The next day, at 6:00 AM, there were 33 hours left until Ace's public execution.
While still in his dreams, Taro was awakened by a messenger who said the Fleet Admiral had summoned everyone to gather in the Meeting Hall.
Dazed, Taro arrived at the Meeting Hall; as a Vice Admiral himself, he didn't know where his seat was.
Still feeling sleepy, he eventually sat cross-legged at the very end, closed his eyes, and drifted back to sleep.
After an unknown amount of time, Taro felt someone pushing him. He opened his eyes groggily and asked, "Is the meeting over?"
Immediately after, he heard an angry shout, "Taro!"
Taro was jolted awake, his sleepiness vanishing instantly. He saw that everyone in the Meeting Hall was staring at him, and Fleet Admiral Sengoku at the head of the table was glaring with fury.
He shrank his neck, raised a hand in greeting, and whispered, "Fleet Admiral, I'm here!"
Sengoku's face darkened further. Vice Admiral Tsuru cleared her throat and said, "Taro, the Great War is imminent. Focus and listen carefully."
Taro realized that it wasn't over yet.
Sleeping in the safest place, the center of the Marine's highest authority, his vigilance had dropped significantly, and his perception of the outside world had relaxed.
"Yes," Taro responded, rubbing his cheeks.
Sengoku scanned the Meeting Hall again and said in a heavy voice:
"Empress Boa Hancock has just arrived at Impel Down. Six of the Warlord of the Sea have confirmed their response to the summons."
"After the meeting, send a message to Marijoa, ordering the other five Warlord of the Sea to come to Marineford."
"Vice Admiral Onigumo, tomorrow morning, you will head to Impel Down to escort Ace back to Marineford!"
"The Three Admirals will each assign tasks to their subordinates."
"Everyone else, follow the orders of Consultant Tsuru!"
A series of orders issued from Sengoku's mouth, making the scent of gunpowder in the Meeting Hall much thicker.
Taro listened with little interest, nearly falling asleep again.
After Sengoku gave an encouraging speech to boost morale, the meeting soon ended.
Just when Taro thought he was free, Vice Admiral Tsuru called out to him, tilting her head toward the Fleet Admirals Office. "Taro, come along."
Taro: "..."
Have I perfectly integrated into the circle of Marine big shots? Why am I included every time?
Earning the salary of an ordinary Vice Admiral while doing the work of an Admiral.
Taro complained endlessly in his heart.
"To deal with any potential emergencies, please try to remain on standby at the headquarters if you have no other duties." After the meeting, Sengoku's voice sounded slightly tired.
Before he had even finished speaking, Garp and the Three Admirals each found a spot to rest; Aokiji even lay down directly on the tatami and fell asleep.
Taro's mouth twitched. He also walked to the wall, sat down, and closed his eyes to rest.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, an urgent report just came from Impel Down!"
A Marine Rear Admiral burst in and shouted urgently.
"Hmm? What happened? Is it Whitebeard?"
"No, the report says Straw Hat Luffy has invaded!"
Sengoku was slightly shocked and muttered, "What? Why would a pirate specifically go to the prison? What exactly is his goal?"
Taro stole a glance at Garp, but saw that Garp's expression was as usual, still eating senbei.
It seemed that although Sengoku knew Ace was the son of Pirate King Roger and that Luffy was Garp's grandson, he was temporarily unaware that Ace and Luffy were sworn brothers.
Sengoku pondered for a long time before saying, "No matter the goal, Straw Hat's luck has run out this time. In the place he broke into, among the hundreds of thousands of prisoners held there, no one can escape."
"Impel Down is a veritable iron wall. Of course, being invaded is a serious mistake on our part, but he cannot possibly come out alive."
Having said that, he looked at the Rear Admiral again.
"Don't worry about it. Impel Down's defensive force is enough to deal with him."
Taro closed his eyes. 'Fleet Admiral, you're going to miscalculate this time.'
"Hahahaha!" Garp suddenly burst into laughter.
"What's so funny, Garp!" Sengoku slammed the desk and shouted angrily. "Causing trouble one after another—the Enies Lobby and Celestial Dragon incidents, all of them unheard of—and now this Impel Down invasion. Why is it your grandson again, Garp!"
"Hahahaha, he's really something. As expected of my grandson!" Garp laughed heartily and gave a thumbs up in praise.
"Are you kidding me?" Sengoku grabbed Garp's collar, spraying saliva. "If you weren't the Hero of the Marines, I'd have to make you take responsibility for your whole clan, Garp!"
"The severity of this situation isn't something my old life alone can resolve." Garp laughed again and tossed a piece of senbei into his mouth.
Sengoku angrily snatched the whole bag of senbei. "Do you know how much trouble Tsuru and I went through to clean up after him?"
Having said that, he tilted his head back and poured the remaining senbei into his mouth.
"Luffy sneaked into Impel Down to save Ace. They are brothers!" Garp said, chewing on the senbei.
"Cough, cough!" Sengoku choked and began to cough violently.
Taro also looked at Garp with a surprised expression.
Meanwhile, inside Impel Down.
Straw Hat Luffy encountered "Buggy the Clown" on the first basement floor and then met Galdino, also known as Mr. 3 of Baroque Works, on the second floor.
The jailbreak team began to take shape, and a thrilling yet hilarious "prison break" journey commenced.
Level 6.
"Knight of the Sea" Jinbe told Ace about the tragic experiences of Fishmen and Merfolk, who had long suffered from discrimination and were even captured and sold.
"At such a time, Whitebeard appeared and said, 'This island is my territory.' With just that one sentence, from then on, no one dared to move against Fish-Man Island. I will never forget that."
"Ace, even if I die, I want to stop this war!"
"Everyone knows how chaotic the world will become if Whitebeard is defeated. It's impossible for the Government not to understand this."
"Damn it!"
Ace, who had been hanging his head, lifted it slightly and spoke in a weak voice, "Jinbe, forget it. It will only be more painful."
Jinbe said solemnly, "I haven't given up hope yet. I believe in miracles and opportunities."
"Hahahaha, it seems things are getting very interesting outside!" In the opposite cell, Crocodile suddenly burst out laughing. "Isn't this the best time to take down Whitebeard? It really gets the blood pumping!"
"You bastard!" Jinbe shouted angrily.
Crocodile laughed again. "It's not just me. There are plenty of people who want to kill Whitebeard! Hahahaha!"
Instantly, the entire Level 6 was in an uproar as prisoners began to howl one after another.
"Kill Whitebeard!"
"Let me fight too! I want to take his head!"
"..."
"..."
Crocodile's gaze sharpened. "Jinbe, Ace, remember this. There are plenty of pirates on this sea who retired in resentment because they couldn't defeat Whitebeard or Roger!"
"Hahahaha..."
---------------------------------
I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far! If the story has you hooked and you can't wait to see what happens next, you can unlock 30 chapters in advance over on my Patreon: patreon.com/TLHimejima1
Every bit of support means the world to me so if you're loving the ride, don't forget to drop a Power Stone and let me know.