Marine Headquarters, the Fleet Admiral's Office.
"Sengoku, why are you doing this? I won't accept it!!"
Garp had abandoned his usual jovial manner. His face was dark.
Sigh...
Sengoku sat in his chair and sighed. "This isn't just a simple pirate execution. This concerns justice throughout the world. I hope you can understand."
As Garp's old friend, how could he not know what Garp was thinking at that moment?
But Ace was no ordinary pirate. His background was extraordinarily powerful.
Publicly executing Ace would deter the world's pirates and restore the civilians' faith in the Marines.
The world would also regain its stability through this execution.
Ever since the Great Pirate Era began, the World Government had been looking for an opportunity to strike at the pirates' confidence.
Now that one had finally appeared, they naturally intended to make full use of it.
If they successfully executed Ace and defeated the Whitebeard Pirates, it would undoubtedly be a tremendous blow to the pirates.
Garp stared hard at Sengoku for a long while before turning and leaving, looking somewhat forlorn.
But his hands were clenched tightly, his knuckles pale.
Watching Garp's retreating back, Sengoku said, "You're one of the people involved, too. You're also a Marine, wearing a cloak bearing the word 'Justice'!
"Garp!! You bear a great deal of responsibility for Golden Emperor Ace's birth, too."
Garp stopped at those words. His lips moved slightly, but in the end, he said nothing.
He stepped forward and headed outside.
Inside another enormous office at Marine Headquarters.
"It's only Whitebeard. Is there any need to get this worked up? Kishishishishi."
A man who looked like a giant shallot said this as he watched the flustered Marines coming and going.
The man had his feet propped on the desk in front of