On the Execution Platform, Ace looked up at the sky.
He silently prayed in his heart— Luffy, don't come.
Pops, don't come.
He repeated the sentence to himself three times, then lowered his head and closed his eyes.
Sengoku raised his Amplifying Den Den Mushi, a gesture that seemed to freeze the air in the entire plaza.
"Before the execution—there is one thing that must be made public to the world."
The loudspeaker broadcast his voice throughout the square, across the warships, and to every corner covered by the live Live Broadcast Den Den Mushi.
East Blue, Foosha Village.
Makino's tavern was packed with people, all eyes fixed on the old Live Broadcast Den Den Mushi on the wall.
Some people held their wine glasses but forgot to drink, and some people held their cigarettes but forgot to light them.
Makino stood behind the bar, her fingers unconsciously twisting the edge of her apron.
The bandits Dadan and Rouge hid in the shadows of the tavern, silently shedding tears.
Sabaody Archipelago, Shakky's Rip-off Bar. Rayleigh puts down his glass.
Shakky's cigarette fell from the corner of her mouth, landing on the bar and leaving a charred mark. No one spoke.
Alabasta Royal Palace.
Vivi stood on the balcony, covering her mouth with both hands.
King Cobra behind her slowly stood up.
Revolutionary Army Headquarters.
Ryu stood up from his chair, walked to the Den Den Mushi screen, and stared at the young man kneeling on the Execution Platform in the image.
There was no surprise in his eyes, only an overwhelming sorrow.
Sengoku took a deep breath.
His voice, amplified through loudspeakers, resonated throughout the world; every word seemed to strike everyone's eardrums with a hammer.
Portgas D. Ace's biological father is --
pause.
It was only a fraction of a second, but it felt like an eternity.
"--Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King!"
The world fell silent for three seconds.
Then it exploded.
At Marineford Square, the collective gasps of 100,000 sailors merged into a massive sound wave, like a bomb suddenly exploding on the sea.
Roger's son?!
"That Pirate King--?!"
"Still alive—how come he wasn't executed twenty years ago?!"
East Blue, Loguetown.
At the square where Roger was executed, a chaotic uproar erupted from the crowd.
Some gasped, some cursed, and some couldn't believe their ears.
An old pirate with a gray beard slumped in a corner, tears welling up in his cloudy eyes.
" Captain Roger... he even has a son..."
New World, on a winter island.
The Red Hair Pirates ' fleet is sailing through the snowstorm.
Shanks stood at the bow of the ship, the scar on his left eye twitching slightly in the sea breeze.
Beckman, standing behind him, silently smoked his cigarette, saying nothing.
Shanks lowered his head and pressed down on Gryphon at his waist.
The sounds of Sengoku continue in Marineford Square.
"Twenty years ago, we searched the entire world, turned over every island, examined every pregnant woman, and interrogated everyone who might have been connected to Roger —all in an effort to completely eradicate Roger's bloodline."
But we missed one person.
That woman— Portgas D. Rouge —disappeared without a trace after Roger's execution, deceiving the entire world.
The voices of the Sengoku never ceased.
"This child inherited Roger's bloodline and Roger's talent."
He grew up in the East Blue, set sail at the age of seventeen, and within a year rose to fame in the first half of the Grand Line.
He later joined the Whitebeard Pirates and became the Second Division Commander within a few years.
The Sengoku paused for a moment,
Portgas D. Ace – Your very existence is the greatest threat to the world order.
The execution of you here today is of great significance.
Sengoku Amplifying Den Den Mushi) was put down.
The whispers continued in the square, and the soldiers' faces were filled with shock and fear.
Roger's bloodline, the son of the man who once turned the world upside down, is now kneeling before them.
Garp's lips moved. His voice was so low that only Ace could hear it.
" Ace."
Ace did not turn his head.
"Old man."
Garp's throat moved.
Do you hate me?
Ace was silent for a moment. "I don't hate you."
Garp didn't ask why.
His grip on the bag of rice crackers loosened slightly, and the paper bag made a soft rustling sound.
Then he clenched his fist again, and the veins on the back of his hand became even more prominent than before.
Sengoku turned around, preparing to give his final orders to the soldiers in the square.
A sharp bugle call came from the watchtower.
"Report--!!!"
The lookout's voice boomed from the loudspeaker, tinged with obvious panic.
"Large number of pirate ships spotted outside the harbor!"
The pupils of the Sengoku contracted.
All the soldiers in the square turned to look towards the harbor entrance.
In the morning mist, the outline of a ship emerged.
Then came the second, the third, the tenth, and the forty-third.
Forty-three pirate ships, each flying the flag of the Whitebeard Pirates.
The crescent-shaped skull on the flag was particularly glaring in the morning light.
The camera pans across the squadron leaders on each ship.
Marco's arms transformed into blue flame wings, which burned silently in the morning light.
Jozu's body was half-diamond-shaped, reflecting a dazzling light in the sunlight.
Vista drew his twin swords, the blades still glistening with morning dew.
But Whitebeard himself was not on any ship.
The lookout's voice rang out again, this time even more panicked than before.
"Underwater—there's something underwater—!!!"
The water inside the harbor suddenly exploded.
Three huge bubbles rose from the bottom of the water, bursting into a white spray on the surface.
The three flagships Moby Dick, broke through the water, their hulls reflecting iridescent colors in the sunlight, while water droplets cascaded down their sides.
At the bow of the Moby Dick, Whitebeard stands tall.
The hilt of the naginata slammed heavily onto the deck, making a dull thud. The sound wasn't loud, but for some reason, everyone in the square heard it.
"It's been over a decade, hasn't it, Sengoku?"
The corners of the Whitebeard's mouth turned up slightly.
"My dear son—are you alright?"
The Sengoku did not answer.
Whitebeard didn't need his answer.
He thrust the naginata into the deck, clenched his fists, and simultaneously pounded the air to the left and right.
The power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit was activated with a roar.
The atmosphere shattered like glass.
Cracks spread outwards from his fist, making a piercing cracking sound.
The sea level began to slope downwards from the horizon, with giant waves hundreds of meters high rising simultaneously from both sides, forming an arc that enveloped the entire Marineford Square.
The shadow of the waves covered the 100,000 sailors in the square, the Execution Platform, and the Three Admirals.
Whitebeard stood in the shadow of the wave, still in a punching stance, a contemptuous smile on his lips.
The moment Whitebeard pounded the air with his fists, the whole world trembled.
The atmosphere shattered like glass, cracks spreading outwards from his fist with a piercing cracking sound.
The sea in Marineford Harbour tilts from the horizon, as if a table has been overturned and suddenly collapsed.
Giant waves, hundreds of meters high, rose simultaneously from both sides, their crests casting shadows that blotted out the sky.
It covered the entire Marineford fortress.