Impel Down.
The moment the Gate of Justice opened, the naval transport ship slowly entered the port of Impel Down.
Hancock stood at the bow of the ship, her cloak fluttering in the sea breeze.
She maintained the Pirate Empress's usual haughty demeanor, her chin slightly raised, her eyes filled with disdain for everything around her.
The jailers saw her from afar and immediately stood at attention and saluted—the title of Shichibukai was more effective than any pass in a place like Impel Down.
The transport ship docked. Chief Jailer to him, his face plastered with professional respect.
"Lady Hancock, the handover procedures for the supplies are ready, please—"
"Get out of the way."
Hancock didn't even glance at him and walked straight ahead.
The cloak billowed behind her, perfectly concealing the shrunken shadow beneath it.
Luffy curled up like a ball, covered his mouth with his hands, and didn't dare to breathe.
He could sense the presence of the prison guards outside; there were about twenty of them, all carrying weapons.
Normally, he would have knocked them all away with a single punch, but not now—he came to save Ace, not to fight.
At least not now.
The moment Hancock stepped into the Impel Down, Luffy slipped out from under her cloak.
His body, controlled by the Gum-Gum Fruit, curled into a small ball and moved silently, clinging to the shadows of the corridor ceiling.
Hancock didn't stop walking, and didn't even turn her head; only her lips moved slightly.
"Go."
Luffy darted into the ventilation duct on the side of the corridor.
After he crawled through, the iron fence was gently pulled back into place by rubber fingers, making an extremely faint click.
Hancock's footsteps continued forward, her high heels clicking on the stone slabs with perfect rhythm.
Inside the ventilation duct, Luffy crawled forward using both his hands and feet.
Impel Down's internal structure was more complex than he had imagined—the corridors crisscrossed, and the eerie blue light of the Seastone bars leaked from the iron windows of each cell, making the entire passageway look like a dark, hellish place.
The cries of prisoners could be heard in the distance; some were cursing the guards, some were talking to themselves, and most were just incoherent screams.
Luffy's expression remained tense.
He closed his eyes, his senses penetrating the walls, scanning every cell—
Murderer, pirate, Revolutionary Army, bounty hunter—all sorts of auras mingled together, but none of them possessed Ace's fiery, burning aura.
Luffy frowned.
" Ace... where are you?"
He increased his crawling speed, moving to deeper levels.
Unbeknownst to him, just three hours earlier, a transport ship had secretly left from the other side of Impel Down.
Inside the cabin, Garp stood with his back against the iron door, while Ace, bound by Seastone chains, stood behind him.
"Old man, I'm sorry."
Stop talking nonsense.
There was a ten-second silence.
"I am a navy man."
"I know."
The sound of the escort ship's engine carried far across the sea, leaving a white trail of spray in its wake.
Garp clutched a bag of senbei in his hand, but never opened it.
Impel Down further and further into the distance at the stern of the ship, eventually becoming a small black dot on the horizon.
Meanwhile, Luffy was heading deeper into Impel Down.
But he didn't know that the person he was looking for was no longer in Impel Down.
Marineford.
The morning mist had not yet dissipated, but the outline of the crescent-shaped harbor was already becoming clear in the morning light.
One hundred thousand elite naval troops were arrayed in square formations, covering the entire square.
The white uniforms were neat and uniform, and the bayonets reflected a cold light in the morning sun.
The forts were lined up along the city walls on both sides of the harbor, with the cannons aimed at the harbor entrance.
Fifty warships were arranged in three layers of defense around the harbor, all their guns loaded, and the gunners' fingers on the triggers.
The Execution Platform stood at the highest point of the square, with the Marine Headquarters flag flying from three massive masts, fluttering in the sea breeze.
The Shichibukai arrived one after another.
Doflamingo crouched on the edge of the Execution Platform, his pink feather coat fluttering in the wind, a signature twisted smile playing on his lips.
Judge stood with his arms crossed on the deck of a warship, the patterns on his armor gleaming coldly in the morning light.
Chinjao Pepper sat cross-legged in the corner of the square, like an old monk in deep meditation.
Weevil grinned foolishly as he gnawed on a leg of meat, sauce dripping from his chin onto the floor.
Jinbe stood at the very edge of the Shichibukai formation, arms crossed, silent as a rock.
Hancock turned her face away haughtily, her gaze fixed on a certain point in the distance.
Moria stood somberly in the shadows, having remained silent since the beginning.
The Three Admirals sat side by side on chairs below the Execution Platform.
Akainu crossed his arms, his face as cold and stern as a block of iron.
Aokiji yawned, legs crossed, his eye mask already halfway down.
Kizaru squinted as he wiped his nails, his movements slow and deliberate, as if what was about to begin was not a war but a tea party.
A Sengoku period figure stands on the edge of the Execution Platform, holding Amplifying Den Den Mushi used in the Sengoku ).
"All personnel, listen to my command!"
His voice carried throughout the square through the loudspeakers, and 100,000 people stood at attention at the same time, their footsteps so synchronized that the ground trembled.
Firepower deployment confirmed!
Emergency response team in position!
Live broadcast signal testing - one last time!
The technicians operated the Den Den Mushi for a while, and a piercing feedback tone came from the loudspeaker before it stabilized.
The image of Marineford Square appeared on the screens of every Den Den Mushi) connected to the live broadcast worldwide.
From the Foosha Village in the East Blue to the Hachinosu in the New World, from the island in the sky to the Fish-Man Island in the sea, hundreds of millions of eyes are glued to the screen.
Garp, who had returned to headquarters first, sat alone on the stone steps on the other side of the Execution Platform.
He clutched a bag of rice crackers in his hand for a long time.
The paper bag was crumpled by his fingers, but he didn't open it.
Sengoku turned and glanced at him.
Garp didn't look at him.
Sengoku withdrew his gaze and took a deep breath.
Below the Execution Platform, the morning mist finally dissipated.
The horizon was empty towards the harbor entrance.
There are three hours left until the execution.
One hundred thousand naval personnel stood silently in wait.
The sound of the escort ship's horn as it docked shattered the morning silence of Marineford.
All naval personnel in the port simultaneously stood at attention.
The footsteps were synchronized, and the bayonets rippled like silver waves in the morning light.
Ace was escorted down the gangway by two naval officers. Seastone chains extended from his collar to his wrists and then to his ankles, making a dull metallic clanging sound with each step.
The naval soldiers along the way whispered among themselves.
"That's Fire Fist Ace?"
" The Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates..."
"I heard the reward is 550 million..."
The conversations were hushed, but in the silence of 100,000 people, every word was jarringly clear.
Ace was led up the stone steps of the Execution Platform.
The Seastone chain extended from the collar to the iron ring on the table; the jailer fastened the iron ring, making a crisp click.
He knelt in the center of the Execution Platform, his hands bound behind his back, his knees striking the cold stone slab.
Sengoku stood to his right.
Garp stood to his left.
The two did not make eye contact or speak.
Sengoku looked at the 100,000 marines in the square, Garp looked at the fog on the distant horizon.
If you were to zoom in on Garp's hands at this moment, you would see bulging veins, white knuckles, and nails digging into the flesh of his palms.
Garp clutched the bag of senbei, the paper bag completely deformed from his grip.
This shows how conflicted Garp's feelings were at that moment.