One Piece: The user of the Nen-Nen Fruit, who overturned the sea.

Ace's body began to tremble violently.

It wasn't the suppression from the sea stone, nor the pain from the wound, but the anger and regret welling up from the bottom of my heart.

He remembered his father's aged but resolute face, and Marco's words to him, "Don't be impulsive."

I'm reminded of what Shanks said on Whitebeard's ship: "I understand you want revenge for Thatch, but it's not that simple."

Everyone was trying to persuade him.

Everyone could tell that something was wrong.

Only he—only he, like a stubborn mule, charged out of the new world, ignoring all warnings.

Now he understands. But it's too late.

Ace lowered his head, his body trembling uncontrollably.

The sea stone chains rattled and squeaked as he shook them, leaving bloody welts on his wrists from the chain's clasps.

"Dad...everyone...I'm sorry..."

His voice was very soft, so soft that it sounded like he was talking to himself.

"Don't come... please don't come because of me..."

He was no longer afraid of death.

From the day he set sail, he was prepared to die in battle.

But what he feared was that old man who had approved of him would pay with his life for his foolishness and recklessness.

Blackbeard stood up, patted Ace on the shoulder, and the gesture was as intimate as that of an old friend.

"Don't blame yourself too much, Captain Ace."

That's fate.

"Your fate is to be captured by me, Whitebeard's fate is to die in Marineford, and my fate—is to become King of the World."

He turned and walked towards the cabin door.

The hatch closed, and the light disappeared.

Ace was left in the darkness.

After a few moments of silence, he let out a roar that was suppressed to the extreme.

The sea stone chains rattled as he struggled, and the chain links cut deeper wounds on his wrists, with blood dripping down the chains.

Above the clouds, Roy sat cross-legged on a transparent platform formed from psychic energy, listening to every word of the conversation in the cabin below.

His expression was calm, but the rhythm of his fingers tapping lightly on his knees betrayed the turmoil within him.

Blackbeard's plan, when viewed in the original work, was a stroke of genius; when viewed today, it is even more audacious and outrageous.

If Blackbeard succeeds, he will become one of the Four Emperors after the Marineford War, then devour the Tremor-Tremor Fruit and gradually rise to the top.

Unfortunately, what he didn't know was that every move he made was on a chessboard that someone else had laid out in advance.

"Teach, your plan is truly brilliant."

"Without me, you might have actually succeeded, become one of the Four Emperors, and even come close to the throne of the Pirate King."

Roy said silently to himself.

"But unfortunately—you, the most crucial piece, have been lying on my chessboard from the very beginning."

His gaze pierced through the clouds, as if he could already see the restraint bed prepared for Blackbeard in the underground laboratory on Beehive Island.

The bed had a sea stone lock, a bloodline extraction device, and a suppressor specifically designed to counter the properties of the Dark-Dark Fruit.

Dr. Gracia spent two whole years building that equipment, just waiting for the last component to arrive.

And this component is on that wrecked ship below.

Roy stood up, patted the moisture off his cloak, and slowly stepped into the clouds.

His pace was slow, but each step was steady, following closely above the blackbeard's wrecked ship.

He was waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Blackbeard intends to hand Ace over to the Marines, who will then imprison him in Impel Down, after which the World Government will announce his public execution.

Then began the grandest battle in the world of One Piece.

……………………………………………………………………………

The Grand Line.

The port closest to the naval branch on Banalo Island is unusually busy today.

Three warships were lined up in a guard formation outside the port, and there were twice as many soldiers on the dock as usual. All of them were armed, and the atmosphere was as tense as a bowstring that could snap at any moment.

"Everyone, perk up!"

Base Commander Major General Gaspard stood on the dock's command platform, his voice amplified through a Den Den Mushi (sound-transmitting electric scooter) throughout the entire harbor.

"The target of this escort is Portgas D. Ace, the second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates!"

A notorious pirate with a bounty of 550 million Berries! Anyone who makes a mistake will be court-martialed!

The soldiers didn't dare to breathe.

They were just ordinary marines from the branch, good at catching small-time pirates, but when faced with captains under Whitebeard, they would go weak at the mere mention of their names.

Fortunately, that Fire Fist was now bound like a dumpling by Seastone chains, otherwise they wouldn't even dare to get close.

A dilapidated pirate ship slowly docked at the port.

The ship was covered in traces of battle, and the gunwales were still stained with blood that hadn't been washed off.

When the naval soldiers waiting on the dock saw the ship, they all muttered to themselves – "Did these pirates just crawl back from hell?"

The gangway was lowered.

Blackbeard Teach was the first to disembark.

His left shoulder was wrapped in a dirty bandage, the blood seeping through it and turning black.

There were still several unhealed wounds on his face, but a smug smile hung on his fleshy face.

That smile sent chills down the spines of the sailors on the dock.

Doc Q and two other henchmen followed behind carrying a sea stone stretcher.

A young man lay unconscious on a stretcher, his orange cowboy hat nowhere to be seen, his body covered in congealed blood scabs, and his breathing weak but steady.

"Hahaha!"

The black-bearded man walked towards Gaspard with his arms outstretched, looking more like he was attending an awards ceremony than handing someone over.

"Your Excellency, Major General!"

This is Portgas D. Ace, the second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates!

Lao Tzu brought him here!

Gaspard frowned as he glanced at Ace on the stretcher, then at Blackbeard's smug face, his disgust practically written all over his face.

But he was a soldier, and a soldier's duty is to obey orders.

"Identity confirmed." Gaspard waved his hand.

A naval officer stepped forward with the wanted poster, carefully compared Ace's facial features, and finally nodded to Gaspard.

"Identity confirmed, it is Fire Fist Ace himself."

"take away."

The sea stone stretcher was taken over by naval soldiers and carried to a temporary prison deep in the harbor.

There are special detention cells prepared for people with special abilities. The four walls are inlaid with sea stone, so that not even a fly can get out.

Blackbeard watched Ace being carried away, his eyes practically overflowing with excitement.

He rubbed his hands together as he walked up to Gaspardine, trying to make his tone sound less urgent.

"Major General, um... Marshal Sengoku should be all ready by now, right?"

Gaspard pulled an encrypted Den Den Mushi from his pocket without any expression.

The Den Den Mushi rang five times before a deep, authoritative voice came from the other end.

"I am from the Warring States period."

Blackbeard's breathing quickened instantly.

Gaspard stood up straight, speaking quickly and steadily.

"Marshal, Fire Fist Ace has completed the handover. Blackbeard Teach is awaiting his appointment."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the Den Den Mushi.