On a small island surrounded by endless waters, a soul-shaking mushroom cloud billowed toward the heavens. A crimson radiance illuminated the four seas; in the water, schools of fish breached the surface, their gazes converging on the center of the explosion. It was as if they were seeing off a tragic yet self-sacrificing man of true resolve.
The mist was heavy, and the rain fell like tears. In this world, things rarely go as planned, and countless souls find themselves lost in the shadows of regret and wrong turns. But when they return to the path of honor, they remain an unforgettable memory in the hearts of those they left behind.
"Captain..."
A member of the Maelstrom Spider Pirates, long blade still in hand, wiped a stray tear from his face. He wouldn't allow his captain to be shamed. One by one, those around him had fallen, and his own wounds were becoming critical, yet he stood straight as a spear, his eyes fixed on the settling dust and smoke. He wanted to witness this moment. He had to prove that the Maelstrom Spider Pirates had not disgraced their Father, Whitebeard!
Soon, the Spider Pirates were wiped out, leaving only this man. Despite his battered body, his gaze remained unmoving, staring into the haze.
"Phew..." Shiryu exhaled a long cloud of smoke. He didn't deliver a finishing blow to the survivor. Instead, he watched the clearing smoke with a grim expression. Behind him, the rest of the Blackbeard Pirates watched tensely as the dust settled—though whether they were worried about Teach or simply curious was anyone's guess. There was no love lost between the members of this crew; their gathering was a result of "serendipitous" circumstances and dark ambition.
"Zehahahahaha!"
Through the dust, Blackbeard emerged, his golden armor solid and gleaming. He walked with an arrogant, swaggering gait.
"This armor really is incredibly tough. That fellow Squard was certainly persistent... hmm?" He stopped, looking with genuine surprise at the last standing member of the Maelstrom Spider Pirates.
"What's the matter?"
"You... how could you be completely unharmed!?" The pirate stared at the pristine, soot-free Blackbeard with wide, bulging eyes. His captain had given his life to detonate those high-yield explosives!
Before they had set out, they had tried to stop Squard, but it was useless. He had left them with only one sentence: "If all goes as planned, I can't kill Teach... so I have to do this! Don't follow me..."
But they had followed him anyway, without a second thought. Because they were pirates, and they chose where they would die.
But to see this...
The survivor's gaze swept over the members of the Blackbeard Pirates one last time.
"Hmm?" The crew looked back at him with various degrees of amusement.
Finally, his eyes settled on a broken blade behind Blackbeard. Even though the steel was snapped, it remained thrust into the earth, standing straight. Just like their captain—unyielding until the very end.
Under the collective gaze of the Blackbeard Pirates, the man slowly closed his eyes.
Pops... everyone... the Maelstrom Spider Pirates were useless. In the end, we couldn't clean the house for the Whitebeard Pirates. We couldn't even take one of them down...
If there is a next life, we wish to be Pops' sons once more. We have no regrets...
As a single tear rolled down his cheek, the man never opened his eyes again.
Lafitte prepared to step forward to check the body, but Doc Q spoke up first: "He's already dead."
"Tch..." A flicker of rare surprise crossed the eyes of the Blackbeard crew.
Blackbeard stepped forward, waving a hand dismissively. "Dead is dead. It's time we left."
A sharp light flashed in Blackbeard's eyes, and a grin he couldn't hide spread across his face. His crew gathered behind him, every face filled with dark anticipation.
"Zehahahahaha! New World! Get ready to welcome the return of Blackbeard... Zehahahahaha!"
On the vast, tranquil waters of the Calm Belt, the Whitebeard flag fluttered proudly atop the Moby Dick.
Though the Calm Belt was known as a graveyard for pirate ships, it was no obstacle for the world-class Whitebeard Pirates. Sea Kings? Permanent calms? Nothing could stop the Moby Dick's advance.
With Whitebeard's presence, every threat was neutralized. Furthermore, the crew had come prepared; the hull of the Moby Dick was lined with Sea Prism Stone, preventing Sea Kings from sensing their presence. It also drastically reduced the chances of a Navy pursuit.
"Luffy, you're awake!" Ace cried out in delight, seeing Luffy suddenly sit up.
"Ace..." Luffy turned his head, looking around until his gaze locked onto his brother.
"ACE! Waaaah!!"
Luffy lunged forward, hugging Ace tightly as tears began to flow like waterfalls. Beside them, Drake and Sabo exchanged a look and shook their heads with fond smiles.
"I'm so glad you're okay, Ace... I thought I was dreaming. I even dreamed about Sabo and Drake, and that they were alive too... eh?" Luffy's eyes suddenly bugged out. He jumped off the bed and rubbed his eyes frantically.
"Am I still asleep?" he asked, stunned.
"Haha..." Sabo was the first to burst out laughing. He looked at Luffy and said softly, "Luffy... you aren't dreaming. We're all alive. And we got Ace out."
"That's right, Luffy," Drake added, stepping forward.
"You guys... ah..." Luffy's mouth hung open in utter disbelief. Then, his eyes filled with mist again.
"Alright, Luffy, we're all here and healthy. You should be happy, no crying, okay?" Sabo said, walking over to pat him on the shoulder.
"Yeah..." Luffy pulled his straw hat down, hiding his face, but they could all see the wide grin stretching across his cheeks.
"Hahaha... Luffy, thanks for coming to save me," Ace said, sitting on a stool and bowing his head slightly.
Luffy adjusted his hat and replied simply, "Mm!"
The room fell into a brief, comfortable silence. Their hearts were full; the four brothers hadn't been together in one room, laughing and talking like this, in ten years. There was so much to say, yet for a moment, they didn't know where to start.
Ultimately, it was Sabo who broke the silence. "Luffy must be starving. Let's go get some food."
At those words, everyone's spirits instantly lifted—especially Luffy's. His eyes literally transformed into the shape of meat. Drake was equally excited; though he had been in this world for several days, he hadn't had a proper, legendary "Pirate Feast" yet. He had been looking forward to this for a long time.
Even if his body's previous owner had eaten this food before, the current Drake hadn't experienced it. He was going to eat until he burst. You can't claim to have lived in the One Piece world without being a glutton!
The brothers shared a knowing smile. They were all gourmands of the highest order; back in the day, they had more than a few "dine and dash" adventures to their names.
"Ace! We're starting the banquet!"
Jozu came running into the room, his face lit with excitement. But when he saw the four brothers all staring at him with predatory, ravenous eyes, he couldn't help but swallow hard.