"Two more lunatic allies?"
Marco's voice suddenly spiked in pitch, his usually laid-back expression now filled with disbelief.
He felt like his brain just couldn't keep up with Lucian's thinking anymore.
"Hold on—Lucian, wait! Just wait a second!"
In a flash, Marco stepped in front of Lucian, arms spread as if afraid the guy would tear open space again and vanish at any moment.
"I didn't mishear that, right? You just said… a Peak Whitebeard still isn't enough?!"
The "Phoenix" sounded like he'd just heard something completely absurd.
That was Peak Whitebeard they were talking about! The man who stood shoulder to shoulder with the Pirate King Roger himself—the strongest man in the world!
Someone like that was enough to turn Marineford upside down—hell, maybe even destroy it entirely!
And yet… that still wasn't enough?
Even the aged Whitebeard had come to a stop. He didn't speak right away, but his deep-set eyes once again fell on Lucian with a look of scrutiny—and an unmistakable flicker of interest.
He wanted to hear what kind of madness or plan this young man, who always brought miracles, had come up with this time.
"Lucian, what exactly are you thinking?"
Marco's face was grave.
"This isn't something to joke about! We're going up against Marine HQ and the World Government! Every step we take has to be calculated!"
He took a deep breath, trying to stay calm, and asked in the most even tone he could manage:
"And who exactly are these two other 'allies' you're talking about?"
"Are there even any monsters in this world who can compare to Peak Pops?"
Even Marco had to laugh at his own question.
To him, Peak Whitebeard was the definition of invincible.
Lucian looked at Marco's tense face—and smiled even wider.
He didn't answer directly. Instead, he slowly raised one finger.
"The first one…"
His voice carried a mysterious cadence, like he was telling an ancient legend.
"A living legend from the last era. The Pirate King's right hand..."
Lucian swept his gaze over Whitebeard and Marco, and then pronounced that name word by word.
"'Dark King'—Silvers Rayleigh."
Boom!
The moment that name left Lucian's lips, it hit Marco like thunder.
His pupils contracted sharply.
Rayleigh!
The former vice-captain of the Roger Pirates!
There was no name he was more familiar with.
That was a living legend from the same generation as Pops—the man second only to Roger in that mythic crew!
"Gurararara…"
The aged Whitebeard let out a low chuckle, tinged with both nostalgia and recognition.
"Peak Rayleigh, that old bastard, huh…"
"If it's him, yeah, he qualifies."
As Roger's lifelong rival, Whitebeard was more than familiar with Rayleigh's strength.
A man who had mastered Haki to its extreme and whose swordsmanship stood at the summit—a true top-tier powerhouse.
If there was anyone in the world who could wrestle with Peak Whitebeard on even ground—Rayleigh was absolutely one of them.
"I see… If it's the Dark King Rayleigh, I've got no objections."
Marco's tightly wound nerves finally relaxed a little.
It was a shocking answer—but a reasonable one.
Peak Whitebeard, combined with Peak Silvers Rayleigh?
That wasn't just a battlefield shift. That was a catastrophic, history-defining storm!
Marco's heart began to race uncontrollably.
He could almost see Marineford reduced to rubble under the combined assault of two living legends.
"Then… who's the second one?"
Marco swallowed hard and pressed further.
His mind was already guessing: could it be "Golden Lion" Shiki? Or some other hidden monster from the past?
Lucian's grin grew more mischievous.
He slowly raised a second finger.
"The second one…"
"He isn't a legend from the past."
"Huh?" Marco blinked.
Whitebeard's eyes narrowed slightly.
Instead, he's from the Worst Generation.
You two should know him—he's Ace's younger brother.
"Straw Hat—Monkey D. Luffy."
The moment he said it—
The entire world felt like it had been muted.
Both Whitebeard and Marco were frozen.
The hopeful look on Marco's face shattered like glass in slow motion—cracking, crumbling, and finally replaced with complete blankness.
"Who?"
He wondered if he'd misheard.
"Who did you just say? Straw Hat?"
Lucian watched his reaction, the curve of his smile widening.
"Monkey D. Luffy."
He repeated the name clearly and firmly.
This time, Marco heard it loud and clear.
"Straw Hat?!"
Marco's voice went shrill from the shock.
"Ace's brother?! That rookie with the 300 million bounty?!"
"Lucian! Are you joking right now?!"
He simply couldn't comprehend it.
There was no way to associate Straw Hat Luffy with names like Peak Whitebeard and Silvers Rayleigh, names that made the entire sea tremble just by being spoken.
They weren't even on the same level!
One was a top-tier monster from the golden era.
The other? A greenhorn who'd just set sail with a 300 million bounty.
How could you put them in the same sentence?!
"Gurararara…"
Whitebeard, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke.
But his laughter now carried a strange weight—a mix of strangeness and caution.
His hawk-like eyes bore down on Lucian, trying to pierce him completely.
"Garp's grandson… Dragon's son, huh…"
"Lucian, boy… that joke of yours ain't funny at all."
Though his tone was calm, there was unmistakable doubt behind his words.
Even he thought Lucian was being ridiculous.
But faced with doubt from two of the strongest men alive, Lucian simply shook his head.
He met Whitebeard's penetrating gaze without flinching. His smile didn't fade—if anything, it deepened into something even wilder.
"Pops. Marco."
"I'm not joking."
"Believe me—Straw Hat is a stock that's gonna explode in value…"
His tone was firm and final, filled with a kind of unshakable conviction.
"That man—Monkey D. Luffy—is absolutely essential."