The Summit War Begins

The Navy was fully prepared by early the next morning.

A full hundred thousand Marines had gathered for the operation, all of them elite forces.

The port at Marineford was nearly too crowded to hold them all. Marines filled every inch of space.

"Is all this really just to deal with one pirate crew?"

Fugaku Uchiha stared at the seemingly endless ranks of Marines, finding it hard to believe that so many people had gathered just to deal with a single pirate crew.

He had fought in the Third Shinobi World War and led the Uchiha Clan into battle on the front lines.

Even so, the sheer number of them had shocked him. The Shinobi World simply didn't have that many shinobi.

"That man can easily destroy this island. And once strength reaches a certain level, ordinary numbers like these won't matter."

Uchiha Tamaharu was perfectly calm.

He couldn't fail a single system mission. That was the only way forward.

Like Whitebeard, he couldn't run from this.

"Stick to the plan. Your top priority is staying safe."

Uchiha Tamaharu continued.

He had made arrangements with the Navy. Fugaku, Shisui, and the others would blend in along the wall near his position and use the guns and cannons to help attack the pirates.

They wouldn't be anywhere near the heart of the battlefield, so the Navy had naturally agreed.

"Yes, sir!"

Fugaku and the others replied.

Then they split up and headed in different directions.

They were all dressed in the same colors, but Uchiha Tamaharu wore a cloak, unlike Fugaku and the others.

Their clothes were dark blue and looked much like Konoha's Chunin uniforms. That was only the outer layer, though. The inner fabric could stop ordinary bullets, soften impacts, resist cuts, and provide insulation against both heat and cold, as well as keep out water.

Uchiha Tamaharu also wore a white cloak, much like a Hokage's. Flames patterned the hem, but instead of the Hokages' names on the back, it bore the Uchiha Clan crest.

Uchiha Tamaharu couldn't bring himself to transform in front of so many people, so he had changed in his room beforehand and put the outfit on there.

"They call this the second line, but it's really just the area by the shore. There are only a few cannons up ahead!"

"Execution starts in thirty minutes. Let's stay out of the way and wait for Blackbeard to show up."

Uchiha Tamaharu was led to the area he'd been assigned. The Shichibukai were lined up about twenty or thirty meters apart.

Looking at where he'd been placed, Uchiha Tamaharu felt speechless, though not surprised. There was no way the Navy would trust the Shichibukai enough to tell them the plan in advance.

No wonder they'd added that there might be changes!

The broadcast was already underway. Ace had been brought out of the prison and was being marched toward the Execution Platform.

After a while, Ace appeared. With Seastone Handcuffs on both wrists, he was forced to kneel on the Execution Platform.

Sengoku and Garp appeared behind him. Then they parted, and Sengoku climbed onto the platform.

"There's something I must tell everyone first: the great significance of Portgas D. Ace dying here today!"

"Ace, tell me your father's name."

Sengoku had just arrived when he began speaking through an Amplifying Den Den Mushi.

The Marines below looked up at the Execution Platform in confusion, unsure what was going on.

"My father is Whitebeard!!"

Ace shouted his answer.

But Sengoku immediately rejected it.

"Back then, we searched for the most evil bloodline in the world. That baby was you!"

"Your father was the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger!"

The moment Sengoku finished speaking, absolute silence fell over the crowd.

Everyone watching the broadcast on screens elsewhere wore the same look of shock.

The Shichibukai turned in surprise to stare at Ace on the Execution Platform.

Only Uchiha Tamaharu narrowed his eyes, watching the breach in the distance.

He was eager to save Ace, but he had people of his own he needed to protect.

Sengoku continued explaining how they had found Ace. The reporters watching the broadcast frantically scribbled in their notebooks, eager to turn the news into a story and be first to capitalize on the attention.

"They're here!!"

Before long, a Marine on lookout duty spotted a large number of pirate ships through his telescope and shouted.

"All hands, prepare for battle!"

The Vice Admiral in charge of the harbor immediately issued the order.

Every cannon turned to face the harbor at the center of the bay.

"How strong is the World's Strongest, really?"

Uchiha Itachi stood on the wall, watching the Marines below prepare for battle. He could hardly imagine what kind of being they were about to face.

Shisui and the others kept their eyes on the pirate ships as well.

They were just as curious about what kind of man Whitebeard was.

After all, there weren't many people in this world who could meet him and live to tell the tale!

"It's coming from beneath the sea!"

Shisui was the first to notice something wrong with the water.

The other members of the Uchiha Clan spotted it too.

Only Rob Lucci, Kaku, and the others failed to realize what was happening.

The bubble-coated Moby Dick rose from beneath the sea. Its unexpected entrance left everyone stunned.

"Gurararara!"

"It's been decades, hasn't it, Sengoku!"

Whitebeard slowly stepped onto the bow. Not a soul spoke as he did.

Shisui and the others fixed their eyes on the old man, hoping to see fear in his expression through their Sharingan.

But there was none. All they saw was a wild, confident grin.

Sengoku watched his enemy with a grave expression. But as the Navy's highest commander, he would never back down!

"My dear sons, are you all right?"

Whitebeard continued.

He looked completely at ease, as though the hundred thousand troops before him were nothing more than a swarm of ants.

Not a single Marine below spoke. They all stared tensely at the man.

"He's powerful!"

"I've never felt an aura like his from anyone else."

"Maybe only the legendary God of Shinobi, the First Hokage, had that kind of presence!"

Fugaku spoke with complete seriousness.

When he'd first agreed to take part in the war, he hadn't thought much of it. He had fought on a battlefield before, after all.

But now that he'd seen this man, he was relieved that their mission was to deal with other enemies—not to take him on!

"Focus on the mission and help the Clan Leader. Stay out of everything else!"

Shisui added.

The Uchiha had already put the nearby Marines under genjutsu to prevent trouble and keep things simple.

That was why they could gather and talk. Everyone else was focused on Whitebeard and paid them no attention.

"Gurararara..."

"Wait for me, Ace!"

Whitebeard looked at Ace and smiled with unmistakable affection.

He looked just like a father watching his son get into trouble.

"Pops!!!"

Ace's lips trembled before he shouted without hesitation.

He sounded like a child admitting he'd done something wrong.

Whitebeard planted Murakumogiri in the bow, then clenched both fists and drew them together.

Then he suddenly punched outward in both directions.

The air itself cracked beneath his fists!

Explosions erupted across the sea around Marineford, sending the water surging upward.

The waves rose to more than twice the height of Marineford's walls.

"So this is the World's Strongest's power?"

The Uchiha were stunned by the sight.

They had expected him to be strong from the moment they saw him, but none of them had imagined anything this outrageous.

"The strongest, huh!"

Watching Whitebeard, Uchiha Tamaharu felt his own blood start to boil.

The Summit War was a little drawn out at the start, but I've got the later parts planned. If I left this out, it just wouldn't have the right atmosphere.

Thanks, everyone, for the recommendation tickets and monthly tickets.