The echo of ringing metal filled the air.
Chains clinked as Ace, hands and feet bound in heavy shackles, climbed the long stairway to the execution platform. Two execution attendants flanked him, guiding his slow ascent.
Where once stood a lively and spirited man, now there was only solemn determination. His gaze lifted toward the seemingly endless steps above.
"These must be the steps to true hell," Ace thought to himself, recalling memories of childhood promises made with Luffy and Sabo. He remembered Dadan's tough talk, Garp's fierce love, and Rolan's strictness.
"Keep moving, no stopping now," one attendant urged.
Ace lifted his chained foot and pressed on. The sound of dragging metal and his steady steps resonated sharply through the silent corridor.
Thud, clang
Thud, clang
Every echo brought him closer to the execution ground.
When the doors finally swung open, the massive execution platform came into view. Below, countless Marines stood rigid, the air heavy with the scent of war preparation and tension. Three imposing figures stood beneath the platform, their presence alone enough to chill the souls of those gathered.
"Get on with it," the attendant urged as the two Marines secured Ace's shackles on the platform.
Below, murmurs spread like wildfire.
"That's Portgas D. Ace! The Gold Emperor himself!"
"He's the catalyst for what could become a world‑shaking war!"
"He holds the fate of this world in his own hands!"
Across the world, the image of Ace being led onto the platform broadcast live through visual Den Den Mushi screens, drawing reactions from every corner of the seas.
Sabaody Archipelago, Area 13 — Shaki's Rip‑Off Bar
On the crowded screen in front of them, Ace continued his slow march upward.
"Rayleigh, this has to be the major incident Law mentioned," Shaki exhaled a smoke ring, gesturing at the Den Den Mushi projection.
Rayleigh swirled the wine in his glass, a faint streak of blood on his lips, and nodded. "Yes, this is the situation Rolan warned us about."
Shaki looked puzzled, "So you're not planning to rescue Ace? He's…"
"We are too old for the battlefield," Rayleigh said, shaking his head lightly, eyes distant. "Rolan said he would handle it."
Though he wanted to help, Rayleigh sensed numerous powerful gazes trained on him, eyes that would strike with lethal venom if he acted rashly.
"Is it because of those World Government special agents?" Shaki asked, her experience as a veteran pirate allowing her to feel the weight of those stares.
Rayleigh chuckled dryly. "Shaki, do you think I'm not old? Courage fades, even for me."
Shaki exhaled deeply and glanced at Rayleigh with a teasing tilt. "Stamina hasn't been great lately, has it?"
Rayleigh winced as though struck in the lower back. "Haha, well…"
Back at Marineford, heavy footsteps sounded behind the execution platform.
Thump, thump
Thump, thump
It was Garp and Sengoku ascending toward the platform.
Sengoku glanced at Garp, who kept his head bowed low. "Garp, I intend to reveal everything," Sengoku said quietly.
Garp did not look up. "Do as you wish, I am not going up there," he replied flatly, turning toward Vice Admiral Tsuru's position below.
Sengoku continued upward alone.
Tsuru spoke softly to Garp, "Children bear no fault in the sins of adults."
Garp let out a chuckle that held both sorrow and resignation, "Women remain gentler even in moments like this."
Tsuru met his gaze with understanding. She knew well the torment of being torn between duty and bond, especially for Garp who stood between his duty to justice and his love for family.
"Heed caution," she reminded him quietly, "This is Marineford. Leaders from across the World Government are watching."
Garp's eyes shifted toward the chained Ace waiting above, and he exhaled slowly, "I know, Tsuru."
Sengoku reached the top and stood before Ace, signaling a guard to bring forth a Den Den Mushi.
"Yes sir," the guard responded.
Below, confusion rippled through the Marines.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku? He's appearing personally for an execution?" murmured one Marine.
Previously, Sengoku rarely appeared publicly for executions, but for Ace, he stepped forward with weighty intent. The scene was broadcast across the globe.
Reporters aimed their cameras, scribbled into their notebooks, and echoed the moment to every distant island.
Sengoku brought the Den Den Mushi to his mouth and spoke solemnly, "Before this execution proceeds, I have a declaration to make."
A hush fell over the gathered Marines.
"Portgas D. Ace, what is the name of your father?"
Ace understood exactly what Sengoku was demanding, though the question stung him deeply. He had always lived with one truth in his heart.
"My father is Whitebeard, Whitebeard is the only father I have ever known," Ace replied firmly.
"Wrong!" Sengoku's voice boomed across the platform.
Pointing toward Ace, Sengoku continued, "Your mother was Portgas D. Rouge, a woman of great spirit. To keep you hidden from the World Government, she endured the impossible, carrying you far beyond the norm before giving birth. Although she perished in childbirth, she succeeded in keeping the world from discovering you for twenty months. And now, I reveal this truth to the world."
Gasps erupted across the plaza and in every corner of the broadcast.
"What? Ace and Roger share the same surname?"
"Portgas D. Ace is actually the son of Pirate King Gol D. Roger?"
"Pirate King Roger had a child?!"
The revelation spread like wildfire through the crowd and in distant seas. Sengoku raised a hand for silence before speaking into the Den Den Mushi once more.
"Yes, Ace is the biological son of the late Pirate King, Gol D. Roger. His birth changed the balance of the world, and for that reason his execution has been decreed, to prevent the resurgence of a pirate bloodline once feared by all."
Below, Garp stood rigid, fists clenched tight, his body trembling.
The world below reeled from the shock of the truth, their headlines already being rewritten in real time.
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