Chapter 25: The Blue Flame of War — The Secret Exposed
The humorous image of Marco chasing Whitebeard with a medicine bottle dissolved into a terrifying, high-definition broadcast of a future that felt dangerously close. The screen bled from hospital white into the frozen blue and obsidian black of Marineford.
[System: The Summit War — The Execution of the Second Division Commander.]
[Status: Immediate Future Projection — The Day the World Changed.]
The Scene: The Sky of Azure
The world gasped. The screen showed Ace—the same Ace who was just talking in the chat—kneeling on an execution platform, chained in seastone. His head was bowed, his signature orange hat gone. Below him, the entire might of the Navy was gathered: three Admirals, Warlords, and thousands of elite soldiers.
Suddenly, a streak of blue light descended from the heavens. Marco was in full Phoenix form, his wingspan blotting out the sun. He wasn't a doctor anymore; he was a catastrophe.
CLANG!
The screen showed Marco's flaming talons clashing directly with Admiral Kizaru's light-beams. The shockwave rattled the speakers of every Den Den Mushi on the planet.
"You can't just take the 'King' on the first turn-yoi," Marco's voice echoed, cold and lethal.
The Sabaody Panic: Grove 12
The atmosphere at the Archipelago turned ice-cold. The Straw Hats weren't laughing anymore.
> [Nami]: "Wait... Ace is being executed? But he was just talking to us! Luffy, look at the screen! That's your brother!"
> [Zoro]: (His hand white-knuckled on his sword hilt) "Look at the background. That's Marineford. And Ace is in chains. This isn't just a 'possibility'... this is happening."
> [Chopper]: (Crying) "Luffy... Luffy, why is he there?! He's so strong!"
> [Monkey D. Luffy]: (Luffy's face was hidden by his hat, but his hands were shaking so hard the meat he was holding fell to the ground. He looked at the screen, then at the real-life Ace's username in the chat. His voice came out as a low, dangerous growl.)
>
The Global Chat: The Digital Riot
The "Secret" was out. The World Government's carefully timed execution plan was now live on every screen in the four seas.
> [Morgans]: "KWA-KWA-KWA!!! HOLD THE PRESSES! I haven't even written the draft yet! How does the System have this footage?! ACE IS IN CUSTODY?! THE WORLD IS GOING TO EXPLODE!"
> [Portgas D. Ace]: "..."
> (From the depths of Impel Down, Ace stared at the small screen in his cell, his eyes wide. He realized his secret was gone.)
> [Whitebeard]: "Sengoku... you've been busy while I was sleeping, haven't you? You took my son to that frozen rock? GURARARA! Prepare your coffins, Navy! I am coming for him!"
> [Sengoku]: "SQUEAK! (Morgans didn't even have the files! SQUEAK! Who leaked this?! Magellan, check the cells! SQUEAK! Kizaru, Akainu, get to your stations! THE WAR HAS BEGUN EARLY!)"
> [Akainu]: "Hmph. If the world sees the bird failing to save him, it only proves our Justice is absolute. The bloodline of the devil ends at Marineford."
>
The Action: The Undying Commander
The screen focused on Marco's combat prowess during the breakout attempt. It was a masterclass in "Phoenix Logic."
* Marco first go hand to hand with admirals and than...
* The Tank: Marco was shown taking a direct hit from Garp's fist. He was sent flying, coughing blood, but as he tumbled, the blue flames swirled. By the time he hit the ground, the bruise vanished.
* The Speed: He vanished in a blur of blue, appearing behind a squad of Giants and kicking them back with enough force to shatter their shields.
* The Resolve: He flew through a hail of bullets and cannonballs, letting them pass through his flaming body, his eyes locked only on the execution platform.
> [Trafalgar Law]: "It's not just healing... he's bypassing the concept of damage. Law: (To himself) Wait, I saw myself in the background of that footage... in a yellow submarine? What am I doing there?"
> [Marco (Present Day)]: "Seeing it like this... it feels like a dream-yoi. But Ace... stay strong. The family is coming."
>
The Climax of the Footage
The scene ended with a legendary shot: Marco standing side-by-side with a bloodied, half-beaten Luffy in the middle of the Marineford plaza. The First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates was shielding the rookie from a wave of Navy elites.
"Straw Hat boy! Don't you dare stop! We are betting everything on you now-yoi!"
> [Buggy the Clown]: "WAIT! IS THAT ME IN THE BACKGROUND?! AM I IN MARINEFORD TOO?! WHY AM I WEARING PRISON CLOTHES?! HONK! (Wait... does this mean I escaped Impel Down?! HONK! I'M A GENIUS!)"
> [Rocks D. Xebec]: "Bwahahaha! Look at the 'Worst Generation' brat and the 'Pineapple' teaming up! Newgate, your family has good taste in allies!"
>
[System Note: The flames of the Phoenix glow brightest when the night is at its darkest.]
[System: Data Sync Complete. Preparing the 'Phoenix Trial' for Rank 47.]