Ace had been handed over to the Marines by Blackbeard.
In return, Blackbeard had gotten his wish and obtained a position among the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Warring States had only decided on Ace's public execution after careful consideration.
He was referring to the relationship between Ace and Garp. Though Ace was not Garp's biological grandson, Garp's feelings for him were no different from those for a real grandson.
But he could not show favoritism toward Ace because of Garp. This was a matter of stance, with no room for compromise.
Executing Ace was more like raising a banner. Because of his dual identity—both Roger's son and a commander aboard Whitebeard's ship—
executing him would inevitably provoke Whitebeard and all pirates. Given Whitebeard's character, he would certainly not sit idly by on the day of the execution.
This was a rare opportunity. If they arranged things properly, they might very well be able to eliminate Whitebeard, the current world's greatest pirate.
It would deal an unprecedented blow to pirates.
As Fleet Admiral of the Marines, it was his responsibility to do this.
Compared to that, the attack on the Celestial Dragons at the Sabaody Archipelago had become a minor matter.
Of course, that was only what he thought.
If it were up to the Celestial Dragons, nothing was more serious than an attack on themselves.
This was a grave challenge to the authority of the Celestial Dragons and had to be punished severely. As for a war against great pirates, the Marines' honor, or even cracking down on piracy—
what did any of that have to do with the Celestial Dragons?
Some of the major Celestial Dragon families within Mary Geoise had secret dealings with certain great pirates in the New World.
Setting aside everything else, Doflamingo's private dealings