What exactly was going on?
From the moment the chaos began, far too many people on the battlefield had completely lost track of the situation.
First, Admiral Aokiji had been sent flying with a single blow.
Then Vice Admiral Garp had personally taken up position to guard the field.
After that, the clash between Garp, Cain, and Yamato had unleashed a world-shaking impact that nearly flattened Marineford.
Then came the figures raining down from the sky—escaped prisoners from Impel Down.
From their shouting, everyone could tell that the one leading them was yet another grandson of Vice Admiral Garp.
And now, even the legendary pirate Golden Lion had suddenly appeared.
On top of that, why had everyone stopped fighting?
And what was going on with that Den Den Mushi over there?
"This… this is…"
Ace stared hard at the projection, his eyes filled with disbelief.
The content being shown had somehow brought him a sense of release unlike anything he had ever felt before, despite the pain and struggle that had been crushing him all this time.
Sengoku, Garp, and Tsuru all turned almost at the exact same time and looked toward the one person present who was most capable of arranging all this.
"That's right, Ace. From now on, you don't need to keep tormenting yourself with those heavy chains anymore."
Cain looked toward Ace, who was kneeling beside Sengoku, and his voice slowly spread across the battlefield.
Everything from beginning to end had been Cain's plan.
He understood all too well that in many anime, there were always people obsessed with exploring vague life philosophies, or seemingly profound but ultimately meaningless questions.
To put it simply, they drowned themselves in an idealized obsession with perfection, then sank into self-contradiction because reality refused to cooperate.
They trapped themselves so deeply that they could not climb out.
It could be called the author's brand of "pretentious literary angst."
Whether it was Uchiha Madara's dream of an illusory peace, or that red figure's ideal of becoming an ally of justice, they all had a habit of complicating simple truths and dressing up pure convictions in obscure, mystical language.
As if something had to be difficult to understand before it could be considered deep.
In the end, they only sank deeper and deeper into the cages they built for themselves.
Ace was trapped in that same mire.
The identity of "Roger's son" had haunted him for more than ten years.
Because of that, during the Summit War, he had wished from the bottom of his heart that Whitebeard, Cain, Luffy, Yamato, and everyone else would not come.
He had wanted to let his life end on that execution platform.
At the root of it all were the words "son of Roger."
He had long since been forced to accept that this identity, one that brought him pain and hatred, had been branded deep into his soul.
That shackle could not be completely broken just because others risked their lives to save him.
If they simply dragged him away from the battlefield, then whether he faced the Marines' pursuit or the judgment of the pirate world afterward, he would spend the rest of his life carrying the label of "Roger's son."
That had already gone against the very reason he had first gone out to sea as a pirate.
Worse, it would leave him drowning in endless guilt toward every companion who sacrificed themselves in this rescue.
In the long run, he would only sink deeper into that mire of hollow anguish, beyond any hope of escape.
The world in his eyes would lose its light completely, and even the will to live would be worn away.
But now, the person disguised as Fleet Admiral Sengoku in the Den Den Mushi projection had forcibly cut the bond between Ace and the identity of "Roger's son."
From this moment onward, Ace no longer had to carry Roger's shadow.
He could sail freely across the sea as Portgas D. Ace.
That was Cain's answer to him.
Once the identity of "Roger's son" no longer held, the Marines' execution of Ace lost its righteous cause.
It became nothing more than a dirty trap to lure Whitebeard in.
If Ace willingly died here now, then this execution and this rescue would lose all so-called meaning.
His death would become worthless, and it would be the cruelest betrayal of every companion who had come to save him.
"So, Ace, tell me."
Cain's voice rang out across the battlefield.
"Now that you've been freed from the identity of 'Roger's son'… do you still want to live?"
…
"ACE! WAIT FOR ME! I'M DEFINITELY GONNA SAVE YOU!"
Luffy hung in midair, shouting with everything he had.
He had no idea what had happened around the execution platform.
There was only one thought in his mind.
He had to save Ace!
He bent his body, about to jump down.
"WISHFUL THINKING, STRAW HAT LUFFY!"
Smoker, who had been watching Luffy this entire time, suddenly burst into action.
Ever since Loguetown, he had sensed how dangerous Luffy was. He absolutely could not allow him to get involved in this war.
Before his words had fully faded, his body turned into rolling white smoke. Wrapped in killing intent, he rushed straight into the air.
Boom!
A thunderclap exploded across the sky.
Blue arcs of electricity flashed, and a curtain of light bloomed beside Luffy.
Two figures silently emerged from the lightning.
Just as Smoker's hand was about to touch Luffy, a bone-chilling cold swept through the area, freezing even the scorching smoke of the battlefield.
The one blocking Smoker was Admiral Aokiji.
But Smoker's face was full of disbelief.
Because Aokiji was not interfering with his attack.
Aokiji was saving him.
Because in front of Smoker, there was someone else.
The person Aokiji had blocked was that man.
Five fingers covered in black Armament Haki, crackling with arcs of electricity, had come within a hair's breadth of Smoker's head.
The wind from those fingertips scraped past his skin. If they had landed, they would have pierced straight through his skull.
"Just like Cain said, Ace."
A low voice cut through the noise of the battlefield and reached everyone's ears clearly.
As the words fell, the owner of that hand turned slightly.
A foot wrapped in lightning and Armament Haki swept out like a phantom, kicking Aokiji, who had just rushed back, flying once more.
The ice around him shattered inch by inch.
Then the man threw a backhanded punch.
The wind howled.
Smoker was sent flying like a kite with its string cut, smashing hard into the distance.
The entire battlefield fell silent.
Every pair of eyes fixed on the figure who had suddenly appeared.
Aokiji steadied himself and landed beside Sengoku.
Smoker struggled out of the rubble, his face filled with disbelief as he shouted,
"A LIGHTNING ABILITY… WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!"
Hearing that, the man slowly raised a hand and adjusted the top hat on his head.
The shadow of the brim covered most of his face, revealing only a sharp jawline and the burn scar that cut across his left cheek, standing out under the flickering lightning.
His blond hair lifted in the wind. In his hand, he held a metal pipe, and with smooth, practiced ease, he pulled the stunned Luffy upward.
Luffy stared blankly at that face.
His pupils contracted sharply.
His lips trembled, and a name surged in his throat, yet he could not force it out.
On the ruined execution platform, Ace looked as though he had been struck by lightning.
His eyes were wide, his whole body shaking.
That familiar top hat, the shape of those brows and eyes, overlapped with the boy buried deep in his memories.
"You… you're…?!"
His voice broke apart.
Tears burst out without warning, mixing with the blood and grime on his face.
The man lowered his head and looked down, his gaze landing precisely on Ace.
The corner of his mouth lifted into a smile, and his voice carried a heat that had been suppressed for years.
Using his Devil Fruit ability, he made his words echo across the skies of Marineford.
"I came here for my immature brother. I'm also the older brother of the Straw Hat kid you know."
"My name is Sabo…"
"Long time no see, Ace. Luffy!"
"Sa… Sa…"
Luffy and Ace opened their mouths at the same time, their voices hoarse and trembling.
Their eyes widened.
Tears and snot covered their faces.
Their hearts pounded wildly in their chests, and even their eyes and tongues seemed ready to pop out.
The next second, two roars exploded at once.
"SABOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Before the shout had faded, Sabo grabbed Luffy's wrist, lightning dancing wildly around him.
In an instant, he swept down to the ground, treating Sengoku, who was standing close by, as if he were not even there.
He turned his head toward Cain nearby and spoke lightly.
"I'm not late, am I?"
Cain froze for a moment, then laughed.
"No. You're right on time, brother."
"IT'S REALLY… IT'S REALLY YOU SABO!"
Luffy shouted like he had gone mad, tears pouring from his eyes.
"Sabo… why… why are you alive?!"
Ace sobbed, his entire body trembling.
The grievances, longing, and despair he had buried deep in his heart all surged up at once.
Sabo only shook his head.
His gaze returned to Ace, and his voice deepened, carrying a force that allowed no refusal.
"There'll be plenty of time to talk about me later. Right now, answer me. Just like Cain asked you."
"Now that you've been freed from all those shackles, do you still want to live?!"
Beside them, Sengoku's face had turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
The farce with the Den Den Mushi projection had already made the Marines lose their dignity!
If he now used his authority as Fleet Admiral to declare once again that Ace was Roger's son, it would completely crush the Marines' credibility.
He could only grit his teeth and silently accept the current version of events—that Ace had no connection to Roger.
That could no longer be changed.
But what drove him even crazier was this:
Why?
Why had another one appeared?!
He turned his head sharply toward Garp.
His neck even made cracking sounds from the movement, and his voice was full of a suppressed roar.
"ANOTHER ONE! ANOTHER ONE OF YOUR GRANDSONS!"
Garp's old face flushed red.
He scratched his head awkwardly, but the corners of his mouth could not help secretly rising.
Up in the sky, Golden Lion watched this farce with great interest, his gaze drifting again toward the figures descending from above.
The Marine soldiers had already raised their rifles and taken aim.
Ace looked at Sabo.
He looked at Luffy.
He looked at Cain.
And he looked at Yamato, who was hurriedly waving her hand as if trying to prove that she was there too.
Four familiar faces.
Four pairs of eyes filled with expectation.
They swept away the last shadow in his heart.
He thought of the shackles he had carried for years as "Roger's son."
He thought of the companions who had risked everything to rescue him.
He thought of the three brothers who had crossed life and death to reach him.
And he thought of that foolish woman not far away, the one who called herself Kozuki Oden and had recklessly gone out to sea for his sake.
Yamato.
So he had never been alone.
He could no longer hold back.
He raised his hand and roughly wiped his face, smearing away tears and blood together, then sniffed hard.
The desire he had suppressed for far too long, the will to live that had been bound by his identity, exploded in this moment.
"Live…"
The hoarse sound squeezed out of his throat, thick with sobs.
Tears surged out once again.
This time, they carried complete release.
He drew a deep breath and used every ounce of strength in his body to shout toward the sky, toward everyone who had come for him.
"I WANT TO LIVE!"
That roar tore through the clouds.
It shook the air itself, and even the ground of Marineford seemed to tremble faintly in response.
The wind and clouds churned. The smoke of war scattered.
It was as though even the heavens and the earth were answering the cry in his heart.
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