As the broadcast continued, the entire world was shocked by the news revealed by Sengoku.
Since "Fire Fist" Ace was the son of the Pirate King, he had to be executed.
Roger had ushered in the Great Pirate Era.
Because of his words, the number of pirates on the seas had surged dramatically, leading to countless civilians being brutally killed.
Numerous families were torn apart, with wives separated from husbands and children from parents.
To some pirates, Roger might symbolize honor, but for the vast majority of ordinary people, Pirate King Roger was nothing short of a demon.
As the bloodline of this demon, Ace had to die!
The Marines' actions were supported by public sentiment.
Immediately after, Sengoku announced another piece of news. "Whitebeard—Edward Newgate—intends to groom Ace into the next Pirate King. Therefore, Whitebeard will not abandon Ace and will certainly come to Marineford to rescue him!"
This explosive statement thrilled journalists worldwide.
The news these days had truly hit the journalists' sweet spot!
Whether it was the death of a Yonko, the annihilation of the Straw Hat Pirates, or today's execution of Ace, each piece of news was a once-in-a-decade event.
And yet, all of them had broken within less than a week.
Journalists saw opportunities for promotion and eagerly followed the developments.
Businessmen chose to suspend operations to avoid risks.
Ambitious schemers began arranging their follow-up plans.
Most ordinary people simply hoped the Marines would completely eradicate the pirates. In the storm known as the "era," everyone would be swept up, unable to escape.
...
Ten minutes later, Sengoku paused the broadcast.
He had a premonition that the Whitebeard Pirates were about to arrive.
Marineford, a massive island with a diameter of ten kilometers, was eerily quiet.
Only the chaotic symphony of heartbeats from 100,000 Marines could be heard.
Tension, fear, excitement, anticipation, worry—each Marine's emotions varied greatly.
For the vast majority of them, today would be their first time facing a Yonko directly.
Sengoku and the three Admirals chose not to continue with speeches to boost morale.
Slogans like "All for Justice," repeated daily, were only effective before today.
Now, it was time for every soldier to find their own resolve.
Death was inevitable.
The Marine higher-ups were well aware that after today, at least tens of thousands would perish on the battlefield.
But as long as they could kill Whitebeard and earn the trust of ordinary people and kingdoms worldwide, it would all be worth it.
Suddenly, bubbles began rising from the sea in the distance.
Three seconds later, more bubbles followed.
The Marine elites who noticed this detail understood—the enemy had arrived.
Seeing this, Sengoku clenched his fists, picked up a loudspeaker, and issued an order to all Marines.
"All forces, prepare for battle. The Whitebeard Pirates are here!"
After these brief words, an invisible pressure concentrated above Marineford Plaza, suffocating everyone.
...
Looking out at the sea, after countless small bubbles, large soap bubbles emerged one after another.
Encased within these soap bubbles were pirate ships of various shapes.
As the soap bubbles popped, the 100,000 Marines finally saw their opponents clearly.
Forty-seven pirate ships, representing the forty-seven subordinate crews of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Each of these pirate crews was renowned throughout the New World.
Among these captains were several world-renowned great pirates, such as Squard the "Maelstrom Spider," the "Ice Witch" Whitey Bay, the Decalvan Brothers, and "Thunder Lord" McGuy.
They are all Master of both types of Haki.
Forty-seven pirate ships appeared majestically on the horizon, with pirates on each vessel baring their teeth with ferocious expressions.
This imposing momentum made the naval observers swallow hard.
Fortunately, these pirate ships only appeared in front of the island, where they could still be targeted by the outer defense batteries.
Just as the Navy prepared to open fire, three giant bubbles emerged from within the circular harbor of Marineford.
The moment the bubbles appeared, Sengoku, Garp, Aokiji, Kizaru, and Akainu all sensed that familiar presence.
Moreover, the presence felt incredibly powerful.
They all knew clearly—Whitebeard was about to make his appearance.
And this guy wasn't holding back at all; his aura was overwhelmingly strong.
Yet Sengoku and Garp felt somewhat puzzled.
Why did this presence feel like the Whitebeard from over twenty years ago?
It shouldn't be possible—had they remembered wrong?
All the intelligence from the past two years indicated Whitebeard was already terminally ill.
How could he still possess such a terrifying presence?
Through the perception of Observation Haki, presence represents strength.
The stronger the presence, the more terrifying the power.
Normally, for someone with Whitebeard's terminal condition, his presence should only appear strong on the surface while being hollow inside—similar to a hollow aluminum alloy.
But what Garp, Sengoku, and the three Admirals sensed was a terrifying presence that was completely consistent from the inside out, like a diamond of uniform density.
There was only one explanation for this situation: Whitebeard was still in his prime.
Sengoku furrowed his brows, calculating the gains and losses in his heart.
If Whitebeard truly remained in his peak condition, then the Navy couldn't just go through the motions today.
So he set aside the loudspeaker and jumped down to where the three Admirals were stationed below the execution platform.
"Borsalino, Kuzan, Sakazuki—once Whitebeard makes his move, two of you must coordinate to surround him."
Kizaru and Aokiji indicated their agreement.
But Akainu seemed somewhat dissatisfied, believing that the Haki Whitebeard was releasing from underwater was likely just a bluff.
"Having two Admirals simultaneously besiege Whitebeard alone, it would be difficult to promote our overwhelming advantage. Sengoku, what we need is absolute crushing force and power deterrence! At least in any potential footage, it should only show one Admiral facing Whitebeard solo."
Hearing Akainu's argument, Sengoku didn't refute it.
He knew what kind of person Sakazuki was—one who hated evil intensely and pursued absolute justice.
His operating style could be summarized in one word: 'extreme.'
But Sengoku also knew that Akainu was very intelligent and would adapt flexibly to achieve victory.
"Sakazuki, you make the judgment call when the time comes."
"Fine."
With the conversation concluded, Sengoku jumped back up to the execution platform.
Simultaneously, within the crescent-shaped harbor, three massive ships broke through the water's surface.
Whale heads, mustache flags—the identity of the newcomers was clear.
Everyone knew that the man called Whitebeard, the world's strongest man, had arrived.
Seconds later, the sound of metal striking the ground echoed continuously, accompanied by approaching footsteps.
Everyone gazed at the deck of the Moby Dick, where a tall figure wearing a black bandana gradually revealed his full form.
Edward Newgate had arrived at Marineford.
Whitebeard showed a confident yet understated smile and shouted toward the distant execution platform.
"Ace, I'm here."