Near the execution platform, Sengoku stood like an immovable mountain, the entire battlefield laid bare before his eyes. Every shift in formation, every clash of power, was within his grasp.
One thing, however, puzzled him.
Why would Whitebeard dispatch Marco—a fighter of that caliber—to support an allied pirate crew?
Yet no matter how events shifted, Sengoku's expression remained composed. His plan would not waver.
Then—
A series of piercing screams suddenly tore through the sky.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH—!!!"
Both Marines and pirates instinctively looked up.
Through the smoke and chaos, a figure came hurtling down from above.
Ace, bound on the execution platform, stared in disbelief.
"…Luffy?! How—how?!"
At the same time, the falling figure spotted Ace.
"ACE——!! I've come to save you——!!"
Garp froze.
"…Luffy…"
And Sengoku—
Sengoku's face twisted with fury as he recognized the figures descending alongside Straw Hat: Crocodile, Jinbe, Ivankov, and others.
"DAMN IT, GARP!" Sengoku roared. "It's your family again—always causing trouble!!"
The battlefield's attention was now completely drawn to the warships plummeting from the sky.
"…Is that Straw Hat Luffy?"
The thought flashed through Marco's mind instantly.
He had seen this scene before—exactly like this.
For Marco, the Marineford War was already a carefully laid Marine trap against the Whitebeard Pirates. And in the original timeline, Ace's rescue had only succeeded because of one unpredictable variable—
Straw Hat Luffy.
Nearby, Jozu squinted up at the shadowy outline of the falling warship.
"A warship? Is this some backup plan the Marines prepared?"
Vista, standing beside him, grinned and shook his head.
"Doesn't look like it. Didn't you hear him shouting about saving Ace?" He chuckled.
"Whoever he is, if he's here to fight the Marines, then even if he was our enemy, we can treat him as an ally for now."
Not far away, Aokiji—who had just been trading blows with Jozu and Vista—frowned slightly.
"Hey… isn't that Straw Hat?" he muttered. "How did that kid suddenly show up here?"
He knew all too well about the connection between Fire Fist Ace and Garp's adopted grandson.
He didn't seriously come here to rescue Ace, did he…?
Aokiji understood Straw Hat's limits better than most. With strength like that—did he really think he could save Fire Fist Ace?
Boom!
The warship crashed down—but not onto the ice.
It plunged straight into the sea, precisely into the waters where Jozu had previously shattered the frozen surface.
"Who are these people?"
"They don't look like Marine reinforcements!"
Curiosity spread through both sides as eyes turned toward the unfamiliar figures emerging from the wreckage.
Moments later, Straw Hat Luffy bounced back to his feet, standing atop the mast, fist raised.
"Ace! I'm here to save you—just wait for me!!"
The Marines stared in disbelief.
"What kind of lineup is this…?"
"Prisoners in inmate uniforms… pirates… Revolutionary Army members… former and current Shichibukai…?"
The sheer absurdity left them stunned.
Sengoku, however, needed only a glance.
Those prison uniforms told him everything.
"They're Impel Down escapees…" he muttered darkly.
What he hadn't expected—what truly angered him—was this.
These criminals, who had miraculously escaped the world's most secure prison, hadn't fled into hiding.
Instead, they had marched straight into Marineford.
As if they didn't fear the Marines at all.
Sengoku fixed his gaze on Jinbe and thundered,
"Jinbe! Is this your decision? Are you truly betraying the Marines and abandoning your position as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea?"
Jinbe's expression did not waver for even a moment.
"That's right," he answered calmly. "I've made my choice. I hereby relinquish my title as a Shichibukai. I came here for one reason only—to save Ace."
Sengoku's face darkened instantly.
He seized a transponder snail and barked his order across the battlefield.
"Attention, all units! These individuals are fugitives from Impel Down. According to the latest intelligence, prisoners led by Straw Hat, Sir Crocodile, Jinbe, Ivankov, and others have escaped."
"They are all criminals."
"Do not attempt to arrest them—execute them on the spot."
"Yes!" the Marine forces roared in unison.
—
From there, events unfolded much as fate had once decreed.
Sir Crocodile attempted to ambush Whitebeard—only to be intercepted at the critical moment by Luffy. Standing boldly before the world's strongest man, Luffy declared his dream without hesitation, shouting that he would become the Pirate King.
Whitebeard didn't grow angry.
Instead, he laughed.
"Heh… What an arrogant brat," he said with amusement. "Just don't get in my way."
"I will save Ace," Luffy replied firmly before leaping off the Moby Dick.
Whitebeard's lips curled slightly as he watched.
'The situation is changing,' he thought. 'I wonder how Sengoku will adjust his plan.'
The Admirals still hadn't truly moved—clearly waiting to stop the Pirates from landing on the plaza, biding their time until the moment they could activate that so-called "Surrounding Wall."
'Once they do,' Whitebeard mused, 'it won't just be their opportunity… it'll be ours as well.'
Whether or not Sengoku truly intended to execute Ace early didn't matter anymore. Their objective was clear.
If the Marines dared to act first, Whitebeard would respond without mercy.
—
On the outskirts of Crescent Bay, Marco continued his relentless assault, cutting down Marine soldiers while coordinating closely with Little Oars and the forty-three allied pirate captains.
Though nearly seventy thousand Marines were stationed in the area, the allied fleets had gathered over fifty thousand pirates. The numerical gap was far from insurmountable.
More importantly, the highest-ranking Marine commander in this zone was only a Vice Admiral—a threat Marco could easily manage.
"Damn you, Marco!" Vice Admiral Momonga roared, raising his sword to strike.
Before he could advance, Doma stepped forward, blocking his path.
"Please," Doma said calmly, "refrain from interfering with Captain Marco."
Under Marco's leadership, the pirates tore open a massive breach in the Marine defensive line. Wave after wave of pirates surged into Crescent Bay, pressing the attack.
"The pirates have landed!"
"So what—keep them out of the plaza!"
"Intercept them at all costs! Don't let them approach the execution platform!"
The Marines braced themselves. Thanks to Marineford's unique crescent-shaped terrain, even with the pirates landing, their defenses did not immediately collapse.
The execution platform lay at the heart of the crescent, guarded by over thirty thousand elite Marines and personally overseen by an Admiral—an iron fortress.
Then—
A thunderous roar split the air.
"Inugami Guren!"
A massive magma hound's head—larger than a Giant—erupted forward, lunging straight at Little Oars.
The moment the attack appeared, a chill ran through everyone who witnessed it.
Akainu had finally made his move.