"Ace, tell them the name of your father," Sengoku said slowly, holding a Den Den Mushi in his hand.
At the question, Ace turned his head to glare at Fleet Admiral Sengoku. Because of the Visual Den Den Mushi, this moment was broadcasted directly onto the giant screens at the Sabaody Archipelago. The crowds watched in confusion—why did his parentage matter at a time like this?
"My father is Whitebeard," Ace said, closing his eyes.
"Wrong!"
"There's nothing wrong about it! Only Whitebeard! No one else!" Ace shouted back.
Sengoku ignored him and began to reveal the truth to the world. "At the time, we searched desperately, believing that a certain island might harbor the child of that man. Based on a sliver of intelligence from Cipher Pol, we conducted a thorough investigation of all newborn infants and pregnant mothers. We found nothing."
"But that was to be expected. Your birth was bought with your mother's life; she deceived the eyes of the entire world. Your mother's name was Portgas D. Rouge. Her actions defied all common sense."
"She held her child in her womb for twenty full months. When she finally gave birth to you, she died on the spot, her strength completely spent."
Hearing this, Ace gritted his teeth, his pupils shrinking in agony.
"One year and three months after the father's death, the infant inheriting the world's most evil bloodline was born." Sengoku looked at Ace and continued, "That infant was you!"
"There is no way you don't know."
"Your father is none other than the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger!"
As those words left his lips, the entire world seemed to freeze. Below the platform, the Marine soldiers swallowed hard in shock. Far away in Sabaody, the journalists went absolutely wild.
A massive scoop!
"Notify headquarters immediately! This is huge! This is history!"
Some people stood paralyzed. The most evil bloodline still lives? The lineage of the Pirate King! The news sent shockwaves through every continent.
At Marine Headquarters, the shock was visible on the faces of every Marine and Warlord alike. Only the three Admirals and those privy to the secret remained silent. No one could have guessed that the Pirate King would entrust his child to the Marine Hero, Garp. It was a twist of fate so dramatic it felt impossible, yet it was the undeniable truth.
"Two years ago, you began using your mother's name and set out to sea. When you began to distinguish yourself with your remarkable talent and strength, we finally realized that Roger's bloodline had not been severed," Sengoku continued.
"Simultaneously, Whitebeard realized it as well. To protect you and raise you to be the next Pirate King, he took you under his wing."
"That's not true!" Ace screamed. "I joined the Whitebeard Pirates because I wanted to make Whitebeard the Pirate King!"
"Only you think that way. The truth is that we were unable to touch you because you were protected by Whitebeard," Sengoku said, glancing coldly at Ace. "If left to your own devices, you would eventually manifest the qualities necessary to reach the next summit. That is why your execution here today is of monumental significance!"
"YEAH!!" the Marines roared in unison.
At that exact moment, the Gates of Justice opened of their own accord, allowing Luffy and the escapees to pass through. Back at Marineford, a terrifying silence fell over the bay.
Then, pirate ships began to appear, one after another, emerging from the horizon.
"It's the pirate fleet!" a Marine lookout shouted through his binoculars.
"All hands, battle stations!" Sirens wailed instantly, and the Marines shifted into a state of total war. They held their breath, staring intensely at the approaching vessels.
"Where did they come from?" Sengoku muttered, perplexed.
"Locate Whitebeard! Now!" a commanding officer ordered.
A scout quickly identified the incoming ships. "Bohemian Knight Doma! 'Thunder Lord' McGuy! The Decalvan Brothers! 'Maelstrom Spider' Squard!"
"Every single one of them is a world-renowned pirate—New World captains! A total of forty-three ships. But there's no sign of Whitebeard or the Division Commanders."
"However, there is no doubt. These are all the pirate crews under Whitebeard's command!"
"Little Ace! We're here!"
"Ace, wait for us!"
The cries of the pirates reached Ace's ears from the distance. Looking at the allied crews, Ace gasped, "Even you guys came..."
The atmosphere became suffocatingly heavy. The Whitebeard Pirates, the strongest in the world, were attacking. Young recruits and veteran officers alike stood ready.
"Heh-heh-heh... Come on then, Whitebeard," Donquixote Doflamingo said, his face twisted in a grin of anticipation.
One hundred thousand Marines scanned the surface of the sea, searching for Whitebeard's flagship. Suddenly, strange sounds began to rise from the center of Marineford's crescent bay. Massive bubbles breached the surface.
The Marines grew restless. The entire coast was lined with soldiers, yet the sound grew louder from right beneath their noses.
"Could he be coming from an unexpected place?" Garp muttered.
"We've botched our formation," Vice Admiral Tsuru added calmly.
SPLASH! Massive plumes of water erupted one by one. Emerging from the depths were pirate ships, their hulls shedding seawater like rain.
"They coated their ships and came from the seabed!" Sengoku realized instantly.
"It's the Moby Dick!"
Four massive pirate ships appeared within the bay, forming a cross-shaped formation directly facing the Marines at point-blank range.
"It's the First Division Commander, Marco! And all fourteen Commanders are here!"
Amidst a series of heavy, powerful footsteps, a towering figure emerged from the cabin of the Moby Dick. He stepped onto the deck, looming over the battlefield.
"Gurararara... It's been decades, hasn't it, Sengoku?" Clutching the Supreme Grade blade Murakumogiri, Whitebeard smirked at the Fleet Admiral.
"Whitebeard. To think he'd infiltrate this close..."
"Is my beloved son alright? Gurararara..." Whitebeard let out his signature laugh. "Hold on, Ace."
With that, Whitebeard thrust Murakumogiri into the deck and took a low stance. He swung his arms out to his sides, striking the very air with his fists.
CRACK!
In the space around his fists, the air shattered like glass, spider-webbing outward in all directions. As the cracks reached their limit, a massive shockwave rippled through the world. On either side of the bay, the sea began to bulge into gargantuan mountains of water, surging outward.
The Whitebeard Pirates' flag fluttered in the wind above the harbor. Seeing the familiar faces of his comrades, memories flooded Ace's mind—from the day he first set sail to his meeting with Whitebeard and his joining of the crew.
"Pops... everyone..." Ace gritted his teeth and screamed, "I'm the one who ignored the warnings and ran off! Why didn't you just leave me to my fate!?"
"No!" Whitebeard looked Ace directly in the eye. "I was the one who told you to go, son."