At those words, Rayleigh paused.
He took another swig of wine and finally let out a sigh. "Since we know… we might as well go take a look."
If he hadn't known, that would be one thing.
But now that Leno had exposed Ace's identity—
As the former vice-captain, it was only right for him to go.
After all, he had been the victor of that "God Valley Incident" battle years ago.
Speaking of which, Ace really had it rough.
Whether Rayleigh saved Ace or not didn't matter much—Whitebeard had already set off with the full might of his crew toward Marine Headquarters.
On the way, they even captured a lone Supernova.
…
As the days passed, the time of Ace's public execution drew ever closer.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
More and more Marines filled the harbor and plaza.
The killing intent in the air had nearly solidified.
Reinforcements had been called in from various branches.
In a corner, Koby and Helmeppo huddled together, whispering nervously.
"Helmeppo… do you think Leno… will come?" Koby's voice trembled.
Helmeppo swallowed, forcing himself to appear calm.
"H-How would I know?! Even if he comes, so what?!"
As if trying to encourage himself, Koby suddenly raised his voice and clenched his fists.
"That's right! Even if he comes, I'll beat him down! He's just lucky!"
"Vice Admiral Garp went easy on him! There's no way he deserves such a high bounty!"
"A measly traitor!"
Helmeppo hurried to agree. "Right! R-Right! We're Vice Admiral Garp's disciples! We're not afraid of him!"
They selectively ignored Leno's achievements, choosing only to believe what suited them.
"Look, is that one of the Seven Warlords…?"
…
Deep-Sea Great Prison, Impel Down.
On the front end, Garp, in a foul mood, escorted Ace toward Marine Headquarters.
On the back end, the frantic Luffy and Sabo finally infiltrated Impel Down.
They arrived at Level 5.5, the Newkama Land—home of the Okama Kingdom.
"Where's Ace?! I'm here to save Ace!" Luffy shouted the moment he saw Ivankov's subordinates.
"Straw Hat boy, you're a step too late," Ivankov's massive face leaned in.
"Fire Fist Ace was just taken away by Vice Admiral Garp—escorted straight to Marineford."
Luffy froze. "What?! Taken away?!"
"Then we're going to Marine Headquarters to save Ace!"
Getting in was easy. Getting out was not.
Their movements were quickly exposed, and Impel Down sounded its highest-level alarm.
"No choice! We'll have to turn this place upside down!" Sabo's eyes sharpened as he gripped his metal pipe.
Luffy immediately activated Gear Second.
Ready to fight their way out.
They rescued the former Seven Warlord of the Sea, Knight of the Sea Jinbe, who had also been imprisoned.
The group began rampaging through Impel Down, leaving chaos in their wake.
This sudden large-scale riot—
Even caught Blackbeard Teach off guard, who had arrived slightly later to carry out his own plan.
Then a sinister grin spread across his face.
"Zehahahaha… looks like someone's opened the stage for us. We ought to thank him."
The Blackbeard Pirates—make their entrance!
————
Some time later—
On the nameless island not far from Marine Headquarters.
After this period of hellish training—
The members of the Leno Pirates had undergone noticeable changes.
They were far more confident than before.
Their strength could be described as having been reborn.
All of them could now use both Armament and Observation Haki. Though not as proficient as Leno, it was sufficient.
Perona floated in midair, swaying back and forth in boredom, pouting.
"Lord Leno~ when are we going to join the fun? I'm dying of impatience!"
Leno sat calmly on a rock, casually playing with a Den Den Mushi. Its screen was still full of static.
"No rush. The real show hasn't started yet." A playful smile curled at his lips.
"When the Whitebeard Pirates officially appear at Marine Headquarters—that's our cue."
Kalifa adjusted her glasses, skepticism written on her face.
"For the sake of a so-called 'son,' would Whitebeard really mobilize his entire crew to assault heavily guarded Marine Headquarters?"
Having grown up under World Government CP training, she struggled to comprehend such pure familial bonds.
"He will," Leno replied.
His gaze never leaving the Den Den Mushi. "Other pirate crews might not. But Whitebeard… he will come to save Ace. That's his pirate family."
At that moment, the Den Den Mushi in his hand crackled with static.
The screen lit up, displaying the grand plaza of Marineford!
At the same time, Den Den Mushi all over the world connected and began broadcasting live!
The Paramount War—had begun!
On the screen—
Two of the three Admirals sat with their legs crossed. The only one not crossing his legs clearly looked out of place.
And liable to get his leg broken.
All Seven Warlords of the Sea were present.
In the distance, fleets flying the Whitebeard Pirates' flag appeared one after another.
Each was a powerful pirate crew of the New World—subordinates of Whitebeard!
Then the sea churned violently as the Moby Dick slowly rose from beneath the surface.
The Whitebeard Pirates had arrived!
"Gurarararara… long time no see, Sengoku!" Whitebeard's laughter echoed across the world through the Den Den Mushi. "My son… is he alright?!"
The moment Whitebeard appeared on screen, Leno stretched and stood up.
"It's time!" He waved his hand. "Move out! Destination—Marine Headquarters!"
The women's spirits lifted instantly as they followed.
The island wasn't far from Marineford to begin with. At full speed, it wouldn't take long to reach the battlefield!
…
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Whitebeard's appearance heightened the tension to its peak.
Two punches triggered towering tsunamis. Though Aokiji promptly froze them, the curtain of war had fully risen.
On the execution platform—
Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Garp stood side by side, their expressions grave as they watched the Whitebeard forces land below.
"Whitebeard really came…" Sengoku said heavily.
"But something feels off. They don't seem particularly worried."
Garp crossed his arms, brows tightly furrowed, replying casually, "Sengoku, it's been too long since you've seen Whitebeard. You're imagining things."
Yet his eyes occasionally flicked toward the distant sea as he muttered under his breath,
"That wicked brat Leno… he won't miss something this lively, will he?"
Distracted, Sengoku suppressed his doubts and snorted.
"Good if he comes! Then we'll see whether you, his teacher, can personally capture your 'prized disciple'!"
Their conversation barely regarded Leno as a threat.
The last time Garp had been sent flying with one punch was purely because he had been careless, not expecting Leno's strike to be that powerful.
And after that punch, Garp had been largely unharmed.
Leno, on the other hand, had been completely drained—clearly a move that consumed enormous energy.
There was no way he could use it repeatedly.
Only a few days had passed since then. How much stronger could he have become?
They attributed Leno's previous surge in strength to long-accumulated foundation bursting forth at once.
You can't explode every day, can you?
So subconsciously, they didn't take Leno seriously at all.
All their attention was fixed on Whitebeard.
No matter how strong Leno was—could he be stronger than Whitebeard?
Aside from the Whitebeard Pirates—
No one knew that before the Moby Dick surfaced, a yellow submarine had been quietly released from its hold.
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