Chapter 137: Chapter 137: The Situation Escalates!
The Bloodline of the Pirate King!
Akainu's voice echoed across the world, piercing through the silence of those watching the live broadcast of the public execution.
"Your real name is Gol D. Ace!"
Every corner of the world was watching. As Akainu's declaration reached their ears, people froze, their pupils shrinking in shock. The atmosphere, already tense, now seemed to solidify, the weight of the revelation crashing down like a tidal wave.
And then, chaos erupted.
"Pirate King?! The bloodline of the Pirate King—'that' most sinful bloodline—actually survived?!"
A reporter collapsed to the ground in sheer disbelief, his equipment clattering beside him.
"The Fifth Emperor of the Sea, Portgas D. Ace, is actually the descendant of the Pirate King?! This is massive! The biggest news in history!" Another reporter yelled at his assistant, frantic to spread the story. "Hurry, get this out now! We need this on every headline!"
——
On the Moby Dick, the Whitebeard Pirates stood in stunned silence.
'Crash!'
The wine bowl in Whitebeard's hand shattered as it slipped from his grasp. His expression remained stoic even in the face of the world's most powerful threats, but at that moment, his face showed shock like never before.
"Roger's bloodline?! Portgas D. Ace… is he Roger's son?!"
Whitebeard rose suddenly from his seat, the infusion tubes connected to his body ripping off as he stood.
"Dad!"
Marco and the other commanders rushed to his side, their faces mirroring his shock. Whitebeard's reaction was unprecedented, but they understood it all too well. Having fought alongside him against Roger's crew, they knew the deep connection between Whitebeard and Roger—an understanding that transcended mere rivalry.
Roger, the Pirate King, had been more than an opponent; he was a friend, perhaps even closer than family. Now, knowing that Ace carried Roger's bloodline...
"Roger, you left behind a legacy! You've set off another storm, even in death," Whitebeard muttered, his voice filled with awe and reflection. "But this boy, Ace… he's surpassing you, Roger!"
"Gurararara!"
Whitebeard threw his head back and unleashed a thunderous laugh, his Conqueror's Haki—dormant for so long due to his injuries—bursting out with incredible force. The very sky above began to tremble, and the sea churned in response to his unleashed power.
The strongest man in the world had awakened.
"This is exhilarating!" Whitebeard bellowed. "Boys!"
Marco and the other commanders gathered, sensing what was coming next, their faces now filled with resolve.
"Set sail for the Sabaody Archipelago!" Whitebeard ordered, his eyes glinting with a violent, purple-black aura of Conqueror Haki. "Roger's bloodline is on the move, and there's no way we're sitting this one out! The ship of the new era has already set sail!"
"""OOOOOHHHH!!!"""
The Whitebeard Pirates roared in unison, readying themselves for battle. Though Whitebeard's body might no longer keep up with the intense battles of the new world, the will of his crew was enough to send a message to the world.
"If the Marines or the World Government want to lay a hand on that boy Ace," Whitebeard declared, "they'll have to go through me first!"
"Set Sail!"
——
On a distant island, the Red Hair Pirates watched the events unfold in stunned silence.
"The Captain's bloodline, huh? So, that's how it is," Shanks murmured, his voice trembling slightly as he stared at the screen. His hand instinctively brushed the stump where his left arm used to be.
Beckman, standing nearby, exhaled a puff of smoke. "Thinking about Luffy?"
Shanks shook his head with a soft smile. "No, this has nothing to do with him. I'm just… happy."
A slow grin spread across Shanks' face before it turned into laughter. "'The captain's bloodline survived, and Ace has done something that shakes the world!'"
His eyes sparkled with determination. "I've never been more sure that sacrificing my arm was worth it for this new era!"
As Shanks laughed, he suddenly turned serious, his hand moving to the hilt of his sword. "But I won't let you interfere, Kaido!"
——
High above, Kaido's colossal dragon form loomed in the sky, his gaze locked onto Shanks. "Are you trying to stop me, Akagami?!"
"The new era is here, Kaido," Shanks replied with a grin, his famous sword, Griffin, glinting in the light. "And you don't belong to it!"
With that, Shanks' Conqueror's Haki exploded outward, purple-black lightning sparking around him. In the blink of an eye, he appeared before Kaido, his blade swinging with terrifying speed.
"Divine Departure!"
Kaido roared, his dragon head surrounded by his own ferocious Conqueror Haki as he retaliated. "Dragon King: Eight Trigrams!"
The skies tore apart as the two Yonko clashed, their Conqueror's Haki colliding with an earth-shattering explosion!
——
Back at Mariejois, in the heart of the Holy Land, the Five Elders observed the broadcast, unmoved by the world's excitement.
Saint Mars, his gaze cold, watched Akainu's declaration with a chilling calm. "So you've exposed the bloodline of Portgas D. Ace to the world. Cutting off all escape routes, huh?"
He sighed, his voice heavy with judgment. "Akainu, you're as extreme as ever… but perhaps that's exactly what's needed to end the bloodline of the Pirate King once and for all."
The Search for the Bloodline of the Pirate King
After the execution of Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King, the Marine and the World Government did not rest. Together, they continued their efforts to extinguish any trace of his legacy. Their mission: to ensure the bloodline of the Pirate King was completely erased from existence.
To achieve this, the World Government and Marine carried out a relentless campaign. They disbanded Roger's crew and scoured every location he had visited, arresting pregnant women and newborns in places where Roger might have fathered a child. Their goal was simple but brutal: eliminate any possibility of his bloodline surviving.
Yet despite their extreme measures, doubts lingered. The World Government and Marine remained fearful, particularly in the East Blue, where rumors persisted. There, they poured significant resources into the search, convinced that Roger's bloodline could still exist.
Then, Ace appeared. A powerful and rising figure in the world of piracy, Ace demonstrated terrifying combat prowess that posed a direct challenge to the World Government. His meteoric rise prompted the government to intensify its efforts. They searched tirelessly until they found a clue—on Baterilla Island, where Roger had once stayed.
The name that emerged was "Portgas D. Rouge," a woman who had carried a pregnancy for an unusually long time. This discovery sent shockwaves through the World Government and Marine. They immediately understood the gravity of the situation and launched a full-scale investigation.
The truth soon came to light: Portgas D. Rouge had given birth to Portgas D. Ace, the son of Gol D. Roger, while evading the relentless pursuit of the Marines and World Government. Rouge had carried her pregnancy for twenty months, defying all odds to bring Roger's child into the world.
Portgas D. Ace was the living, breathing embodiment of the Pirate King's bloodline.
Realizing this, the World Government saw an opportunity. By announcing Ace's heritage to the world, they could divert attention from their own misdeeds. They believed they could manipulate the narrative, framing Ace's bloodline as the ultimate evil. If anything went wrong, they would place the blame squarely on the shoulders of Roger's sinful legacy!
Saint Ju Peter reflected on this strategy with cold calculation. "It's absurd that Portgas D. Ace thinks he can topple the World Government by exposing the Celestial Dragons' secrets. The people will never believe him. All we need to do is continue our control of public opinion."
The World Government's ability to manipulate the masses through propaganda was vast. Even if the atrocities of the Celestial Dragons were exposed, they would simply paint it as a scheme concocted by the Pirate King's bloodline. They could claim that the memories of the Celestial Dragons were fabricated, mere illusions crafted by Ace to deceive the world.
In the eyes of ordinary people—most of whom were already deeply influenced by the World Government's propaganda—Ace's actions would be dismissed as the machinations of a wicked bloodline. The truth, no matter how ugly, would be buried beneath layers of lies.
Even the strongest and wisest individuals on the sea would find it difficult to sway the common folk, who were already conditioned to accept the government's version of reality. For the World Government, stability and control over the majority of the population were paramount. And though the public execution of Ace and the revelation of his lineage would send shockwaves through the world, the government was confident it could weather the storm—just as it had during the Great Pirate Era!
The Five Elders sneered, they believed that no matter what upheaval occurred, the World Government's eight-hundred-year reign could not be toppled so easily. But what they didn't know was that Ace had already anticipated their moves. He understood the World Government's propaganda machine, and he knew that exposing his bloodline would not alone be enough to bring down the system.
Ace's true goal was to spark a revolution—a fundamental change in the world. His plan was not just to dismantle the Celestial Dragons, the World Government, or the Marines. His vision went far beyond that. He aimed to harness the chaos and use it as fuel to grow his own strength and Haki. Ace sought absolute power, a force so overwhelming that no amount of deception or manipulation could stand against it!
To Ace, the schemes of the Five Elders were laughable. Once he obtained absolute strength, no amount of public opinion manipulation would matter!
——
Meanwhile, in Marineford, Fleet Admiral Sengoku seethed with anger. Staring at the broadcast, he cursed under his breath, "Akainu, you extreme bastard..."
The timing of Akainu's revelation had left no room for retreat. By exposing Ace's bloodline to the world, Akainu had ensured that the Marine's reputation was on the line. If they failed to execute Ace, their justice would be ridiculed, their authority shattered. Akainu wanted to eliminate the Pirate King's bloodline in full view of the world, leaving no chance for escape.
Sengoku clenched his fists. "There's no turning back now."
Beside him, Garp watched the screen with a mixture of pain and hope. Ace's secret was finally out in the open. But Garp, conflicted as ever, thought to himself, 'Your strength should be enough to survive, right? Stay alive, you brat.'
Aokiji, who had learned of Ace's lineage not long ago, remained silent as he gazed at the screen. He wasn't interested in Ace's heritage; to him, Ace's mission was greater than that of a mere pirate's offspring. His attention was fixed on the revelations about the Celestial Dragons. The ugliness of their actions—the lives they destroyed—was laid bare for the world to see.
Aokiji clenched his hands, disgusted by the cruelty of the Celestial Dragons. Though he knew of their corruption, seeing it so openly revealed stirred something within him. Could the Marines truly uphold justice while under the thumb of such despicable leaders?
As he pondered this, a Rear Admiral burst into the room, his voice panicked.
"Four Emperors Red-Hair and Kaido… they're fighting!"
"And Whitebeard's crew… they've left their territory and are heading for Sabaody Archipelago!"
Sengoku's eyes widened in shock as the Rear Admiral's words sank in.
Kaido's presence could only mean one thing—he intended to take down Portgas D. Ace. But if Red-Hair was fighting Kaido, that meant Shanks was intervening, throwing his support behind Ace.
And now, with the world's strongest man, Whitebeard, on the move, the stakes had never been higher.
Just ater Akainu revealed the shocking truth about Portgas D. Ace's bloodline, Whitebeard set his sights on the Sabaody Archipelago, a clear signal that he is supporting Portcas D. Ace and putting pressure on their Marine!
Two of the Four Emperors—Red-Haired Shanks and Whitebeard—were now converging toward the conflict, their involvement almost inevitable. Their support for Ace, whether explicit or implicit, would place enormous pressure on the Marines and the World Government. Sengoku's mind raced. If either of these legendary pirates arrived in time, the entire situation would spiral out of control.
Sweat poured down Sengoku's face as he gritted his teeth. The carefully orchestrated public execution, which was intended to cement Marine justice, was now in jeopardy. The presence of two Emperors on the battlefield would turn it into a war that could shake the entire world!
'We have to end this quickly,' Sengoku thought, urgency pulsing through him. The execution needed to happen before Whitebeard and Shanks reached the battlefield. They couldn't afford any more delays.
"Sail to Sabaody!" Sengoku ordered, his voice filled with grim determination. His fists clenched tightly, the crackling energy of his Conqueror's Haki flickered in his eyes, its purple-black hue radiating power.
This was not just a battle for Ace's life—this was a battle to uphold the authority of the Marines, to maintain order in a world teetering on chaos!
The legendary Fleet Admiral, Sengoku the Buddha, is entering the war!