章 11: The Emperor of the Seas

The impact of Sengoku's revelation still resonated in the hearts and minds of everyone present in Marineford. The son of Gold Roger, the King of the Pirates, was alive and about to be executed. Ace's words lingered in the air like a distant echo of his painful truth: "Only Whitebeard is my father."

The Marines, Shichibukai, and high-ranking officers remained tense, their gazes fixed on the execution platform where Ace, chained and weakened, had been marked as the heir to the most feared blood in the world. Civilians across the globe, glued to their Den Den Mushi, could barely process what they had just heard. The silence felt heavy and suffocating.

However, as the sky brightened with the rays of dawn, a subtle but undeniable change began to sweep through the ranks of the Marines. Nervous glances exchanged between them as some soldiers' trembling hands tightened their grips on their rifles. Something was happening. Something was coming.

"Something is approaching!" —a soldier shouted from a watchtower, his voice cracked with fear and urgency.

All eyes turned to the horizon, from elite soldiers to the highest-ranking Marine officers. In the distance, where the sky met the vast ocean, a fleet was rapidly approaching. The sails of the ships billowed in the wind, proudly displaying the dreaded fleet of Whitebeard's allies.

"It's them!" —exclaimed one Marine, stepping back.

"The allies of Whitebeard!" —another added, as rumors and nervousness spread among the ranks of the Navy.

Sengoku, from his position on the execution platform, calmly gazed toward the horizon. He knew this moment would arrive, but that didn't make the weight of what was about to happen any easier to bear. Garp, by his side, kept his head down, lost in his own internal conflict. Both, alongside the admirals and Shichibukai, awaited the inevitable confrontation.

The fleet of Whitebeard's allied pirates was clearly visible: dozens of ships of varying sizes and designs, each commanded by a pirate allied with the world's most feared crew. These pirates, many of them veterans of the seas, were ready to give their lives for the man who had offered them protection and respect.

Yet, as tension grew and the Navy's cannons pointed toward the bay entrance, something felt off. Despite the imposing fleet approaching, there were no signs of the man everyone feared—the legendary Edward Newgate, also known as Whitebeard.

"Where is Whitebeard?" —Kizaru asked with his characteristic indifference, but his eyes, hidden behind his glasses, reflected a hint of intrigue.

"Maintain formation!" —Akainu ordered sharply, his voice cutting like the magma that flowed through his veins—. "No matter how many there are, we won't let them set foot on this island!"

The cannons prepared to fire, and the tension was so thick that it felt as though the very air refused to move. But then, something unusual happened. A soldier high up in a watchtower began to shout, pointing toward the still waters of the harbor.

"The water…! The water is bubbling!"

The waters of the bay, which until that moment had been calm and serene, began to stir. Small bubbles appeared on the surface, rapidly growing into whirlpools. The entire harbor trembled, as if something gigantic were rising from the depths of the ocean.

"It can't be…!" —murmured one of the Navy officers, his face pale with fear.

Suddenly, a massive figure began to emerge from the waters, causing a deafening roar. Water splashed in all directions, and Marineford's harbor was covered by a curtain of foam and sea mist. When the water cleared, all eyes widened in astonishment and terror.

There, in the middle of the bay, the gigantic ship of Whitebeard, the Moby Dick, rose from the ocean's depths, imposing and majestic. Beside it, three similarly designed ships, each commanded by the powerful leaders of Whitebeard's fleet, also emerged, surrounding the entrance of the bay with their unstoppable presence. The symbols of the legendary pirate waved high above, making it clear that their leader had arrived.

Every Marine's heart momentarily froze. No cannon had fired, no defense had been activated. The arrival of the Moby Dick was so sudden and terrifying that the Marines could only watch, paralyzed by fear.

And then, a figure appeared at the prow of the Moby Dick. Gigantic, with a presence that seemed to fill all the space around him, Edward Newgate, Whitebeard, stood tall, his characteristic white cloak billowing in the wind, his face marked by scars and his gaze fixed on the execution platform. In his hand, the massive bisento he wielded like an extension of his own body rested easily, yet the tension in the air was palpable.

Whitebeard stepped forward, his deep voice resonating like thunder across the bay.

"I've come to reclaim my son!" —he roared, his tone filled with fury and determination, shaking the hearts of all present.

The mere presence of Whitebeard, the strongest man in the world, caused many Navy soldiers to back away, unable to contain the fear they felt in the face of such a legend. Even the most experienced officers and vice admirals felt a wave of nervousness wash over them.

Beside him, the commanders of his fleet made their appearance as well. Marco the Phoenix, with his pineapple-shaped blond hair and serious demeanor, stood ready to fly into battle with his Devil Fruit powers. Around him, Jozu, the Diamond Man, and Vista, the master swordsman of the Whitebeard Pirates, were prepared for combat. The full lineup of the commanders of the strongest crew on the seas was ready to face the Navy.

The silence lasted only a moment before chaos erupted. The Marines prepared to fight, aware that they faced the strongest man in the world, and they knew their only chance of survival lay in preventing Whitebeard from advancing.

But at that moment, one thing became clear to all: the war had begun.

As Marineford descended into chaos with the arrival of Whitebeard and his commanders, nearby, the small ship carrying Alaric, Luffy, Buggy, Jimbe, and the other escaped prisoners from Impel Down steadily made its way toward the imposing Gates of Justice. The ocean around them felt immense and threatening, but the determination of everyone on board was palpable… even if they didn't always show it in the same way.

"There it is! The Gates of Justice!"

One of the prisoners shouted as everyone, without exception, turned their heads forward to behold the colossal gate blocking their path to Marineford.

Silence enveloped the group for a moment. The gate was absolutely gigantic; its solid stone walls seemed impenetrable. The prisoners, many of them ruffians from the seas and veterans of all sorts of mischief, couldn't help but feel tiny in front of such a structure. And although they were about to enter the most feared battlefield in the world, their immediate concern was: how the hell were they going to get through that closed door?

Buggy, of course, was in his own world. He had climbed onto a wooden crate, looking arrogantly down at his followers surrounding him.

"Listen up!" —he declared in his exaggerated, theatrical tone—. "This is the moment the great Buggy demonstrates his incredible power! Those gates will be no problem for someone like me!"

The prisoners, captivated by Buggy's grandiloquent words, watched him with bright, admiring eyes. Anyone who didn't know the truth might have thought he was genuinely the captain of a fearsome fleet.

"Yeah, Captain Buggy! We knew you wouldn't let us down!" —one of his followers shouted, excited.

Luffy, standing on the deck, scratched his head and stared at the gate with a thoughtful expression, while Alaric, arms crossed and wavy hair gently fluttering in the wind, observed Buggy's antics with a mix of incredulity and mild amusement. Jimbe, on the other hand, maintained his serenity, though a barely perceptible smile crossed his face.

"Does he really think he can open that thing?" —Alaric whispered, raising an eyebrow. Luffy simply shrugged.

"Of course I can open it!" —Buggy responded, as if he had heard the comment, not losing an ounce of his arrogance. He stood tall, puffing out his chest—. "Watch how the great Buggy does the impossible!"

At that moment, as everyone expectantly gazed at the imposing gate, a deep and thunderous sound resonated from the very depths of the harbor. The Gates of Justice began to open slowly, causing the water around them to ripple and the currents to strengthen. The immense stone gate opened as if some invisible force had heard the fugitives' wishes.

The prisoners aboard the Marine ship could hardly believe their eyes. The gates were opening before them!

"He did it!" —shouted one prisoner, completely thrilled, looking at Buggy with adoration—. "Captain Buggy did it! He opened the Gates of Justice!"

"Yes, that's our captain!" —another added, tears of joy in his eyes—. "The invincible Captain Buggy!"

Luffy, completely unaware that Buggy had nothing to do with it, clapped his hands with a bright smile on his face.

"Wow, Buggy! You're amazing!"

Jimbe let out a resigned sigh, but Alaric, who had been watching everything in silence, couldn't help but chuckle softly. It was incredible how Buggy managed to convince people of his "feats" without doing anything at all.

"Heh… That was pure coincidence," —Alaric murmured to himself, still smiling. It was clear that the opening of the gate was part of some automated system, probably controlled from Marineford, but the way the prisoners perceived it was… amusing, to say the least.

But Buggy, far from letting the opportunity slip away, decided to make the most of it.

"Of course I did!" —he shouted as he climbed onto the ship's railing, extending his arms as if about to perform a theatrical act—. "Did you doubt it?! The Gates of Justice are no match for the great Buggy, the future King of the Pirates! Ha, ha, ha, ha!"

The prisoners cheered and clapped, convinced they were being led to victory by a man capable of opening impossible doors with a simple gesture. Buggy's ego swelled with each cheer, to the point that he no longer seemed to care about the imminent battle at Marineford.

Luffy, clearly impressed, jumped and approached Buggy with a serious expression.

"Hey, Buggy, could you also open that door again if it closed?"

Buggy, caught up in a blissful state of self-satisfaction, gulped and froze for a second.

"Uh... Of course, of course!" —he said, quickly regaining his composure—. "I could open it as many times as I want! But… it won't be necessary because, ha!, it's not going to close. They're so afraid of my power that the gates tremble!"

Luffy accepted the response without question and smiled widely again.

"You're so cool, Buggy!"

Meanwhile, Alaric and Jimbe exchanged a knowing glance, sharing the silent amusement of the moment. Alaric knew the battle that awaited them would be tough, but these little moments were an unexpected relief.

"It looks like I'll be seeing this place again after a long time…" —murmured Alaric as the ship, guided by the currents, advanced through the Gates of Justice.