The sea breeze howled.
Beneath the fluttering flags, the entire Marine Headquarters was steeped in a stifling, tense atmosphere.
Every Marine knew that a life-and-death battle was about to begin.
As time ticked by, the atmosphere at Marine Headquarters was gradually whipped to its peak.
Every Marine soldier checked his musket. Their breathing grew heavier, their faces filled with resolve and determination, symbolizing their desire for victory.
The sun overhead began moving toward its zenith. There were still three hours until the public execution.
Floating in the sky, Roy used the Echo Map to see the figure wearing prayer beads being escorted toward the execution platform.
"Oh, has he finally arrived?"
Step!
Step!
Step!
The sound of footsteps on the stairs was especially loud at that moment.
The figures revealed by the rebounding sound gradually appeared atop the lofty execution platform.
Two executioners brought the bare-chested man to the platform and forced him to kneel.
"Hey, look! He's here! They're here!"
The previously noisy headquarters plaza instantly fell silent as everyone turned to look.
Because it was being publicly broadcast, people all over the world swallowed hard and stared wide-eyed at the figure gradually appearing.
Everyone prayed for what the future would bring. At that moment, Ace was a villain through and through.
"Portgas D. Ace has finally appeared. We're finished. The war's about to begin."
Spandam stared at the figure on the execution platform with terror in his eyes.
His face was frightened and disheveled as he staggered backward in the direction Roy had pointed out beforehand.
Naturally, Spandam's actions drew the attention of quite a few Marines.
However, everyone's attention was fixed on the execution platform, so none of the higher-ups bothered with Spandam's little movements.
Step, step, step!
After Ace knelt down, Sengoku and Garp appeared behind