going down."
—
He stepped off the execution platform—
and stood beside Tsuru and the others,
silent.
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