Marineford, at the Marine Headquarters.
"What!!!"
Amidst the constant roar of cannon fire and the screams of countless dying pirates and Marines, Sengoku's face darkened completely. He listened to the voice coming from the Den Den Mushi. Veins bulged on his forehead, and he clenched the device tightly in his hand.
This stunned Garp and Ace, who were standing nearby on the execution platform.
"What's wrong, Sengoku!?" Garp asked, a feeling of unease rising in his heart.
Sengoku didn't speak. He simply put away the Den Den Mushi and stared at the battlefield in front of them.
The war between the Marines and the Whitebeard Pirates was already intense. At this moment, even Whitebeard himself had entered the fray. The collapsed Marineford building behind Sengoku was proof of the chaos.
Yet, despite Whitebeard's actions, the Whitebeard Pirates had fallen into a clear disadvantage against the now serious Three Admirals.
"Sorry, but we can't let you take another step forward!" declared Admiral Akainu, Admiral Aokiji, and Admiral Kizaru.
They stood like three impenetrable walls against all the Whitebeard Pirates. The only person in the entire pirate crew who could fight these three equally was Whitebeard himself.
As for Marco and Diamond Jozu, after Kizaru and Aokiji got serious, they immediately found themselves at a disadvantage.
"Phoenix Marco, this old man is very curious, is your ability truly immortal?" Kizaru mocked.
"Biu!!!"
Countless golden light rays pierced through Marco's body, which was covered in blue flames. Despite his powerful regenerative abilities, Marco still coughed up blood after being hit. He was then sent crashing onto the ice by Kizaru's light-speed kick.
As for Diamond Jozu, a painful scream escaped his mouth. The entire lower half of his body, which had been turned into diamond, was completely frozen.
Aokiji appeared beside Jozu, and a blade of ice pierced through Jozu's body. "Ara la la, it seems even diamonds can't withstand freezing!" Aokiji remarked casually.
"Ah!!!"
"Captain Marco!!!"
"Captain Jozu!!!"
Seeing this scene, the faces of all the Whitebeard Pirates changed drastically.
And in front of the execution platform, Akainu, whose body was flowing with magma, looked at Yamato and Luffy, who were covered in blood. His tone was chilling as he surveyed the direction of the platform.
"Roger's son, Kaido's daughter, Dragon's son—it truly is incredible that you could become friends. But so what? Do you think you can play the hero just by defeating a few insignificant pirates? You, who carry the bloodline of sin, are destined to remain here today, just like Fire Fist Ace."
Luffy's roar was his simple answer. "I don't care what you say! I'm going to save Ace today!!!"
A panting Yamato looked at Akainu in front of her, then turned to Luffy. "I understand, Luffy-kun. You go on ahead. Even if it costs me my life, I will carve a path for you!" she declared.
On other battlefields, Hawkeye was facing Flower Sword Vista, Doflamingo was facing Crocodile, Moriah was fighting Jinbe, and Kuma was facing Ivankov and Bonney.
"Dad, please wake up!!!" Bonney cried out, tears filling her eyes as she watched her father continuously attack Ivankov.
"Fufufufufu, it's useless!" Doflamingo watched the scene, letting out a chilling laugh. "He has already been modified into a weapon of war by Vegapunk. He has forgotten who you are now."
"I… I don't believe it!!!" Bonney immediately rushed and stood in front of Ivankov.
And Kuma, who was about to attack, seemed to trigger some internal program upon seeing this. His body twisted as if malfunctioning, and he suddenly stopped his attack.
"Oh, was the modification incomplete?" This surprised Doflamingo somewhat.
Just then, a chubby boy carrying a huge axe rushed over. He looked at Kuma, who seemed to be suffering a program conflict, then at Bonney, and roared with a grim expression.
"Bonney, why are you here? Damn Sentomaru, what exactly did Vegapunk do to my dad?" Bonney immediately flew over and grabbed Sentomaru, questioning him upon seeing a familiar face.
Just then, a Pacifista identical to Kuma appeared. Its gaze fell upon Bonney next to Sentomaru, and it immediately launched an attack.
"Target found: Jewelry Bonney, launching attack!!!"
But before its golden light could be fired, a massive explosion occurred on its head. It was Kuma, who had been modified into a weapon, seeming to have momentarily regained some consciousness. A "Paw-Paw Shock" destroyed the Pacifista's head, and at the same time, he spoke in a gentle voice.
"Bonney!!!"
This scene made many people's gazes complex. Only Doflamingo smiled, saying, "What a touching father-daughter bond!"
On the other side, Smoker, spitting blood, looked at Empress Boa Hancock, who was blocking him and the Pacifista, with a grim expression. "Boa Hancock, do you know what you're doing? Don't you care about your Warlord (Shichibukai) status anymore?"
"Hmph! I don't care about the Marines or pirates, but I will never allow you to harm Luffy!!!" she declared fiercely.
As for the other Marine Vice Admirals, they were fighting against the other captains of the Whitebeard Pirates. For a time, the battle between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Marines seemed evenly matched, despite the setbacks.
Sengoku, who watched this chaotic scene, frowned deeply and slowly said, "Garp, it seems we have to make our move personally!!!"
Garp's eyes widened sharply.
Why did the Marines dare to publicly execute Ace? Because both Sengoku and Garp knew that the Whitebeard Pirates had no real chance of defeating the Marines. Everything on the battlefield now proved this. Although a few of those Warlord scum were slacking off, as long as Kuzan, Sakazuki, and Borsalino (Aokiji, Akainu, and Kizaru) didn't face any overwhelming opposition, the Whitebeard Pirates simply wouldn't be able to rescue Ace.
The only person they needed to worry about was Whitebeard. Of course, now there was also Kaido's daughter and Garp's grandson creating chaos. However, the problem was still not significant. Whitebeard was clearly old and past his prime. Both Sengoku and Garp were top-tier experts in this world. Even from a distance, they could sense Whitebeard's feigned strength.
This was also why Sengoku had been willing to let Garp stay on the platform. He had estimated that he and Garp wouldn't need to intervene, which would spare Garp from facing an impossible choice between his duty and his family.
But now, things were different.
With a somewhat grim expression from Garp, Sengoku slowly said, "I just received news from the World Government: Kaido of the Beasts appeared at G-1. He brought a Logia-type Devil Fruit user with him. With just one attack, G-1 was wiped off the sea!"
Garp was startled. "Wiped off? What does that mean?"
Sengoku's face was grim as he said, word by word, "It means exactly what it says. G-1 has disappeared from the sea, leaving behind only a massive sinkhole." Here, Sengoku deliberately misled Garp by not telling him that the Marines inside had actually already escaped. But the trick was very effective. Garp, who had been struggling with his emotions, immediately became furious, radiating a terrifying aura.
"And now, Kaido is rushing toward here with Flame Disaster King and that Rumble-Rumble Fruit user," Sengoku added.
Seeing Garp's angry expression, Sengoku knew his goal had been achieved. So, without any hesitation, he picked up the Den Den Mushi and issued a new command.
"Now, immediately proceed with the public execution of Fire Fist Ace ahead of schedule!!!"
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