Aboard the Moby Dick.
A portion of the Whitebeard Pirates' crew remained on the ship. At the moment, Newgate's expression was grim and unpredictable. Even Teach, who had been following Newgate for over a decade, stood below him and didn't dare speak.
Newgate had received news from the Jam Island frontline, or rather, he was continuously receiving updates from the area. People reported the situation to the Moby Dick every moment, and Newgate was immediately briefed on any major developments.
Now, he knew that his son, the Commander of the 13th Division, "Water Buffalo" Atmos, had recently fallen in battle on Jam Island, killed by Charlotte Linlin.
Was he angry?
Of course, he was furious. Although Atmos wasn't his most promising son, he was still Newgate's son, his family, one who called him "Pops." Now that he was dead, how could he not be enraged?
But what could he do?
This was war! Anyone could die here, including Newgate himself!
After a long time, Newgate's dark expression finally faded. He didn't say anything about seeking revenge for Atmos, because it was unnecessary. They would reach Jam Island before dawn, and a major confrontation was inevitable.
"Pops?" Teach called out tentatively after seeing Newgate's expression return to normal.
Newgate's thoughts snapped back, and he looked at Teach. "I'm fine."
"I'm glad you're alright, Pops," Teach said, relieved.
After a slight pause, Teach continued, speaking righteously, "I will definitely avenge Atmos!"
"That debt will certainly be repaid!" Newgate nodded.
Just then, the Den Den Mushi on the table next to the spy, Rob Lucci, rang. Lucci glanced at the Den Den Mushi and then looked at Newgate. "Pops, it's that guy Smoker."
"Answer it and let's hear what he has to say," Newgate replied.
Lucci quickly picked up the Den Den Mushi, and Smoker's voice immediately came through. "Whitebeard, can you wait for me for three days? My main force will only arrive in three days!"
A flash of anger crossed Newgate's eyes, but he knew this wasn't the time to vent his frustration on Smoker. He said gravely, "Impossible. Charlotte Linlin is on Jam Island, and I just lost a Commander there. Give you three more days, and the situation on Jam Island will have completely collapsed. Who knows how many more sons I'll lose..."
"But there's clearly a problem here!" Smoker yelled.
Without waiting for Newgate to speak, Smoker continued, "I know the battle situation on Jam Island. But right now, only the Big Mom Pirates are there. Where is Kaido? Where are the Beasts Pirates? They're nowhere to be found! This is clearly a trap. They figured out that our timing isn't coordinated and that I can't support you quickly, so they deliberately set a trap for you on Jam Island. I'd bet that once you enter, Kaido's forces will immediately counter-encircle you from the rear, trapping all of you on Jam Island..."
Newgate fell silent for a long time because everything Smoker said was true. The fighting on Jam Island had been going on, but there had been no sign of Kaido or the Beasts Pirates' Commanders. Newgate himself wouldn't believe there was no trap involved.
So, Smoker's words were very likely to come true. The moment he entered, Kaido would immediately orchestrate a counter-encirclement...
Logically speaking, his best option was indeed to wait for Smoker for three days. Once Smoker's main force arrived, there would be room to maneuver.
But if he waited three days, what would happen to his sons who were fighting a bloody battle on Jam Island right now? They would inevitably be defeated and killed one by one by Charlotte Linlin!
In truth, this development was inevitable. They had invaded Jam Island deep inside the Totto Land sea area. Fighting in the enemy's territory, it was normal for Charlotte Linlin to seize an opportunity to ambush them. It could even be said that they had been mentally prepared for it all along.
The current situation presented an impossible choice: if Newgate went in, he would fall into the encirclement of Charlotte Linlin and Kaido, and he had no idea what backup plans those two had. If he didn't go in, the Whitebeard Pirates would lose many Commanders, and the crew would be severely wounded. How was he supposed to choose?
This was a trap that Charlotte Linlin had dug by sacrificing several sea battles and islands—it was unavoidable!
"I am Whitebeard..." Newgate said to Smoker on the Den Den Mushi after a long silence.
The simple sentence rendered Smoker speechless. Yes, Newgate was Whitebeard, the World's Strongest Man. How could he be afraid? Yes, Newgate was Whitebeard. How could a man like him abandon his sons?
"So, you had no choice from the very beginning, didn't you?" Smoker asked softly.
"Gurararararara..." Newgate burst into loud laughter, then looked at the Den Den Mushi and said earnestly, "I certainly had no choice!"
"Then I hope you can hold out for three days!" Smoker said gravely.
"Who do you think I am? Three days..." Newgate paused there.
"It looks like you realize it. I hope you guys don't sink Jam Island within three days, otherwise... it'll be even more troublesome. I might not even make it to your funeral then," Smoker chuckled.
"Hmph, don't get too arrogant, kid," Newgate scoffed.
Smoker smiled, said no more, and didn't try to persuade Whitebeard again, as it was pointless. He simply hung up the Den Den Mushi.
Teach looked at the Den Den Mushi, then at his Pops. "Pops?"
Newgate smiled, then a determined look flashed in his eyes, and he said unswervingly, "Full speed ahead to Jam Island! I'm going to sink that bastard Linlin to the bottom of the sea to feed the fish!"
Subsequently, the Moby Dick once again forcefully increased its speed.
…
Maria Pleasure Island, Stussy's base of operations.
The Queen currently held a mysterious jar in her hand, her face etched with confusion. It was a transparent glass jar filled with pink liquid, and an irregularly shaped stone floated in the center of the liquid.
"What is this thing?" Stussy asked, curious.
She felt a sense of familiarity toward the object, yet she couldn't recall where she had seen it. At the same time, holding it made her feel a sense of danger.
"Stussy-san, this is a new weapon that has been circulating on the black market for the past two days. After a careful investigation, we learned it's called Dyna Stone, and it seems to be..." Stussy's subordinate enthusiastically began his explanation.
Stussy, who had been listening curiously, suddenly changed her expression when she heard the name. Dyna Stone? Are you kidding me!?
The subordinate might not know the history of Dyna Stone, having only heard rumors on the black market, but how could Stussy not know what it was? As a high-ranking CP-0 official, she knew clearly that Dyna Stone was a product of the New World, a special mineral that violently exploded upon contact with air. Its explosive power far exceeded that of ordinary bombs.
This item had always been classified as top secret by Mariejois, and massive manpower had been dispatched to develop and protect it. Even the Marine's Special Science Group was involved. It was subtly hailed as an 'explosive comparable to an Ancient Weapon.' If the quantity was large enough, it could even destroy an island in minutes.
Yet, this dangerous thing was currently being handled by her? No wonder it looked familiar; hadn't she seen related blueprints in Mariejois? If her hand trembled and the glass shattered, everyone in this room, including her, would probably die before they could react!
Stussy's eyes flashed with shock and anger, and her face trembled slightly. "Who brought this to the island? And how much is there?"
Stussy's subordinate seemed unaware of her change in expression and continued speaking to himself, "We confiscated it at the port just now. A few small-time smugglers had ships full of these..."
"Immediately seal off the port! Arrest everyone connected to this Dyna Stone! I will interrogate them personally!" Stussy roared.
The Queen's outburst terrified everyone in the room. After all, in their memory, Queen Stussy had always been a smiling person who never lost her temper easily. Even if someone offended the Queen, they simply died mysteriously within a few days. So, even though these people knew the Queen was a very ruthless person, they rarely witnessed her public fury.
Soon, the Dyna Stone on Maria Pleasure Island was quickly confiscated, and a large number of people were arrested and interrogated by Queen Stussy.
…
In the New World, within the Totto Land sea area.
Aboard Smoker's ship, Diarmuid looked at the sun slowly rising from beneath the sea through the cabin window and murmured softly, "Newgate should have arrived by now, right? Jam Island?"
"Barring any accidents, he should have arrived. Based on their distance, the Moby Dick could definitely reach Jam Island before dawn," Smoker said gravely, standing behind Diarmuid.
Diarmuid smiled at this. He said, "I've already warned Newgate about what needs to be warned, so there shouldn't be any major issues."
"So, according to the plan, when we arrive, Charlotte Linlin, Kaido, and Newgate should already be engaged in a full-blown, white-hot battle. What's our move then?" Smoker asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's truly excellent timing. Actually, if we could bring Sakazuki and the others along, we could find an opportunity to completely wipe out these pirates here," Diarmuid nodded and murmured. However, after a slight pause, he chuckled. "But Fleet Admiral Sengoku would probably lose his temper. Forget it, forget it. He's the Fleet Admiral; we'll listen to him. It's only five years; I'll just pass the time playing Greedy Dragon Blue Moon..."
Smoker: ??? Greedy Dragon Blue Moon? What is that?
Before Smoker could ask, Diarmuid said, "When we get there, we'll assess the situation. If Newgate is in a bad spot, we'll hit Kaido and Charlotte Linlin. If the two sides are evenly matched, we should try to take on all three of them and give them a good beating..."
"What if Newgate has the advantage?" Smoker suddenly asked.
Diarmuid was taken aback, then burst into laughter. "That would mean Charlotte Linlin and Kaido are incompetent idiots!"
After laughing, Diarmuid looked at Smoker. "Do you think they're idiots?"
Smoker also laughed, shaking his head. "No." If Charlotte Linlin and Kaido were idiots, what did that make everyone else who couldn't compare to them?
"Exactly," Diarmuid said with a smile.
While Diarmuid and Smoker were talking, Hina suddenly entered the room, holding a Den Den Mushi, her expression extremely serious. "Admiral, it's Stussy-san..."
"Stussy?" Diarmuid was startled, then asked, "Stussy? What's wrong?"
"Diarmuid, we have a serious internal issue. Dyna Stone from the New World was extensively leaked to the black market two months ago," Stussy said gravely.
Diarmuid: ???
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