The sun hung high in the sky as Fleet Admiral Sengoku, seeing that all preparations were complete, silently picked up the microphone beside him.
"Before we proceed, I must announce something to all of you. Portgas D. Ace—who is your father?"
Sengoku's voice drew the attention of everyone present. Yet, they couldn't understand why such a childish question was being asked at this moment. The entire world knew that Fire Fist Ace's father was Whitebeard. What significance did this question hold?
At this moment, Kidd chose to remain silent. The less he spoke, the fewer mistakes he would make. Besides, as a condemned man, throwing a tantrum before his execution was hardly unexpected.
However, Sengoku had no intention of altering his plans. After a brief pause, he continued.
"Since you refuse to answer, I will speak for you. Portgas D. Ace, your mother was Portgas D. Rouge. There is no denying she was a great mother, for no ordinary person could endure a pregnancy lasting twenty months. Your safe birth was paid for with her life."
"Twenty years ago, you were born on an island in the South Blue. At the time, we relied solely on intelligence from CP to investigate every infant born or soon to be born. Yet, we never found the result we sought."
"Because your mother deceived the entire world with her life. Who could have imagined that his son would be born a year and three months after that man's death?"
By now, the sharper minds in the crowd had begun to piece things together. Twenty years ago—wasn't that the year Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King, was executed? Could there be some connection between the two?
"Fire Fist Ace, you cannot possibly be unaware of this. Your father is the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger!"
The moment Sengoku uttered that name, an earthquake rippled across the world. The revelation stunned them all. Who could have imagined that man had left behind an heir—a childbearing the bloodline of the Pirate King!
For Kidd, a transmigrator, this was hardly surprising. Any fan of pirates knew Ace was Roger's son.
To avoid revealing his expression, Kidd lowered his head as far as possible, ensuring no one could see his face.
A single name plunged the entire bay into absolute silence.
Only now did they truly grasp the significance of this war. It wasn't merely about luring out Whitebeard—it was about severing the bloodline of the Pirate King.
Roger's existence had been a colossal threat to both the Marines and the World Government. That era had finally ended, and no one wanted to see another Pirate King rise.
Though Ace might not necessarily become the Pirate King, the possibility was undeniable.
He already had the backing of the strongest pirate crew, and his own strength was formidable. As a user of the Flame-Flame Fruit, a Logia-type Devil Fruit, his potential was immense. Coupled with the fearsome bloodline of the Pirate King, no one could predict how far he might grow.
This was a gamble they couldn't—and wouldn't—take. The only option was to eliminate Ace before he could fully mature, nipping the danger in the bud.
While the world reeled from the revelation of the Pirate King's heir, the sea itself began to change—silently, imperceptibly.
The water level was gradually receding. By the time the Marines realized something was amiss, the sea had already dropped by over a meter.
"What—what's happening? Why has the sea suddenly dropped so much?!"
Sengoku, Garp, and the other high-ranking officers tensed instantly. This was no natural phenomenon. Whitebeard had likely arrived.
"All hands, be alert! The enemy is here!"
No sooner had Sengoku spoken than faint black dots appeared on the distant horizon.
"The Whitebeard Pirates are coming!"
Someone shouted, and tens of thousands of Marines tightened their grips on their weapons, beads of cold sweat forming on their foreheads. An invisible pressure weighed heavily on their hearts.
As time passed, the black dots grew clearer.
One after another, pirate ships emerged before the eyes of the Marines—before the eyes of the world.
A massive fleet of over forty pirate ships, numbering in the tens of thousands, had arrived.
"Targets confirmed! All ships belong to Whitebeard's allied crews—forty-four in total! But the Moby Dick is nowhere in sight!"
Accurate intelligence came swiftly. As Sengoku listened to the report, a sense of unease gnawed at him. He felt as though he had overlooked something.
The next moment, when he saw the enormous bubbles swelling in the bay's waters, he realized what he had missed—
They were coming from underneath the sea!
Even as an enemy, Sengoku couldn't help but acknowledge the brilliance of Whitebeard's strategy. By emerging from the depths directly into the bay, they had not only shortened the distance but also minimized potential losses.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The sound of impact reverberated. Tens of thousands of Marines felt their hearts skip a beat, an oppressive force tightening around their throats, making even breathing a struggle.
Then, a figure appeared—towering, imposing, his mere presence casting an overwhelming pressure over all of Marineford.
The strongest man in the world, Whitebeard, had arrived.
"Gurarara! My beloved son! Are you alright? Just hang on a little longer—I'm coming for you!"
His booming voice echoed across the battlefield. No one doubted his words. Instead, their tension only grew.
The reputation of that man was far too immense, far too terrifying.
Hearing Whitebeard's words, Kidd couldn't help but feel annoyed. Logically, Ace should have already met with him, meaning he should know and have agreed to the plan. Yet here he was, calling Kidd his "son" again—making Kidd feel like he was being taken advantage of. But there was nothing he could do but endure it.
BOOM!
Before the eyes of all, Whitebeard set down his massive bisento and crouched slightly, extending his arms to their limits. A hazy glow enveloped his fists as cracks formed in the air itself—as though space were being torn apart.
Before the Marines could comprehend what was happening, the seas on either side erupted. Towering tsunamis surged forth, rising dozens of meters in the blink of an eye—and this was only the beginning.
In the next second, the waves surpassed a hundred meters in height. At the sight of such a cataclysmic force, despair gripped the Marines. If those waves crashed down, none of them would survive.
"Ara ara, I can't let you have your way. Ice Age!"
At this critical moment, Admiral Aokiji could not stand idly by.
In a flash, he appeared mid-air, his arms transforming into ice as they stretched toward the colossal waves.
The next instant, the hundred-meter tsunamis froze solid.
Just like that, the crisis was averted.
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