As the Whitebeard Pirates charged into the plaza at the harbor, the war entered its most heated stage. Aside from Akainu, Sengoku, and Garp, all of the Navy's top combatants had rushed onto the battlefield.
Cannon fire streaked across the plaza, and Navy soldiers and pirates were occasionally picked off by hidden gunmen. Most of those attacks were carried out by Contractors.
Whenever a Marine or pirate fell, their comrades or companions stepped over their corpses and charged forward.
On the execution platform, Sengoku took a pocket watch from his coat and glanced at the time. His grim expression eased slightly. Ten minutes remained. If nothing unexpected happened, the war would end in ten minutes, with the Navy emerging victorious.
Sengoku took out a Den Den Mushi. The Den Den Mushi's counterpart seemed to have been waiting for a long time and answered immediately.
"Cut off all Visual Den Den Mushi in ten minutes."
What Sengoku was about to do could not be reported. Even if it succeeded, he would no longer be able to continue serving as Fleet Admiral. He would have to bear that blame forever.
"2.475.55518."
A somewhat hoarse voice came from the Den Den Mushi, and Sengoku recited a string of numbers as well.
"Command received successfully. All Visual Den Den Mushi will be cut off in ten minutes."
The communication ended there. Sengoku let out a long breath and glanced at Ace, who was kneeling on the execution platform. The previously announced execution time had been a ruse. In truth, Ace's execution time was random. The moment the Whitebeard Pirates broke into the harbor, the countdown to Ace's execution had begun, with a limit of ten minutes. For this, Sengoku had not hesitated to temporarily sacrifice the Navy's credibility. War was hell, and there was