"I've already settled my score with the Navy! And I don't need you to tell me you're not entirely to blame! If that weren't the case, Teach! You'd already be a corpse!"
Clang!
Amid Whitebeard's furious roar, the blade of his naginata was already pressed against Blackbeard's neck.
Feeling the cold steel against his skin, Blackbeard's sinister grin froze on his face, his Adam's apple involuntarily bobbing.
With great effort, he turned his head to see Whitebeard's face etched with shadows, his gaze filled not just with disappointment but also deep exhaustion...
Looking around.
Marco, Vista, Satch... all his former comrades had their eyes fixed on him—some cold, some disdainful, some utterly disbelieving.
And some brimming with rage, wishing they could kill him on the spot...
An ordinary man would feel the pressure like needles on his back.
But not him.
He was Teach!
"You still can't bring yourself to kill me with your own hands, can you? Pops!"
Blackbeard laughed wildly, his gap-toothed mouth stretched wide. "I knew it... I knew it! After all, no matter what, I'm still your son! The son who followed you for over twenty years, Pops!"
"..."
Whitebeard stared at him expressionlessly.
Then suddenly, he looked up at the sky, exhaled deeply, and swiftly withdrew his blade. Clenching his left fist, he activated the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, gathering a terrifying, blinding white light around his knuckles...
"Get out of here, Teach! Run to the ends of the sea!"
Whitebeard roared with all his might:
"From this day forward, the Whitebeard Pirates have nothing to do with you! The next time we meet, it'll be to take your life!"
Before the words even faded.
The fist, carrying enough force to shatter mountains and rivers, slammed into Blackbeard's gut with devastating impact.
Boom!
The surrounding space fractured like glass. Blackbeard let out a pained grunt, his eyes bulging as his organs were violently displaced by the blow.
His body was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing through the ship's railing and soaring across the sky like a streak of light, leaving the stunned crew in its wake.
In an instant.
He was reduced to a tiny black dot on the distant horizon.
Thunk!
The Ten Clouds was driven deep into the deck.
The crew exchanged uneasy glances, the division commanders wore complicated expressions, and in the heavy silence, Whitebeard wordlessly returned to his seat.
As he passed Xiano, he hesitated briefly, clearly wanting to say something, but ultimately continued without a word.
Sitting down, he grabbed a bottle of liquor and began chugging it down in large gulps.
"Was that necessary?"
Xiano took a sip of his own drink and suddenly spoke up.
"What?"
Whitebeard grunted. "If you've got something to say, say it clearly."
"You're afraid of me, Whitebeard."
Xiano's voice was eerily calm.
Whitebeard's drinking paused slightly, liquor dripping slowly from his beard.
He set the bottle down deliberately, then leaned forward, locking eyes with Xiano as a grin spread across his face.
"Gurararara... Brat, the whole world knows you've got a mouth on you, but to be this arrogant?"
"Me? Afraid of you?"
"You really dare to say such things... I know Golden Lion died at your hands not long ago, but if you think I'm just some old man whose strength has faded like his, you're sorely mistaken!"
"Then why were you sneaking glances at me the whole time?"
Xiano shook his wine gourd nonchalantly:
"You looked at me when you grabbed Teach, then again when you knocked him flying. What, were you that worried I'd kill him?"
Whitebeard's breath hitched.
"What annoyingly sharp instincts..."
After a moment of silence, Whitebeard suddenly burst into laughter. He grabbed his wine gourd, took a huge swig, then slammed it down heavily:
"Fine! This old man was indeed worried you'd be too bloodthirsty and kill him on the spot!"
He growled, "That bastard Teach deserves to die, but he was once my son. If anyone's going to clean house, it should be me!"
"Letting someone like that escape makes recapturing them nearly impossible. That might have been your only chance, yet you hesitated."
Xiano spoke calmly.
"You wouldn't understand, young man who grew up with a happy family. For Pirates who see their ship as home, there's no logic to killing your own son in that home..."
Whitebeard shook his head, "I know you mean well, but drop it. I've already declared that after today, Teach is no longer my son. If... if we meet again, I won't hold back."
Would he really not hold back?
Xiano raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at Whitebeard with pity.
This old man's body was harder than anyone's, yet his heart was soft as cotton—full of vulnerabilities.
Even in the original timeline, when the entire Whitebeard Pirates' fate was nearly destroyed by Blackbeard and Ace...
At Marineford, when Blackbeard fearfully cried out "Pops!", Whitebeard—who still had strength left for revenge—chose to spare him anyway.
Xiano admired Whitebeard's bold spirit, his unique chivalrous code among the great Pirates...
But in this regard, he couldn't empathize or agree.
Completely opposite to Whitebeard.
Eradicating the root of evil.
Had always been his... second greatest specialty.
"Lord Xiano."
Marco finally seemed to regain his composure, smiling wryly:
"On this matter, I agree with you. If I were Pops, I'd make the same choice—kill Teach immediately, leaving him no chances."
He was gentle, yet also clear in his hatred and reason over emotion.
Teach had just displayed strength nearly equal to his own.
If he truly found the Dark-Dark Fruit as claimed, growing even stronger...
The Whitebeard Pirates would face an enemy who knew them better than anyone, with a venomous, snake-like nature.
Marco hated that possibility.
But... there was no helping it.
"That's just how Pops is."
Marco looked up at the massive figure silently drinking, smiling softly:
"He's not a perfect Captain, but he's absolutely a perfect father... It's precisely this version of him that makes us willingly follow him to this day, isn't it?"
"Exactly."
"That's right."
"Captain Marco is correct!"
The surrounding crew members responded loudly, and the division commanders exchanged glances, unable to help but grin.
On the deck, the previously heavy atmosphere gradually lifted, returning somewhat to the lively mood of the earlier welcoming feast.
"Gurararara! Getting sentimental at a time like this?"
Whitebeard laughed heartily. "You bunch of foolish sons! But I suppose it makes me feel a little better!"
He narrowed his eyes and looked at Xiano. "Though I said this is my family matter, since Teach has offended you, with your temperament, I doubt you'll let him off easily, will you?"
"Naturally."
Xiano replied leisurely. "A man who hates me to the bone, who'd devour me alive if he could—how could I possibly tolerate his existence in this world..."
"But Whitebeard, I'm willing to give you face. Since you said he's no longer your son after today, I won't act today. I'll stay and finish drinking, and we'll deal with it tomorrow when the sun rises."
Wait until tomorrow?
This brat...
Whitebeard was momentarily speechless. Even when offering a concession, he remained as arrogant as ever—as if letting Teach escape for one night meant nothing, as if catching him would be effortless.
The vast sea is no simple matter!
Might as well follow the kid's lead and keep drinking heartily!
"Hey, you brats!!!"
Whitebeard raised his gourd high, his booming voice echoing across the deck:
"Listen well! Starting today, we, the Whitebeard Pirates, owe Xiano—no, the Curtain Closer—two great debts! Until these debts are repaid, remember this well!"
"The first is that this kid saved Vista and White Bay's lives!"
"The second is that he helped me, helped all of us, expose Teach, that treacherous snake!"
"Gurararara! So from now on, the Curtain Closer is the Whitebeard Pirates' most valued friend! If a request comes from the Curtain Closer in the future, no one is allowed to refuse!"
"Yes! Pops!"
The Whitebeard Pirates on deck roared in unison.
"Tonight, we drink until we drop?"
Whitebeard extended his gourd toward Xiano.
"Until we drop!"
Xiano laughed heartily, raising his own gourd and clinking it forcefully against Whitebeard's.
——————
Night deepened.
Buzzzz!
The bloodstained wings suddenly ceased their vibrations.
Blackbeard's stamina had finally reached its limit. He plummeted from the sky, crashing heavily onto the sandy shore of a deserted island, blood gushing from his mouth.
Retracting his wings, he struggled to his feet, clutching his still excruciatingly painful chest and abdomen, yet his eyes burned with manic excitement.
"Zehahahaha! In the end, I survived! Didn't die after all!"
After fleeing this far without any pursuers, they'd truly let him go.
Pops was, after all, a fool who cared too much about family.
Of course, no matter what, returning to the Moby Dick was impossible now.
But this was fine, just fine!!!
He'd long grown tired of playing the obedient son. Now, free and unshackled, it was liberating.
Besides, after over twenty years on Whitebeard's ship, he'd never even glimpsed the Dark-Dark Fruit.
Clearly, Whitebeard's ship and the Dark-Dark Fruit were incompatible!
Now that I'm on my own, wandering alone, it might not be long before I run into him.
The Dark-Dark Fruit belongs to him! This was decided by fate long ago—no doubt about it!
"Either way, I can't stay in the New World any longer."
Blackbeard tore off his shirt and bandaged his chest, deep in thought. "The old man didn't want to kill me, but Marco, Jozu, and those guys might not hesitate. And that brat Xiano..."
Xiano...
Just mentioning the name made Blackbeard's eye twitch, a flash of deep wariness crossing his face.
Before finding the Dark-Dark Fruit and using it to build his own strength, that guy was absolutely not to be provoked. He had to stay as far away as possible.
For now, he'd swallow his pride. Once he grew stronger, he'd plot his revenge!
He turned to gaze at the distant sea, where the Moby Dick lay anchored.
"Zehahaha... Just wait, old man..."
His voice was hoarse, like a demon crawling out of hell. "Once I find the Dark-Dark Fruit, it'll be time to repay your kindness... by taking your life!"
"Zehahaha... And then, I'll make you watch as I slowly pull the Tremor-Tremor Fruit right out of your body!"
Whitebeard ate the Tremor-Tremor Fruit and became the strongest man in the world. Teach could do the same!
And after that, that brat Xiano would be nothing. He could kill him anytime he wanted!
Amid his mad laughter, Teach strode deeper into the island, his figure gradually disappearing into the night.
——————
Early the next morning.
"Goodbye, Lord Xiano!"
"If you run into trouble, if you end up fighting anyone, be sure to call us!"
"We'll come to help!"
Amid the reluctant farewell waves from Marco and the others, the Moby Dick, anchored by the island's reef, raised its sails and slowly sailed away.
"Huh? Why hasn't the old man woken up yet?"
"He's awake, isn't he? At dawn, when I got up to piss, I saw him at the stern doing the same."
"Then why didn't he come out to say goodbye?"
"Not sure. I just saw him staring at the sea for a long time after he finished. No matter how much I called, he wouldn't turn around. After he went back to his room, he never came out again. Maybe he's still hung up on Teach, or maybe he's just too old to handle farewell scenes..."
"Ah, true. Let him have some quiet time alone. Don't disturb him."
Xiano, of course, had no way of hearing these conversations on the deck.
He silently watched the Moby Dick sail into the distance. Only when it had shrunk to a tiny black dot on the horizon did he leisurely toss out his Floating Motorcycle.
Settling onto it, he crossed his legs and casually opened the Marauder's Map.
He was a man of his word.
If he said he'd give Whitebeard face and delay for a night to drink properly, then he'd set aside all distractions and drink to his heart's content.
If he said he'd kill Blackbeard, then he'd kill him—no loose ends left behind.
As for...
The vast, boundless sea making it impossible to find Blackbeard?
What a joke. It was just a matter of 2,000 Points.
And he didn't even need to pay for it himself. Last night's banquet had left nearly everyone drunk and sprawled out on the ground.
The "wool" he'd plucked was enough to check every possible variation of beard color—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet—ten times over.
Xiano glanced at the stream of information on the list.
A flood of new notifications popped up, spanning several pages without end.
[You sacrificed Whitebeard's Whitebeard and obtained 5500 Points]
[You sacrificed Jozu's shoulder armor and obtained 2100 Points]
[You sacrificed Kozuki Oden's old sidearm and obtained 3000 Points]
...
The top-ranking commanders were quite the lucrative targets for shearing.
As for Whitebeard himself, he lived up to his title as the strongest of the Four Emperors, contributing handsomely.
When he had returned from the East Blue, Xiano had 51,600 Points on hand. But after rescuing Vista and making contact with the Whitebeard Pirates...
His Points had now surged to 64,500.
An increase of well over ten thousand. When the shop refreshed soon, he'd be able to splurge again.
But for now, there were more pressing matters.
Shaking off distracting thoughts, Xiano turned his attention to the Marauder's Map. After entering Teach's name, the view jumped and successfully locked onto a stretch of sea.
"Heading toward the Red Line, huh? Too scared to stay in the New World after all..."
This was exactly as Xiano had expected. He was about to close the Marauder's Map when he suddenly noticed the name of the largest island in this area.
His eyes immediately gleamed with surprise:
"Coron Island?"
(End of chapter)