After a period of heavy silence, Newgate finally spoke. "So? Is this why you called me here? To tell me we should join forces and deal with the Marines?"
"Have you lost your nerve, old man? Did that damn Diarmuid beat it out of you?" Charlotte Linlin said, her tone sharp and aggressive.
It was a blatant attempt at provocation, but Newgate didn't take the bait. Instead, his gaze drifted toward Linlin's arm.
During the battle at Jam Island years ago, Diarmuid had severed one of her arms with a single strike. In theory, she should have been the one-armed queen of her crew. However, Linlin's limbs appeared fully intact now, save for a gruesome, stitched scar where the arm had once been severed.
Newgate's keen eyes quickly picked up on something unnatural about that arm.
The arm was indeed her own, but it seemed Diarmuid's attack had inadvertently opened a "new world" for her. Throughout her life, Linlin had never suffered a truly debilitating injury, let alone the loss of a limb. To reattach and heal it, she had chosen to inject the power of a Homie directly into the limb during the surgery.
In other words, while it wasn't immediately obvious whether the power within was Zeus or something else, Linlin had essentially created a "supernatural arm" for herself. This breakthrough hadn't just prevented a decline in her strength; it had actually given her a latent power boost. It was absurd. Even Diarmuid likely hadn't foreseen such a consequence when he cut her down.
Noticing Newgate's stare, a flash of hatred flickered in Linlin's eyes. "I haven't forgotten that debt," she rasped.
"Sigh..." Newgate let out a soft breath.
If they thought this kind of talk, this low-level goading, was enough to sway him, he truly wasn't interested. He felt Linlin and Kaido were being ridiculous. Did they really think this was how you got things done?
"If that's all you have to say to me, let's leave it at that," Newgate said, shaking his head. "We'll finish these drinks for the sake of our old history, but we shouldn't meet like this again."
Linlin and Kaido fell silent, clearly sensing Newgate's rejection.
Linlin picked up her bowl and took a massive gulp of wine. Just as Newgate assumed she was giving up and preparing to leave after the drink, she spoke up suddenly.
"Rob Lucci... and that Marshall D. Teach... Aren't you curious why they aren't in the hospital, Whitebeard?"
Newgate's brow furrowed, a murderous aura flaring in his eyes. "If you're telling me you two are behind this, I don't care if this is some 'neutral zone', I'll sink you both to the bottom of the sea, Linlin!"
Whitebeard's mood had been foul lately. What kept him up at night was the situation involving Teach and Lucci. In Newgate's current understanding, Lucci had committed murder and fled, and Teach had gone to pursue him only to vanish into thin air. It was no wonder he was on edge.
"I don't have the spare time to manage your family's messy business!" Linlin snapped back.
Newgate's anger cooled slightly. On second thought, she was right; Linlin had no reason to provoke his wrath right now.
"You know something?" Newgate asked grimly.
Linlin didn't answer immediately, merely staring at him. After a long silence, Newgate finally relented. "Tell me. Regardless of the outcome, I'll owe you a favor."
"Hmph, what use is a favor from an old fossil like you?" Linlin snorted with disdain. However, she stopped playing games. "I was going to tell you anyway..."
Newgate didn't interrupt. Linlin continued, "Rob Lucci is currently a Vice Admiral of the Marine Headquarters, assigned to the Intelligence Division. From what I've gathered, he was a direct subordinate of Rodriguez Diarmuid years ago. He belonged to a mysterious group, an external Marine intelligence agency called... the Non-Existent Agency."
As she said the name, even Linlin's eyes held a trace of confusion.
This was the extent of the information she could dig up on Lucci. Primarily, it was because Lucci's return to the Marines meant his records no longer needed to be strictly classified. Combined with the Big Mom Pirates' intelligence network, reputed as the best in the pirate world, she was able to unearth the truth.
As for why she had looked into it, she had originally planned to use the information as a bargaining chip to win Newgate over. She ended up finding some very interesting things.
The "Non-Existent Agency" fascinated her. The name alone sounded formidable, and the fact that the man behind it was that bastard Diarmuid made it even more significant.
Did Linlin understand Diarmuid? To an extent, yes. But her understanding was limited to his formidable side—how he repeatedly stirred the world's tides and reaped massive profits. It all proved that his cunning was equal to his strength.
Therefore, finding out that the Non-Existent Agency was founded and led by Diarmuid made her exceptionally wary. Look at Whitebeard: Rob Lucci, who had joined Newgate's ship as a child, turned out to be a Marine intelligence operative. How absurd was that? And he was from that specific agency!
The more she investigated, however, the less she found. This only served to heighten her guard against the Non-Existent Agency.
She likely never would have guessed that within the Marines, the Non-Existent Agency was considered a failed project. Like many of the flashy, experimental units Diarmuid had proposed during the Intelligence Division's restructuring, it was just one of many trials. Some succeeded; some didn't.
The Non-Existent Agency was basically defunct, a skeleton crew with no field agents left, most having been folded back into the main Intelligence Division.
But Linlin didn't know that. Coupled with the name "Non-Existent"... it sounded like something designed to be impossible to find. She had poured immense resources into the search, only to find nothing, which led her to become paranoid. She was starting to wonder if her own "children" had similar issues.
If Diarmuid knew Linlin was out there playing a battle of wits against thin air, he would have roared with laughter.
Meanwhile, Newgate's expression shifted. "Impossible! When that brat Lucci came aboard, he was only—"
"I'm not here to argue with you, Newgate. Go check for yourself," Linlin interrupted. "That Rob Lucci is currently at Marine Headquarters, serving openly as an instructor at that damn Marine Academy..."
Newgate's expression flickered through a dozen emotions before he finally fell into a grim silence.
With the Whitebeard Pirates' resources, searching aimlessly might yield nothing, but now that Linlin had given him the answer, he would be a fool if he couldn't verify it. Because verification wouldn't be difficult, Newgate found himself believing her, despite his shock.
"So... this was all a Marine plot?" Newgate asked, his eyes burning with a dark fire.
"Perhaps," Linlin replied non-committally. But her cold, slightly mocking tone said it all. Are you an idiot, Newgate? The Marines pull a stunt like this, and you're asking if it's a plot?
Newgate crossed his arms and remained silent for a long time. Then he asked, "And Teach? Are you going to tell me those two were putting on an act together?"
Linlin shook her head. "Marshall D. Teach is a pirate; his identity is legitimate. He was indeed tracking Rob Lucci alongside Doflamingo, following the trail all the way into Alabasta."
Newgate knew this part. He was more curious about what happened next. How did Teach disappear?
"But since Alabasta was in chaos, that Crocodile fellow had his own series of plots that ended up destroying him, Doflamingo accepted the Shichibukai summons once he arrived and stopped pursuing Lucci. And that... is when your Teach went missing, correct?"
"Correct," Newgate nodded.
"I can't be sure if Doflamingo was involved or if there was some other conspiracy," Linlin said gravely. "But I can confirm that afterward, the Marine base in Alabasta took in a secret prisoner. Ultimately, that prisoner was escorted to Impel Down. According to my intel, that prisoner is your 'son,' Marshall D. Teach."
Newgate's rage boiled over. He had assumed Teach was simply missing or caught in some trouble that prevented him from making contact. Alabasta had been a mess, but it didn't seem like the Marines were heavily involved. Even Diarmuid had only made a brief appearance at the end.
And yet, Teach had fallen into Marine hands in Alabasta?
"Don't ask me for proof; I have none to give. It's up to you whether you believe me or not," Linlin said casually.
In truth, Newgate already believed her. If he could confirm that Lucci was a Marine upon his return, then everything else was a certainty. Teach had chased Lucci to Alabasta, only to be lured into a trap and captured by the "Marine" Lucci. It made perfect sense.
In Newgate's mind, Teach hadn't known Lucci was a Marine. It was only natural that he would be caught off guard and ensnared.
Damn Marines! Newgate cursed inwardly, though his face remained a mask.
He drained his drink in one go, tossed the bowl aside, and stood up. "I owe you one, Linlin. I'm going to confirm the situation with Teach and Lucci. Farewell."
Linlin didn't stop him. She simply nodded, and Newgate strode out.
Once he was gone, Kaido smacked his lips. "You're just letting him go? I thought we were going to bring him into the alliance to fight the Marines."
Linlin's lips curled into a wicked grin. "He'll join. I didn't lie to him. Once he confirms these things, he'll come looking for us. If he doesn't... then he isn't worthy of being called 'Whitebeard.'"
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