Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Less than three hours until the execution. "Bring the prisoner to the execution platform!!"
Standing at the highest point, Sengoku picked up the receiver and issued the command firmly.
Clatter—!!
The sound of dragging chains echoed. Blackbeard, who had been brought out earlier, looked up at the stairs leading to the platform.
His expression gradually became somewhat manic, which, combined with his bruised and swollen face, made him look quite comical.
My ambition—! My ambition! Is it going to end here?
"Don't dawdle! Move!!" Before Blackbeard could pause, the soldiers behind him shoved him forward.
If they delayed the execution, their wages... would be docked!
Damn it!
Blackbeard gritted his teeth secretly, cursing as he was pushed onto the towering execution platform.
And he, along with his ambition, was watched by the entire world.
He had truly become famous across the seas; the whole world was in a frenzy because of the name [Marshall D. Teach].
"This guy... is the fuse for this war?" Some couldn't believe it—such an ordinary-looking guy. Will Whitebeard... really come to save him?
"Nothing strange about it. This guy is just an ordinary member of Whitebeard's crew, but he's been with Whitebeard for a long time."
"He could be considered an old-timer in the Whitebeard Pirates." Someone with information explained slowly.
Although he also found it hard to accept at first that Whitebeard would choose to go to war with the Marines for an ordinary crew member.
It could only be said... Being around for a long time really lets you do whatever you want.
"Hm? This guy's appearance..." Sitting on the white chair, Atlas looked confused.
Looking at the bruised and slightly wretched Blackbeard, he turned to Aokiji and asked. "I don't think I punched him in the face, did I?"
Setting facts aside, even if he did punch him... Given Blackbeard's constitution, the swelling should have gone down after so many days.
"Arara, I heard from Mr Garp that this guy tried to jump into the sea and escape while being escorted to Marineford."
"Then he got dragged back and beaten up. As for the injuries on his face..." A flash of lingering fear crossed Kuzan's lazy face, as if recalling something painful.
"Mr Garp's fists... I'm sure you know them well."
"That's true..."
...
Meanwhile, at the great undersea prison.
Boom—!
With a massive roar, Impel Down, known as the impenetrable myth, was breached once again. Unlike Shiki's time, this breach came from the outside.
Looking at the hole in front of him, just big enough to accommodate Seagull's massive frame, a long-absent smile appeared on Beckman's face.
That foolish captain could finally return to the free seas.
"Let's go! We need to end this quickly!"
Beckman softly called to Seagull, who was still holding his punching pose. He then took the lead, following the rushing seawater into Impel Down.
Impel Down was enormous, but with Shakky's intelligence, they easily found the blind spots in the guards' patrols and blasted their way in.
So for the moment, no guards had discovered these rats sneaking in. Where did that woman get such accurate intelligence?
After entering Impel Down, Beckman subconsciously looked around. Sure enough, they hadn't been discovered by the guards. He couldn't help but wonder.
Isn't that woman too well-connected?
She knew the layout and defences inside Impel Down like the back of her hand.
"This... should be Level 5 of Impel Down, right?"
Sunbell and Seagull, following closely behind, asked uncertainly.
Although they were present when Shakky revealed the intel, their not-so-bright minds clearly didn't remember it well.
"Correct. But the boss should be imprisoned on Level 6, right?"
Beckman nodded in agreement.
With Shanks's strength, there was a high probability that he was being held in the Level 6 area. So their top priority was to find the passage leading to Level 6.
"Hsss—! As expected of the place known as Freezing Hell."
Upon fully entering Level 5, the trio finally felt the bone-chilling cold unique to Freezing Hell.
However, given their constitutions, they were basically immune to this level of cold. After all, not every piece of ice possessed the absolute zero temperature of Aokiji.
"It should be that way. According to the intel Shakky gave us, there should be a staff elevator over there. Try to avoid the surveillance Den Den Mushi along the way. If you can't, destroy them."
Beckman was smart.
If a large number of surveillance Den Den Mushi on Level 5 were destroyed, it would definitely alert the relevant personnel. It was much more normal for a few to break occasionally.
After all, it wasn't uncommon for a surveillance Den Den Mushi or two to malfunction from time to time.
At most, they would make a note of it and send personnel to repair or redeploy them later.
Meanwhile, on Impel Down Level 4.
Hannyabal, who was dreaming of becoming the Warden, was lecturing his subordinates while standing at the entrance of the staff elevator, pressing the button for Level 5.
"Honestly, that guy Magellan... He definitely doesn't want me to take over my Impel Down, so he made up some excuse about a disturbance on Level 5 to make me go check it out!"
Hannyabal grumbled, venting his strong dissatisfaction with Magellan.
Although he didn't want to admit it, his position as Warden seemed far off in the future.
Ding-dong—!!
With a chime, the elevator doors slowly opened, revealing a dark abyss.
...
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku! An emergency has occurred!"
Suddenly, an alarm sounded from the communications room. A scout ran hurriedly to the bottom of the execution platform, shouting at Sengoku.
Although Sengoku hadn't been formally inaugurated yet, the appointment documents had been issued, so the internal address within the Marines had changed accordingly.
"What?!"
Sengoku frowned, his expression ugly.
"The Gates of Justice opened without anyone issuing an order! And we've lost contact with the power room!"
The scout yelled his report at the top of his lungs.
"Prepare for combat! All hands on alert!"
Sensing something unusual, Sengoku made a prompt decision, his hand quietly reaching for the command button in his pocket.
That was the signal transmitter to send orders to the White Tiger!
"That brat really guessed right..." Sengoku stared straight at the rippling inner bay, muttering to himself.
Impel Down Level 6.
"Mmph... mmph..."
The massive staff elevator slowly opened. Three tall figures stood silently.
On the ground, several bound humanoid shapes squirmed violently, trying to break free from their restraints.
Thud—!!
With a dull thud, the bound figures on the ground stopped struggling and went limp.
"Why not just kill him?" Seagull asked in his booming voice.
"This guy is a high-ranking official of Impel Down. He definitely has a Vivre Card. If his Vivre Card disappears, it will certainly raise an alarm."
Beckman explained to the two as he dragged a beer-bellied man wearing an ancient Egyptian pharaoh's headdress out of the elevator.
This rescue plan absolutely could not afford any mistakes! Any error in detail could increase their risk of discovery.
After hiding Hannyabal and the accompanying guards in a blind spot of the surveillance Den Den Mushi and confirming there were no patrolling guards nearby...
Beckman, Sunbell, and Seagull formally entered Level 6—Eternal Hell!!— the place known for housing the most heinous criminals.
They didn't search cell by cell.
All three were powerhouses proficient in Observation Haki. Spreading their perception across the entire Eternal Hell was more than manageable.
"Found him!!"
The red light in Beckman's eyes faded, and a trace of joy flashed across his impassive face.
As a partner who spent day and night with Shanks, Beckman was naturally more familiar with his life signature than Sunbell or Seagull.
In just a moment, he had locked onto Shanks's location.
"Go! Follow me! We don't have much time left!"
...
Marine Headquarters, Marineford Harbor.
Glug glug glug—!!
Accompanied by a massive bubbling sound, large shadows emerged from underwater. The expressions of all the Marines present grew extremely grave.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku's battle plan hadn't mentioned that these guys would launch a surprise attack from under the sea!!
Splash—!!!
The seawater surged, and the entire inner bay shook violently. Dozens of pirate ships flying various flags suddenly emerged.
"Ice Witch, Whitey Bay, "Maelstrom Spider, Squard, the Decalvan Brothers... One by one, infamous pirates of the New World appeared. And they were without exception, the allied pirate crews under Whitebeard!!
As for the lead ship, which seemed a bit unfamiliar...
The pirate flag was a white skull with claw marks, set against a background of two crossed sabres.
"It's the Red Force of the Red-Haired Pirates! I remember that ship!!"
A Marine Rear Admiral at the front of the harbour said through gritted teeth.
Clearly, he had suffered at the hands of the Red-Haired Pirates before, so he was no stranger to this incredibly familiar ship.
"Red-Haired Pirates? Does Whitebeard's allied fleet include that crew?" Vice Admiral Momonga, standing at the front, turned his head, a trace of doubt in his eyes.
"Vice Admiral Momonga! This... I don't know either. Those guys are very strong, but they only entered the New World last year. They shouldn't have made contact with the Whitebeard Pirates so quickly, right?"
The Rear Admiral said uncertainly.
This Vice Admiral Momonga was one of the newly appointed Vice Admirals at headquarters. He didn't dare show any negligence. Since Sengoku's appointment documents came down, almost all of the Marines had been promoted by one rank.
Except for... that Admiral candidate [White Tiger].
He was originally a Commodore, and the timing was just right, so he was successfully promoted to Rear Admiral.
Although his merits were sufficient long ago, the system still required a certain amount of seniority, unless one's strength was powerful enough.
And this Rear Admiral clearly wasn't that kind of person.
"Vice Admiral White Tiger captured not only Marshall D. Teach but also the captain of the Red-Haired Pirates, [Red-Haired] Shanks."
Beside him, Onigumo, also a newly appointed Vice Admiral, answered expressionlessly.
"Perhaps these guys are here to avenge their captain."
"Pirates, when facing us Marines, can often only rage impotently."
A cold, somewhat disdainful smile appeared on Onigumo's lips.
Rumble—!
Suddenly, roars rang out in the clear blue sky. Massive amounts of flames abruptly appeared in the air, crashing down on the many pirate crews in the crescent harbour!
This was the firepower from the White Tiger!
As soon as the commotion started, Sengoku had quietly pressed the signal device, issuing the attack order to the White Tiger.
Moreover, under the enhancement of Atlas's ability...
Even solid artillery shells fired from the ship were hidden, but the flames created by friction with the air were obviously not covered by the ability.
So, a small portion of the attack was visible to the naked eye.
"This thing... is it some kind of Devil Fruit ability?"
Looking up at the terrifying power falling like meteors, the captains of Whitebeard's allied fleet remained expressionless, their muscles tense.
This kind of trick...
It was too low-level to deal with them!!
Aboard the Red Force.
"Mmph—! Leave this to me!"
Lucky Roux, wearing a blue and white striped shirt, chewed and swallowed the chicken leg in his hand, bone and all. He wiped his greasy hands on his clothes and patted his chest confidently.
Vwoom—!!
As soon as he spoke, Lucky Roux's originally obese body swelled in the wind.
The fat on his body quickly vanished, and like the "Law of Heaven and Earth" in mythology, he instantly grew taller. A massive shadow enveloped everyone on the Red Force.
"Get lost!!"
Taking a slight step back, his mountain-like fist was suddenly coated in a layer of jet-black Haki. His body's fascia was like a great bow drawn to its limit!
Advance! Punch!
Like a thunderclap, a spring thunder exploding, terrifying power vented into the sky!!
The captains of the other Whitebeard-allied crews also demonstrated their abilities.
For a moment, the sound of explosions was incessant, and the entire sky seemed to turn into a boundless purgatory.
Countless small mushroom clouds rose, instantly turning the sky into a dark mass.
"Gurarara~ Beautifully done! We've received your gift, Marines!!"
Just then, a burst of laughter came from beneath the sea in the crescent harbour. The massive Moby Dick broke the surface like a vigorous whale.
Its smooth and graceful form kicked up huge waves, and then, under the shocked gazes of the Marines, it steadily docked on the sea surface.
With this!
The Whitebeard Pirates and their allied fleet were fully assembled!!
"Pops—! Save me—!"
With Whitebeard's appearance, a shrill cry for help came from the towering execution platform.