In the bay of Marineford, the headquarters of the Navy, one hundred thousand elite naval soldiers stood in formation.
This execution was for the son of Roger, the second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates: Ace.
And Whitebeard, who valued his crew above all else, would never allow his subordinate to be executed by the Navy.
On the calm sea, forty-three pirate ships from the New World suddenly appeared. Whitebeard, aboard the Moby Dick, arrived in the bay by submerging.
After confirming Ace's safety, he unleashed the power of his Gura Gura no Mi with the might of a king, attempting to cause a tsunami to engulf Marineford. However, Aokiji, using his Hie Hie no Mi, easily neutralized the attack.
He froze the entire bay, and with a solid footing, the pirates and the one hundred thousand elite naval soldiers engaged in a fierce battle within the bay.
During this time, the world's greatest swordsman, Mihawk, wanted to gauge the difference in power between himself and the man before him.
The battle between the two commenced.
Mihawk launched a brilliant slash that erupted from the ground, directly at Whitebeard!
At a critical moment, Jozu leaped out and blocked the attack. Seeing this, Kizaru could no longer restrain himself and intended to strike directly at the heart of the enemy, using his Yasakani no Magatama to take Whitebeard's head.
But it was still intercepted by Marco, a commander of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Simultaneously, Jozu used Aokiji's ice to counter-attack, smashing a giant ice block towards the execution platform.
It was at this moment that the last of the Three Admirals, Akainu, made his move!
Instantly, his body turned into magma capable of burning everything. He not only melted the giant ice block but also transformed into a fiery projectile, attacking the pirates in the bay.
Just as the pirates and the Navy were locked in a life-and-death struggle in the bay, a colossal figure slowly emerged from the sea.
If Little Oars possessed Haki, Ace might have been rescued much earlier. Before the Summit War began, Whitebeard had warned Oars not to come to Marineford, as his immense size would make him an easy target.
But he didn't listen, all because Ace had given him a straw hat he had personally woven, making him no longer fear the cold of winter or the heat of summer. To repay this kindness, he came to Marineford, charging alone towards the execution platform, becoming the target of countless Marine soldiers.
As Oars was about to reach the execution platform, the Seven Warlords of the Sea could no longer stand by. Having accepted the Navy's invitation, they were obligated to act to prevent the Whitebeard Pirates from rescuing Ace.
Kuma used his Devil Fruit ability to create an air bomb, severely wounding Oars.
Doflamingo then used his threads to sever Oars' right leg, and his body was pierced by Moria's abilities, causing him to fall definitively beneath the execution platform...
...falling before Ace's eyes...
Below, the pirates wept uncontrollably.
Despite all the losses they suffered in the Summit War, the greatest pain for Luffy in this battle was the loss of his brother, Ace.
But his sacrifice was not in vain; under his leadership, a large number of pirates had already broken into the bay of Marineford.
The breakout alliance led by Luffy descended from the sky and, by chance, learned that the Navy planned to execute Ace ahead of schedule.
Therefore, the moment they landed, Luffy rushed to the highest point to confirm Ace's safety and informed Whitebeard of the Navy's plan to execute Ace early.
As all the pirates entered the bay, Sengoku initiated the annihilation plan. A large number of Pacifistas surrounded the pirates in the bay from the periphery. Even worse, Squard, believing Akainu's deceitful words, stabbed the aging and gravely ill Whitebeard with his sword.
Because his comrades who had fought alongside him for so long had died at Roger's hands, he harbored deep hatred for Roger.
And Ace, as Roger's son, was also an object of his dislike. More importantly, Akainu told him that this battle was a conspiracy orchestrated by Whitebeard and the Navy.
The objective was to sell the heads of forty-three pirate captains to secure Ace's life.
Facing his son's misunderstanding, Whitebeard offered no explanation, only embracing him. It was only then that Squard realized he had been manipulated by Akainu.
Enraged, Whitebeard leaped from his ship and joined the battle, unleashing the power of his Gura Gura no Mi upon the elite naval soldiers. The balance of the battlefield was instantly shattered.
He created several abysses, and even the sea began to tilt due to Whitebeard's power.
Marineford was plunged into a scene resembling the end of the world.
"As expected of the world's strongest man. With a single blow, he inflicted heavy damage on a large number of elite naval soldiers."
Su Mu paused, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.
The crowd, engrossed in the story, grew anxious when Su Mu stopped. "Tell us more, Master Su!"
"What happened next? What about Whitebeard?"
"Did the pirates win? Was Ace rescued?"
"Patience, I will continue," Su Mu gestured for everyone to quiet down.
"Although Whitebeard heavily damaged a large number of elite naval soldiers, it was too late. The Navy still held the advantage and activated the encirclement wall.
"Numerous walls equipped with cannons rose from the ground, trapping all the pirates within the bay. Fortunately, Little Oars' colossal body blocked the rise of one of the walls, creating a slight flaw in this seemingly flawless plan.
"Akainu fired Meteor Volcano towards the sky. Countless magma cannonballs flew into the air, indiscriminately bombarding the pirates within the encirclement wall.
"He also melted the ice surface created by Aokiji, depriving the pirates of their footing. Ahead of them were the cannons from the encirclement wall, and behind them were the powerful Pacifistas.
"In the air, there was also Akainu's magma bombardment. Just as the members of the Whitebeard Pirates were about to be defeated by the Navy, even worse news came from the execution platform.
"Sengoku, abandoning all pretense of honor, decided to execute Ace ahead of schedule to eliminate any future trouble. Luffy, to save his brother Ace, disregarded his injuries, his physical exhaustion, and the bombardment ahead.
"Even if he were knocked to the seabed, he would not give up even the slightest chance to save Ace!"
"Perhaps Luffy's spirit moved the heavens, causing Oars, who was severely injured and unconscious, to awaken. With Jinbe's help, Luffy returned to the ice surface again and, using Jinbe's sea current shoulder throw, successfully leaped over Oars' body.
"When Luffy reached the base of the execution platform, he gripped a wooden stick and faced the three Admirals of the Navy alone!
"To ensure the young master's safety, Kizaru could only kick him away, moving Luffy away from Akainu. At this moment, Sengoku gave the order to execute Ace..."