"That's too much. I'm a Yonko, after all. How could he possibly look down on me?"
Shanks suddenly bristled with a strange sense of competitiveness. He would fight Boros to the death if they crossed paths—but to be told Boros simply didn't rate him? That, he couldn't stomach.
"Hahahaha! I think Yasopp's got a point…"
"He hasn't come for you all this time. Maybe you really aren't worth his notice?"
"Captain, that's pretty lame of you~"
…
The Red-Hair Pirates all burst into laughter, ganging up to mock their captain. Teasing Shanks was one of the crew's long-held traditions.
But compared to the joyous laughter of the past, this one was hollow. Too many familiar faces were gone forever, left behind at Marineford.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the New World, on a deserted island, the long-separated brothers Sabo, Ace, and Luffy finally reached the point where they had to part ways again.
Having confirmed that both his younger brothers were safe, Sabo prepared to return to Dragon, resuming his duties as Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army.
At Marco's urging, Ace had agreed to become the second captain of the Whitebeard Pirates. But in Ace's heart, there would only ever be one captain—"Pops."
As for Luffy, he would continue pursuing his dream of becoming Pirate King. But first, he would train his Haki under Rayleigh.
"So even Kaido and Big Mom have become that guy's subordinates…"
Ace rubbed his forehead. In the past, such matters had little to do with him; under Whitebeard's protection, his crew had enjoyed unparalleled freedom.
But now, as the chosen leader of the Whitebeard Pirates, anything that could affect the crew's future rested on his shoulders.
Though they had yet to cross paths with the Cosmic Dark Matter Pirates, the fact that Boros had already subdued two Yonko crews made it hard to believe he would leave the badly weakened Whitebeard Pirates alone.
"We'd better brace ourselves for war. According to intel from underground informants, the black market's been wiped clean of weapons these past few days—and massive new orders of arms and explosives have surfaced…"
Marco looked at Ace helplessly. This was supposed to be an important day for him to bid farewell to his brothers, yet such grim news had suddenly arrived.
Back when Pops was still alive, Ace wouldn't have had to worry about these things. But now that Ace was the captain of the Whitebeard Pirates, it was his responsibility to shield everyone from the storm.
"Was Pops always protecting us under this kind of pressure too…?"
Clenching his fists, Ace took a deep breath and looked toward the last remaining Moby Dick. But no matter how hard he stared, he could no longer see that towering, familiar figure.
"Don't worry, we'll help you as well."
Marco wanted to comfort Ace, but he couldn't find the right words. All he could do was place a hand on his shoulder.
The gap between Ace and Whitebeard was far too great. What had been merely troublesome for Whitebeard could easily become a deadly crisis for Ace.
In order to protect the Whitebeard Pirates under these circumstances, Ace would have to pay far more effort and cost than Whitebeard ever did.
Had Marco known just how dire the coming days would be, he probably would have insisted on holding Ace back a while longer instead of passing the mantle so soon.
But precisely because such hardship lay ahead, if Ace could lead the crew through it, he would win the unwavering support of every single member of the Whitebeard Pirates.
"I will protect the Whitebeard Pirates—and one day, I'll avenge Pops!"
Ace spoke as if psyching himself up, his voice firm and resolute.
Even now, he could not forget the scene of Pops dying at Kizaru's hands in order to save him.
"…We'll always be by your side!"
Marco fell silent for a moment. He wanted to dissuade Ace, but the words just wouldn't come.
He too longed for revenge. But compared to Kizaru, Ace was still far too inexperienced. Even if the entire Whitebeard Pirates mobilized, defeating Kizaru was nearly impossible.
What's more, Marco still remembered Pops's words about Kizaru: that he was the one Admiral even Whitebeard himself preferred not to make an enemy of.
At the time, Marco had been unconvinced, thinking Pops had overestimated Kizaru.
But now, he realized it had been Pops's keen insight—he had already seen through the terrifying strength that Kizaru kept hidden.
"Ace! Where are you?!"
Before Ace could reply, Luffy's voice rang out from the direction of the campfire.
Before their final parting, it was only natural for the three brothers to celebrate with a grand banquet around the flames, as pirates always did.
"Oh! We're coming!"
Before Ace could react, Marco shouted back loudly.
"Eh?"
Ace blinked in confusion as Marco shoved him toward the fire. Still caught in the heavy mood from before, he suddenly found himself pushed right into the center of the feast.
"All those worries can wait! Don't forget, you've still got us older brothers at your back. For now, just enjoy the banquet!"
Laughing heartily, Marco joined the crowd of rowdy voices. A bewildered Ace was then yanked into the celebration by Luffy, and soon the three brothers were dancing together, chopsticks stuck comically in their noses.
If any members of the Revolutionary Army were here, they would surely be dumbfounded.
Was that man dancing such an embarrassingly silly dance really their Chief of Staff?
As the saying goes, "one family rejoices while another weeps."
While the three brothers of the Whitebeard Pirates—Luffy, Ace, and Sabo—were enjoying the joy of their farewell banquet, the Heavenly Yaksha Doflamingo, entrenched in Dressrosa, had fallen into an unprecedented crisis.
"How many times do I have to say it?! You're asking for too much! Even if I emptied everything I have here, I couldn't possibly conjure up the weapons and ammunition you want out of thin air!"
Doflamingo shouted furiously, nearly at his breaking point. That face, which was always full of arrogance and defiance, was now contorted with impotent rage.
If not for the fact that the man sitting across from him was Charlotte Katakuri of the Big Mom Pirates—crossing him was practically the same as seeking death—Doflamingo's temper would never have allowed him to endure this far.
"As far as I know, you are the largest arms broker in the Underworld. More than sixty percent of all business in this trade passes through the hands of the middleman 'Joker'…"
Katakuri spoke with a blank expression.
He did not object to Lord Boros's decision to declare war on the World Government. In fact, gathering the combined strength of two Yonko crews, perhaps only the World Government itself was a worthy enemy.
Of course, Katakuri did not agree with Boros's choice to launch the war immediately.
With Boros's power, he could easily have continued as before, absorbing the Red-Hair Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates under his banner.
If he united the entirety of the New World's pirate forces, then wielding that massive power to challenge the World Government would be far more ideal.
Unfortunately, Katakuri's standing before Boros was nowhere near high enough to sway his decisions.
Thus, all he could do was strengthen their side as much as possible. Every weapon he acquired from Doflamingo now could one day be the difference between life and death for his younger brothers and sisters.
Fortunately, Boros was generous in this regard. Though he himself had no need for weapons, he didn't look down on others for relying on them.
Katakuri had gradually come to understand Boros's nature: no matter what it was, as long as it contributed to greater combat strength or enhanced the ability to fight, Boros would always approve.
Otherwise, Katakuri could never have become the "superbuyer" who swept through the entire black market arms trade, buying it out wholesale.
Now, he had come directly to Doflamingo—the greatest arms dealer in the Underworld—determined to seize the supply right from the source.
But Doflamingo, the biggest broker of all, wasn't cooperating—or rather, in Katakuri's eyes, he wasn't cooperating enough. He had actually refused the order Katakuri had given.
"You're asking for too much! That's nearly ten years' worth of the Underworld's total production! What do you expect me to deliver with?!"
Doflamingo gritted his teeth, trying hard to explain to Katakuri.
It wasn't that he didn't want the money, nor that he had any issue with the Dark Matter Pirates. Katakuri's demands were simply impossible.
The Underworld arms market had its limits. Medium and large organizations like Germa 66 already had their own weapon sources.
Those who truly needed to buy from Doflamingo were mostly the small groups without the ability to manufacture their own arms—or whose self-produced weapons had a cost-performance far too low.
Now, Katakuri's order had far exceeded Dressrosa's production capacity. Even with Sugar—the dream of every capitalist, with her Hobby-Hobby Fruit abilities—Doflamingo's family still faced the hard limit of raw materials.
Doflamingo's explanation could hardly be called insincere. For a man of his temperament, reaching this point was practically groveling.
Even the officers of the Donquixote Family had never seen their young master show such a demeanor before.
°°°
If you want to read ahead and access 20 advanced chapters, check the patreon
Link: Patreon/Moziel
Subscription should be made thru the web and never the ios app, it helps you and me.