Grand Line, Moby Dick.
In the open-air banquet hall on the deck, all of Whitebeard's sons gathered around their Pops, sighing in astonishment.
"Ochoku... just gone like that?"
He was a great pirate from the same era as Whitebeard, dominating the Pirate Paradise, Hachinosu Island, for years with tens of thousands of pirates under his command. How could he just disappear?
Marco frowned.
"I thought Little Brother Seven would take Ochoku under his wing, just like he did when he defeated Golden Lion last time. I didn't expect him to kill them all."
Marco had to admit that Little Brother Seven's actions perfectly displayed a pirate's brutality; even Pops had never been so bloodthirsty.
"Gurararara."
Whitebeard was quite satisfied with this. If you're going to be a pirate, you must have a pirate's resolve; showing mercy to enemies is cruelty to yourself.
If you accommodate them, others will take an inch and demand a mile.
If you retreat, others will pursue you relentlessly.
If you are soft-hearted, others will become more reckless.
Whitebeard was simply getting old and had no ambition to dominate the world; he was focused solely on protecting his family.
Otherwise, he would act like Little Seven.
"My foolish sons, Little Seven just arrived in the New World. His first step in establishing himself must be to make a statement—to make anyone who dares harbor ill intentions seriously consider if their bones are hard enough."
"Compared to taking Hachinosu Island only to be constantly harassed by other forces, this step he took was excellent."
The smile on Whitebeard's face deepened.
"Even you should now seriously consider—is Beelzebul still the Little Brother Seven you once knew?"
Marco shrugged.
Vista and the others laughed heartily.
"Pops, with you here, we aren't afraid of Little Brother Seven. Besides, the Whitebeard Pirates and Little Brother Seven are friends."
"That's right, Pops." Marco chimed in, "I'll go to Hachinosu Island first and deliver a formal greeting."
Whitebeard nodded in satisfaction.
"Go."
"Tell Little Seven to prepare plenty of fine wine. It's been a long time since Pops drank the wine that brat brews."
Whitebeard was very pleased with Marco's action. At least he no longer treated Little Seven as just the cook on Roger's ship, but instead used the protocol reserved for an Emperor of the Sea, sending a formal greeting first to state their intentions.
To avoid any unpleasant misunderstandings.
Well, we just took the stronghold, and the entire Moby Dick crew shows up? Are you looking for a fight?
With Golden Lion around, Whitebeard believed that old geezer would definitely be itching for the Whitebeard Pirates and the Morning Star Pirates to fight.
Of course, a fight is definitely going to happen.
Send the formal greeting first, and fight after everyone has eaten and drunk their fill.
Teach, the black fatty at the back of the crowd, finally received the newspaper that was being passed around.
The moment he took the newspaper, Teach stared intently at Ochoku's head hanging at the entrance of Hachinosu Island, deep satisfaction hidden in his eyes.
Little White Hair, thanks.
Teach had never forgotten the deep-seated blood feud from back then, but given the current situation, he didn't know when he would personally be able to kill Ochoku.
But now, Ochoku was slain by Little White Hair.
Furthermore, the ten thousand pirates under his command were all wiped out, filling Teach with both satisfaction and intense apprehension.
In the future, unless he had 100% certainty of success, he absolutely must not provoke Little White Hair Beelzebul.
His bloodlust is seriously too intense.
This wasn't dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of pirates; it was a total of thirteen thousand pirates who had been entrenched on Hachinosu Island for years, and Little White Hair used their skulls to pile up a monument.
How terrifying.
When Teach belatedly realized that Hachinosu Island, the legacy left by his father Rocks, had once again found an owner, he felt no displeasure at all.
As a pirate, you can steal others' treasures, and naturally, others can steal everything from you.
If there's a chance in the future... Teach pondered for a long time and finally decided: even if the opportunity arises, he will never provoke Little White Hair. They already had an unpleasant history due to two teeth.
If he angers the other party again, does he even want to live?
If there's a chance in the future, he'll just find a different base.
The New World is vast; there must be a suitable base for the Blackbeard Pirates somewhere. The territory under Whitebeard's command seems excellent.
Having called him Pops for so many years,
Blackbeard Teach, as one of Whitebeard Pops' many sons, naturally has the right to inherit Whitebeard Pops' legacy.
This is perfectly reasonable.
Teach silently tucked the newspaper into his pocket. Just as he looked up, Thatch the Head Chef wrapped an arm around his neck and teased him.
"Teach, are you really that obsessed with Seven?"
Thatch knew that for the past half year, Teach had collected virtually every newspaper featuring Seven and stuck them up by his bedside.
"Zeh... heh."
Teach showed a simple, honest smile.
"Captain Thatch, you know that Beelzebul and I have known each other for years, and we're about the same age. I'm just happy for my old friend."
"Don't worry," Thatch laughed.
"Once Marco returns after delivering the formal greeting, Pops will probably take us to Hachinosu Island. We can all learn how to make cherry pie from Seven then."
Thinking back to that cherry pie from years ago, Teach swallowed and grinned.
"That would naturally be excellent."
...East Blue, Orange Town.
Buggy Pirates' main base.
Stuffing the latest newspaper into his satchel, Buggy wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes and cheered himself on.
"Buggy, you can definitely do it."
"It's just the New World! It's not like I haven't been there before. As long as I reach Hachinosu Island, I won't have to worry about being arrested by the Marine for the rest of my life."
Although he said that, Buggy's constantly trembling body betrayed him.
The New World is simply too dangerous.
This wasn't like back then, when Captain Roger, Vice-Captain Rayleigh, Uncle Jabba, and the others were all there, and he and Seven only needed to hide behind Uncle Crocus the Ship Doctor.
Now, he was heading to the New World all by himself.
The guys under his command usually shouted slogans of loyalty loudly, but as soon as they heard about going to the New World, every single one of them looked like frostbitten eggplants.
No wonder when Seven told them stories back then, he would sometimes throw in a few lines—
When asked, they are all loyal; when told to go, they refuse.
Loyalty that isn't absolute is absolutely disloyal.
As Buggy tearfully hoisted his satchel, the Buggy Pirates subordinates immediately rushed over.
"Captain Buggy, have you changed your mind?"
That question seemed to touch Buggy's reverse scale, instantly making him furious.
What a joke! I'm not a coward like Shanks. We clearly agreed to become the Pirate King, but he changed his mind.
"I am definitely going to the New World."
"Not even the Fleet Admiral can stop me!"
After his words fell, a brief silence was followed by the Buggy Pirates subordinates erupting in deafening cheers, their faces filled with fervor.
"As expected of you, Captain Buggy."
"We swear to follow Captain Buggy until death."
"New World, here we come!!"
After a moment of astonishment, Buggy opened his mouth wide and flashed a smug smile: Seven was right, the charisma of Grandpappy Buggy is irresistible.
The fervent atmosphere seemed to infect Buggy as well, temporarily suppressing the fear of the New World in his heart. Buggy immediately raised his arms and shouted.
"Set sail for the New World!"