Once the news of the public execution was announced, it spread across the seas in no time.
This was a deliberate move by Naval Headquarters. Countries around the world—and even the notorious pirates of the New World—could receive updates from Naval Headquarters through Morgans' World Economic News.
One week later, at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, Ace, the captain of the Whitebeard Pirates' 2nd Division, was executed.
"Hey, hey! This is huge. In all my years, I've never seen a public execution before—and the one being executed is Whitebeard's captain!"
"Is this a declaration of war? A direct challenge from Naval Headquarters to Emperor Whitebeard? Otherwise, wouldn't it have been easier for the Marines to secretly dispose of him?"
In Alabasta, Cobra understood the reason for Kain's sudden departure after reading the news. He turned to Igaram beside him and said, "The standing army could also assist him."
Igaram quickly waved his hands in protest. "That's Naval Headquarters, Your Majesty. They would never allow Alabasta's troops to interfere. But if it's just a small team, perhaps Bell and Gacca can be dispatched."
"In that case, I should go instead. My strength has already surpassed Uncle Bell and Uncle Gacca," Vivi said.
After reading the newspaper, Vivi couldn't help but feel disappointed. "If I had known earlier, I would have stayed by Mr. Kain's side. I really wish I could witness this monumental event."
New World.
The sea seemed to fall silent, as though an invisible weight had pressed it into a Calm Belt—still, unmoving.
Over 40 large pirate ships had gathered in the area. Each one was captained by a well-known pirate of the New World—powerful figures who even Vice Admirals of the Marines would treat with caution.
After checking their numbers, Marco turned to Whitebeard. "Father, everyone's here. Should we gather them for a few words?"
"Kuhahaha! No need. Let's head straight for Marineford!" Whitebeard's laughter boomed, echoing across the sea like a battle cry. It felt as though his spirit alone could stir the waters and usher in a new wave in the Age of Exploration.
After laughing, Whitebeard took a large gulp of wine and added, "If I look at them any longer, I might let them go home. Kuhahaha! My sons may be stubborn, but they'll never back down from this."
"Isn't that what you taught us, Dad? We're just following your example," Marco replied with a smile. But after a short pause, his expression turned serious. "Dad… why didn't you agree to join forces with the Beasts Pirates?"
The upcoming war was dangerously stacked against the Whitebeard Pirates. Rumor had it the Marines had purchased powerful new weapons and cannons from Shichibukai Mage—ones capable of wiping out the Nine Snake Pirates in mere moments.
They'd even acquired more through other secret channels.
And Fish-Man Island, after all, was under Whitebeard's protection.
After seeing the devastating weapons and magical commodities provided by the Kain Chamber of Commerce, Marco's heart grew heavy. He couldn't help but wonder if it would have been wiser to set aside old grudges and form an alliance with the Beasts Pirates.
"Marco, don't say such foolish things! You'll only make Ace and me feel worse!" Whitebeard's voice thundered as he shut down Marco's suggestion.
Even before Naval Headquarters had officially made their move, the Four Emperors could sense the shift in Marine strategy. They'd recalled their main forces from the New World and adopted defensive positions.
Admiral Akainu had returned to Naval Headquarters, the Seven Warlords of the Sea had been summoned, and Marine fleets loitered ominously nearby.
All signs pointed to one thing—Naval Headquarters was preparing for a massive operation.
And the target... was them.
The Beasts Pirates wanted to join the fun, but based on Whitebeard's understanding of Kaido, it was clear he had spotted some personal gain in this war.
He intended to push the Whitebeard Pirates to the frontlines while the Beasts Pirates reaped the benefits from behind.
He looks like a hero—but he's actually just opportunistic.
If it weren't for too many complications back then, when Oden died, the Whitebeard Pirates would've attacked Wano. Ace wanted to go after Kaido too, for the sake of Wano. But Whitebeard stopped him.
Whitebeard would never cooperate with someone like Kaido. He wanted to live by his own code. If things got messy, he'd rather change the plan—capture all Marine officers in the New World while the Vice Admirals were away—and trade them for Ace's life.
But he couldn't bring himself to do that. Sengoku knew it too—he knew Whitebeard wasn't that kind of man. That's why he issued a public challenge.
"Let's go, Whitebeard Pirates!"
Whitebeard stood tall on the bow of the Moby Dick, shouting the order to set sail.
"Aww yeah! Attack Marineford, save Ace!"
"Let's show the Marines what we're made of!"
The captains raised their swords, echoing their father's roar. They were the mightiest pirate crew on the seas. Even if their opponent was the Marine force itself, fear was not in their blood.
Their courage resonated across the fleet and converged on the man standing at the ship's bow—Whitebeard—the symbol of an era.
Marineford
Ever since the news broke, Sengoku had been working tirelessly. They were about to face the strongest pirate in the world.
As someone who had clashed with Whitebeard dozens of times, no one understood his power better than Sengoku. Whitebeard lacked ambition. His greatest dream was to protect his family. If he'd wanted it, he could've become the next Pirate King long ago.
Naval Headquarters had deployed the newly purchased P-3 howitzers next to their existing cannons.
Due to tight production timelines, the Kain Chamber of Commerce didn't have enough shells to fully supply them—but they had enough to threaten the Whitebeard Pirates during the initial clash.
Even with most of the Marine forces assembled, Sengoku still wasn't confident of victory.
As the day approached, a dark cloud seemed to loom over Marineford.
A heavy, suffocating tension settled over the base. This was a war that could change the shape of the world.
The residential area behind Marineford had been completely evacuated—now, only combat personnel and logistics staff remained. No civilians. No one unsure of their resolve.
"Hey, this is Sengoku. What's going on with the surveillance ship? Lost contact again? Keep searching, and don't let your guard down!"
"Marineford—continue monitoring the Big Mom Pirates. Are they still having their tea party? Good. Keep watching. If even one pirate ship goes missing, track it immediately!"
"This is Sengoku—what's going on with the Beasts Pirates? Two of their ships have left the area. Why wasn't I informed immediately? Get the nearby branches to dispatch surveillance ships—find out where those two ships are headed!"
After finishing his call through the Den Den Mushi, Vice Admiral Tsuru—calm and composed as always—said quietly, "Take a break, Sengoku. You've done everything you can."
"It's not enough. We're up against Whitebeard," Sengoku replied, taking a deep breath. Arms folded, fingers tapping, his mind kept running through possible gaps in their strategy.
From the corner, Garp crunched on a senbei and muttered, "This is just how Sengoku is, Tsuru. Don't bother trying to stop him. He won't rest until all his hair turns white."
"It's not all because of you, Garp!" Sengoku shouted, but quickly gave up on arguing with him.
This was a critical moment for the Marines. If they could completely eliminate the Whitebeard Pirates, they would gain a stronger foothold in the New World, shift their attention to the West and North Blue, and finally split the Grand Line in two.
That would significantly weaken pirate influence. With the Red Line acting as a barrier and Marine dominance spreading, the pirates of East Blue and South Blue would no longer have a clear path forward.
Between the Marine forces, the Shichibukai, and their upgraded weaponry, this was their best shot.
Victory was within reach.
Kain Chamber of Commerce
Staying at Naval Headquarters all the time wasn't very interesting. After leaving a Shadow Clone behind, Kain used Apparition to return to Rain City.
Taking advantage of the calm before the war, Kain extracted the Devil Fruit abilities from Kid and Apu, creating two superhuman ability serums.
Then he killed them outright, planning to exchange their bodies for a reward once the Summit War was over.
"Boss."
Noticing Kain's return, Nico Robin walked alone to the underground laboratory, waiting to report something once he came out.
"There are a few bounty hunters with decent talent. I think they're worth recruiting. But after our intel team looked into them, something odd came up. Every place they've mentioned being at was wiped out by pirates… and the time gap between those attacks is less than a month."
"Quite the coincidence?"
Robin nodded. "Too much of one. I remember Boss Ni has a truth serum. Their strength is good—if there's nothing shady going on, with some training, they could reach the level of Wappa and the others."
Kain waved it off. "No need for that. Just bring them to me. I'll judge for myself."
"I'll bring them down, then."
After Robin went upstairs to bring them in, Kain took his seat at the head of the underground conference table, waiting.
When the group arrived, Kain caught a flash of surprise in their eyes as they laid eyes on him.
"Boss, these three bounty hunters are from South Blue," Robin said. "Rob Lucci, Kaku, and Jabra. All of them are well-known in the first half of the Grand Line."
Kain chuckled. "Of course they are. After all, they're CP9 elites. Throwing them into the bounty hunter world is overkill, right, Rob Lucci?"
As soon as Kain spoke, the pupils of the three men shrank in shock. Without hesitation, they attacked Nico Robin, attempting to use her as a hostage to escape. They didn't know how their cover had been blown—but threatening a hostage seemed their best bet.
Beep!
A blinding flash of lightning struck.
Just as the trio moved, chains of electricity wrapped around their limbs. No matter how fast their martial arts were, they were no match for lightning.
Trying to take someone hostage in front of Kain? That was laughable.
"Ghhh—!"
"Aghhh!"
The lightning surged through their bodies at a million volts. Within seconds, Rob Lucci, Kaku, and Jabra collapsed to the ground, scorched and twitching. Kaku and Jabra lost consciousness, while only Lucci remained barely awake.
"So, they were CP9. Did they come for me?"
"Who knows? Last I heard, they were stationed at Water 7," Kain muttered. "The World Government really does have a death wish… they still think they're gods."
He sneered and turned to Robin.
"Lock them up. I'll have a use for them later."
…
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