Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Sengoku hung up the Den Den Mushi with a deep frown. Vice Admiral Tsuru calmly said, "Sengoku, if Tashigi said it, it must be true. It's no surprise that Straw Hat Luffy and Fire Fist Ace would come to the rescue; we already anticipated this, didn't we?"
Sengoku rubbed his temples, a massive headache brewing. The problem was precisely that he had anticipated it. He was now facing the prospect of fighting two of the Five Emperors at once.
To make matters worse, Tashigi's information was limited. All she could tell them was that the Straw Hats would be starting from Enies Lobby, but she didn't know their specific plans.
"It seems the Straw Hats are still cautious around Tashigi," Sengoku thought. He felt a pang of guilt for putting her in this position. If she were to get into trouble because her cover was blown, he would be partially to blame, and Vice Admiral Smoker and Hina would surely hold it against him. Tashigi had been an excellent undercover agent. All he could do now was hope she stayed safe.
"If the Straw Hats join the fight, the Marines will be in a terrible position," Sengoku said, feeling the immense pressure. "The World Government didn't provide many extra troops. Now we have no choice but to call back Gion and Tokikake. We can't afford to be careless against two Emperors. We can ignore the New World, but we must win this battle!"
Tsuru nodded and immediately contacted Gion and Tokikake. Both were candidates for Admiral, so their strength was a welcome addition to the Marines' forces.
Meanwhile, the Whitebeard Pirates had also seen the newspaper. When Whitebeard saw that the Marines were going to publicly execute his son, he was furious. Without hesitation, he issued a summoning order for all 43 of his allied pirate crews, preparing for war to rescue Ace.
"Pops, that bastard Teach!" Marco yelled angrily. "He's the one who captured Ace and handed him over to the Marines to get a Warlord title!"
Whitebeard was trembling with rage. "Teach! That bastard is no son of mine! Once I rescue Ace, I'll kill him with my own two hands!"
The movements of the Whitebeard Pirates and the Marines were so significant that a storm seemed to be brewing across the entire sea. For a moment, everything went quiet. All the rampant pirates settled down, waiting for the super war to begin.
At the same time, Sabo had already infiltrated Impel Down. However, when Sengoku received the report, he simply smiled. He had outsmarted them. Anticipating a possible prison break, he had already transferred Ace from Impel Down to a cell in Marineford. Therefore, whatever happened at Impel Down wouldn't affect the public execution.
"Tsuru, have those guys arrived yet?" Sengoku asked.
"All six of them are here," Tsuru replied. "The Pirate Empress finally agreed to join us."
"Hmph! Good, she's sensible," Sengoku said, pleased. "Boa Hancock has some power, so it's best that she participates. If she thinks her country in the Calm Belt can resist the Marines, she's sorely mistaken. That place is no safe haven."
Sengoku was happy with the outcome. Even though the renegade Jimbe had refused, the other Warlords had all agreed. These pirates had immense fighting power, especially Mihawk, the World's Strongest Swordsman, whose skill was even said to surpass that of Red-Haired Shanks. If the Warlords cooperated, this battle would be much easier.
Sengoku and Tsuru went to meet the six Warlords, who were having a meal. Onigumo was watching them, but the Warlords didn't seem to care. Their casual postures made it clear they considered Marine Headquarters their own home.
"Heh heh heh heh! A battle with the Whitebeard Pirates sounds so exciting! I'll get so many new zombies for my army!" Gecko Moria said with his toothy grin.
"Hey, hey, hey! Moria, as the weakest of the Warlords, aren't you afraid of dying on the battlefield?" Doflamingo taunted.
"Doflamingo! You wanna die?! You're the weakest one here! Your whole family is the weakest!" Moria yelled.
"Oh? You're insulting my family now? I'll kill you right here!"
One of them pulled out a giant pair of scissors, while the other had a string hanging from his finger, ready to fight. Blackbeard, Mihawk, Kuma, and the Empress remained silent, completely unconcerned by the scene.
Onigumo glared at them, almost drawing his sword. These two had been bickering all day. Just moments before, Moria had cut the shadow off a Marine soldier, and while the man was unharmed, Onigumo nearly lost his temper.
Doflamingo had even used his Devil Fruit to control two soldiers to attack Mihawk, a truly gutsy move. But Mihawk was no pushover and had nearly cut Doflamingo's hand off in return. Onigumo was glad Mihawk hadn't killed the soldiers; he wasn't sure what he would have done.
The most reliable of the group was Kuma, who simply sat there without saying a word. The Pirate Empress was also well-behaved, though she kept saying how annoying men were. As for Blackbeard, Onigumo found him too ugly and his laugh too grating to even care.
"It's good that you're all here," Sengoku said from the doorway. "I expect all six of you to put in a good effort against Whitebeard. If anyone is holding back or does something that goes against the Marines, don't blame me for settling the score later!"
The six Warlords stayed silent. They all planned to hold back and just pretend to be fighting hard.
Sengoku's eyes landed on Doflamingo, a flash of murderous intent in them. The man had killed his foster son, Rosinante. He hadn't forgotten and he would get his revenge one day.
Suddenly, Vice Admiral Tsuru asked, "Doflamingo, I saw in the newspaper that you resigned as a Warlord. Why are you still here? Are you turning yourself in?"
Doflamingo laughed. "Heh heh heh heh! Vice Admiral Tsuru, the newspaper writes whatever they want. It has nothing to do with me!"
"Hmph! You'd better be honest, or I won't be so polite!"
The pieces are in place for the war. The Whitebeard Pirates are sailing to Marineford, the Marines have their forces ready, and the Warlords are gathered. What do you think of Sengoku's strategy to move Ace to Marineford? Do you think Sabo will be able to figure out that Ace isn't in Impel Down, or will he waste his time there?
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