"Pops! Bad news! That guy Teach killed everyone in the Fourth Division—he's already escaped!"
On the deck of the Moby Dick, Marco stood before Whitebeard, delivering the shocking news while the old man sat in a chair hooked up to an IV.
Upon hearing it, Whitebeard immediately rose from his chair, the needles attached to him falling away.
He could hardly believe what he'd just heard. His beloved sons—killed by one of their own?
His voice trembled as he asked,
"What about Thatch? What's his condition?"
Marco's expression twisted with grief and rage. With tears streaming down his face, he shouted,
"Thatch was the first to die at Teach's hands! Just because he found a Devil Fruit that Teach had his eye on!"
"Puh!"
Whitebeard's body was already in poor shape, and now, upon hearing this, he was overwhelmed by fury and grief. Blood spurted from his mouth.
...
...
A wave of debilitating weakness washed over him. Clutching his chest in pain, Whitebeard dropped to one knee.
Startled by the reaction, Marco rushed forward to steady him and helped him back into his chair.
Looking at the slumped, weakened figure of Whitebeard, Marco felt deeply anxious.
They couldn't afford to lose the old man now—if something happened to him, the Whitebeard Pirates would truly be in peril!
Whitebeard understood this too. Once his condition stabilized a little, he exhaled heavily and said,
"I always knew Teach was ambitious… I just never thought he'd go this far."
The mere mention of Teach ignited Marco's fury again. He wished he could rip the bastard to pieces to avenge Thatch and the entire Fourth Division.
Clenching his fists, he glared at Whitebeard and growled,
"Pops, let me go after that heartless traitor! He has to pay for what he's done!"
But Whitebeard shook his head weakly and said,
"No. Teach has been hiding his true strength for a long time—he may not be weaker than you. Now that he's acquired the Devil Fruit he was after, he must be confident. Otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen to betray us now."
"So we just let him roam free?!"
"Not yet. We will avenge Thatch, but not now."
"But—"
Marco was about to protest further when Jozu came running in, shouting,
"Pops! Red-Haired is here!"
Whitebeard's gaze sharpened.
"What's he doing here at a time like this?"
Before he could figure it out, Shanks had already arrived, his steps heavy as he walked over to face Whitebeard.
Whitebeard frowned and looked at him.
"Red-Haired brat, I'm not in a good mood today."
Shanks shook his head… then nodded, his expression conflicted.
He looked up at Whitebeard and said,
"Whitebeard… I heard about Thatch. I'm sorry."
"You're well-informed, I see. But if that's all you came to say, then thanks—but you can leave."
"No, that's not why I'm here. I came to say… don't send anyone after Teach, at least not yet. That man is extremely dangerous."
Hearing this, Marco's face immediately turned stormy. Usually calm and collected, he could no longer restrain himself.
He roared in anger,
"Don't stand there pointing fingers! We will avenge our fallen comrades! I will bring Teach back!"
After shouting, Marco glanced at the silent Shanks, then turned back toward Whitebeard.
Whitebeard looked serious. He had wanted to stop Marco from going, worried for his safety.
But after Shanks' words, he changed his mind.
Since when did the Whitebeard Pirates ignore the deaths of their comrades? Were they not the crew that valued family above all else?
Thatch wasn't Shanks' brother. It was easy for him to say "don't pursue Teach" with a clear conscience—but Whitebeard couldn't.
With that thought, Whitebeard looked straight at Marco and said,
"You're right, Marco. This grudge must be avenged. The task of capturing Teach will fall to you."
Shanks could no longer sit still. He pointed to the three scars across his eye and shouted,
"Whitebeard! Don't you understand how deeply that man hides his true self?! These scars—he gave them to me!"
But Whitebeard ignored his words. He patted Marco's slim shoulder, clearly having made up his mind.
Marco, tears welling in his eyes, looked at the old man and said,
"Pops, I'll head out now. Please… take care of your health while I'm gone."
A rare gentle smile crossed Whitebeard's face as he replied,
"Go, and don't worry. If anything happens, I've got your back—'cause I'm Whitebeard! Gurararara!"
Marco gave the old man one last lingering look, his eyes full of sorrow.
He wiped his tears, then turned around. Determination set in.
A blue flame erupted from his body, and his arms transformed into immense wings of fire that blotted out the sky.
In the next moment, Marco's form changed completely—he turned into a giant bird engulfed in blue flames.
He had entered his full beast form. In this state, he could fly faster than ever.
Spreading his wings, Marco soared into the sky and vanished into the distance, carried by a fierce gust.
Shanks watched the shrinking figure vanish into the horizon, his expression darkening. He turned back to Whitebeard and said,
"You'll regret this, Whitebeard."
"Hmph. The affairs of the Whitebeard Pirates are no business of yours, brat."
Boom!
On the Moby Dick, two overwhelming Conqueror's Haki clashed. The ship itself began to tremble from the force.
Jozu looked at the many crew members who had collapsed under the pressure and grew increasingly worried.
If a fight broke out between the old man and Shanks now…
Whitebeard and Shanks locked eyes, both refusing to back down. After a moment, Shanks suddenly withdrew his aura.
Whitebeard did the same. After all, this was his ship. Starting a fight here would only work against him.
Shanks took a moment to steady himself, then looked at Whitebeard and said,
"What's done is done. But maybe… we can still do something to fix it."
"Fix it? What do you mean?"
"You remember I told you about Shikiryū—how he can possess more than one Devil Fruit ability?"
"Hmph. You did mention it. That still sounds absurd."
"He's always been obsessed with powerful Devil Fruits. The one Teach just acquired—whatever its ability is—if he was willing to betray you for it, it must be extraordinary."
"So what are you suggesting?"
A sharp glint flashed through Shanks' eyes. He spoke in a low voice:
"Let's spread the word. Make sure everyone knows how powerful the Devil Fruit Teach got is. That'll get his attention."
Shanks wanted to use Kaito's hand to eliminate Blackbeard.
After all, though Teach carried the Will of D, he was… different.
And what made Shanks so wary of Blackbeard was the person Teach reminded him of—
Rocks D. Xebec, the man who died at God Valley.