Marineford Arc

Marineford arc is the 22nd story arc in the One Piece series, continuing on from Impel Down arc. Having failed to reach Ace before he was transferred, Luffy along with the escapees from Impel Down (which include Iva, Inazuma, Crocodile, Jimbei, Mr. 1, Mr. 3 and Buggy the Clown) instead follows after his brother to Marineford, the marine headquarters of the world. However with the odds stacked high against him, the coming threat of Whitebeard and the ulterior motives of pirates that wish to overthrow the Yonkou. Can Luffy manage to hold his own in this head on clash of powers?

Brief Reprieve: Calm before the Storm
Back in Impel Down, we find the Blackbeard Pirates alive and well again as they make their way through Lv 4. Commenting on their luck of getting antidotes to cure their poison and managing to survive another day. BB then thanks Shiryuu for saving them and invites the former warden of Impel Down to join them which he accept knowing what'll happen if he stay in the prison, he also comment that he was waiting for a man like Blackbeard.

Meanwhile on sea on the Tarai Current (which is the government's private route), Iva looks in on Inazuma ,whose recovering from Magellan's poison. Surprisingly, Iva withheld using Healing Hormone technique on him as doesn't wish to cut Inazuma's lifespan, claiming him too important to the revolutionaries to use such a dangerous technique. Meanwhile most of the others are still weeping over Bon Clay's sacrifice, Buggy tries to cheer them up by throwing a party/funeral in honor of him but Luffy punches him in the face, claiming Bon might still be alive. The prompts a fight from the two while Crocodile and Jimbei talk a bit about Jinbei's ability to talk to fish and one of the reasons why Fishman are so secluded. Luffy then joins Jinbei who thanks him for letting him join in the rescue attempt. He then formally introduces himself and reveals his Shichibukai status in the process much to Luffy's shock since he didn't know about this.

Buggy however is more concerned with heading to Marineford which Crocodile reveals is unavoidable since their using the Marines private route which circles the marine gates (From Impel Down to the now defunct Enies Lobby and finally Marineford) not to mention the coming war of Whitebeard and the Marines. This news shocks most of the inmates since they didn't know that was the whole goal of the break out and many, including Buggy, begin to panic. Before this can go on further, the Den Den Mushi on the ship rings and Luffy picks it up to reveal a Vice-Admiral on the other end bringing a report on the breakout before communication at Impel Down stopped. Luffy and oddly, Buggy are labeled the ones who masterminded the breakout.

He goes on further revealing Buggy's past apprenticeship ship on Gol D. Roger's ship, much to the shock of the inmates on board, and concludes Buggy's reason as helping rescue Ace (though of course that wasn't the case). The Vice-Admiral lastly mentions they won't open the gate for them and that they won't be able to survive since their on the marine current. However Luffy responds back that he'll rescue his brother no matter what before hanging up. The others on board then talk about Buggy's past, each with their own opinion on the matter. Buggy though is reluctant since he knows the marines will watch his every move now. Luffy mentions Rayleigh to him, causing Buggy to ask how he's doing and causing his followers to marvel at him further. As they begin to cheer, Buggy becomes more nervous but soon realizes he could take advantage of the situation. The escapees suddenly start suggesting of a mutiny and taking over the ship but Buggy calms them down and proclaims that the coming war is a once in a lifetime opportunity to take down Whitebeard. Buggy's words move his followers and they soon swear their loyalty to him, averting the mutiny. With that the ship sails on for Marinford.

Meanwhile at Marine HQ, Noon has arrived and three hours remain until Ace's execution. Ace is ordered to climb a set of stairs toward the gallows. As he does so, he remembers a promise he made to Luffy to live a life without regret and to one day go out at sea to live a life with more freedom then anyone. Soon Ace reaches a gate at the top of the stairs and head through further toward his execution.

At The Marine HQ: Ace's Secret Exposed
As this goes on all around the One Piece world, people voice their opinions on the execution and if Whitebeard will really show up. A few doubt his strength due to his old age and the number of the marine forces. Others, who personally met Whitebeard and even retired from piracy just by being before him, think otherwise. Even children know of Whitebeard's raw strength and sing a playground song about him. Meanwhile in Marineford, a city located within it to which the families of Marines reside in, have been evacuated due to the coming war. On the Shabody Archipelago, monitors have been stationed around the isle broadcasting the execution to its inhabitants as Ace arrives at the execution stand. The patrol ships sent to deal which Whitebeard's forces are sunk and never heard from again. Thus Marineford is understandably on edge as the three hours till the execution count down.

John Giant rallies his forces as a staggering one hundred thousand elite troops prepare for battle. Fifty marine ships are stationed around the island with cannons lining the coastline. And at the front line of it all is none other then the remaining Shichubukai ( Kuma, Moria, Donflamingo, Mihawk, and Boa Hancock). At the rear of the island is where Ace is located atop the execution stand and watching over him are the three Marine Admirals: Kizaru, Akainu, and Aokiji. With this, nearly every justice force imaginable is gathered waiting for Whitebeard to make his move. On the Tarai Current, Luffy and the Impel Down escapees have finally reached the gate to Marineford. Jimbei tries to think of a way to penetrate it while Buggy rallies his followers.

Back at the execution stand, Sengoku tells Garp he going to tell the audience "everything", which Garp replies he can do as he wishes. Sengoku then takes the stage and orders the executors to step back a moment before addressing the audience through a den den mushi. He begins by stating there was something critical he needed to share about Ace before asking the 2nd Division Commander who his father was. Ace replies that Whitebeard is his father but Sengoku claims he is not. Sengoku then goes on that the marines searched an island for the possibility that a certain man bore a child. Newborns, children yet to be born and even the mothers but they didn't find anything. However there was a reason for it, Ace's mother, Portgas D. Rouge, who was from the South Blue on an isle known as Baterilla preform a feat that even the marines didn't think was possible: She had kept Ace in her womb for a twenty full months, way past the point of Ace's natural childbirth! When Ace was eventually born, Rouge died having used up all her strength. This had taken place exactly one year and three months after the death of Ace's true father. Sengoku then announces to the marines and the world that Ace's father is none other then Gold Roger himself!

As the marines react in shock to this, Garp remembers to himself when Roger asked him to take care of Ace, citing that his unborn child bears no sin just for being born.