-Real World-
If there existed anyone in this world beyond the hidden restoration forces of Wano Country who genuinely cared about the young master's situation, it would be a particular large pirate crew sailing the seas. They attached tremendous importance to news about Kozuki Momonosuke because he was the son of an old friend to whom they owed an enormous debt. Consequently, they began analyzing the Sky Screen's broadcast contents word by word, searching for every scrap of information.
A group of beautiful young women wearing pink nurse uniforms with distinctive leopard-print leg accessories surrounded Whitebeard Edward Newgate. They were carefully removing the IV drip apparatus from their boss's arm, having completed today's medical treatment. At his advanced age, requiring daily intravenous supplementation had become routine necessity. His stubborn inability to quit drinking alcohol and entertaining women had taken a severe toll—his physical fitness was demonstrably inferior to his contemporaries Garp and Sengoku, who maintained better health despite their similar ages.
"How could the child of a man like Kozuki Oden become such a tyrant?" Whitebeard's voice carried profound disappointment and confusion. "I remember that both Momonosuke and Hiyori were good children when they lived aboard this ship. What terrible things happened in Wano Country to twist him so badly? Sigh..."
Seeing their father release such a heavy sigh, the assembled adopted sons felt their own moods darken considerably. Although Kozuki Oden had never formally recognized Whitebeard as his father or asked to be adopted into the family, he had lived aboard the Moby Dick for many years. Most of the division commanders had personally witnessed him falling in love with Lady Kozuki Toki and subsequently fathering both Momonosuke and Hiyori during that time.
Even knowing he would eventually serve as Shogun of Wano Country in the future, Kozuki Oden had been an incredibly humble person who never discriminated against individuals based on their background or origins. As long as someone could drink sake and hold interesting conversation with him, they could get along splendidly. Oden had been one of the most genuinely popular figures within the entire Whitebeard Pirates organization.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have witnessed Edward Newgate lead his sons directly to Wano Country after hearing about Oden's troubles. Unfortunately, faced with terrain that was extraordinarily easy to defend and nearly impossible to attack—compounded by Kaido's overwhelming presence—Whitebeard had been forced to abandon his revenge mission for the fallen samurai. From that moment forward, Whitebeard and Kaido had become bitter enemies. Originally, these two powerful individuals had sailed on the same ship during their youth as members of the Rocks Pirates, but their old friendship had evaporated completely the moment Kozuki Oden died.
There were indigenous people from Wano Country currently aboard the pirate ship Moby Dick. This included Izo, who possessed the appearance of a beautiful woman but was actually male. He had also been adopted as a son by Whitebeard years ago. However, his younger brother Kikunojo remained in Wano with unknown status—whether alive or dead, separated by Kaido's occupation. This tragedy was entirely the fault of the Beasts Pirates.
"Pops," Izo said, dropping to one knee in formal supplication. "I haven't returned to Wano Country since losing contact with Kikunojo. I want to go back to my homeland once more. I need to use my own eyes to confirm what Kaido has done to the place where I was born and raised."
Faced with his adopted son's request to temporarily leave the crew, Edward Newgate considered the matter carefully before responding. He did not object to Izo's departure—as a father figure, he understood the need. However, he remained deeply worried about his son's safety. After all, Wano Country was now firmly within the Beasts Pirates' sphere of influence. Sending Izo to infiltrate Whitebeard's enemy territory alone seemed extremely dangerous.
"Let Jozu accompany you," Whitebeard declared after his contemplation concluded. His voice carried the weight of paternal authority mixed with genuine concern. "If you encounter problems in Wano Country that cannot be solved through your own abilities, don't fight stubbornly or take unnecessary risks. Simply return alive to find your father, and I will personally solve those problems for you."
Whitebeard's protective words brought tears to the eyes of his assembled adopted sons. It was a tremendous blessing from fate to possess a place within this warm, loving family. Meeting Edward Newgate and being accepted into his crew represented fortune accumulated through past lives. With their father actively protecting them from wind and rain, the adopted sons enjoyed the privilege of being occasionally willful and making mistakes—Ace served as a perfect example of this indulgence.
But there were always some individuals who failed to properly cherish such blessings. Teach, the audience was talking about you!
However, the Sky Screen had mentioned something peculiar: a supposed son of Whitebeard named Edward Weevil. This name was completely unfamiliar to everyone present. None of Whitebeard's numerous adopted sons had ever received their father's surname as their own—that honor had never been granted to anyone. So where exactly did this individual calling himself "Weevil" originate from? Absolutely no one had heard of such a person before today.
If someone on the seas had dared to fraudulently claim status as Whitebeard's biological son in the past, Edward Newgate's adopted sons would never have believed the impostor for even a moment. They would have immediately thrown such a shameless liar into the ocean to feed the fish. Their father's hard-earned reputation must not be tarnished by con artists.
However, Edward Weevil had been explicitly mentioned by the Sky Screen and would apparently possess strength qualifying him for Shichibukai status in the future. Given this supernatural confirmation, the adopted sons were forced to consider the uncomfortable possibility that their father genuinely did have a biological son who had been lost for many years somewhere out in the world.
After all, it seemed somewhat unjustifiable for the strongest man sailing the seas to not leave behind any biological descendants for himself. Moreover, their father kept a group of female nurses around him who enjoyed wearing leopard-print clothing. This demonstrated interest, and it wasn't particularly difficult to understand that he might have fathered a child with a woman at some point in his adventurous youth.
Flower Sword Vista asked Whitebeard directly for clarification: "Pops, do you truly have a biological son somewhere out there? Should we attempt to locate Edward Weevil and bring him into the family?"
Edward Weevil was currently living with his mother at this moment in time and remained relatively unknown across the seas. Naturally, such a minor figure would not have come to the attention of the Whitebeard Pirates through normal intelligence channels. However, if Whitebeard's adopted sons genuinely wanted to find him, locating the man would prove relatively easy. His mother reportedly liked to boast about her supposed connection to the legendary pirate, which would make tracking them down fairly straightforward.
This time, Edward Newgate's weathered face displayed clear anger rather than his usual patient amusement. "I have no biological son anywhere on the seas," he stated with absolute finality. "I only have you adopted sons—you are my only family. If any of you encounter someone using my surname in the future, kill him directly without hesitation or mercy. The same applies to this Edward Weevil character."
Whitebeard would certainly not recognize a supposed son whose origins were completely unknown and unverified. As for where Edward Weevil currently resided or what he was doing, Edward Newgate possessed zero interest whatsoever. He only genuinely cared about the family members standing directly before him right now. His adopted sons were everything to him. Those who lived together aboard this ship were family. Those who didn't were nothing—less than nothing.
However, Whitebeard now deeply regretted a recent decision he had made: sending his son Marco alone to deal with the treacherous son Teach. Looking back with the benefit of the Sky Screen's information, the choice seemed hasty and poorly considered.
The Trinity of stolen Devil Fruit powers had demonstrated quantifiable threat level. Blackbeard had definitely hidden the majority of his true strength and capabilities. Whitebeard had severely underestimated his adopted son's ambition and cunning.
Additionally, Teach possessed the demonstrated ability to permanently deprive others of their Devil Fruit powers. Marco, whose combat style focused heavily on exploiting his Tori Tori no Mi, Model: Phoenix (Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Phoenix) abilities, would likely suffer terrible disadvantage if he rashly engaged Blackbeard in direct combat. Edward Newgate decided to make another strategic move and not give this rebellious son any opportunity to turn the tables or gain advantage.
"I'm somewhat worried about Marco attempting to handle Teach alone," Whitebeard admitted, his strategic mind working through scenarios. "Vista, you will join him as backup. As a swordsman whose style doesn't rely primarily on Devil Fruit abilities, you complement Marco well. It should be no problem for you two working together to defeat the enemy. Ideally, bring Teach's body back intact. I want him to apologize properly in front of Thatch's grave."
Vista accepted this mission assignment beside his father without hesitation. He would contact Marco afterward to coordinate their efforts. The Phoenix had been unsuccessfully searching for Blackbeard's whereabouts for some time now—Vista would instruct him to remain in his current location and wait for Flower Sword to arrive for their reunion.
If they could also encounter Ace during their search, joining forces with him would provide even better odds of victory when finally confronting Teach. Three against one would ensure the traitor could not escape justice.
Izo and Diamond Jozu departed aboard their own vessel, traveling light as they headed toward Wano Country. The two warriors would gather intelligence from within the occupied nation and report their findings back to the Whitebeard Pirates. As for what specific action should be taken based on that information, such decisions would need to be made by their father himself. They absolutely must not act on impulse or emotional reaction alone.
Compared to the Whitebeard Pirates who remained particularly concerned about the fate of Kozuki Oden's son, the surviving remnants of the former Roger Pirates had chosen to remain in quiet seclusion. They possessed relatively little interest in the future of the Kozuki clan overall.
During the period when the Roger Pirates had sailed, Captain Roger had borrowed Kozuki Oden from the Whitebeard Pirates. However, the samurai had been at most a useful tool aboard that ship—a translator who could read and interpret the Poneglyphs containing fragments of erased history. The emotional connection between Oden and the Roger Pirates had never been as deep or meaningful as the bonds he'd formed with the Whitebeard crew.
When Wano Country was usurped by the Kurozumi clan and Oden faced his greatest crisis, he had never requested assistance from Roger's crew. If the samurai had possessed sufficient political intelligence at that critical time—if this strategic thought had entered his mind—perhaps he would not have been so easily deceived by Kurozumi Orochi's manipulations. The country would not have been transformed into an industrial production base for the Beasts Pirates.
The hero was ultimately a "fool" in the political sense—a naive monarch who believed whatever others told him without proper verification or suspicion. Such gullibility was a fatal flaw for any leader.