Not long after the Marineford War, members of the Revolutionary Army made contact with the Whitebeard Pirates.
The process went smoothly, because as everyone knew, those two Celestial Dragons had been attacked and abducted by the Revolutionary Army.
And in the end, the Celestial Dragons had become Pops' bargaining chips, allowing him to exchange them for Ace and avoid large-scale casualties.
The Revolutionary Army's stance in all of this went without saying.
The Whitebeard Pirates had always welcomed benefactors.
Because of that, contact between the Revolutionary Army and the Whitebeard Pirates began very quickly, and also ended very quickly.
During that time, Ace met Sabo.
Though it seemed almost unbelievable, his living, breathing brother was standing right in front of him.
After learning a little about what had happened, Ace quickly accepted this wonderful truth.
It was also from this that he learned exactly what role Ren, known as the Prophet, had played in the matter.
Because of him, Luffy had been able to reunite with Sabo. And because of him, Ace himself had been able to reunite with Sabo, who had recovered his memories of the past.
The moment Ace thought of that, he immediately gave a very polite bow.
"Thank you so much for helping us meet again."
"No need to thank me. Perhaps in the future, you'll come to hate me."
Ren replied with words that sounded baffling to Ace, then turned toward Whitebeard. "Are you ready? How do you plan to proceed?"
"Didn't the Revolutionary Army discuss it with you?"
"Getting the answer from the person himself is more reliable. Besides, coming and going only takes me an instant."
"Gurararara. That really is your style, Ren."
Whitebeard stared at Ren, then suddenly grinned. "You've gotten even stronger than before. I can feel that something is different.
"How terrifying. How many days has it been since the Marineford War?"
"If I didn't have something special about me, how would I dare to be so eager about toppling the World Government?"
Ren shrugged and sat cross-legged. "How do you plan to arrange things for your family?
"If nothing unexpected happens, the Marines will make their move very soon. The God Knights and the Three Admirals are guaranteed.
"Perhaps even the Five Elders will appear, all to exterminate you at any cost."
A chill ran down his spine.
That was Ace's first reaction as someone listening from the side.
Some things he had been unwilling to think too deeply about were now laid bare before him in bloody detail.
Hearing this, he could not help but look toward Pops.
Because of Marco's plan, they did not know the specific details.
That was very rare—Pops had only told Marco, and Marco had not told them.
It was also why Ace and the others had reacted so strongly when Pops had told them earlier to leave and carry out the so-called plan.
After all, didn't that look very much like he was sending them away so he could shoulder everything alone?
If Pops really intended to do that, Ace absolutely would not leave with Marco.
Family should either leave together, or face everything together!
Besides, strictly speaking, this danger had been caused by him!
His expression was far too obvious.
So much so that Whitebeard raised a hand and pressed it down, his gaze calm. "Ace, don't be so impatient. You have your own things to do."
At that, he looked toward Ren. "I will hand that Celestial Dragon over to Red-Hair and let him transfer him back to the World Government.
"The condition is that Ace dies publicly, but in truth, he will spend the rest of his life in my hometown. That place will also become the home of my other children.
"The Marines will never set foot there. My hometown will be permanently erased from the world map.
"And during that time, Red-Hair will act as guarantor. He also doesn't want to see Ace die.
"But likewise, he does not want to see a second Pirate King—or rather, see Ace use Roger's name to raise a force."
"That sounds quite good, actually. Although you and the force known as the Whitebeard Pirates would be gone, being able to protect your family suits your interests very well."
Ren rubbed his chin, his gaze playful. "Do you really intend to accept?"
"Gurararara. There's no point, is there, Ren?"
Whitebeard sneered. "We both know what a filthy existence the World Government is.
"The Marineford War has already made the World Government lose all face and authority. There is no way this will end unless they retaliate with the cruelest methods.
"What they fear and want right now is nothing more than that Celestial Dragon. As for what happens afterward, even Red-Hair may not be able to stop it.
"Rather than pin my hopes on that, I'd rather stand completely on your side and gamble that you and I can utterly crush the hand they extend!"
At that point, an intense pressure erupted from Whitebeard's body, his expression turning ferocious as he said, "Besides, right now, I—am terrifyingly strong!"
Conqueror's Haki surged across the deck, forcing Ace, who had wanted to say something, to focus all his attention on resisting it.
Was Pops angry?
Why was he being affected too? And wasn't there also—
A stray thought flashed through Ace's mind, and he was stunned to discover that Ren did not seem affected at all.
"I understand."
Ren said lightly, "What about your commanders?"
"They need to go protect other places. It seems the World Government intends to carry out absolute destruction.
"Those places are under my flag, after all. No matter when it is, I need to protect them."
Whitebeard grinned. "Besides, the Marines are basically crippled right now. They don't have the ability to stir up a new war."
"But they may still encounter Marine Admirals."
Ren reminded him, "The news has already reported that Sengoku is about to step down.
"If the Three Admirals want to compete for succession, then this incident will be the best test to select a candidate impeccable in both ability and loyalty."
"Gurararara. That is true. But—"
Whitebeard sneered and asked in return, "—would you really be unprepared, Prophet?"
"Although I'm called the Prophet, I can't guarantee that everything will go my way."
Ren shrugged. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I can trade pieces and cancel out Akainu. During the Dressrosa incident, a blind man appeared.
"He is now a member of the Revolutionary Army, and his strength is enough to fight Akainu.
"I can't guarantee he'll win, but at the very least, he can delay him for several days.
"As for Kizaru, I have a candidate on my side. His Devil Fruit ability has reached the level of Awakening, and his Haki mastery is only a hair's breadth below its peak.
"I'm just not sure how long he can delay Kizaru, since his strength still hasn't reached Admiral level.
"But his mobility is very fast, so he should be able to keep up with Kizaru's speed."
The person he was referring to was naturally Kuma, who had participated in the second training session.
Perhaps because he had broken free from the shadows of his past, and also because Ren's side thirsted for strength,
Kuma's power had become greater than before. He was only one step away from that top-tier group.
If they needed someone to intercept Kizaru, Kuma was the best primary candidate.
"Marco can cooperate in that fight."
Whitebeard said, "He is my second-in-command, or what you call a Yonko commander. You saw his ability during the Marineford War. With your man, tying down Kizaru for a while won't be a problem.
"But what about Kuzan? That brat is very strong. At the very least, he is more troublesome than Kizaru."
"There is a tentative candidate."
"Who?"
"Hawk-Eye Mihawk."
"You can persuade him? He is still a Warlord of the Sea, isn't he?"
"If you were the World Government, would you still insist on continuing the Warlord system?"
Ren asked in return, then continued, "Under the current Warlord system, Mihawk is the only one left.
"The so-called advantages of the system have also been proven to produce traitors and ambitious schemers. It is not a stable system.
"If nothing unexpected happens, at least two Member Nations are already petitioning to abolish the Warlord system."
"Dressrosa and Alabasta?"
Whitebeard said thoughtfully, "Looks like you also made arrangements among the Member Nations."
Ren smiled and did not answer.
With Violet and Vivi there, something like that was merely a casual move.
He continued, "Besides, the Warlord system itself is already nearing its end.
"Because the World Government possesses a weapons technology known as Seraphim, a replacement for the Warlords. It is an upgraded version of the Pacifista.
"It is only a prototype right now and has not been fully perfected.
"But Mihawk is not someone who is so obsessed with swordsmanship that he ignores all external matters.
"At the very least, he cares about the external environment and will respond accordingly to avoid falling into a difficult position."
At that point, his tone became certain. "And I have also prepared a bargaining chip that he is very unlikely to refuse."
"In that case, there's nothing more to say."
Whitebeard looked deeply at Ren and once again felt how terrifying the one called Prophet was.
If Ren were his enemy, he simply could not imagine how thoroughly he would be schemed against.
"There isn't much more to say. Right now, what truly needs to be considered are those unknown factors."
Ren said, "The God Knights, the Spear of the Celestial Dragons. The Five Elders themselves, the unknown orbital weapon, and Imu.
"These are all factors I cannot make targeted preparations against. If the worst-case scenario occurs, the cards I currently hold will not be enough to deal with it.
"If there is anything I can do, it is to unite every usable force, just as we are doing now."
"Gurararara. There's nothing to fear."
Whitebeard laughed loudly, his gaze becoming cold and sharp. "No matter who comes, I will crush them all."
"How long do you have left at your limit?"
Ren suddenly asked.
"This is my final performance."
Whitebeard answered without really answering, his eyes softening as he looked at Ace. "There is no ship that can carry me into the new era. So let me drag those old things down to hell with me."
At that point, he ignored Ace's changing expression and turned to Ren. "If I die, Marco will arrange everything properly. After that, everything—will be left to you.
"What a pity that I won't be able to see you then. I truly want to see just how far a monster like you will go in the end."
"Perhaps this world will welcome a purging sun."
Ren smiled faintly.
"Pops! Are you planning to—"
Ace immediately spoke up, his expression filled with fear and unease.
"This is my battle, Ace."
Whitebeard said calmly, "Perhaps I will die there. Perhaps I will trample over the corpses of my enemies and live a little longer.
"But none of that is what you should be concerned with. What you need to do is protect my hometown.
"This is—your captain's order!"
(End of Chapter)