Not long after Carl departed, a commotion erupted at the port.
A ship sped towards the shore, and two figures leaped off, heading directly for the Going Merry.
One was a robust, overweight blond man, clad in what resembled a black belly band. His expression was vacant, a constant trickle of snot dangling from his nose. More strikingly, he sported a white beard that curved sharply upwards and clutched a large naginata, giving him a bizarre resemblance to a miniature Whitebeard.
The other was a short, unattractive old woman. As they walked, she incessantly chattered at the smaller Whitebeard, who simply nodded, oblivious, with his ever-present runny nose.
"These two... what are they?" Sanji asked, tilting his head in bewilderment.
"Could it be... Whitebeard?!" Chopper stammered, a tremor of fear in his voice. "He looks like Whitebeard!"
"Idiot! How could that be?!" Zoro scoffed. "Whitebeard is way taller, and how could the strongest man in the world be so... dim-witted? It's more likely he's Whitebeard's son!"
"Ugh, if Whitebeard had a son like that, he'd probably strangle him before he turned twenty-one!"
Jango's blunt comment earned nods of agreement from the others.
Indeed, the idea of the mighty Whitebeard, the "Strongest Man in the World," having such a clueless offspring seemed utterly absurd.
The short, ugly old woman apparently overheard them. She immediately shrieked, "You Straw Hat Crew! How dare you gossip about my son behind his back! You're all doomed! And why can't Wilbur be Whitebeard's son? I, Miss Buckingham, once had a... relationship with Whitebeard and had Wilb—don't you think Wilbur has a beard?!"
The two newcomers were indeed Edward Weevil and Miss Buckingham!
However, Carl was the only one among the Straw Hats who recognized them. With Carl absent, the others were completely in the dark.
A collective look of utter bewilderment spread across their faces as they processed the woman's words, unsure whether to believe the scandalous claim about Whitebeard. But that seemed secondary; these two definitely exuded a menacing aura.
"Mom, can I kill them?" Weevil asked blankly.
Instantly, the Straw Hats and Law's crew tensed, their guard going up.
Despite Weevil's apparent lack of intelligence, they knew better than to equate stupidity with weakness. Especially Zoro, Sanji, Raki, and Law felt a palpable pressure emanating from him.
"Wait a moment, my son," Miss Buckingham soothed Weevil, then turned her attention to the Straw Hats. "Straw Hat group, wisely hand over those tens of billions worth of gold, or my son will start killing! Even though you're called the Fifth Emperor's crew, my son once severed the arm of the former Marine Admiral Zephyr! You're no match for him!"
Her words instantly cast a heavy weight of dread upon the Straw Hats.
Severing the arm of a former Admiral was no small feat; such strength was terrifying!
And with Luffy and Carl absent, if Miss Buckingham's claim was true, none of them stood a chance against Weevil.
However, the Straw Hats were not ones to back down easily!
Zoro took the lead, leaping off the Merry and planting himself firmly in front of Weevil. He tied his green bandana around his head and bit down on Wado Ichimonji, instantly adopting his Santoryu stance.
"Our Straw Hat Crew has no tradition of surrendering without a fight!"
No sooner had Zoro spoken than Law and Sanji appeared behind him.
Facing such a formidable opponent, they couldn't afford to be prideful. A three-on-one situation wasn't considered unfair in this context.
At the same moment, Raki jumped down, with Marie perched on her shoulder, her gaze locked on Miss Buckingham. While Marie's chances against the old woman were uncertain, with Raki's support, she should be fine.
The others remained on the ship for now, ready to provide backup if needed.
Seeing these "little guys" dare to resist, Miss Buckingham's anger flared. "Weevil! Kill these people! Take the gold!" she shrieked.
"Yes, Mom!"
Weevil's eyes lit up with a dull excitement. He charged towards Zoro in a few lumbering steps, swinging his massive naginata in a wide, sweeping arc.
Zoro met the blow with all three of his swords, but a tremendous force slammed into him. He was sent hurtling backward, a stream of blood escaping his lips. Fortunately, his own strength allowed him to quickly regain his footing.
Witnessing Zoro, one of their top fighters, being so easily repelled sent a shockwave through the crew.
Though not often explicitly stated, Zoro was recognized as one of the Straw Hats' top five combatants, his strength considerable. To see him knocked back with a single strike highlighted the terrifying power of their opponent.
Perhaps the old woman's boast was true; this behemoth had indeed severed a former Admiral's arm!
"Pfft! Cough cough! Be careful! This guy has monstrous strength!"
Zoro spat out a mouthful of blood, his warning urgent.
Sanji shot Zoro a quick, irritated glance, muttered a curse, and then propelled himself forward, his leg imbued with Armament Haki and the Iron Body technique, his Diable Jambe igniting. However, Weevil simply planted his naginata on the ground and delivered a powerful punch to Sanji's descending foot.
With a resounding thud, Sanji was also sent flying backward.
"Hey! Moss-head!"
"Sanji!"
A chorus of disbelief and alarm erupted from the crew.
But Sanji was relatively unharmed, quickly regaining his stance. Thanks to Zoro's warning, he had been somewhat prepared, and his current strength was far from ordinary, preventing serious injury.
"Damn it! Looks like I can't hold back anymore!"
Sanji spat out his cigarette butt angrily and addressed Law and Zoro. "Alright, listen up. I'm going on the offensive. You two coordinate with me. Carl-sensei and Luffy aren't here, so we're the only ones who can stop this monster. Don't you dare screw this up!"
"You don't need to tell me!" Zoro stood up stiffly, his eyes narrowed.
"Heizu-ya, just do it. We'll back you up!" Law slowly raised his hand, ready to activate his Devil Fruit ability at a moment's notice.
Seeing that the two hadn't been killed, Weevil grew visibly frustrated. His mother had ordered him to eliminate them all, and his failure to do so would surely result in another scolding.
"Die!"
Weevil lumbered forward, his naginata resting on his shoulder, and unleashed another simple yet devastating sweep.
But Sanji remained rooted to the spot, lightning crackling around his body.
Swish! Sanji vanished, reappearing behind Weevil in the blink of an eye, his leg crackling with electricity as he delivered a powerful kick to Weevil's lower back.
"Ever been kicked by lightning?"
Sanji nonchalantly delivered what was supposed to be Kizaru's catchphrase, sending Weevil stumbling forward.
Weevil looked momentarily dazed, likely experiencing such an attack for the first time. Before he could fully react, Law's Room expanded, enveloping the area, and his Takt command transformed into a precise Star Smasher.
"Santoryu! Sanzen Sekai!"
Zoro materialized in front of Weevil, all three of his swords descending simultaneously.
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