Whitebeard and Doflamingo chatted over the Den Den Mushi like old friends, their conversation seemingly pleasant. But to those listening in, it felt entirely different.
"So it's settled, then, Whitebeard!"
"Brat, are you in such a hurry to take my head?"
"The head of the World's Strongest Man? Who wouldn't want it?"
"Arrogant brat!"
"You're an old fossil who should have left the stage already. This is our era now."
"Gurararara! If you want my head, then come and take it!"
"There's no ship in this new era that can carry you, Whitebeard."
"Whether there is or not isn't for you to decide!"
Click. Doflamingo decisively hung up, finished with the idle chatter.
Aboard the Moby Dick, Whitebeard was in a foul mood. He wasn't bothered by some upstart brat challenging him, but the fact that Doflamingo had laid a hand on his beloved sons filled him with rage.
"Pops, are Big Sis and the others alright?" Marco asked with concern.
"They're fine. I am Whitebeard, after all!" he declared, his confidence radiating a powerful, domineering aura that swept through the ship. The heavy atmosphere instantly lifted, replaced by a sense of cheerful certainty.
"So, Pops, what's our move?" Marco asked, still worried. A move from them was no small matter. There was no telling how Big Mom, Kaido, or the Marines would react.
"Don't worry, Commander Marco! Pops is invincible!" Blackbeard said confidently, taking a bite of his cherry pie.
"That's right, Marco! Pops is the strongest! It's just Doflamingo. I'm sure Big Sis and the others will return safely!" the other crew members chimed in.
"Marco, prepare to set sail. We're going to pay that arrogant brat a visit," Whitebeard commanded.
"Yes, sir!"
Soon, the Whitebeard Pirates left the depths of the New World, sailing toward Doflamingo's location.
On the Ark Maxim, the Donquixote family members looked at their confident, flamboyant captain with pure adoration.
"Lock them up and treat them well," Doflamingo ordered. "I promised their old man I'd keep them well-fed and plump. If they look skinny when Whitebeard sees them, he might think I've been mistreating them."
"Yahahahaha! Don't worry, Doffy. I'll personally look after them. We'll have a proper father-son reunion for them," Enel joked.
"Damn you!" Makugai cursed under his breath.
"It's alright, Makugai. Once Pops gets here, this will all be over," the Decalvan Brothers reassured him.
"Yeah."
The battle had ended in a resounding victory for the Donquixote Pirates. After setting a date for his clash with Whitebeard, a rare calm settled over the crew as they prepared to face the impending storm of the World's Strongest Man.
Good news travels slow, but bad news has wings.
As the king of news, Morgans would never let a scoop like this slip by. The moment the battle between the Donquixote Pirates and the Whitebeard-allied fleet concluded, the news was already spreading across the seas like wildfire.
At Marine Headquarters in Marineford, the top brass had gathered for a meeting presided over by Fleet Admiral Sengoku. The topic of discussion: Whitebeard and Doflamingo.
"What are your thoughts?" Sengoku asked from his seat of authority.
"Pirates should be eradicated. Whitebeard and Doflamingo fighting each other is a perfect opportunity. We should take them both down," Akainu said, his face grim.
"I agree with Admiral Akainu. Both Whitebeard and Doflamingo are a menace. The sooner we get rid of them, the better," a chorus of officers from Akainu's faction added.
Aside from Akainu's supporters, the rest of the room fell silent.
"Tsuru, what do you think?" Sengoku, left with little choice, turned to the Great Staff Officer, Vice Admiral Tsuru.
Tsuru, her hands clasped under her chin, looked calmly at the indignant officers.
"If they want to fight, let them fight," she said placidly. "But even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. Doflamingo is no match for Whitebeard. If we interfere, we'll not only have to face pressure from both of them, but we'll also have to deal with harassment from Big Mom and Kaido. My recommendation is to watch from the sidelines. Once a victor is decided, we can pick them off one by one. Of course, our primary target should be Doflamingo. Whitebeard's forces are too vast for us to handle easily."
Akainu still wore his usual scowl, but it was clear he agreed with Tsuru's assessment.
"If there are no objections, we'll go with Tsuru's suggestion," Sengoku said after a moment of consideration.
"Fleet Admiral, I would like to lead this operation personally," Akainu stated, stepping forward.
"Ara, ara... a party this big? I'd like to join in on the fun, too," Aokiji, looking half-asleep, also volunteered.
Akainu shot a surprised glance at the lazy admiral but said nothing more.
"Very well. The New World is in your hands," Sengoku announced calmly.
Soon, the meeting was adjourned, leaving only Sengoku and Tsuru.
"Tsuru, do you think we can catch him this time?" Sengoku asked, his voice heavy with worry.
"Sengoku, that's not what you should be thinking about. You need to look at the bigger picture. All we can do is our best," Tsuru comforted him.
"I know," Sengoku sighed.
"Don't put so much pressure on yourself. You should learn from Garp."
"Garp... That bastard is on vacation again!" The mention of his old friend brought a wave of resentment. He wanted a vacation too, but he couldn't take one.
On a mountain behind Foosha Village, Garp sneezed, then picked his nose with a complete lack of decorum. He turned his attention back to the two little rascals in front of him.
"Luffy! Ace! Stop right there and take my Fist of Love!"
"No way, old man! We're not that stupid!"
"Grandpa, we're not giving up!"
"You little brats!"
Garp huffed, his mustache twitching as he struck with even greater ferocity.
The game of chase between grandfather and grandsons was a cheerful one. Garp cherished these moments. If only his two grandsons would give up their dream of becoming pirates, it would be perfect.
In Cocoyasi Village, with Arlong and his crew gone, peace had returned.
"Nami! Nami! Come look at this!" Nojiko called out, waving a newspaper at her sister, who was busy drawing a map.
"Nojiko, don't shout. I heard you," Nami said, putting down her tools and looking at her sister with mild annoyance.
"Nami, this is big news!" Nojiko said proudly, brandishing the paper.
"It's just the usual stuff, right? Wait... is it news about him?" Nami froze, then realization dawned. "Quick, let me see!"
She rushed over to Nojiko, snatched the newspaper, and spread it out on the table.
"This..." After reading the article, Nami gasped, her face filled with worry. "Nojiko, do you think he has a chance of winning?"
"I... I don't know. But I believe he won't lose."
"Yeah! I believe in him, too."
In Shimotsuki Village, at the Isshin Dojo, Zoro swung his sword with single-minded focus, the sounds of his efforts echoing through the yard. He was a man obsessed.
Koushirou, who kept up with world affairs, had of course seen the news about Doflamingo, but he said nothing to his student.
News of this magnitude had not escaped the notice of Big Mom and Kaido.
"Mamamamama! That old fossil Whitebeard is fighting a rookie like Doflamingo!" Big Mom cackled, holding a newspaper.
"Mama, should we get involved?" Charlotte Perospero asked, his long tongue flicking.
"An event this big? Of course I'm not going to miss it," Big Mom said, her voice turning cold. "I've had my eye on Whitebeard's territory for a long time."
"I'm going to pay those two a visit myself!"
"But, Mama..." Perospero said, a hint of worry in his voice.
"What is it?" Big Mom's tone turned sharp.
"I'll go make the preparations right away!" Perospero broke out in a cold sweat and quickly complied.
"Katakuri, I'm leaving Whole Cake Island in your hands."
"I understand, Mama."
On Onigashima, Kaido held a bottle of sake in one hand and a newspaper in the other, crying with drunken joy.
"Waaah! Whitebeard, Doflamingo... how could you have so much fun without me!"
Gulp, gulp. He took a long swig from the bottle, tossed the newspaper aside, and began to wail again.
Well now, this was turning into quite the commotion. One could only wonder what the two main parties would think of all this.
The seas were finally getting more interesting.