One Piece: Starting at the War of the Best

Under the watchful eyes of the world, the Ace standing beside Aokiji vanished—replaced by a completely new face. He still had that wild, unruly black hair, but his appearance was unexpectedly youthful. He looked so young that people questioned whether he was even twenty. His height was about the same as Ace's, but his frame was more slender, and he exuded an indescribable aura.

That strange feeling caused Hawkeye Mihawk, standing not far away, to narrow his eyes slightly. As the world's greatest swordsman, he could instantly recognize that presence—it was the aura of a fellow swordsman. And not a weak one, either.

"Let me reintroduce myself—my name is Katie."

At that moment, the name Katie was firmly etched into the minds of countless people. Every detail about him was rapidly compiled and delivered into the hands of anyone who cared.

Katie? Where have I heard that name before?

Unlike the others caught up in the chaos of the battlefield, Sengoku—though not completely familiar with this newcomer—felt a strange sense of déjà vu. Suddenly, he remembered something and urgently turned to a nearby intelligence officer.

"Quick! Get me a connection to Impel Down. Ask if they have any record of someone named Katie. If they do, send me everything you've got on him!"

As he anxiously watched the young man in the distance, Sengoku finally recalled where he had heard the name before.

Before Ace's scheduled execution, Impel Down had sent him a document listing all recent escapees, and Katie's name had been on it. But the document had marked him as a mere Level 1 prisoner, so Sengoku hadn't given it much attention.

Now, however, it was clear—Katie was no ordinary Level 1 prisoner.

In fact, he was even more dangerous than the worst criminals in Level 6.

Not only had he inexplicably obtained the Flame-Flame Fruit, he had also dared to impersonate Ace, sitting on the execution platform before the eyes of the world, and was rescued right under their noses.

This wasn't just a slap in the Marines' face—it was outright humiliation.

All the manpower and resources poured into this public execution had turned into the biggest joke in Marine history. From beginning to end, they'd been played like puppets.

"Fleet Admiral, confirmation from Impel Down—Katie is real. Here is the file you requested."

Soon, the officer returned with a thick stack of documents. Sengoku snatched it and began reading rapidly.

His expression darkened immediately. Aside from the first sentence, everything in the report was completely beyond his expectations.

Katie had singlehandedly broken into Level 6,

Defeated Shiryu of the Rain,

Released high-profile inmates like Fire Fist Ace, Douglas Bullet, and Red the Aloof Redfield,

Allegedly formed some sort of alliance with Bullet and Redfield,

And even knocked out Magellan, who still hadn't woken up.

The report also mentioned that Marshall D. Teach had infiltrated Level 6 recently and escaped with several other notorious prisoners. Impel Down was in chaos, with riots and breakouts happening everywhere. With Magellan out of commission, order was unlikely to be restored anytime soon.

"BASTARD! BASTARD! BASTARD!!"

Finishing the report, the normally composed Sengoku could no longer contain himself and shouted in rage. His outburst stunned the subordinates nearby—no one dared say a word.

They knew Sengoku's temper well. One "bastard" meant he was angry.

Two? Extremely rare. The last time was when Golden Lion Shiki attacked and half of Impel Down was destroyed.

Three? This was a first. His fury was off the charts.

"What's got you so worked up?"

The only person who would dare ask at that moment was Garp.

"Oh, what, tired of lying around in the rubble and finally decided to show up?" Sengoku snapped at Garp. Just thinking about how he had let Luffy slip through filled him with frustration. If Garp had taken things more seriously earlier, maybe they could have prevented all this chaos—even if Ace wasn't executed, things wouldn't have spiraled out of control like this.

"Want me to go catch that brat?" Garp asked, knowing he was partly at fault and offering to make amends.

"No need for now. Take a look at this first."

Sengoku rejected the offer and handed Garp one of the documents.

"This... how is this possible?"

Garp was stunned as he looked at the familiar photos in the file. He knew both of these people well—one of them he had even captured personally.

"There's no doubt. This is verified intelligence. As much as I don't want to believe it, those two have escaped. They're likely hiding somewhere nearby. If you make a move now, they may act as well. And if that happens, this war could spiral completely out of control."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Garp asked, clearly not one for strategy.

"Stall them for now. I'm going to call in reinforcements."

Without another word, Sengoku quietly slipped away, unnoticed by anyone.

Garp remained behind, brows tightly furrowed. He doubted Sengoku could find much help. The Marine forces had been deployed before the war began—there were no spare high-level fighters left.

His gaze drifted toward the figure standing beside Luffy, his grandson. A complicated look filled Garp's eyes.

From an official standpoint, they were enemies. But personally, Garp couldn't deny a faint sense of gratitude.

As much as he valued justice, he didn't truly want to see Ace executed.

But Katie's actions had been far too reckless—too dangerous.

This entire war had already been changed because of him, and the entire balance of the world might shift because of him too.

History had just taken an unexpected turn.

"Katie, huh? I'll remember that name. This isn't the time to fight you—but one day, I'll bring you in myself."

With that, Aokiji vanished in a flash, rejoining the chaotic battle surrounding Whitebeard. In Aokiji's mind, Ace was still the priority over Katie—but that might have changed if he had seen the report Sengoku was holding.

In that moment, the three Marine Admirals and the top three fighters of the Whitebeard Pirates clashed in full force—six titans of the battlefield, and their battle engulfed half the bay.

Katie, watching Aokiji leave, made no attempt to stop him.

Because his own opponent had arrived.

And while this man may not be an admiral, he was in no way weaker.

After all, his title was known across the world:

The World's Greatest Swordsman.