Naturally, Lancelot had said that because he understood the situation perfectly.
Seeing Benn Beckman remain silent, the corners of Lancelot's mouth lifted slightly into a faint smile.
He even gave a small shrug, as though openly mocking the man's cowardice.
"See? I told you that you wouldn't dare. So who exactly are you trying to impress by raising your gun and putting on an act?"
After saying that, Lancelot shifted his gaze to the other side.
That direction was exactly where Urouge stood.
Because Lancelot and the Red Hair Pirates had become the center of everyone's attention, most people's eyes were focused on them.
Naturally, Urouge was no exception. He quickly noticed Lancelot's gaze, and his heart stirred.
Lancelot did not linger where he was. He turned and walked off to the side, officially leaving the stage.
Seeing this, Urouge immediately understood Lancelot's intention.
Without the slightest hesitation, he followed after him, leaving everyone's field of vision together with him.
Before long, the two of them arrived in front of Blueno.
Because Lancelot still had another war waiting for him elsewhere, Blueno had been standing by here the entire time.
His purpose was to send Lancelot back to G-5 at the first possible moment.
Blueno opened an Air Door, and Lancelot stepped inside together with Urouge.
…
Whole Cake Island.
This island, supposedly filled with sweetness and dreams, was now shrouded in an exceptionally heavy atmosphere.
The members of the Big Mom Pirates had gathered together, their expressions all unusually grave.
Although the fierce battle between Whitebeard and Marine Headquarters had taken place thousands of miles away, and given their position against the Marines, there should have been no way for them to watch a live broadcast from here.
However, the Big Mom Pirates' intelligence agents had successfully relayed the battle through a Visual Den Den Mushi.
Because of that, everything that had happened at Marine Headquarters had been clearly displayed before their eyes.
Charlotte Perospero, Charlotte Katakuri, Charlotte Daifuku, Charlotte Oven, Charlotte Snack, Charlotte Amande, Charlotte Smoothie, and the rest of the crew's powerful members all had shock and disbelief written in their eyes.
After exchanging glances, they all let out the same astonished exclamation.
"Whitebeard is actually dead… That was Whitebeard!"
That gasp was not only a sign of their respect for the legendary man, but also revealed the shock and horror in their hearts.
After all, Whitebeard had been an overlord of the sea. His strength and prestige were acknowledged across the entire world.
The title of "World's Strongest Man" was not something one could obtain casually.
It was a name forged through countless battles of life and death, after decades of storms and hardship, carved out one step at a time.
To be truly recognized by the whole world was no easy thing.
And yet, at this moment, it was not only the others who were shaken.
Even their mother, Charlotte Linlin—one of the mighty and awe-inspiring Four Emperors—was left utterly stunned by the result of this war.
The name Whitebeard was by no means unfamiliar to Charlotte Linlin.
Not only had they both stood among the Four Emperors, but long ago, they had also served as crewmates aboard the same ship.
Because of that, Charlotte Linlin was absolutely one of the few people in the world who best understood Whitebeard's strength.
And precisely because she understood it so well, the shock in her heart became even greater when she personally witnessed Whitebeard die at Akainu's hands.
As everyone gradually recovered from their shock, subtle changes appeared in their expressions and gazes.
Charlotte Perospero's eyes were wide, his face still unable to hide his disbelief.
He could not help exclaiming, "That Lancelot… he really is as absurdly powerful as Smoothie said!"
Beside him, Charlotte Daifuku raised his brows slightly when he heard that, his tone carrying a trace of astonishment.
"That's right. That man is definitely no simple figure. Don't forget, he is someone who can face a monster like Kaido in battle without fear. His strength is absolutely unfathomable."
Charlotte Smoothie nodded and continued, "But in my opinion, what matters even more is his performance in this war. First, he clashed head-on with Whitebeard. Even though he was at a disadvantage, he still emerged completely unharmed after taking Whitebeard's all-out strike. That alone proves his defense is in no way inferior to Kaido's or Mama's."
At this point, Charlotte Smoothie paused briefly before continuing.
"And later, when he went all out, he was actually able to trade blows with Whitebeard head-on without losing ground. You have to understand—Akainu may have been the one who killed Whitebeard, but Lancelot played an absolutely crucial role in making that happen."
Charlotte Snack strongly agreed with Smoothie's view.
He nodded repeatedly and said, "Exactly. Lancelot's performance in this war was simply too dazzling. The strength he displayed was enough to leave people amazed… and afraid."
Charlotte Katakuri narrowed his eyes slightly, a grave look flashing within them.
"Marco and Jozu both died at that man's hands as well…"
One had to remember that Marco and Jozu were core members of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Their strength stood at the very top of the entire pirate world.
Marco in particular, as the Whitebeard Pirates' second-in-command, possessed unfathomable power.
Charlotte Katakuri's relationship with Marco was also rather special.
Not only were they both second-in-command figures in Emperor-level pirate crews, but they were also rivals to each other.
They had clashed many times before and were thoroughly familiar with one another's strength and fighting style.
And yet such a powerful opponent had actually died miserably at Lancelot's hands.
This left Charlotte Katakuri in disbelief.
He could not imagine how someone with Marco's abilities could have been defeated so easily.
After all, even in his own battles against Marco, Katakuri had never been able to gain much of an advantage.
Marco's phoenix ability was simply an absurd existence.
Perhaps it was not as versatile as Mama's power.
Perhaps it was not as physically overwhelming as Kaido's.
And perhaps it was not as terrifyingly destructive as Whitebeard's.
But when it came to survival, it was absolutely the greatest ability in the world.
As long as Marco's stamina had not been exhausted, there should have been no one in the world capable of truly injuring him. Whether it was Katakuri himself, Mama, Kaido, or even Whitebeard, none of them could deal Marco any substantial damage.
And yet, against all expectations, a man with such an invincible survival ability had actually died at Lancelot's hands.
That was simply too shocking.
No matter how Katakuri thought about it, he could not understand what kind of method Lancelot had used to break through Marco's nearly unbeatable ability to survive and send him to his death.
And then there was Jozu.
His defense could only be described as terrifying, perhaps even comparable to Kaido's and Mama's.
But even such powerful defense had failed to withstand Lancelot's attack.
In the end, his defenses had still been broken, and he had died.