"What happened?" Drake walked over with a look of confusion, taking the newspaper from Kenshin's hand. His body instantly froze.
"This is..."
The headline of the freshly delivered paper read: "The Payback War: Whitebeard Pirates vs. Blackbeard Pirates!"
"The Whitebeard Pirates and Blackbeard have clashed already!? So soon!?" Drake couldn't help but be shocked.
It had only been a dozen or so days since the Paramount War. How could Teach have the gall to strike at the Whitebeard fleet so quickly?
"This is impossible!" Drake's eyes widened as he read the following report.
The Whitebeard Pirates... have been defeated!
How could that be? With Whitebeard's current strength—restored and healthy—how could a Blackbeard wielding only the Yami Yami no Mi possibly defeat him?
And Ace... what happened to Ace?
Drake's mind was a chaotic ss. He took a deep, sharp breath to steady himself.
"For so reason, Whitebeard didn't appear in this battle. Neither did Ace. The newspapers are already speculating if sothing happened to the two of them, which is why they were absent," Kenshin said, his voice heavy. He knew this was terrible news, especially for Drake. They had gone through hell to save Ace, after all.
"Nothing happened to them," Drake said, shaking his head. With Whitebeard's current power, even two Yonko attacking at once might not be able to take him down. If this were years later, maybe—when age finally caught up to him. But right now, he was a "youthful" 72-year-old. To defeat the current Whitebeard, even Roger in his pri would have struggled to do more than fight to a draw.
"What exactly is going on? Are Pops and Ace not with the crew?" As soon as that thought crossed his mind, Drake startled himself.
If they weren't with the Whitebeard Pirates, where could they be? But it was the only logical explanation. Whitebeard and Ace would never stand by and watch Blackbeard seize their territory if they were present. Showing restraint would only hurt the crew's morale, and Whitebeard was too experienced not to see that.
After a long silence, Drake concluded that Whitebeard and Ace must have left the main fleet for so specific purpose.
"Currently, Blackbeard has seized a quarter of Whitebeard's territory and has established a force capable of standing toe-to-toe with the remnants of the fleet."
"The papers are calling Blackbeard the 'Fifth Emperor of the Sea,' a man destined to split the New World with the Whitebeard Pirates. How is that even possible?" Kenshin muttered, disbelief etched on his face.
Drake let the newspaper fall, and a bounty poster fluttered to the deck along with it.
Marshall D. Teach. Bounty: 1,800,000,000 Berries!
Looking at Blackbeard's missing-toothed grin on the poster, Drake's eyes narrowed into slits.
"Drake, what do we do? Should we head toward the Whitebeard Pirates?" Kenshin asked.
"No," Drake shook his head firmly. "Ace said he wanted to handle Blackbeard himself. It's not our place to interfere in that family matter. Right now, our priority is the Dark Clan. We need to save Bell's sister first."
At that mont, Bell and the others erged from the cabin.
"Drake-san..." Bell started to speak, but the words caught in his throat.
"Hahaha... don't worry. That's the Whitebeard Pirates we're talking about. The person who can truly defeat Whitebeard hasn't been born yet," Drake said, waving a hand and looking toward the horizon.
The battle between the Whitebeard and Blackbeard crews ended in a Whitebeard defeat—or more accurately, a defeat for Marco. The news of the Whitebeard fleet retreating and ceding territory had sent shockwaves around the globe. Morale was at an all-ti low, and the Acting Captain, Marco, was heavily injured.
Aboard the Moby Dick, the atmosphere was somber. The Division Commanders were gathered in the main hall, looking at a battered Marco and their own bandaged limbs.
"Marco, are we really just going to retreat like this...?" Izo asked, his voice tight with frustration.
The other commanders remained silent. They had lost, and they had lost decisively. No one had predicted that Teach—who had been a "regular" mber for decades—could defeat Marco so easily.
It wasn't even a close fight. In the beginning, hope was high; Marco and Blackbeard seed evenly matched. But that was before Teach revealed his full strength. That massive, golden Mythical Zoan form... even Marco's flas couldn't pierce its defense. That was the mont despair set in.
"The reality is right in front of us. Teach's strength has reached a level beyond our imagination," Vista said. Though he was frustrated, he knew they had to be calm. "I think I finally understand what Pops ant..."
"What?" Izo looked up.
Vista sighed. "Aside from Pops, our crew no longer has the power to reign supre over these seas. Teach's strength has reached the absolute peak. Specifically, his defense—none of us can break it."
"Of course, if Pops were here, this wouldn't be an issue..."
"You an... Ace..." The commanders finally caught on.
"Exactly. Ace!" Vista nodded heavily.
"But can Ace really reach that level in such a short ti...?"
It was a fair doubt. Many of them had been fighting in the New World for years. Marco, Jozu, and the others were veterans who had followed Whitebeard for decades, and most had already hit their physical ceilings. To progress further was as difficult as climbing the heavens.
Could Ace, in just two years, surpass them all and join the small circle of monsters at the very top of the New World pyramid?
"Pops said it himself: Ace has the talent, and he has the drive!" Marco stood up, his gaze sweeping across his brothers with absolute conviction. "Believe in Pops. Believe in Ace... he will bring us a surprise. Our job is to hold the remaining territory. We've taken one step back; we cannot take another. Otherwise, how can we face Pops and Ace when they return? That bastard Teach..."
"For the next two years, we fortify our defenses. As long as we can hold Teach back for two years, the Whitebeard Pirates will remain at the summit of the New World!"
"Yes! Commander Marco...!"
"No, call him Acting Captain!"
The commanders shared a faint, grim smile. In their hearts, Ace had always been like a younger brother who had yet to grow up. Now, without realizing it, he had beco their spiritual pillar.
If Whitebeard was the mountain they leaned on, then Ace had beco the pillar that held up their sky.
The "Payback War" has shifted the balance of power, and Blackbeard is officially a Yonko-level threat. As a senior "Brother-Protector," do you feel the pressure to grow stronger before the two-year deadline, or are you focused entirely on the upcoming clash with the Dark Clan?
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