Sizzle!
Sakazuki's magma fist ultimately pierced straight through Whitebeard's heart, and blood gushed out.
"Gurarara!"
Even with a huge hole torn through his chest, Whitebeard continued laughing loudly while desperately maintaining the final circulation of his Devil Fruit's power, as if he could not feel any pain at all.
His arms never loosened in the slightest.
At this moment, everyone present watched this scene in utter shock.
They watched as Whitebeard stubbornly held on until that final breath completely disappeared, only then did that loud, bold laughter slowly come to a stop.
Only then did that world-destroying Devil Fruit power stop as well.
And his burly body, even after death, still stood proudly, refusing to fall.
When Sakazuki slowly descended to the ground from that devastating vibration, he could not help but drop to one knee, breathing slightly heavily.
He took a full second to recover before standing up again.
He took a deep look at Whitebeard's imposing figure, which even in death still stood unyielding and unbowed. Without saying a word, he turned and left.
With Whitebeard's strength as a powerhouse of the old era, being able to force him into such a battered state was worthy of this respect.
As for what happened afterward, that had nothing to do with him, the Marine Admiral.
"Wonderful, absolutely wonderful!"
Rosse, seated high upon his throne, also revealed an approving smile and lightly clapped his hands several times.
He looked down at Whitebeard's corpse with great interest and said softly, "Give him a proper burial."
With that, the figures of himself, Gion, and Stella disappeared into thin air.
The show was over.
There was no need for him to remain here any longer.
As for the others who were still alive, even Marco and the others had their own tasks to carry on living.
After all, today's wonderful little episode involving Luffy was best spread by the people who had personally experienced it, so that everyone in the world could see it.
———
[Two Days Later, the Second Half of the Grand Line]
The heavily wounded Marco, supported by Sengoku and the others, boarded the Moby Dick, which was moored at the edge of the sea.
This time, Whitebeard had traveled to Marineford together with Sengoku and the others, so he had not brought his own Moby Dick.
And now, Whitebeard had died in battle.
This ship had also lost its original owner.
Sengoku stood at the edge of the deck, silently looking at Marco's face, pale as paper. He opened his mouth, but in the end, he could not say anything.
He merely patted Marco lightly on the shoulder, then turned and silently left with Kuzan and the others.
On the ship, all the members of the Whitebeard Pirates had gathered on the deck.
Their faces were filled with unease and confusion, as well as a suppressed anger.
And standing at the very front of the crowd was Teach.
During this period, under Teach's deliberate leadership, all the members of the Whitebeard Pirates had been lingering in the area of the second half of the Grand Line near the Red Line.
They neither rashly approached the World Government's sphere of influence nor left it altogether.
Ever since Fish-Man Island had been destroyed in the past, that sea had completely become a forbidden zone, and no one dared set foot there anymore.
In the following years, the NEO Marines had opened up an entirely new sea route.
That route was only one thousand meters below the surface, making passage much safer and more convenient than crossing through Fish-Man Island had been back then.
At this moment, a full two days had passed since news of Whitebeard's death spread throughout the world.
That explosive news had long since spread everywhere, flooding the world, with almost every corner reporting the news of Whitebeard's death at Marineford.
As for Juste, only those who cared about him knew that the substitute for Roger's son had also died in that execution, but there was very little news about it.
After all, from beginning to end, he had merely been bait used to lure Whitebeard out.
Apart from the members of the Whitebeard Pirates who genuinely cared about him, almost no one in the outside world paid any attention.
"Marco!"
Teach's voice was low and hoarse as he slowly stepped forward, his eyes fixed tightly on Marco, "What exactly happened? Why... why didn't you let us go with you?"
Marco raised his head and looked at Teach in front of him. He knew that Teach was deliberately pretending not to know. Clearly, he had already secretly watched that world-shaking live broadcast.
But Marco had no intention of exposing him.
From the moment he had secretly followed Whitebeard and boarded that ship heading to Marineford, he had never intended to come back alive.
Even when Whitebeard died in battle earlier, he had already prepared himself to die.
But unfortunately, Borsalino simply refused to kill him. He only beat him until he was half-dead, then threw him beside Sengoku like a piece of trash.
Marco's gaze slowly swept over this group of familiar companions before him.
His expression was incomparably complicated.
At this moment, if he followed his true feelings, he really wanted to take everyone with him and seek revenge against the World Government.
He had been raised by Whitebeard from a young age and had long since genuinely regarded that burly old man as his father.
Whitebeard had died resolutely right before his eyes.
He truly could not remain indifferent.
But Luffy's fate was right before his eyes, fresh with blood.
He simply could not bring himself to knowingly lead everyone to their deaths.
It did not matter whether he died or not, but his other brothers should not die.
The World Government was simply too strong.
For the Whitebeard Pirates now, the best outcome was not to go looking for trouble with the World Government. Instead, everyone should disband and each find some remote place to live out the rest of their lives in seclusion.
If they truly did not know when to stop and insisted on going after the World Government, they would only meet certain death.
"Marco!"
Jozu finally could not hold himself back. He strode forward, grabbed Marco by the shoulders, and spoke with urgency and anger in his voice, "Say something! What exactly happened at Marineford?! Pops, he... he really..."
His voice became slightly choked when he reached the end.
Even though he clearly knew that Whitebeard was already dead, he still hoped to hear another answer from Marco.
The others also gathered around, every pair of eyes fixed tightly on Marco, waiting for him to give them an answer.
On the entire ship, only Teach had secretly watched the Marineford broadcast from beginning to end.
Only he could still remain calm at this moment, without losing control like the others.
After all, he had watched Whitebeard die with his own eyes.
For pirates like them, the already faint hope had become even fainter because of Whitebeard's death.
Marco remained silent for a long time. In the end, he slowly began to speak, recounting everything that had happened at Marineford without holding anything back.
From the moment they entered the harbor, to Luffy and the others disrupting everything, to Whitebeard's death.
He spoke slowly and carefully.
And as his words unfolded, the entire ship erupted into chaos.
"Those bastards from the World Government!"
"Pops was killed by them! I'm going to avenge Pops!"
"That bastard Luffy! If he hadn't suddenly charged in, Juste wouldn't have died! Pops wouldn't have fought so desperately either!"
"And that Red-Haired bastard! He went there and didn't do a damn useful thing! Wasn't that just causing trouble for everyone?"
"That idiot Juste! Why did he have to charge forward and block that punch himself? If he hadn't blocked it, maybe he could have survived!"
"Survived my ass! Didn't you hear what Marco said? It was a trap the World Government had set from the beginning! Whether Juste blocked it or not, he was going to die!"
"Then what do we do now? Are we just going to watch Pops die for nothing?"
"Do you still want to go and get yourselves killed? Didn't you hear? Even Pops couldn't beat them! What use would it be for us to go?"
"So we're just going to let it go? Are you even a member of the Whitebeard Pirates anymore?"
Angry, sorrowful, despairing, and resentful voices rose one after another, intertwining into a chaotic clamor.
Some cursed the World Government's cold-blooded cruelty. Some vented all their resentment toward Luffy and his group.
There were even some who began complaining about Juste's unnecessary action, believing that it was precisely his impulsive decision to block that attack that had caused his own death.
The entire ship fell into unprecedented chaos and collapse.
"ENOUGH!"
Teach's voice suddenly rang out like a clap of thunder, overpowering all the noise.
Everyone turned their heads in unison and looked at him.
Teach slowly walked to the center of the crowd, his eyes calmly and firmly sweeping over every person present.
"Have you made enough noise?", His voice was low, "This isn't the time for infighting. What we need to do now isn't blame each other or blindly seek revenge. Instead, we need to properly send Pops off first!"
His words left everyone stunned.
The ship fell into deathly silence.
Teach took a deep breath, then turned around and walked toward the depths of the ship.
A moment later, he came back carrying a huge wooden box.
Inside the wooden box were rows of wine cups, along with several jars of fine liquor that had been sealed for a long time.
"Come over," Teach's voice was calm, "One cup each. Go stand at the bow."
No one objected, and no one spoke again.
Everyone silently stepped forward, took a cup of liquor filled by Teach, and then, one after another, silently walked toward the bow.
The sea breeze blew over, carrying a trace of salty seawater.
The sky was overcast, and the sea was calm, as though even the ocean were mourning the passing of this legend.
Teach stood at the very front. He raised his cup high, his voice loud and solemn, "Pops, this cup is for you!"
'""""To Pops!""""
Everyone shouted in unison, their voices ringing through the sky and across the entire sea.
And among those unified cries, the loudest and most heart-wrenching was Marco's.
His tears had already begun streaming uncontrollably down his face.
"POPS!"
He shouted with all his strength, his voice filled with endless grief and reluctance to let go.
Teach slowly lowered his cup, drew a dagger from his waist, and without hesitation slashed it hard across the Whitebeard Pirates' tattoo on his left arm.
Blood trickled from the wound and dripped into the liquor in his cup, dyeing the clear drink a deep red.
Seeing this, the others also drew their blades and, without hesitation, slashed across the tattoos symbolizing the glory of the Whitebeard Pirates on their own bodies.
No one frowned. No one hesitated.
Blood mixed with liquor. Then everyone simultaneously poured the contents of their cups into the boundless sea before them.
"Pops, rest easy on your journey!"
With Teach's renewed shout, everyone cried out in unison, their voices shaking heaven and earth.
The ceremony ended.
Marco collapsed to his knees on the deck, both hands supporting him against the floor, tears pouring down like rain as he cried so hard he could barely breathe.
The others also had red-rimmed eyes. Some clenched their teeth, some lowered their heads, and some looked up at the sky, allowing tears to silently slide down their faces.
Teach stood at the very front, looking at the seawater stained red with blood, and slowly closed his eyes.
"Pops...", he murmured, "Rest in peace. We'll walk the road ahead on our own. The Age of Pirates isn't over yet!"
The sea wind howled past.
The blood-stained seawater slowly sank into the depths of the sea and disappeared.
And amid this silent farewell, Whitebeard's era finally came to an end.
After the grand and solemn farewell ceremony ended, the entire ship fell into a heavy silence.
The sea breeze continued to blow, and the waves continued to strike the ship, but everyone's hearts felt as though they were weighed down by a heavy stone, making it hard to breathe.
Teach slowly turned around, his gaze sweeping over every person present one by one.
He remained silent for a moment, then took a deep breath and slowly spoke, "Now, Pops is gone."
His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached every person's ears.
"But we are still alive."
Teach paused, his gaze becoming increasingly resolute:
"Pops used his life to buy us the chance to keep living. We cannot let him down, and even less can we let his sacrifice be in vain."
"We will inherit Pops's will and continue moving forward," His fists slowly clenched, "We will also repay Pops's grudge, little by little, slowly. Not now, but that day will definitely come."
His words made everyone's eyes flicker slightly.
"But before that..."
Teach looked around at everyone, his tone becoming even more solemn, "This ship needs a new captain."
The air seemed to freeze at this moment.
Everyone unconsciously quieted their breathing.
"If anyone disagrees with me, Teach, becoming this captain, you can step forward and say so now," Teach's voice was calm and open, "I won't blame anyone. We are brothers, not master and servants."
"If everyone agrees...", He took a deep breath, "Then starting today, I, Marshall D. Teach, will become the new captain of the Whitebeard Pirates and lead everyone onward."