After Rocks' figure vanished into the darkness, Marco staggered to his feet and pulled out a Transponder Snail from his coat. The snail had a distinctive crescent-shaped white mustache—one custom-tailored to resemble Whitebeard.
He quickly dialed.
Almost instantly, the snail reacted. Its expression animated as a familiar voice came through.
"Marco? Is that you? How are things?"
The voice belonged to Whitebeard himself.
Marco had been away from the crew for several days. Ever since Thatch's death, his mood had been heavy, and he hadn't contacted Whitebeard in all that time.
Though Pops had told Marco to go after Teach with full confidence, the moment Marco left, Whitebeard regretted it. And with no word from his son in days, his heart had grown heavier.
Whitebeard had many "sons," and he cared for each one—but Marco was special. His favorite. The thought of losing him was unbearable.
So he had kept Marco's Transponder Snail with him at all times, just in case.
Now, hearing that voice after narrowly surviving Rocks' wrath, Marco felt his eyes sting.
He forced his voice to remain calm. "Pops… I'm okay. I've just been hunting for Teach. I didn't mean to worry you."
"Gurararara! It's good to hear your voice, boy!"
That booming, familiar laugh brought Marco a deep sense of peace. No matter what happened—Pops was his foundation. He would never betray him, not even in death.
Marco wiped at his face, then continued.
"I found Teach. But… he's already dead."
"What? Did you do it?"
"No. He was killed by Chiga."
"…That kid acted fast," Whitebeard murmured. "Looks like that Red-Haired brat's prediction came true."
"Red-Haired? What did he say?"
"After you left, he leaked news about the Devil Fruit Teach had stolen. Said it would provoke Chiga into acting."
"I see…" Marco muttered, his brows furrowing. "Pops, be careful around Red-Haired Shanks. He's not as simple as he looks."
"Gurararara! Don't worry about him. That brat's still too green!"
Whitebeard clearly hadn't taken the warning seriously. To him, Shanks was still the cheeky kid from Roger's ship.
Marco didn't press further. He had something more urgent to say.
"Pops… Rocks is alive."
"…Nani!?"
The name hit Whitebeard like a shockwave, sending a jolt through his mind.
As a former member of the Rocks Pirates, he knew exactly what that name meant.
His expression darkened. "Where did you hear that?"
Marco wasted no time. He recounted everything—Rocks' appearance, his possession of Teach's body, his Conqueror's Haki, and the message he wanted delivered.
Whitebeard listened in stunned silence. The more he heard, the deeper his frown became.
The details were too precise. The God Valley Incident had been wiped from history by the World Government, known only to a few. No imposter could fake this.
And the hatred Rocks had for Roger? That was personal.
The Rocks Pirates had never been united—more like a powder keg of monsters. Kaido, Big Mom, Shiki... all powerful, but none loyal. They only followed Rocks out of fear or ambition.
Few had truly hated Roger. In fact, Whitebeard and Roger had shared drinks on more than one occasion.
Only Rocks, the biggest loser of that battle, had reason to hate him to his bones.
And the fact he wielded the Dark-Dark Fruit? That sealed it.
(Yes, Whitebeard didn't react to this in Marineford. Let's chalk that up to narrative freedom in this version.)
Now, knowing his most beloved son had survived that encounter, Whitebeard felt immense relief.
As for Rocks' message—some delusional fantasy about Whitebeard "welcoming back his captain"—he discarded it completely.
He had never liked Rocks. If the God Valley battle hadn't happened, he still would've left the crew eventually. That life didn't suit him.
He had no intention of following Rocks—not then, and certainly not now.
Today, Whitebeard had his own family. His sons were his world.
Besides, siding with Rocks would only paint a target on their backs. The Marines would react instantly. Did Rocks want to hand Chiga another victory?
Even so, Rocks' resurrection couldn't be ignored. This was something the other Yonko needed to know.
He contacted Kaido, Big Mom, and Shanks—passing along the warning.
Their responses?
Exactly what he expected.
Kaido's spiked club clattered to the ground, and the cake in Big Mom's mouth lost all taste. Both of them paused, stunned.
Then they each recovered and made the same decision:
Ignore it.
Pretend Rocks didn't exist.
Old captain? Sorry. There's no seat for you in the new era.
But Shanks was different.
After hearing the news, Shanks returned to his ship. Alone, he walked to the bow and stared silently out at the sea.
One empty sleeve flapped in the breeze, his silhouette long and quiet.
He had once sailed under Roger. Though he hadn't been present at the God Valley Incident, he'd heard enough stories to know what kind of monster Rocks was.
A lawless, destructive force. A radical from the Will of D. clan.
In Shanks' eyes, Luffy's "D." stood for "Dream."
But Rocks' "D." stood for "Destruction."
And Teach?
He gave off the same feeling. A darkness that couldn't be trusted. And in a way… Teach was Rocks.
That's why Shanks had always warned others about Teach. Why he kept a close watch.
Now with Rocks fully revived—and Chiga still out there—Shanks, who had always believed in fate, found himself wavering.
The Great Pirate Era, started by Roger, was supposed to change the world.
But had it really changed anything? Or had it only led to more chaos, more war, more innocent lives lost?
Staring into the endless ocean, Shanks muttered under his breath.
"Captain Roger… was everything we did… truly right?"
---
Whew, 200 chapters (＾▽＾)
To y'all supporting and still reading....Arigato.
Join our discord server
Link: https://discord.gg/Mr8Q62CH
Support us on patreon (+Gain access to chapters in advance)
Link: patreon.com/Zphyr_