The young man's hands and feet were shackled. With every step, the chains made a crisp clanking sound.
Seeing the young man being led over, bound and restrained, Fugaku and the others immediately recognized him.
"It's the young man who was being escorted on the warship before."
"He must be the target of this execution, Fire Fist Ace."
"So young..."
Even if the Uchiha didn't have the Mangekyo, they still had the exceptionally good three-tomoe, and their eyesight far surpassed that of ordinary people.
They had already seen the young man who had caused this great war between the navy and the pirates long before the warship had docked.
Now, observing him up close, he looked incredibly young, probably not even twenty.
To be executed at such a young age, anyone would feel a sense of pity for someone in the prime of their youth.
Fortunately, they had come.
And they had brought the chance to live again.
Although the death of the physical body was regrettable, at this moment, it was no longer the only outcome.
Ace knelt down, chained to the execution platform.
The executioners revealed their instruments, verified his identity, and stood by his side.
After a moment, two more figures walked up the path behind the execution platform.
One had grayish-white hair, an aged face, and a stitched scar at the corner of his eye.
The other, though also old, had a solemn and serious expression. He wore a seagull-shaped hat and a pair of round, black-framed glasses on his nose, giving him an air of wisdom.
The two exchanged a few words and then separated. The man in the seagull hat walked up to the execution platform.
Combining the information Kenma had given them, Fugaku and the others recognized this person's identity at a glance.
The Fleet Admiral of the navy, the largest and most powerful force in this world, the wise general, Buddha Sengoku!
Although not as outwardly domineering as the Three Admirals from before, he still had a calm and composed aura that was reassuring.
Seeing him now, he indeed had a certain presence.
"So, the old marine with gray hair just now was the Marine Hero, Vice Admiral Garp?"
"It must be. He's the only one in the entire navy who would dare to speak to the Fleet Admiral on such equal terms."
"He's also the grandfather of the young man about to be executed!"
The Uchiha discussed their thoughts with each other.
After stepping onto the execution platform, Sengoku's eyes moved, and he looked around with a vigilant expression.
Fugaku and the others were secretly alarmed.
"Did he... sense us?"
"No, that shouldn't be possible. Even if he has a rare devil fruit ability, he is still a living person."
"It's probably some kind of intuition, or the feeling of being watched."
"Quick, look away."
At Fugaku's reminder, the men quickly turned their heads, not looking at the vigilant old Fleet Admiral.
After looking around and finding nothing, a hint of confusion appeared on Sengoku's face, which vanished in an instant as he continued to walk towards Ace.
He asked for a Den Den Mushi from a person beside him, and then a harsh, screeching sound echoed across the square.
While listening to Sengoku explain the significance of this public execution, the Uchiha's attention was more focused on the snail in his hand.
"So that's a Den Den Mushi. It can actually transmit sound."
"It's similar to technology like walkie-talkies and speakers... but what's the principle? How can a living creature be linked with mechanical technology?"
"Another world... is truly wondrous."
"I wonder if we can bring it back to the Soul Society."
While the Uchiha were full of curiosity, the two main characters on the execution platform, Sengoku and Ace, were in a confrontation. Sengoku was questioning Ace, asking him to state his father's name.
But Ace considered Whitebeard his father.
Seeing that Ace refused to say his biological father's name, Sengoku spoke directly into the Den Den Mushi, facing the one hundred thousand elite marines and everyone watching the live broadcast, and said the name.
"Your father is the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger!!"
Sengoku's slightly hoarse voice echoed across the square and through the broadcast.
When the Pirate King's name was spoken, everyone who was watching this public execution was instantly shocked by this astounding news.
Even the Uchiha were quite astonished, as it was beyond their expectations.
They all looked at the stubborn-faced Ace, who was gritting his teeth.
"...A mother pregnant for 20 months, how is that possible?"
"Unbelievable, this person is the child of that Pirate King!"
"No wonder the navy is making such a big move, even to the point of going to war with an Emperor."
They had never heard this from Kenma.
Regarding the man whose last words had brought about a great change in this world, the Uchiha had either despised, admired, or felt moved after hearing about him.
They had thought it was a distant story, but they never expected the connection to be so close at this moment.
"20 months... the Pirate King... this is truly an unexpected development."
Shisui's mouth was slightly agape as he looked at the still-calm Kenma.
"My lord, you must have known about this all along?" Shisui gave a bitter smile. "I didn't think you had such a wicked sense of humor, knowing but not telling. Lord Fugaku and the others must be very surprised now."
Compared to Ace's identity, Shisui was more concerned about the personality his master was subtly revealing.
To think that under this serious and stern exterior, there was such a side to him.
While shocked, it also made Shisui feel a little at ease.
"Some things are more impactful when you experience them yourself."
Kenma's words were an admission that he had deliberately concealed it.
Shisui's brow suddenly furrowed. He turned to look at the distant sea in front of him. The excellent vision of his Mangekyo Sharingan allowed him to see the distant situation with perfect clarity.
Through the hazy sea fog, the figures of ships of various shapes and sizes appeared.
These ships sailed from the distance, gradually approaching. The black flags with various skull designs, the ferocious-looking pirates standing on the decks...
All of it was reflected in Shisui's eyes.
Seeing Shisui's action, Kenma understood what was happening and asked, "What's going on?"
"My lord, a large group of pirate ships... the pirates' grand fleet has appeared."
"Shisui, lend me an eye."
As his voice fell, Kenma opened his eyes again. His right eye had become Shisui's Mangekyo.
Feeling the huge difference in vision between his two eyes, Kenma felt a little uncomfortable and immediately closed his own black eye.
Using Shisui's Mangekyo to look into the distance, he saw, as expected, a fleet of pirate ships breaking through the waves.
The great pirate fleet under Whitebeard's command!
But Kenma only glanced at it before his gaze fell on the center of the crescent-shaped bay.
There, a series of dense bubbles were rising from the surface of the sea.
Shisui followed Kenma's line of sight and saw shadows lurking under the water, a jolt of surprise in his heart.
"There's something under the sea!"
"Could it be..."
Boom!
A large ship leaped out of the water. The hull was covered in a layer of bubbles. As the ship leaped out, the bubbles burst and disappeared, revealing the ship's appearance.
The bow was in the shape of a white whale. A black pirate flag hung on the ship, with Whitebeard's skull and crossbones design on it.
A commotion immediately broke out among the marines below.
But before the marines' surprise could end, the sea surged again, and three more large ships emerged from the water, also flying Whitebeard's flag.
"My lord, this is..."
"Yes, Whitebeard is coming."
Kenma still looked at the four large ships in the bay and the pirates who had appeared on them.
"The war is about to begin!"
"Watch this great war closely. This will be Whitebeard's final curtain call."
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]