Watching Marineford in the distance, the father and son had no choice but to sail their small boat to Sabaody.
At the same time, in Marine Headquarters, the delivery of Ace by Teach shocked the Marines. Fleet Admiral Sengoku, in particular, began to feel a certain level of apprehension toward Teach.
Ace had defeated one of the Seven Warlords, entered the New World, and become the commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' 2nd Division. His strength was undeniable—yet he had still been defeated and brought before them in chains.
"Now, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, as per our agreement, our captain is qualified to become one of the Seven Warlords, right?" Lafitte, standing beside Teach, spoke up.
"Of course. It will be announced to the world," Sengoku nodded.
"Zehahaha! Good. Thank you, Fleet Admiral Sengoku." Teach laughed heartily. "Can I stay at Marineford for a while?"
"What for?"
"Nothing much. Just waiting for further orders."
"Fine. Brannew, arrange accommodations for them."
"Yes, sir!"
As Teach and his crew were escorted away, Sengoku looked at the captured Ace.
"I've been searching for you for a long time. Never thought you'd come knocking on our door. Saves us a lot of trouble. Take him to Impel Down. Notify all Marine bases to prepare for battle. Recall the Admirals. I need to head to Mary Geoise."
Sengoku issued rapid orders, and Marineford sprang into action.
Those who understood the situation knew what this meant, they had captured "Fire Fist" Ace, the 2nd Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates.
What awaited them next was a confrontation with the Whitebeard Pirates.
Five Vice Admirals stationed at Marineford were tasked with escorting Ace to Impel Down. With the Buster Call-level forces stationed there, they would guard him until Sengoku returned from Mary Geoise.
A tense atmosphere hung over Marineford.
"Captain Teach, our plans need to change," Lafitte said.
"Zehahaha! Originally, we only planned to capture the Straw Hat kid, but who would've thought Ace would deliver himself to us? This works even better. With the Warlord Title, we can enter Impel Down legally. Once we're inside..."
Teach was ecstatic. The original plan had shifted, and a better opportunity had presented itself.
"Captain, do you think the Whitebeard Pirates will attack Impel Down?"
"Absolutely. I know Pops' temper. He sees Ace as his hope. Even though Roy is guarding the place, it's clear he doesn't acknowledge Ace—their relationship isn't deep. Once Pops dies, the Whitebeard Pirates will split. But before that, to save his son, Pops will definitely assault Impel Down. That's when we'll take advantage of the chaos and break out the prisoners."
Teach was scheming.
His four subordinates were strong, but not enough for the New World. He needed even more powerful allies.
Because of Ace's capture, he had altered the plan, but for Teach, it made his goals easier to achieve and opened up new possibilities.
Like obtaining the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
Sabaody Archipelago
Roy found Shakky.
"Long time no see. Not going back?" Shakky was surprised to see him.
"Something came up. Lend me your Den Den Mushi—I need to make a call."
"Here you go. It's anti-wiretapping."
"As expected of an information broker. Thorough as always."
Being so close to Marineford made wiretapping a real risk. Shakky dealt in intelligence, so secure communication was a must. Her Den Den Mushi was large, similar to the Marines', with a global range.
Roy dialed a number, and after a moment, the Den Den Mushi began ringing.
"Purupurupurupuru!"
Click.
"This is the Whitebeard Pirates. Who's this?"
Somewhere in the New World, a pirate aboard the Whitebeard Pirates' ship picked up the call.
"It's Roy. Put Newgate on."
"Roy...the Vice Captain?!" The pirate quickly realized who it was and rushed to find Whitebeard.
"Pops! Pops! Vice Captain Roy's on the line!"
"Big Bro's call? Did he find Ace?" Marco stood up.
"Probably," Jozu said, arms crossed.
"I've got a bad feeling about this." Whitebeard, however, had a different reaction.
Shanks had visited earlier, and now Roy was calling—something felt off. It made him uneasy.
"Roy, what's the situation?" Whitebeard asked.
"Not great. That idiot really did what I said he would—got beaten badly. You guys should have his Vivre card, right?. Take a look and you'll know his condition." Roy's tone was calm.
"What?!"
Thatch rushed into the cabin and returned with a glass jar. Inside, Ace's Vivre Card had burned down to the size of a thumb and was still slowly shrinking.
"Roy, what the hell happened?! What's going on?" Whitebeard roared.
"Simple. I ran into a storm and couldn't catch up in time. He found Teach first, fought him, and lost."
"Where is he now? Captured by Teach?"
"Teach isn't stupid. He knew I was chasing him, so he handed Ace over to the Marines in exchange for a Warlord position."
"What?! That bastard!!" Whitebeard's fury was palpable.
Very few knew Ace's true identity, and Teach had no idea how important he was to the Marines.
But by sheer chance, delivering Ace to the Marines had given them an unexpected advantage, because Ace was Gol D. Roger's son.
The Marines would never release him, no matter Whitebeard's influence.
"Damn it!!"
Whitebeard trembled with rage.
In the bar, Shakky was stunned by the bombshell revelation. The Whitebeard 2nd Division Commander, Fire Fist Ace, had failed to capture his target, was defeated, and was then handed over to the Marines. Judging by Whitebeard's tone, he was going to make a move against the Marines.
"Roy, can we get him back?" Whitebeard asked.
"Impossible. He's already in Impel Down. It's just me and my kid—how are we supposed to break him out? Here are your options."
"Speak."
"First, strike every Marine base in the New World. Best if you take hostages. Try targeting Egghead Island, capture Vegapunk and use him to trade for Ace. Second, I'm at Sabaody right now. There are a lot of Celestial Dragons here. I'll capture a few and use them for an exchange. Third, go to war, directly attack Impel Down or the Marine Headquarters. Your choice: Best, middle, or worst plan."
Roy's three strategies left even Shakky momentarily speechless.
They were, indeed, the best, the middle, and the worst options, each striking at the very heart of the Marines and the World Government.
....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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