After ending the call on the Den Den Mushi, the ship continued sailing toward its destination.
As newspapers spread across every sea, the entire world of One Piece erupted into chaos because of a single headline.
On the flagship of the Whitebeard Pirates in the New World, panic quickly spread across the deck.
"Ace! Ace!"
Marco rushed over while holding several newspapers, his expression darker than usual.
Seeing Marco act like that, Ace immediately sensed something was wrong. He grabbed the papers from Marco's hand and quickly scanned the front page.
The moment he read the headline, his pupils shrank violently.
His hands trembled.
The newspaper slipped from his fingers as if all the strength had left his body. Ace staggered backward before collapsing onto the deck.
"H... how is this possible...?"
His eyes lost focus, completely hollow.
Yamato immediately sat beside him, fury visible on her face.
"Those bastards actually dared to do this? I'll smash every last one of them into the ground!"
But Ace could barely hear her words.
His mind was already elsewhere.
The others on the ship stared at him in confusion. They could not understand what kind of news could shake Ace this badly.
Jozu bent down, picked up the fallen newspaper, and unfolded it in front of everyone.
The moment they saw the headline, the entire deck fell silent.
"Sabo's Public Execution Scheduled One Month From Now!"
Below the title was a photo of Sabo kneeling inside a prison cell, his hands chained behind his back and heavy shackles wrapped around his legs.
His clothes were torn and dirty, his condition miserable.
Underneath the image was an enormous article listing Sabo's crimes along with accusations against the Revolutionary Army and Peach Garden.
The article painted them as monsters who slaughtered civilians and attempted to overthrow the world.
It portrayed them as devils threatening global peace.
Vista frowned deeply.
"Isn't Sabo Ace's brother? How did the World Government even capture him?"
During Marineford, everyone had witnessed Sabo's terrifying strength.
He was a monster capable of standing alongside the strongest figures in the world.
Someone like that should not have been captured so easily.
Jozu scratched his head.
"Exactly. Sabo's strength is insane. Even if he lost a battle, escaping shouldn't have been difficult for him."
Another pirate nearby shook his head.
"With his abilities, getting cornered like this doesn't make sense."
George waved his hand impatiently.
"Who cares how he got caught? Since we know where he is, we just rescue him."
The moment he said that, several pirates immediately reacted.
"Hey, that's the World Government we're talking about!"
"They rule the entire world!"
"So what?" George snorted. "What's there to fear? We're the Whitebeard Pirates!"
The atmosphere on deck instantly exploded.
"That's right!"
"We already survived Marineford!"
"We'll rescue Sabo no matter what!"
"The World Government isn't invincible!"
Proud shouts echoed throughout the ship.
Then Marco spoke.
His voice immediately cooled everyone down.
"Don't underestimate them."
The noise slowly died down.
Marco continued seriously.
"The World Government has ruled this world for centuries. The Marines are only one part of their strength."
He glanced around at everyone.
"The biggest reason we survived Marineford was because the Ion Pirates appeared when they did. Without Rolan and his crew, the outcome would've been completely different."
Hearing that, many of the pirates became dissatisfied.
George was the first to protest.
"Marco, what kind of nonsense is that? Are you trying to crush our morale?"
"We're stronger now than we were back then!"
Vista nodded in agreement.
"And the execution isn't until next month. If we attack now, we can catch them off guard."
"Exactly!"
"They're probably expecting us to show up on the execution day itself."
"Right now should be when their defenses are weakest."
At that moment, a calm voice interrupted the discussion.
"That's exactly why now is the worst time to move."
Everyone turned toward the speaker.
A young man dressed in white slowly lowered the newspaper in his hand.
Orlando, the commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division.
Not only was his strength comparable to Marco's, but his intelligence was also highly respected throughout the crew.
Once they realized who had spoken, the others quieted down.
Orlando calmly continued.
"If we can think of this, the World Government definitely can too."
He adjusted his glasses slightly.
"This article specifically mentions Ace and Luffy. That means the World Government intentionally released this information to lure people connected to Sabo."
"Mary Geoise isn't a place you can casually invade."
"Otherwise, the World Government wouldn't have ruled the seas for hundreds of years."
Ace slowly regained his composure and stood up.
"But Sabo's condition..." Klarayo hesitated. "The longer we wait, the more he suffers."
Ace clenched his fists tightly before speaking.
"Sabo isn't weak enough to break from this."
"He'll survive until we reach him."
After saying that, he looked toward Marco.
"What do you think?"
Marco crossed his arms.
"This is obviously a trap aimed at the Revolutionary Army, us, and Straw Hat Luffy."
"If we act recklessly now, we'll just walk straight into it."
Ace nodded slightly before looking toward Orlando again.
"And your opinion?"
Orlando stood up slowly.
"Marco is right."
"The World Government's true target probably isn't Sabo himself."
"They want everyone connected to him."
"They intentionally announced the execution one month in advance because they still need time to prepare for a full-scale confrontation against Peach Garden."
George frowned.
"Then why announce it now instead of waiting until they're fully prepared?"
Orlando smiled faintly.
"Because Sabo's capture couldn't remain hidden."
"Never underestimate Peach Garden's intelligence network."
"If Peach Garden discovered the truth secretly and launched an attack before the World Government prepared themselves, the consequences would be disastrous."
"So instead, they announced the execution publicly."
"This shifts the world's attention onto Sabo while also buying time."
He tapped the newspaper lightly.
"At the same time, they can spread propaganda against the Revolutionary Army and Peach Garden."
"If Peach Garden attacks now, the World Government can paint them as villains in front of the entire world."
"The next month is preparation time for both sides."
"Because of that, Sabo's security right now is probably even tighter than it will be on the execution day."
"If we charge in blindly, we'll disappear without leaving behind a corpse."
The deck became silent.
Orlando sighed softly before continuing.
"The World Government would actually welcome smaller rescue attempts right now."
"They could weaken us piece by piece before the real battle begins."
George scratched his head in frustration.
"So basically, all this means we shouldn't rescue Sabo yet?"
Orlando looked at him.
"That's the simplest way to put it."
The entire ship burst into laughter.
Even Ace looked speechless.
George grumbled under his breath.
"You people always make things sound more complicated than they are."
Ace looked around the deck.
This time, everyone finally understood the situation.
After a brief silence, Ace raised his hand decisively.
"Change course."
"We're heading to Peach Garden."
"OOOH!!!"
The Whitebeard Pirates roared in unison.
Meanwhile, at the Revolutionary Army headquarters on Baltigo...
A scream suddenly echoed across the entire island.
"SABO!!!"
A young woman collapsed to her knees, tears streaming down her face.
"My Sabo..."