The bloodline of the Pirate King still lives.
Portgas D. Ace is the son of Gol D. Roger.
This earth-shattering news exploded across the world in an instant.
Countless people looked on in fear at the young man about to be executed…
No one could have guessed that this was the descendant of such a sinful legacy.
Ace…
While the world remained frozen in shock, Garp, standing below the execution platform, felt as if his entire heart had shattered.
Though Ace was not his biological grandson, he was family.
In his mind, scenes from the past replayed—particularly the day he met Roger in prison.
---
"Can I trust you, Garp?"
"My child is about to be born. Sadly, I won't be there to see it."
"But that child and his mother… they're innocent. And what I saw on Raftel—I've already told you."
"Now that you know everything, what will you choose? The so-called noble family… or this false sense of 'Justice'?"
"Maybe this is the fate we share..."
"As fellow bearers of the Will of D, you're the only one I can entrust with this."
"Because deep down… we're not enemies. We're comrades, aren't we?"
---
"Damn you… Roger!"
Garp clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.
"Garp… this wasn't your fault," said Vice Admiral Tsuru, trying to console him.
"Tsuru…"
Garp turned toward her, trying to speak—but just then, the sirens began to blare.
WOOO!! WOOO!!
Fog rolled in across the outer bay. A fleet of massive pirate ships emerged as shadows in the mist.
"It's Whitebeard's Grand Fleet!"
A lookout cried out.
Upon hearing that, the soldiers looked out at the encroaching ships—their bodies trembling uncontrollably.
"Quick, identify Whitebeard's location!"
"Flower Sword Vista!"
"The Decalvan Brothers!"
"Great Whirlpool Spider, Squard!"
"No sign of Whitebeard yet!" shouted another lookout in panic.
"But... it's undeniable—every last ship is part of Whitebeard's pirate fleet!"
"Do we engage?!"
The air around Marineford grew tense. A massive war was on the brink of erupting.
"No sign of Whitebeard? That's impossible!"
Sengoku scowled. The fleet was already entering the inner bay, yet still, Whitebeard himself was nowhere to be seen.
Gurgle, gurgle...
Suddenly, bubbles began surfacing in the water inside the harbor.
Then—
BOOM!!
The sea erupted as a massive hump of water surged upward, reaching dozens of meters high.
A split second later, a colossal wave exploded upward—followed by the emergence of a hundred-meter-long whale-headed ship that soared from the depths.
With a thunderous CRASH, it landed in the harbor, sending torrents of seawater raining down.
(°ω°)! Nani?!
Every Marine soldier stood stunned, mouths agape as they stared at the gargantuan ship.
"W-W-Whitebeard!"
"H-He came from beneath the sea?!"
"The Moby Dick has arrived!"
Sengoku's face twisted into a scowl as he stared at the legendary ship bursting up from the ocean.
"So… he attacked from underwater?"
"Damn it. All of our plans have been thrown into chaos!"
BOOM! BOOM!
Two more massive warships burst through the waves, following the Moby Dick.
"That's…!"
"First Division Commander Marco!"
A Marine recognized the figures on the deck and shouted in alarm.
All 14 Whitebeard Division Commanders were present—each a legend in their own right across the Grand Line.
Facing such an overwhelming pirate force…
Could they truly win this battle?
As they finally stood face to face with Whitebeard's full might, a chill ran down the spines of every Marine.
"To think he got this close to our doorstep…"
Sengoku's forehead broke into a cold sweat.
All the carefully laid strategies—shattered.
---
"Gurararara…"
"Sengoku... it's been twenty years, hasn't it?"
"Just hold on a little longer, Ace."
From the ship's bow, Whitebeard stepped forward.
And in that moment, the entirety of Marineford fell silent—oppressed by the sheer presence of the world's strongest man.
Calm and composed, Whitebeard stood tall—facing 100,000 elite Marines like they were nothing but ants.
No one dared utter a word. All eyes locked on him with grim, heavy tension.
He planted his bisento, Murakumogiri, beside him, pulled aside his coat, and revealed his scarred, muscular torso.
He bent forward slightly, flexing his massive arms—and then—
SLAM!!
He brought his fists downward, and the very air around him cracked like shattered glass.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
Spiderweb-like fractures spread through the atmosphere. Then—
BOOOOM!
Shockwaves surged across the sea. Water erupted, the sea's surface surging upward.
A towering tsunami, rising hundreds of meters high, dwarfed the Marineford walls.
The monstrous tidal wave blotted out the sky, casting a massive shadow over the entire island.
"AAAAAHHH!!"
"He… he made the sea quake!"
"This is Whitebeard's power… the might to destroy the world…"
"This is… the world's strongest man!"
---
"Gurararara…"
Laughing, Whitebeard looked at the devastation he had caused.
Under the shadow of the tsunami, Marineford fell into darkness. Countless Marines trembled, unable to move.
If that wave came crashing down, it would obliterate Marine HQ in an instant.
But at that critical moment, Admiral Aokiji leapt from the wall.
He flew between the twin tsunamis and launched two streams of freezing air.
"Ice Age!"
CRACK CRACK CRACK—
In an instant, the temperature of Marineford plummeted.
The twin hundred-meter waves froze solid, encased in layers of deep-blue ice.
The frost spread outward, coating the entire harbor and reaching hundreds of meters down into the sea.
The tsunamis, frozen mid-surge, stood like two colossal walls of ice—guarding the harbor like ancient monuments.
---
"That ice brat…"
Whitebeard let out a grin as he saw his seaquake neutralized.
"He's given us a fine platform to stand on!"
"Let them witness our might—!"
"Men… let's go save Ace!"
"CHARGE!!"
"SAVE ACE!!!"
In the blink of an eye, the Whitebeard Pirates leapt from their ships onto the frozen sea, weapons raised.
Their charge across the icy battlefield had begun.
A war that would shake the world…
Had finally begun.
PS: Access advance (40+) chapters at
https://www.patreon.com/c/NanamiTL