The reactions outside the battlefield were nothing like the chaos within Marineford. People had just watched Akainu charge at Whitebeard with overbearing arrogance, only to be sent flying back even faster than he had arrived.
Marines who had been cheering moments ago looked at one another, embarrassed, faces flushed. They had just supported the man loudly, only for him to be defeated instantly.
If he couldn't withstand even a single blow, what did that make them?
How were they supposed to maintain morale?
How were they supposed to keep fighting when even their strongest force collapsed instantly?
Of course, only a few Marines thought this way.
The majority were horrified.
Akainu, one of the three Admirals and part of Marine's highest combat power, had been defeated in one strike.
If this was the strength of Whitebeard, then even all three Admirals together might not be able to stop him.
The fear in people's hearts rose like a storm.
Marco stood across from Kizaru, looking somewhat awkward.
Even against an Admiral, he needed to fight seriously.
Yet he forced a relaxed grin.
"Yo, Kizaru. This is the strength of your Admirals? So weak? You can't even take a single attack from Pops?"
Kizaru's smile faded.
His expression tightened, a trace of ugliness showing in his eyes.
The Admirals were Marine's symbol, their pride.
What happened to Akainu had humiliated not just him but all of Marine.
In front of the entire world, under countless eyes, Akainu had been defeated brutally with no ability to counter.
Marine's iconic trio, crushed by Whitebeard.
Even if Kizaru knew Akainu was strong, even if he knew he himself might not fare much better, the arrogance Akainu displayed had now turned into a sharp slap to all their faces.
And the world saw it.
Thinking of this, irritation boiled inside him.
He didn't waste time exchanging words with Marco.
His body flashed with golden light as he unleashed a powerful attack to vent his anger.
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
"Tch, petty guy. Using me as your stress relief again?"
With a burst of flames, Marco transformed into a phoenix and clashed with him.
Elsewhere, Jozu stared at Aokiji without mockery, but the strange look in his eyes made Aokiji uncomfortable.
They continued fighting intensely as the world watched.
People viewing the live broadcast finally snapped out of their shock.
They were ordinary citizens.
They only knew that Marine protected them and that pirates threatened their villages.
Seeing Akainu blasted away so easily filled them with fear.
"Did Akainu lose already?"
"So weak. And he's supposed to be one of the strongest?"
"Is Marine going to be defeated?"
Panic spread.
Some frightened civilians even ran home, causing small riots.
"Akainu, that idiot…" Sengoku growled, face darkening.
Garp let out a loud laugh.
"Oops, Sengoku. We just lost face in front of the whole world."
The troublemaker's grin returned, even drowning out the grief for Ace.
"Shut up, Garp!" Sengoku roared.
Ignoring him, Sengoku attempted to salvage Marine's collapsed reputation.
He raised the transponder snail, standing tall on the execution platform.
"Let us return to the topic. Everyone is curious why Marine must publicly execute Fire Fist Ace."
His calm, authoritative voice captured the world's attention, successfully shifting focus away from Akainu's shameful defeat.
"I believe everyone knows who Fire Fist Ace is. As the second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, his crimes are not unforgivable. But why execute him publicly?"
"Why do some pirates far worse than him enter Impel Down, never to see the sun again? Why is Ace not given the same treatment?"
Sengoku, the Resourceful General, expertly redirected the world's attention.
Questions formed in every viewer's mind.
Even those fighting slowed down, listening.
Satisfied, Sengoku continued.
"In the end, it is because he carries the blood of a criminal."
Gasps echoed through the battlefield.
He spoke before anyone could question him.
"There is an island in the South Blue. Ace's mother was Portgas D. Rouge, a remarkable woman beyond even Marine's understanding."
"In order to protect her unborn child, she carried him for twenty months. You may not know her name, but you certainly know the name of her husband."
"That man was Gol D. Roger."
Sengoku's voice grew heavier.
"Yes. The Pirate King Roger. Ace is his son."
The moment the revelation fell, the battlefield froze.
"No way. Roger's son?"
"He actually left behind a child!"
"Is the sea going to descend into chaos again?"
People watching the broadcast screamed in disbelief.
Reporters scribbled frantically, knowing tomorrow's news would shake the entire world.
Far from the broadcast square, Rayleigh watched silently from a rooftop.
"So it's finally revealed."
Shakky's voice was soft.
"You already suspected it?"
"I guessed. Back in the old days, when we sailed the New World, we found a Logia fruit. The Mera Mera no Mi. The captain eventually acquired it."
"When I later saw Ace using that same fruit more than ten years after the captain's death, I recognized him instantly. His eyes and spirit were too similar."
"I tried to teach him Haki, to prepare him for the New World. But he refused. He wanted to challenge Whitebeard immediately."
Rayleigh sighed deeply.
Shakky placed a hand on his shoulder.
"What's done is done. Now we can only hope Whitebeard manages to rescue Ace."
Across the world, former members of the Roger Pirates shared the same sentiment, praying for Ace's survival.
As Ace's identity shook the battlefield, silence lasted only a moment.
Then the explosion of noise returned even louder than before.
But this time, the reaction from Whitebeard's crew was different.
Admiration filled their eyes as they looked at Ace.
Words of praise spilled freely.
Roger had been the Pirate King, the greatest of his era.
Ace, his heir, was like a crowned prince among pirates.
And as pirates loyal to their captain and their family, they would do everything in their power to rescue their prince.
---
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