Marineford,
The massive Marine Headquarters stood at its heart, with a harbor stretching thousands of meters inland,
and beyond the harbor lay an endless sea.
Unlike the usual sight of countless warships sailing freely about, the entrance to Marine Headquarters was now completely clear, with only the sea breeze sweeping through.
All the soldiers—fully one hundred thousand Marines—had gathered near Headquarters, arrayed and standing ready.
The Shichibukai, Admirals, and Fleet Admiral stood in orderly rows.
On the platform at the very center, Ace knelt with his head bowed, his face utterly lifeless.
At the same time, he silently prayed, Please, don't come, Pops.
Ace didn't want his crewmates and Pops fighting the Marines for his sake, with countless casualties on both sides.
Beside him stood Sengoku, looking grave, and Garp, wearing an eye patch and showing no expression, as if he wanted nothing to do with the world.
"Report... No trace of the Whitebeard Pirates has been found within several thousand nautical miles..."
Sengoku listened to the latest intelligence, his brows drawing tightly together.
There were only a few hours left before the execution. How could Whitebeard still be nowhere in sight?
Given Whitebeard's nature, there was no way he wouldn't come to rescue Ace!
And yet, as Sengoku surveyed the calm sea, he couldn't find any trace of the Whitebeard Pirates.
"That old man..."
"Really can't be underestimated..."
A sharp glint flashed behind Sengoku's glasses.
Whitebeard had to be on his way. They simply didn't know how he would arrive, so they had to be prepared.
Still, Sengoku wasn't too worried. In the end, a war came down to sheer strength, and most of the Marines' forces were gathered here.
No matter how strong Whitebeard was, he was still just a pirate.
"Begin the execution!"
Sengoku gave the order