At this moment, Elior's ship had a total of ten people onboard.
"There were two more absolute powerhouses on this ship. Even though I know they're only temporary passengers, their presence is suffocating… especially that skinny old man. He looks as shriveled as a dead tree, yet feels unimaginably powerful. This... this truly is the strength of the old era."
Urouge sighed with emotion.
Meanwhile, the three Supernovas huddled together on the other side of the ship, feeling immense pressure from the terrifying figures aboard.
Hawkins muttered,
"They're far too strong. Only our mysterious and powerful captain can suppress these legends."
"Agreed."
Both Urouge and Law nodded. In the Elior Pirates, former enemies like them could only become teammates.
However, aboard Elior's ship, fighting between crew members was strictly forbidden. Sparring for practice was allowed, but real fights were not.
Unlike the Rocks Pirates of old — who, despite being monstrously powerful and even surpassing the Roger Pirates, fell apart due to internal conflicts driven by greed and a lack of camaraderie—Elior would never allow that to happen to his crew.
For now, the Elior Pirates were relatively harmonious. That said, Bullet constantly sought a chance to challenge Elior, just as he had challenged Roger back in the day.
Still, Bullet acknowledged that Elior stood above him now—otherwise, he wouldn't bother calling him "Captain."
Shiryu and Crocodile felt the same. Elior was far more reliable than most. Even Law and the others agreed that Elior was surprisingly easy to talk to.
This man was strangely approachable—always smiling, seemingly harmless.
But… could anyone believe that this was the man who defeated Kaido?
Regardless, it was an undeniable fact — he was a monster-level fighter with overwhelming power.
"What's that old man doing now?"
Law and the others suddenly noticed that World was hauling... a cannon. Yes — a full-sized cannon slung over his shoulder!
"Haven't used this ability in decades... Can you believe I've basically been in hibernation for thirty years? Time flies... The Roger Era is long gone. Now it's the age of the Yonko."
The cannon had been dismantled directly from Elior's ship. The vessel itsgarpelf wasn't a brand-new build; it had been parked at Beehive Island for years. Losing a cannon or two wasn't a big deal.
"The More-More Fruit... it's said to be terrifying. It can increase the size and speed of anything it touches hundreds of times, right?" Shiryu asked.
World laughed proudly. "If I fully awaken the powers of my More-More Fruit, a single cannon shot could rival the firepower of the ancient weapon Pluton!"
Elior smiled. "I'm looking forward to your awakening. They say both Paramecia and Zoan types can awaken their fruits."
Bullet folded his arms.
"Speaking of which, the development of my Clank-Clank Fruit has already reached its peak. I feel like I'm close to awakening. When that happens, my strength will become even more terrifying."
Bullet's Clank-Clank Fruit hadn't awakened yet, but Elior knew that in the original timeline, it awakened two years later. If Bullet unlocked it now, he could fuse with the entirety of Marineford, turning himself into a super-giant capable of wiping out everyone.
"Hahaha! Watch closely, brats! Let me show you the power of the old era!"
BOOM!
World fired a cannonball—a black, bowling ball-sized sphere—straight toward the sea.
Roughly ten meters out, the cannonball suddenly expanded, swelling over fifty times its original size!
"This is with my ability cranked up fifty times!" World announced proudly.
KA-BOOM!
The cannonball exploded over 200 meters away, unleashing a thunderous blast. The shockwave sent monstrous waves across the sea, shaking the vessel violently. It felt as if a tsunami were about to erupt.
"Monster..." Urouge gasped, holding onto the ship as it rocked wildly. Had they not braced themselves, anyone might have been thrown overboard.
Law narrowed his eyes. "No wonder they call him the World Destroyer. This ability... it's the stuff of nightmares."
"Fifty times is just a warm-up" World grinned. "I haven't used it in so long that I need to get the feel back. At full strength, I can multiply an object's size and speed by one hundred times. I just need to warm up."
He shook his head slightly. The world had changed. People had changed. A trace of melancholy flashed across his face—but no one noticed.
Before being imprisoned, World was nearly fifty. Now, thirty years later, he was pushing eighty.
Elior turned toward another figure. "What about you, Redfield? Not planning to show off a little?"
"No need" Redfield replied coldly. A loner by nature, he disliked interacting with others — especially since, to someone of his age, even World was still a junior. As for Elior, a boy? Barely a child in his eyes.
World grinned. "So how long until we reach Marineford? I'm getting impatient. It's been forever since I've seen Garp and Sengoku!"
"By the way" Elior asked curiously, "which admiral captured you?"
"Garp and Sengoku. Together."
Another iconic duo. Truly legendary figures of the Marine. They had joined forces countless times to capture pirates. Even Bullet was taken in by their hands.
Redfield... well, he had escaped capture from Garp many times.
Having so many of the Marine's former headaches gathered on his ship now, Elior could feel the heavy pressure of what was to come.
Crocodile glanced at the time.
"The execution is scheduled for 3 PM. Are we going to make it in time? It'd be a shame if we got there after it was already over."
Shiryu grinned.
"This battle... is what will push the Captain into the ranks of the Yonko."
"Truly exciting."
Crocodile smirked at Bullet.
"So, Bullet... Ace is Roger's son. What do you think? Planning to save him?"
Bullet sneered.
"Hmph. Following a man like Whitebeard, who lacks ambition... disgraceful. Nowhere near Roger's level. Whitebeard... the man closest to the throne, yet with no ambition, playing father to a pack of losers. I have no idea why anyone would tie themselves down like that."
...
Meanwhile, on Marineford...
"Fire Fist Ace... is actually Roger's son?!"
"How?! How could he have survived?!"
"Back then, countless babies and pregnant women were slaughtered just to erase Roger's bloodline... and yet—!"
"He survived...?!"
"Terrifying...!"
The world trembled.
For countless people—especially Marine soldiers and civilians — Roger was a demon. Even in death, his sins haunted the world. His final words had ushered in the Great Pirate Era, plunging countless people into suffering.
This was why the world government had once eradicated thousands of innocents—to ensure that not even a trace of Roger's blood survived.
And now... the World Government itself had announced that Roger's son still lived.
Reporters scrambled to capture every moment. This was already the first global headline of the day.
Doflamingo chuckled, looking toward the execution stand.
"Fufufufu... never expected this. I watched Roger die... and now I get to see his son executed. How poetic."
"By the way... can the Marine give me the corpse of Fire Fist Ace afterward?" Moria licked his lips.
"Keh keh keh... perfect for my collection."
"I'M NOT THAT MAN'S SON!"
Ace roared from the execution platform. "I, Portgas D. Ace, am the son of Whitebeard!"
No matter what Garp had once told him, he would never accept being Roger's son. In Ace's heart, Roger was a demon. Only Whitebeard was his true father—the man he loved and respected.
Sengoku's gaze turned cold. "Deny it all you like... the truth doesn't change."
On the platform, Garp stood silently next to Vice Admiral Tsuru, two steps below the execution stage.
Tears brimmed in Garp's eyes.
"If only I'd stopped him... if only I'd forced him into the Marine.. if I'd done that... maybe... maybe he wouldn't be here now, with the execution blade hanging over his head..."
Tsuru sighed.
"Garp... this isn't your fault..."
As an old friend, she understood his pain, but this was the only comfort she could offer.
Despite the horror of the revelation, the execution ground slowly returned to a tense, eerie calm.
But this calm... was the most suffocating of all.
....
Many Marines gripped their weapons, hands slick with sweat—whether from the heat or the anxiety, they didn't know.
The oppressive sun beat down mercilessly.
Restlessness. Scorching heat. Unease...
For countless Marines, this was torture.
Then, just before 1 PM—
"Enemy spotted!"
A panicked Marine scout's voice shattered the tense silence. Alarm bells and warning sirens blared instantly.
All eyes turned toward the distant horizon.
Through the white sea mist, black shadows began to emerge—ship after ship after ship.
"It's the Whitebeard Pirates! They're here!"
"Maelstrom Spider!"
"Bohemian Knight!"
"Every notorious captain from the New World...!"
The Whitebeard Pirates had arrived with all 43 of their allied crews.
The main fleet alone boasted 1,600 men across sixteen divisions. With their allied crews, their total force was easily in the tens of thousands.
"They're finally here..."
"The Marines... look like they're trembling down there," Doflamingo sneered.
Hancock glanced forward, her expression indifferent. She was here for one reason only—to meet Elior. As for the Whitebeard Pirates? She didn't care.
On the platform where the Three Admirals sat—
"Is it just me, or… have the main ships not appeared yet?" Kizaru casually noted. "The Moby Dick... it's not among those. Neither are Whitebeard's other two primary ships."
Up on the execution platform, Sengoku's face hardened. Ace's expression had completely shifted as well — a mixture of dread and guilt. As a member of the Whitebeard Pirates, Ace had realized back in Impel Down just how reckless he'd been — chasing after Blackbeard alone, ignoring everyone's warnings. And now... the entire Whitebeard crew had come for him.
No matter how much he had prayed they wouldn't, no matter how much he feared bringing disaster upon them... they were here.
"If anything happens to them because of me… I'll never forgive myself. Never."
"Attention all Marines — prepare for battle!!" Sengoku's roar blasted through the speakers via a Den Den Mushi.
As the figure of his former rival, Whitebeard, approached, the weight pressing on Sengoku's shoulders grew heavier by the second.
Ding dong...
Gurgle...
Suddenly, a strange rumbling came from the bay of Marineford — the sound of surging seawater, like something enormous was moving beneath it.
In the bay?!
"Are they... are they planning to appear here, of all places? That's way too close!" Vice Admiral Tsuru frowned, an ominous feeling tightening in her chest.
"That cunning old man... is he seriously planning to emerge from right under our noses?" Moria giggled darkly. "At this distance... this is terrifying."
As curiosity, tension, and fear surged among the spectators...
BOOM!!!
A massive ship burst up from beneath the water, like a breaching whale. Towering waves crashed around it as the ship's special membrane dissolved instantly.
There it was — the legendary flagship Moby Dick, second only to Roger's Oro Jackson in fame!
The ocean trembled.
BOOM! BOOM!
Two more massive ships followed, exploding out from the water.
At this moment, whether it was the thousands of Marines in the plaza or the countless spectators watching from the Sabaody Archipelago, everyone stood stunned. Some trembled so violently that their legs buckled.
"They're really here..."
Even Sengoku felt a surge of dread. The battle plan he'd meticulously prepared — all of it had been thrown into chaos. Whitebeard's crew had completely bypassed his expectations.
All eyes locked onto one of the ships, where the division commanders stood — at the lead was the phoenix himself, Marco.
"You guys..."
Ace's eyes brimmed with tears. He stared in disbelief as Marco and the others arrived at Marineford.
Then, heavy, steady footsteps echoed from within the Moby Dick — a rhythmic clanking, as if steel were striking the ship's deck.
And then... within full view of everyone present... a towering figure stepped out.
"Gurararara..."
"Sengoku... it's been decades, hasn't it?"
"And my beloved son, Ace... Pops is here. I won't let them hurt you."
Facing the entirety of the Marine Headquarters, Whitebeard let out a booming laugh — bold, hearty, and oppressive. His very presence sent waves of suffocating pressure across the battlefield.
The strongest man in the world, Whitebeard... stood right before them!
How many people could face that and not feel fear? How many could stay calm?
"The man of legend... has appeared!"
"Breaking news — top story, second headline today!"
"They said Whitebeard was gravely ill... but looking at him now... that has to be a lie!"
"Just watching through the screen... my legs are trembling! If he stood right in front of me, I swear I'd reincarnate on the spot!"
Panic and terror spread like a virus through the hearts of countless people.
"Ace! We're here to save you!"
"Ace!! Hang on — your brothers are coming!!"
"The Marine HQ... ain't worth a damn compared to the Whitebeard Pirates!"
"Let them understand — the Whitebeard Pirates... are NOT to be messed with!"
The roars of Whitebeard's crew surged like tidal waves, shaking the entire bay.
Whitebeard's eyes scanned the Marines before him.
The Shichibukai were watching. The Vice Admirals were watching. The three Admirals fixed their gazes squarely on him. And further above... the three legendary elder Marines.
"If I don't make it out of here alive today..."
"Then at the very least, I'll carve out a future for my beloved sons."
"Because I am... Whitebeard!"
At that moment, Whitebeard made his decision. He knew his own failing health. He knew this battle might cost him his life. But no matter what — Ace, the man who inherited Roger's will, and the Whitebeard Pirates themselves, would survive to see the new era.
Slamming his massive bisento into the deck of the ship, Whitebeard bent his knees slightly, his expression tightening. Then, crossing his colossal fists in front of him — with a sudden, explosive motion, he smashed them out to either side.
KRA-KOOM!!
The very air cracked open.
It was as if the world itself split apart.
And in the next moment, the entire Marine HQ — no, the entire ocean itself — began to tremble violently.
"The man who wields the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit..."
"...a power capable of destroying the world itself!"
"Even if we outnumber them... don't forget — that man alone... is enough to wipe out an army!"
"He is... the world's strongest man!"
Sengoku roared through the broadcast Den Den Mushi. Even the execution platform itself trembled under the quake. All of Marineford shook violently, warped by the distorted sea.
It was as if the very end of the world had arrived.