Episode 460

"An Enormous Fleet Appears - Invasion! The Whitebeard Pirates" is the 460th episode of the One Piece anime.

Short Summary
The world is shocked by the revelation of Ace's father's identity. Garp remembers when Roger asked him to take care of his son, since his child did not have any sins in this world. Ace's mother, Portgas D. Rouge, protects Ace from the Marines, and dies after his birth. At the Gates of Justice near Marineford, Luffy and the prisoners from Impel Down witness as the gate mysteriously opens. Back in Marineford, Whitebeard and his allies start their invasion from underwater.

Long Summary
The people in Sabaody Archipelago reel from the revealation of the identity of Ace's father. Hancock is suprised that Ace is not Luffy's blood brother, Coby and Helmeppo are also confused, as they thought Ace was also Dragon's son.

Garp recalls a moment before Roger's execution when he visited him for the last time. Roger tells Garp he's expecting a child, although he'll be dead by the time that child is born. Garp doesn't understand the point of Roger telling him this. Garp says the woman he's having the child with will be killed for associating with him. But this is the reason why Roger tells Garp specifically, because he knows Garp will protect the child.

He explains that an unborn child should not be faulted for his sins. Garp tells him to stop being selfish. But Roger knows and entrusts that Garp will take care of the baby. On Baterilla, Marines invade the peaceful island. One marine tells the one in charge that the information gathered tells them that Roger stayed on this island "acting un-pirate like. As if he were a father". The leader tells the soldiers to find all the babies who are due within 10 months of Roger's incarceration and to investigate them and all the pregnant women as well as kill all the suspicious women. Rouge walks through town taking note of the chaos caused by the marines much to their oblivion. Time passes while she sits on a rocking chair and it cuts back and forth to a marine reporting when children are due that month. They also look into relationships the pregnant women have, whether their marriages are real or not. Rouge tells the baby in her stomach, "Not yet... not yet. You can't come out yet. I'm sorry, not yet. Not yet...".

It's been 10 months since the marines have come to the island and they decide that perhaps there never was a child, that it really was the end of Roger's Age. That night Garp goes to Rouge's home. Rouge gives birth to a baby and while holding onto the child Rouge mentions that Roger said if it was a girl, she was to be named "Anne", and it's a boy, he's to be named "Ace". So she names him Gol D. Ace. Shortly after Rouge dies, exhausted and happy, with a smile on her face.

Garp leaves the island, taking Ace with him then takes him somewhere and tells a person named Dadan that they will take care of the baby. Some years later Garp takes a young Luffy to the same place he left Ace. Explaining that Luffy will be living with Dadan, that he's to get along with them. An older Ace looks at them with slight hostility.

The episode cuts to the scene when Garp visits Ace while he was still locked up in Impel Down. It's reiterated that these unfortunate circumstances happened because he and Luffy both have the blood of an infamous criminal flowing within their veins. And he took the name "Portagas" in honor of his mother who he owes so much, but he wants nothing to do with his father's half. Ace claims his only father is Whitebeard.

Back in the present Tsuru seems to sympathize with Garp who looks upset. Sengoku explains to everyone who is watching that Ace took up his mother's name and became the pirate captain to the Spade Pirates, while quickly rising strength and reputation. And that's when they realised that Roger's line still lived. But at the same time Whitebeard noticed the same thing and took his old rival's son upon his ship to raise him as the next Pirate King! Ace denies this, the reason he joined Whitebeard's crew was to make Whitebeard the Pirate King. Sengoku interrupts—the only one thinking that is Ace. It made things difficult for the World Government to catch him, since he was now under Whitebeard's protection. And that is the reason why this execution is so important. It symbolises the true end to Gol D. Roger's Age, even if it means all out war with Whitebeard.

Suddenly the Gates of Justice start to open. Luffy and the Impel Down escapees watch in shock and wonder at the opening doors. But, Buggy takes that credit, further cementing him as a great pirate and a supposed "messenger of God" to the escapees. The skies darken as an entire pirate fleet, consisting of 43 ships, emerge from the fog. The marines are baffled as to where they came from since their appearance was so sudden. Among the pirates are some of the most fearsome and powerful from the New World including: Doma, McGuy, Decalvan Brothers, and Squard - - all allies of Whitebeard, although there's no sign of Whitebeard himself... The foot soldier marines panic a little and Tsuru snaps in annoyance, not to "look so disgraceful". Ace is shocked that they've all come as well. The marines are told to keep a sharp eye out since Whitebeard can't be too far off, and Doflamingo just feels excited.

Then a bubble bursts in the middle of headquarters' crescent shaped dock. Tsuru and Garp wonder if perhaps they've miscalculated where the invasion will come from. Waves continue to bubble from the center and Sengoku realises they must have coated their ship. Suddenly the Moby Dick, Whitebeard's ship, bursts up from under the water.

Anime Notes

 * Portgas D. Rouge's face is fully shown in the anime when it was barely visible in the manga.
 * In the flashback concerning Baterilla, the Marines' brutality is portrayed more in the anime than in the manga. (e.g. A Marine forces a woman outside of her home and another Marine hits the woman's husband with the rear of his rifle.)
 * The scene where Sengoku makes his speech about ending Gol. D Roger's age is recycled animation from the 12th Opening.