Chapter 1664 The Pirate King's Son to be Publicly Executed
The Yamato team's camera once again precisely locked onto the undisputed focus of the entire scene: the execution platform that stood alone and towering directly in front of the Naval Headquarters castle.
Portgas D. Ace, the only male posthumous child of the Pirate King, is kneeling in the center of the execution platform.
His hands were bound behind his back with specially made heavy shackles containing sea stone, and the same kind of torture devices were fastened to his neck and ankles.
The persistent weakness caused by the sea stone, coupled with the aftereffects of excessive blood loss in prison, left him as pale as paper, with almost no color in his face.
The meager amount of strength he had recovered was insufficient to sustain him through the entire Marineford War, which he had initiated.
He knelt there, his body leaning slightly forward due to weakness and the weight of the shackles, his head bowed.
In a hazy, half-awake state, he would struggle to lift his heavy eyelids, his gaze unfocused as he looked toward the distant Moby Dick.
During each brief moment of lucidity, what greeted his blurry vision was always his father, Edward Newgate, standing like a mountain at the bow of the ship.
This figure became one of the only pillars of support in his heart when he was imprisoned.
Originally, he was all alone on the execution platform, in a terrifyingly silent place.
Footsteps suddenly came from the execution platform, from the stone staircase connecting to the castle below. The sound was not loud, but it seemed to strike the hearts of everyone watching.
The camera suddenly zoomed in, focusing on the exit of the staircase.
The next moment, two tall figures appeared, clad in standard naval armor, their bodies covered in cold, hard steel, with only their icy eyes visible.
One after the other, they stepped onto the execution platform with neat and heavy steps, standing behind Ace.
Each of them held a specially made execution spear of astonishing length, its tip gleaming coldly.
The other man carried a battle axe with a wide, thick blade, which also emanated an ominous, blood-red color.
Those two pairs of eyes peeking out from the gaps in the visor were indifferent and devoid of any emotion, as if they had seen life and death countless times. One look was enough to tell that they were the eyes of an old killer who had handled countless bloody executions.
"That is……"
"Executioners, what are they doing up there?!"
"Is the Navy going to publicly execute Ace at this time?!"
"Damn it, the Navy actually dared to do this!"
From the direction of the Whitebeard Pirates, a deafening clamor and roar erupted.
He watched helplessly as the two death-like figures stood behind Ace, who himself, seemingly too weak and dazed, kept his eyes closed, completely unaware of the danger behind him.
Edward Newgate, with his white beard, suddenly turned extremely ugly, even somewhat ashen.
His gaze was fixed on the two execution instruments, the spear and the battle axe.
He vividly remembered the world-renowned public execution of Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King.
At that moment, it was two executioners, one on each side, who pierced Roger's chest with spears, allowing the legendary pirate king to face death in a relatively dignified manner, standing upright.
This time, the navy not only used long spears, but also equipped themselves with a giant axe for decapitation.
Sengoku, do you want to cut off Ace's head?
As he pierced Ace's heart with his spear, taking his life, he then beheaded the Pirate King's son with his battle axe. In this extremely shocking and humiliating way, he declared the Navy's absolute justice to the world and intimidated all pirates.
"The Warring States Period—!"
Whitebeard's voice rolled across the battlefield like muffled thunder, filled with uncontrollable grief and indignation, "You actually went this far? You won't even leave Roger's son a shred of dignity?!"
On the castle, Fleet Admiral Sengoku the Buddha, draped in a cloak of justice, stood with a solemn expression like that of Vajra. He could no longer tolerate the situation continuing to deteriorate.
After the news of his impending execution was spread, he took a step forward, stepping past Lucy and Artoria in front of him, and stood at the forefront of the city wall.
Facing countless marines and pirates below, and all those watching through the screen.
He wanted to personally deliver his final declaration before his execution.
"To all naval officers and soldiers, to all people of justice throughout the world," Sengoku's voice, transmitted through a loudspeaker Den Den Mushi, resounded loudly and solemnly throughout Marineford, reaching every corner of the world.
"Twenty-two years ago, the heinous criminal Gol D. Roger single-handedly unleashed a pirate frenzy that swept the entire world."
"On the surface, he peddles the illusory dream of freedom and treasure, but in reality, he is bewitching people and leading countless weak-willed individuals into the sinful abyss of piracy."
"Over the past twenty years, countless peaceful towns have been burned down by pirates, countless innocent families have been torn apart by pirates, and countless lives have been tragically lost in the burning, killing, and looting of pirates. The source of all this disaster can be traced back to that sinner—Roger!"
"Roger could have died in Loguetown and left all the chaos and sin to the world."
The voice of the Warring States period suddenly rose, filled with anger and determination: "But his bloodline, his son, must atone for the heinous sins committed by his father."
“Ace’s body carries Roger’s sinful bloodline, which is itself a kind of original sin. Pirates must be eliminated and defeated.”
He suddenly stretched out his hand, pointing directly at Ace kneeling on the execution platform, his voice like the hammer of final judgment, crashing down: "The Navy will declare war on pirates all over the world, starting with this son of the Pirate King!"
"Ohh ...
"Justice will prevail!"
"Eliminate the pirates!"
"Long live the Marshal!"
Following Sengoku's impassioned and inflammatory declaration of execution, an unprecedented and extremely enthusiastic cheer and roar erupted from the naval camp.
The blood of every naval soldier seemed to boil!
In their view, it was only natural for the Navy to wage war against all pirates.
Moreover, the Seven Warlords system has been abolished, and the Navy has no reason to tolerate these scum of the sea or continue to cooperate with them in any form.
Today is the day when the Navy completely distances itself from pirates and demonstrates absolute justice.
On the pirate side, however, there was a deathly silence, with every pirate harboring an unnamed rage.
Why does the Navy have the right to claim justice? Why are pirates' lives not considered lives? And the Navy has far more than just one or two stains on its record.
Many naval officers and officers have done a lot of heinous and outrageous things in order to work for the Celestial Dragons.
Many overseas naval bases, under the guise of maintaining peace, actually exploit and oppress the surrounding people, forcing countless families to break apart and people to leave their homes, or even become thieves at sea.
Can the Navy erase all its stains with just a slogan of "justice"?
Some of the wiser, older pirates understood that Sengoku was openly seizing control of the narrative and conducting his final pre-battle mobilization.
After all, whoever wins this war is the righteous one, and the victor can write and decide everything.
As for the weak, they will be swept into the dustbin of history, leaving no trace of their names.
Perhaps only Roger's name and his son Ace's name will be branded with the infamy of heinous crimes, forever etched in the history books written by the Navy.
Who will remember the good deeds, people and places the Roger Pirates may have unintentionally done during that voyage, or helped by them, decades later?
Roger has been dead for so many years, and even his own son doesn't remember his kindness, let alone those who have nothing to do with the Pirate King.
