The surrounding pirates grew even more agitated upon hearing Tsuru's words.
"So they were planning to trap Pops here from the beginning!" Squard said, his voice thick with anger.
"Putting on a righteous front, but they're not afraid to use underhanded tactics when it suits them!" Kingdew exclaimed.
"They call themselves the righteous Marines, but we all know their true colors."
Whitebeard raised a single, massive hand, signaling for everyone to quiet down.
As his gesture commanded, the angry murmurs gradually ceased and all eyes turned to him, waiting for his command.
A faint smile of satisfaction appeared on his weathered face as he stroked a ring on his finger and spoke, his voice booming with pride.
"It's true i were ambushed this time," he began, "but I didn't exactly come away empty-handed. Look here—i already collected quite a bit of Sengoku's blood. With this, Ron can work his magic. Imagine the possibilities!"
Hearing this, Jozu gasped.
"You even got the power of Fleet Admiral Sengoku's Buddha-Buddha Fruit!" He then pressed further,
"What about Kizaru's blood, Pops? Our reserves of his were running low too."
Whitebeard let out a deep chuckle and pulled out several large, reinforced vials, showing them off like trophies.
"Here, take a look! Not just Kizaru's—I've gathered plenty of Aokiji's as well. Gurararara!"
Ace sucked in a sharp breath at the sight.
"Damn… Pops, you're just too incredible!"
"The amount here is dozens of times what we've collected before! This will last us a long, long time!"
Kingdew covered his mouth, stifling a laugh.
"With this much blood, you've probably drained Kizaru dry."
"If he dies from blood loss, he'll go down in history as the first Admiral to ever bleed to death!"
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"AHAHAHA!"
On the other side of the battlefield, Kizaru's face darkened instantly, and he looked like he might actually spit out a mouthful of blood in pure fury.
Though he couldn't hear their exact words from this distance, seeing the pirates laughing and pointing at his cauterized arm told him everything he needed to know.
Whitebeard stored the precious blood samples away and flexed his wrist.
His previously severed arm had already reattached, the wound sealing itself.
In a little while, he'd be ready to fight again.
"Ron, my boy, this battle has been quite fruitful," Whitebeard said, his voice turning solemn.
"I'll hand this sample to you once the fight is over. The fewer people who know about the Castle Ring, the better."
Ron nodded in agreement.
He wasn't worried.
As for Whitebeard's own blood being taken, he didn't pay it much mind.
With the Devil Fruit trade growing, more and more crews were getting their hands on multiple abilities.
It was only a matter of time before the Marines managed to get a sample for their own research.
"The blood isn't urgent anyway," Ron replied calmly.
"And besides the blood, we're also short on funds." He speculated that even with the sample, Vegapunk wouldn't be able to extract any useful information in the short term.
Technology of that level required time to analyze, and that time was precisely the opportunity they could exploit.
At that moment, Marco stepped forward again to carefully examine Whitebeard's injuries.
"Pops, the wound on your arm has started healing, but it's still recovering. It's best if you don't engage in any more serious fighting."
Hearing this, Ron voiced the question on everyone's mind.
"Captain, since we've already obtained the blood and leveled their headquarters, why haven't we left yet?"
As Ron spoke, the other commanders also turned their gazes toward their captain.
Given what they knew of his strength, escaping from Marineford wouldn't be difficult, even under these circumstances.
Faced with their questioning, Whitebeard scratched his head sheepishly, a slightly awkward smile appearing on his face.
"Well… to be honest, I've just been itching for a good fight lately. It's rare to come across a few decent opponents all at once."
This left everyone present completely stunned.
They hadn't expected that to be the reason.
The group froze, and the previously tense atmosphere instantly deflated.
They exchanged bewildered glances, the reality of the situation dawning on them: Pops hadn't walked into a trap.
He had come here specifically because he was bored and wanted to spar with some worthy opponents.
But then Whitebeard's next words brought tears to Marco's eyes.
"Besides," Whitebeard continued casually, "fighting these old-timers is a good chance to catch up. And I figured while I was here, I could also draw some blood from Akainu to get his Magma Fruit for Marco's Enchantment."
Hearing this, Marco's tears finally spilled over.
He'd mentioned it once, offhandedly, a long time ago.
He never dreamed his father had not only remembered but would go to such lengths.
"You're all the same—if you want something, you should just speak up," Whitebeard said, his gaze softening as he looked at his sons.
"This has been Marco's wish for a long time."
"Pops…" Marco's eyes reddened, choked with emotion.
The other commanders were equally moved, the weight of his actions crashing down on them.
For the sake of one son's wish, he had single-handedly stormed Marineford.
"Damn it, Pops! Do you have any idea how worried we were?!"
"Seriously, even if that was the plan, you should've told us!"
"We're a family! You're our father!"
"Yeah, we should share the burden together!"
Seeing his sons' anxious, tear-streaked faces, Whitebeard burst into a hearty, world-shaking laugh.
"Gurararara! You bunch of idiots."
A wide, confident grin spread across his face.
"I'm Whitebeard! What's there to worry about?"
The commanders wept with emotion, while Ace and Jozu outright bawled their eyes out.
Ron also smiled warmly.
This was it.
This was the charm of their family, the ties that connected them, stronger than any blood relation.
One side of the battlefield stood solemnly on guard, while the other was a mess of tears and emotional outbursts.
Such a bizarre scene was truly one-of-a-kind.
After the wave of emotion passed, Kingdew slowly raised his head.
He paid no attention to the wounded marines being carried away.
Instead, his gaze remained resolutely fixed on the smoking ruins of the Marine Headquarters building.
Gradually, his eyes began to brighten, as if he were staring at a glittering mountain of gold.
"Everyone," Kingdew's voice was low at first, but it quickly filled with a manic excitement.
"Look around you! This is Marineford! The Marine's main base! Just think about it! Think of the vast amounts of money and supplies they must have hidden here!"
Hearing this, the pirates around him froze for a second before expressions of pure astonishment spread across their faces.
One of them couldn't help but ask, "Wait, Kingdew… you don't mean to…?"
Before he could finish, Kingdew nodded repeatedly, his eyes flashing with a greedy gleam.
"Yes! Yes! Exactly what you're thinking! We're going to rob the Marine Headquarters dry!"
The moment the words left his mouth, the scene erupted.
Everyone was stunned by the sheer audacity of the idea.
Yet, amid the shock, Jozu was the first to step forward in support.
Clenching his diamond fists, his face brimming with irrepressible excitement as he declared.
"He's right! An opportunity like this comes once in a lifetime! Ron! Let's rob the Marines Headquarters together!"