Ace Arrives

"A warship is coming."

"It's the ship transporting Ace."

Through Shisui's Sharingan, Kenma looked into the distance and took in the far-off scenery at a glance.

Through the hazy sea mist ahead, he could see the Steel Gate soaring into the sky in the distance.

His view was blocked by layer upon layer of mist and moisture. He could not see its end at a glance, and merely estimating by sight, he could not tell how tall it was—at least several hundred, perhaps even a thousand meters.

Still, he could vaguely make out the two large characters carved into the gate.

Justice!

The Gate of Justice slowly opened a crack, allowing a sliver of light from outside to shine through. Soon after, the gate slowly closed again.

Kenma lowered his gaze to the sea below and vaguely saw a warship slicing through the Waves as it sailed toward Marineford.

The warship was fast. Through Kenma's Sharingan, his vision quickly became crystal clear, and everything on the deck came into view.

Rows of Marine Soldiers stood upon it, surrounding a figure at the center of the deck. Beside that figure stood a tall Marine General wearing a helmet.

The figure was bare-chested and seated in a wooden chair, his hands, feet, and entire body bound in Chains. He had short black hair and several Freckles scattered across his face.

It was none other than the protagonist of this Public Execution, the fuse that would ignite the Summit War—Whitebeard's Second Division commander, Fire Fist Ace!

At that moment, he was being escorted from Impel Down by Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Onigumo, bound for execution in Marineford's plaza!

Kenma withdrew his gaze and gestured to the vigilant Uchiha around him.

After more than ten of them gathered around, Kenma said, "Since Ace has arrived, the execution will begin shortly. Let me arrange the next steps."

Kenma stood up, reached into his robes, and took out five Iron Nails the length of a finger, handing them to Fugaku.

"These are little things I got from the Kido Corps. A Kido spell can be inscribed onto them."

"I've inscribed a special Kido spell on them. By feeding them Spiritual Pressure, they can form a Kido Barrier with the power to calm Lost Souls and soothe the mind."

"Fugaku, assign people to drive these four nails into the two corners of Crescent Bay and the mountains on either side. The Barrier they form will cover most of the bay, as well as the entire plaza in front of the headquarters building."

Leon pointed toward the two sides of the island and the corners of the bay.

The areas covered by the Barrier were all at the center of the war, enough to gather most of the Lost Souls who died on the battlefield.

"Understood."

Fugaku carefully accepted the Iron Nails.

Hearing Kenma's explanation reminded him of the Night of the Uchiha Clan Downfall not long ago, when he had seen the enormous Barrier enveloping the entire Clan Territory.

Could it have been this?

He voiced his doubt, and Kenma explained, "The effect is the same, but your Clan Territory was not large back then, so I simply cast the Kido directly."

"Now we need to cover nearly half the island. Doing it personally would be too exhausting, so I'm entrusting the task to you."

He swept his gaze around and saw the solemn expressions on the Uchiha's faces, making him nod inwardly.

After all, these Uchiha had undergone systematic training. When faced with a task he assigned, their attitude was exceptionally serious.

Kenma's expression turned stern as he continued with a reminder:

"However, let me remind you that the Spiritual Pressure must be fed in simultaneously for the Barrier to activate and form properly. It must also be maintained without interruption. Once it stops, the Barrier will shatter."

"Since this is a one-use item, once the Spiritual Pressure runs out, it will fail completely. The Kido must be inscribed again before it can be used."

"Please rest assured, sir. We will complete the mission even at the cost of our lives."

Fugaku immediately dropped to one knee and accepted the order with utmost solemnity.

His expression gradually tightened, his brows furrowing deeply, making his eyes appear increasingly fierce and menacing.

That stern-faced look truly suited his title, Fierce Eyes.

The Uchiha around him were equally solemn. They all dropped to one knee before Kenma and made their pledge.

"Please rest assured, sir. We will complete the mission even at the cost of our lives!"

This was Kenma's first formal order to them. They had to carry it out flawlessly!

"Just be careful and thorough."

Kenma waved his hand, signaling for them to rise.

In truth, Kenma could have completed it alone. Even if the four locations were spread across the island, he could connect them through his Zanpakuto's ability.

As the Uchiha condensed their Spiritual Pressure one after another, they gave Kenma an extraordinarily immense return.

In a short time, he had already reached Third-Class Spiritual Might.

Solidly at captain level!

He had more than enough Spiritual Pressure to squander.

That was why he had never planned to bring so many people along in the first place.

But since they had followed him here, Kenma assigned them a few tasks so they would at least have something to do.

Participation was what mattered. At least they had not come for nothing.

"Next, form pairs. One person will be responsible for supplying Spiritual Pressure, while the other stands guard. Fugaku, arrange the groups."

"Yes, sir."

After receiving Kenma's order, Fugaku relied on his understanding of his clansmen and made a few quick gestures, dividing them into four groups.

Five or six of the remaining clansmen from the dozen or so were assigned by Kenma to Fugaku.

"Fugaku, take the rest and oversee the situation. Direct things on-site, and support the four locations if necessary."

"This world has all sorts of strange abilities. There may be people capable of interacting with souls."

"Understood." Fugaku nodded, then seemed to realize something and asked with concern, "If so, I fear the guards at your side will be too weak, sir."

"Your strength is extraordinary, sir, so naturally we are at ease. But should you encounter Petty Thugs with bizarre abilities and they accidentally disturb you, that would mean we have failed in our duty as guards. We could not escape blame."

"No need to worry."

Kenma waved his hand and tilted his head toward Shisui at his side.

"With Shisui beside me, who could possibly disturb me?"

"Th-this... understood!"

Though Kenma's expression was calm, Fugaku saw the decisiveness between his brows. It was clear that Kenma would brook no objection, so he could only accept helplessly.

His sharp gaze fell upon Shisui, whose eyes were dim, and Fugaku sternly said, "Shisui, from now on, you alone will remain at the master's side. Do not let your guard down."

"Yes. Shisui will complete the mission."

Although Shisui could not see, he still turned toward the source of the voice and nodded heavily in promise.

Seeing the Uchiha taking things so seriously, Kenma said to Fugaku, "You needn't be so harsh."

Fugaku immediately bowed.

Kenma then looked at Shisui and said, "I'm done using the Sharingan. Prepare to receive it."

"Yes, sir."

As soon as the words fell, Shisui felt a sense of fullness rise within his eye sockets.

He blinked, and the darkness rapidly receded. The world brightened, and every detail of the scene before him once again entered his vision.

Those previously lifeless Eyes had regained their former luster. The windmill-like blade patterns within them slowly turned, radiating an ominous Aura.

"Ah..."

Kenma felt his vision blur. The incredibly clear world before him returned to his original range of sight.

When he looked into the distance again, he could no longer see the faraway Gate of Justice. He could not even make out the Marines in the plaza below.

The stark difference left him briefly unaccustomed to it.

The Sharingan really was incredibly useful.

"Sir, are you all right?"

"Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"

The Uchiha around him noticed Kenma's slight discomfort, concern appearing between their brows.

Kenma waved his hand.

"I'm fine."

"It's just a bit of a gap."