The Marine warship smoothly docked at the Marineford port.
Under the gaze of countless onlookers, Ian, holding Hancock's hand, calmly walked down the gangplank.
The moment he stepped onto the plaza ground, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, standing on the execution platform, issued the command he had prepared long ago via den den mushi.
"All forces—"
"Salute!"
Boom—
In the plaza, one hundred thousand elite Marines raised their hands in a perfectly synchronized salute, shouting in unison:
"Greetings, Saint Ian!"
The unified roar of one hundred thousand people spread to every corner of the world through the live broadcast den den mushi camera.
At the Sabaody Archipelago, the previously bustling square instantly fell silent; everyone was completely stunned by the scene on the screen, which resembled the arrival of a monarch.
The next second, a fervent uproar erupted.
"Saint Ian!"
"Saint Ian has personally come to the battlefield!"
Mock Town and the nearby islands.
The residents, once shrouded by the shadow of pirates and living in fear day after day, were now gathered in front of the town's only giant screen.
When they saw the man who had previously used thunderous methods to wipe out all the pirates on the island and grant them new life and peace appear on the screen, everyone went wild.
"It's that adult!"
"It's him! He has come to end this era of sin!"
An elderly man could no longer suppress his excitement; hot tears streamed from his cloudy eyes as he tremblingly knelt towards the screen and heavily kowtowed.
Led by the old man, the surrounding populace, regardless of gender or age, faced the broadcast camera, showing reverence and worship, their expressions devout and fanatical.
They didn't understand the Great Pirate Era, or the Four Emperors; they only knew that the man on the screen had brought them peace... Marineford, the Plaza.
Beside the execution platform, in the formation of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Hawkeye Mihawk held his Black Blade Yoru, his gaze as calm as an ancient well, seemingly indifferent to everything before him.
Gekko Moriah showed an evil smile, filled with a morbid anticipation for this grand war.
Only Doflamingo, beneath his signature sunglasses, stared intently at Ian, who was slowly approaching, his breathing unconsciously quickening slightly.
That composure, that authority, and the scene of one hundred thousand elite Marines saluting, made his blood boil.
He had thought that becoming a Shichibukai and maneuvering between major powers in the underworld as 'Joker' was glorious enough, but compared to Ian before him, his own achievements seemed like child's play.
Just as Doflamingo's heart was churning, Ian's footsteps suddenly stopped.
Ian's gaze traveled across the distance of several dozen meters and landed precisely on Doflamingo.
Doflamingo's heart skipped a beat.
"Doflamingo."
Ian's voice was not loud, but it clearly reached Doflamingo's ears, "Do you want to return to the Holy Land?"
This sudden question instantly froze the expression on Doflamingo's face, leaving his mind momentarily blank.
After a few seconds, he reacted, his mouth uncontrollably stretching into a grin, widening further and further, until he finally let out his signature, yet more maniacal than ever, laugh.
"Fufufu... Fufufufufu!"
"Saint Ian, you have truly given me an offer I cannot refuse."
Ian smiled, as if speaking of a trivial matter: "The Donquixote Family in the Holy Land is unfit for the task. If you are willing, after the Marineford War concludes, This Young Master will personally take you back and let you become the sole Young Master of the Holy Land's Donquixote Family."
"Fufufu! I hope Saint Ian keeps his word." Doflamingo's laughter was filled with uncontrollable ambition and desire.
Ian's smile was meaningful, "That depends on how you perform in the upcoming war."
He paused, as if suddenly remembering something, and casually added: "Oh, and a word of warning."
"If nothing unexpected happens, your partner Kaido might also come to the War to join the fun."
As the words fell, Doflamingo's maniacal laughter abruptly stopped, and the expression on his face instantly froze.
Kaido is coming too?
Is Saint Ian forcing him to choose between Kaido and returning to the Holy Land to take over the Donquixote Family?
Ian no longer paid attention to the petrified Doflamingo; his gaze moved away from him and turned toward the Three Admirals seated atop the execution platform.
His eyes briefly swept over Kuzan and Borsalino without stopping, finally landing on Sakazuki in the center.
Ian gave Sakazuki a subtle nod.
The muscles on Sakazuki's eternally stern magma face seemed to tighten for a moment, and he immediately stood up, faced Ian, and offered a salute.
Seeing this, Ian, as if having completed his inspection, held Hancock's arm and walked straight across the massive plaza into the magnificent Marineford Headquarters building.
Soon, the two arrived at the Fleet Admiral's office.
"Young Master, why are we here?"
Hancock looked around the office and cautiously asked: "Once the war begins, this Headquarters building is likely to collapse from the effects of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power."
"No matter!"
Ian pulled Hancock into his arms, gazing at the entire Marineford Plaza through the floor-to-ceiling window, and said lightly: "This Young Master has already foreseen the trajectory of this war!"
Having said that, Ian narrowed his eyes, and his extreme Observation Haki silently released, instantly covering the entire Marineford territory.
After a brief few seconds, Ian suddenly opened his eyes, and a curve appeared at the corner of his mouth, "Just as I foresaw, the Whitebeard Pirates have decisively chosen to sneak toward Marineford's inner bay by submerging underwater!"
Hearing this, Hancock immediately fixed her gaze on the Marineford inner bay outside the window.
At the same time.
Outside Marineford, deep beneath the sea.
It was completely silent here; the sunlight could not penetrate, and only the faint light emitted by the coated ships illuminated the dark surrounding seawater.
Over forty massive pirate ships, like lurking deep-sea behemoths, silently approached the Marineford inner bay.
On the deck of the leading ship, the Moby Dick, the atmosphere was extremely tense.
A dozen or so division commanders, led by Marco, Jozu, and Vista, stood solemnly.
Suddenly.
Whitebeard, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them.
He slowly stood up, and his massive physique carried an unparalleled sense of oppression, even with such a simple movement.
Holding the Supreme Grade Great Sword 'Murakumogiri,' he looked up at the sky separated by the seawater above his head.
After a brief few seconds of silence, his thundering voice boomed in the quiet deep sea.
"All ships surface!"
"Prepare for battle!"
—