In the New World, somewhere on the open sea.
A massive ship with a giant whale figurehead was anchored. Its colossal frame, like a small mountain on the water, gave off an immense sense of pressure.
Gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp~
A massive, giant-like man sat in the middle of the deck. His face was adorned with a crescent-shaped white mustache that curved upward. He wore a captain's coat draped over his shoulders, and his bare torso was marked with several scars. IV drips and oxygen tubes were attached to his body, yet he was holding a large, tawny jug of sake and drinking heartily.
This was one of the Yonko, the captain of the Whitebeard Pirates, Edward Newgate!
"Pops, Marco-san called."
A calm man with two swords at his waist walked over. He had a curled mustache, wore a top hat, white gloves, blue pants, and a large purplish-blue cape.
This was the fifth division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, "Flower Sword" Vista!
"Oh, Vista! Hand over the Den Den Mushi." Whitebeard stopped drinking, glanced at Vista, and extended his left hand to take the Den Den Mushi.
"Gurarararara~ Marco, what's the matter?" Whitebeard took a swig of sake and asked into the Den Den Mushi.
"Pops, I found a seller for the SS drug, and we've already made a deal," Marco's voice came from the green-blue Den Den Mushi's dead-fish eyes.
"The SS drug?! Marco, aren't you on Fish-Man Island?" Whitebeard frowned. Of course, he knew about the SS drug. It was the first piece of advice his doctor had given him: to take the SS drug long-term to maintain the vitality of his cells and slow down the aging process. This way, a physically strong Whitebeard could rely on his own immune system to fight off illness, and even the side effects of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit would be reduced.
However, the SS drug was extremely rare in the underworld. Whitebeard himself had only injected it a few times, and it had only provided him with a little temporary relief from his illness.
"That's right. The seller of the SS drug happened to pass by Fish-Man Island, and I found out about it by chance. I took it upon myself to negotiate with him. He's agreed to sell us a hundred doses every year, and we can buy an extra three hundred doses this year. The price is only one million Berries a dose," Marco explained.
"What's the catch?"
Having spent a lifetime on the sea, Whitebeard knew that some things weren't easy to get. A dose of the SS drug sold for over three million Berries on the black market, so for the seller to offer such a good price, there had to be other conditions.
Although the Whitebeard Pirates didn't need the SS drug to increase their strength, its effects were well-known. To put it dramatically, Whitebeard was now relying on it to stay alive.
"The condition is that his territory becomes a neutral zone for the Whitebeard Pirates. No member of the Whitebeard Pirates or any of our affiliated crews can cause trouble there. He has the right to deal with anyone who maliciously causes trouble," Marco said after a moment of hesitation.
"Hmph~ My sons are not for someone else to deal with. I refuse. The deal is off." Hearing this, Whitebeard let out a cold snort. To him, his crew were his sons, and he considered them his greatest treasure. He wouldn't allow anyone to harm them, so how could he let someone else handle them?
"Pops!" Marco cried out in alarm.
"That's enough. In a few days, I'll send Jozu, Curiel, and Blenheim to Fish-Man Island to take your place," Whitebeard said directly, his face cold.
"I'm sorry, Pops, but this is the first time I'm disobeying your order. Because your health is more important than anything else," Marco said firmly.
Click!
With that, Marco hung up the Den Den Mushi without waiting for Whitebeard to reply.
"Nani?! Marco, you..." Whitebeard shouted into the Den Den Mushi, but his words were cut short when he realized the other end was already disconnected.
"Damn that kid!" Whitebeard said through gritted teeth.
"Pops!" Vista suddenly shouted from below.
"Huh?" Whitebeard looked down in confusion.
"I agree to Marco's deal!" Vista said with a slight smile.
"I do, too!" A tall, muscular man with chiseled features, who had been listening from the side, also spoke up.
"Jozu! You guys..." Whitebeard glared at the two, surprised that they had all discussed this behind his back.
"Pops, you're the heart of the Whitebeard Pirates. We wouldn't have any complaints even if we agreed to such a condition. Besides, if any Whitebeard Pirates were to intentionally cause trouble there, they would be betraying us all," Jozu said, looking at the IVs and oxygen tubes on Whitebeard's body. His voice carried a hint of killing intent, and a flash of grief passed through his eyes.
Once, Whitebeard was a man even the Pirate King, Roger, had to be wary of. Now, he had become an old man who needed doctors and nurses to take care of him every day.
A few days later, a shocking piece of news spread across the seas: the Whitebeard Pirates had declared the Clifford Kingdom a neutral zone for their crew.
The world was stunned.
What kind of power was the Whitebeard Pirates? They were the leaders of the Yonko! The greatest of pirates! They were the pirate crew of Edward Newgate, the man known as the "World's Strongest Man".
This declaration was more intimidating than that of any other Yonko. And most importantly, the Clifford Kingdom was now a neutral zone for three of the Yonko! No pirate would dare cause trouble in such a place.
But just two days later, another piece of news once again shocked the world. The World Government and the Marines simultaneously announced that the Clifford Kingdom would be a neutral zone for the World Government and the Marines, forbidding anyone from causing trouble there.
The whole world was in an uproar.
Who were the rulers of this sea? The Warlords of the Sea? The Yonko? No, neither of them. It was the army that represented justice: the Marines! And the Marines were merely a violent arm of the World Government.
A place like the Clifford Kingdom, a neutral zone for three of the Yonko, the Marines, and the World Government—it was as good as Holy Land Mariejois.
In this turbulent era, a place that was nearly absolutely safe and protected by all the major powers was bound to be sought after by countless people.
Moreover, the Clifford Kingdom was an open country with a huge territory. It was both a tourist hotspot and home to the world's number one entertainment city. It was an absolute cash cow, and its ruler was a young monster who lacked neither money nor fighting strength.
No one could say what kind of behemoth this kingdom would become in just a few years.
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