Naruto: Copy System#637+638: An Order from the Five Elders, The Execution Begins, Whitebeard Arrives

"Shin, you went to see Rayleigh on purpose, didn't you? To leak that information."

Back aboard the Pluton, Olvia turned to Shin with a knowing look.

"I did," Shin admitted. "I thought the battle could use a little more excitement. If Rayleigh shows up, things will definitely get more interesting."

Of course, it didn't really matter if Rayleigh decided to stay out of it. A Whitebeard in his prime was more than enough to stir up a storm.

The elderly Whitebeard had nearly toppled the Marines, a version of him at his peak, at least thirty percent stronger, would be a sight to behold.

"I think if we want it to be more lively, it’s better for us to intervene," Hancock declared, her voice filled with her usual arrogance. "If we were to intervene, the Marines wouldn't stand a chance,"

Shin chuckled at her words. "Hancock, if we step in, it'll be over before it even starts. Where's the fun in that?"

A battle without suspense was hardly worth watching. Besides, he had no personal connection to Ace. There was no reason for him to intervene and save him.

"Nami, you've been working hard lately," Shin remarked, turning to a visibly tired Nami.

Her training had been paying off, and her strength had improved significantly. A large part of that was thanks to the Perfect Sage Body Shin had granted her.

If she could just get her hands on a powerful Devil Fruit, she could easily become a formidable fighter in her own right.

Unfortunately, powerful Devil Fruits were few and far between. Shin had a decent collection, but none of them were particularly noteworthy. The truly potent ones were usually eaten the moment they were found.

Getting one now was a long shot. He had plenty of Zoan-type fruits, but most of them were disappointingly weak.

Sure, people always said there were no useless Devil Fruits, only useless users, but that was just a nice saying. Believing it blindly would make you a fool.

"Are you going to train me?" Nami's eyes sparkled as she looked at Shin.

Olvia had been the one guiding her training recently. Shin hadn't been directly involved—at least, not yet.

"Alright, I'll train you." Shin thought for a moment and nodded. He had the time, after all.

"To be honest, my guidance probably won't help you improve much faster. Olvia is actually a better teacher than I am."

Shin believed that when it came to teaching—Olvia was superior. He might be countless times stronger than her, but being a good teacher wasn't just about personal strength.

"It's fine. I don't mind," Nami said, shaking her head. Whether his training would boost her strength wasn't her main concern.

She just wanted him to be the one to train her. Nothing else mattered.

Shin began to guide Nami's training.

————

Meanwhile, the summons for the Seven Warlords of the Sea had been issued. Sengoku had ordered all of them to Marineford. With the Whitebeard Pirates on their way, and other potential threats to watch out for, they needed all the firepower they could get. The Warlords had reaped the benefits of their position; it was time for them to earn their keep.

The summons went out, and most of the Warlords answered. The only ones who didn't show were Blackbeard and Jinbe.

Jinbe, being on good terms with the Whitebeard Pirates and holding a deep respect for Whitebeard himself, refused to fight against them.

As a result, Sengoku had him arrested, stripped of his title, and thrown into Impel Down.

"Any movement from the Whitebeard Pirates?" Sengoku inquired.

"Reporting, Fleet Admiral! There is currently no sign of the Whitebeard Pirates. They've completely vanished," a Marine reported immediately.

"Let's see him try to stay hidden when the execution begins—" Sengoku said, unfazed by the less-than-ideal report.

Even if they couldn't find Whitebeard now, he was certain the man would show up for Ace's execution. And if, by some chance, he didn't, it wouldn't be a loss for the Marines. Sengoku could use it to tarnish his reputation.

He claims his crew is his family, yet he won't even save his own son?

Whitebeard's standing in the pirate world would plummet.

Whether he came or not, Sengoku had a plan...

Still, he hoped Whitebeard would come. With the preparations they had made, he was confident they could end the legend of Whitebeard at Marineford.

They had been observing him for years and knew his condition was deteriorating. He was constantly on an IV drip—a far cry from the man he was in his prime. This was why Sengoku had decided to make his move.

Among the Four Emperors, Whitebeard was currently the easiest target. That was Sengoku's assessment. Moreover, Whitebeard was a symbol. Taking him down would send a powerful message to pirates everywhere, a deterrent that might just stem the tide of the Great Pirate Era at its source.

"Get Akainu and the others. We're going to escort Ace. I'll go myself," Sengoku ordered, adjusting his uniform.

He was taking all three Admirals with him.

This wasn't overkill, it was a necessary precaution. If Whitebeard managed to intercept them and rescue Ace, the Marines would become a laughingstock.

————

Soon, the three Admirals arrived and followed Sengoku to Impel Down. The journey from Marineford to the great underwater prison wasn't long.

"Fleet Admiral, isn't this move against Whitebeard a bit reckless?" Aokiji asked Sengoku.

Even if they succeeded in taking down Whitebeard, the Marines would suffer heavy losses. Aokiji felt the price was too high. What about the aftermath?

"This is an order from the Five Elders!"

Sengoku glanced at Aokiji. It was true, the Five Elders wanted to deal with Whitebeard, and Sengoku had then formulated the plan. Of course, Sengoku himself had been thinking along the same lines, so their ambitions aligned perfectly.

"An order from the Five Elders??" Aokiji's brow furrowed, but he said no more. If it was their command, there was nothing he could say to change it.

"Aokiji, I expect you to give it your all in the coming battle," Sengoku said, clapping him on the shoulder.

His words carried a deeper meaning.

Sengoku had always wanted Aokiji to succeed him as Fleet Admiral, and this was his chance to prove himself.

<><><><><><><><>

If Aokiji performed well, with Sengoku's backing, his path to becoming the next Fleet Admiral would be smooth.

But he had competition—Akainu.

And it seemed the Five Elders favored Akainu for the position. In terms of support, Akainu clearly had the upper hand. Sengoku just hoped Aokiji would make a strong showing.

"Understood, Fleet Admiral," Aokiji nodded.

Aokiji's personality was somewhat lazy, not quite on the level of Kizaru's professional slacking, but close to Garp's. This was one of the reasons the Five Elders preferred Akainu.

The group arrived at the great underwater prison, collected the condemned Ace, and left with Garp in tow.

"Garp-san..." Aokiji looked at Garp and let out a sigh.

The journey from Impel Down to Marineford was quiet. It seemed the Whitebeard Pirates had no intention of launching an attack on the way.

'Whether Whitebeard makes a move or not, we still need to be prepared.' Sengoku had turned Marineford into an iron fortress. The civilians had been evacuated; this was now a battlefield.

The Warlords had arrived as well. Those who hadn't were now ex-Warlords.

————

On the execution platform, Sengoku glanced at Ace indifferently, then ordered the broadcast Den Den Mushi to be activated, allowing the world to watch.

"Looks like it's starting. Let's head to Marineford as well," Shin said with a faint smile, and the Pluton set a course for the island.

"Shin, look! It's Whitebeard's fleet!" Amatsuki Toki suddenly shouted.

"Oh? What a coincidence." Shin was surprised. In the original story, Whitebeard was supposed to have his ships coated and launch a surprise attack from underwater. It seemed he had changed his plans.

Then again, with his power restored to its prime, Whitebeard had no need for sneak attacks. Perhaps he was confident he could face the Marines head-on.

"Pops, the Kuja Pirates' ship is just ahead," Marco said to Whitebeard after spotting Shin's vessel.

"Oh?"

Whitebeard glanced in their direction, then said, "Ignore them. We're here to save Ace."

"Save Ace! Let's go!"

"Hahaha! Let's go save our brother!"

The Moby Dick suddenly picked up speed, charging towards Marineford. Behind it followed a massive fleet. It wasn't just the Whitebeard Pirates; their subordinate crews were also present.

————

Meanwhile, Sengoku had already announced Ace's true identity to the world.

Across the globe, people watching the broadcast were shaken. To think that the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, had a son still living in this world. It was a shocking revelation, and many had mixed feelings.

"MY FATHER IS WHITEBEARD!" Ace gritted his teeth.

He held no affection for his biological father, the legendary Pirate King. In fact, he resented him. If not for Roger, his mother would never have died.

"Ace, my brother! I'm here to save you!"

A thunderous shout shook Ace to his core. He lifted his head and saw a massive green figure rushing towards them in the distance.

"Oars!!"

Ace stared at the distant figure. With a ferocious face, twin horns, long fangs, red hair, and pale green skin, he looked like a demon.

Little Oars Jr. was a descendant of the Ancient Giant Race, likely related to Oars—the legendary giant who died in the Land of Ice and was later reanimated as a zombie by Gecko Moria.

"FIRE!" Sengoku ordered from his chair, his face expressionless as he watched the approaching giant.

Countless cannonballs flew towards Little Oars Jr. A single cannonball might not do much, but with enough of them, even Oars couldn't withstand the barrage.

Quantity has a quality of its own.

Ace watched as Little Oars Jr. charged to save him, tears streaming down his face. They were from different races, but their bond was real. In such a dangerous situation, Oars had come to save him, charging ahead alone.

"Fufufufufu! I've never fought a giant before. Parasite String!"

Doflamingo suddenly attacked, five threads shooting from his fingers and piercing through Oars's body. The defense that cannonballs struggled to breach was easily pierced by Doflamingo's strings.

After Doflamingo made his move, the other Warlords, like Kuma and Gecko Moria, also attacked.

Oars, already wounded by the cannonballs, was instantly brought down by the Warlords' combined assault. Doflamingo even used his String-String Fruit ability to sever one of his feet, the blood dyeing the sea red.

"OARS!" Ace watched as Oars fell, his teeth gritted, his eyes filled with hatred.

"ISN'T IT ME YOU WANT TO KILL?" Ace roared in fury.

Sengoku merely glanced at Ace.

If it were just about executing him, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths. This public execution was to crush the morale of pirates and to deal with the Whitebeard Pirates. The execution of Roger's last son would undoubtedly have a major impact. If they could also take down Whitebeard in the process, the blow to the pirate world would be even greater.

So, from the very beginning, Sengoku's target was never just Ace.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Suddenly, a tremor shook the world, and massive waves formed on the sea, instantly destroying the defensive perimeter they had set up.

"It's Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit," Sengoku stood up, his gaze turning to Aokiji.

If those waves hit, he and the other top fighters would be fine, but the ordinary Marines would be wiped out.

"<Ice Age!>"

Aokiji released a wave of cold air. The approaching tsunami was instantly frozen, along with the sea itself.

————

"So that's the power of an Admiral... incredible. Are the Whitebeard Pirates any match for them?"

"They're probably walking into a trap."

On the Sabaody Archipelago, countless pirates had gathered to watch the events at Marineford. Some of them, seeing Aokiji's power, were shocked. Was this the strength of the Marines' top combatants? This was a power they couldn't possibly face. Some even lost the will to fight.

A few of the pirates were so affected that they even considered giving up their life of piracy. If they ever ran into an Admiral, they and their ship would be frozen solid. It was too dangerous.

They had to change careers. A few of the less ambitious pirates decided to wash their hands of the pirate life after witnessing an Admiral's power.

The civilians, on the other hand, cheered.

Most of them despised pirates.