Alabasta, West Coast.
Three days had passed since the last Marine attack, and Reno's injuries had greatly improved. He could now get out of bed and move around freely.
Reno came to the deck and saw Pain's gaze fixed on Twin Cape. He apologized, "Pain, this time I've delayed everyone. I know you're eager to go to the West Coast, but I got injured and held everyone back. I'm truly sorry."
"No, the timing is just right. Can you set sail now?" Pain didn't mind the time Reno had lost due to his injury; he actually felt the timing was perfect.
Although Pain had been anxious to return to Twin Cape to pick up Konan these past two days, he also understood that he couldn't rush. After all, he couldn't sail a ship himself or navigate at sea. For such matters, he truly had to rely on Reno.
Pain had now changed his mind and decided to pursue a two-pronged approach: have Reno pick up Konan, while he himself had to quickly secure Sky Island as the organization's headquarters.
After sensing Konan's thought-wave call, Pain had responded to Konan in the same way. Pain believed Konan would understand his meaning.
Yes, Konan did understand Pain's meaning: don't run around, wait in place, and Pain would come for her.
Konan was indeed doing that now. With Pain's thought-wave sensing, it at least indicated that Pain was currently safe in this world, and she didn't need to worry about his safety. So Konan chose to wait at Twin Cape.
"If you have no problem going out to sea, then go back to Twin Cape and pick someone up," Pain told Reno his plan.
"Ah, no problem. Who am I picking up? How do we identify them?" Reno asked, puzzled.
"No need to identify them. Once you're on Twin Cape Island, if she sees your clothes, she will follow you," Pain explained.
"Understood. So I'll depart now?" Reno asked.
"Oden and I will go seize Sky Island. We'll wait for you high in the sky above the West Coast. Once you've picked up the person, hurry over to rendezvous."
Pain told Reno about his plans and the rendezvous point, then called out to Oden, "Oden, let's go. To see Golden Lion."
After Pain finished speaking, he led Preta Path and Human Path and jumped off the ship. Oden agreed and followed closely.
"Mom... Mom, where are you...?"
"Mom... Mom, come out quickly, I'm so hungry!..."
On an island in the New World, a burly and obese pirate was constantly shouting.
This was a pirate who bore some resemblance to the deceased pirate hero, Whitebeard. He had the same crescent-shaped, upward-curving white mustache as Whitebeard, but it was thinner and longer.
Upon closer inspection, this man was burly and obese, even taller than Whitebeard, with a very muscular upper body but very thin legs.
His hair grew down to his legs, and his sideburns were tied into braids. He had three shocking scars on his body, seemingly having suffered major injuries where his entire left arm and head had been cut or severed. However, even so, he did not die, which perhaps indicated that this person possessed some extraordinary self-healing ability.
This person was naturally Edward Weevil, the Whitebeard II, whom Spandam of CP0 wanted to utilize.
Weevil was actually very simple-minded, but he would listen to everything his mother said; it seemed everything he had ever done was at his mother's behest. His intelligence seemed low, as he couldn't recognize Whitebeard's photo, believing it to be a mirror.
He was currently searching for Whitebeard's subordinate pirates to fight, having already consecutively defeated 16 of Whitebeard's Captains, wanting to prove that he was Whitebeard's biological son. He also used the same type of great sword as Whitebeard.
Years ago, after Weevil was captured by Zephyr, he provoked Zephyr by calling him "Marine trash" and then left gracefully (at that time, Z did not kill his enemies).
Nine years ago, Weevil attacked the training ship led by Marine instructor Zephyr ("Z"). All of Z's beloved students, except Ain and Binz, were killed, and Z's right arm was severely wounded.
A year ago, Edward Weevil joined the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
After Whitebeard's death, Edward Weevil, instigated by his mother Miss Bakkin, began to purge the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates.
At the end of the Dressrosa incident, Weevil annihilated the "A.O. Pirates" and blew away their entire town. By then, he had defeated 16 former Whitebeard Captains, causing approximately 600 casualties. The damage to civilians in his wake was very severe, which gave Marineford a huge headache.
Weevil walked around the island, shouting and searching for his mother, Miss Bakkin.
Not far from Weevil, a short, stout woman lay in a pool of blood, dead from a chest wound. A large amount of fresh blood flowed from the pierced chest, staining the ground beneath her red.
Weevil slowly approached, then looked closely and found his mother, whom he had been searching for all this time, lying in front of him. He thought she was sleeping.
Weevil walked closer, complaining, "Mom, what's going on! I've been looking for you for ages, why are you sleeping here? Get up quickly and make food, I'm so hungry!"
Weevil noisily approached Miss Bakkin. When he realized his mother, whom he thought was sleeping, was covered in blood and lying on the ground with a large hole in her chest, Weevil's mind froze for a moment.
"What's going on?... This... What's going on?... Mo... Mom, how... how did she die? Who did it?... Who on earth did it...?"
Weevil went from muttering to roaring in anger, and around him, sand flew and Qi currents surged erratically.
Weevil completely didn't understand what was happening. Miss Bakkin was Weevil's reliance. Now that Miss Bakkin had inexplicably died here, Weevil, who was already a bit slow-witted, knew nothing but to rage and shout.
From a distance, Sea Weasel Nero's figure slowly approached. He looked at Weevil, who was roaring in anger, and slowly began to speak, "Whitebeard II, Edward Weevil, I know who killed your mother."
Weevil fiercely looked up at Sea Weasel Nero and roared furiously, "Who is it? Tell me quickly, or I'll kill you!"
"The one who killed your mother is an organization called Akatsuki, currently located in Alabasta, in the first half of the Grand Line."
"The reason is that they were Whitebeard's former subordinates. Your mother incited you to kill Whitebeard's former subordinates, which angered them, so they sent someone to kill your mother."
Sea Weasel Nero explained as if coaxing a child, unafraid that Weevil wouldn't believe him or would attack in anger.
To call Weevil foolish would be a high compliment; at least a fool occasionally has moments of great wisdom hidden in plain sight.
But if Weevil lost the wisdom of his mother, Miss Bakkin, he would be like a war machine easily manipulated by others, and any simple lie could make Weevil play right into their hands.
Weevil actually believed Sea Weasel Nero's obviously flawed lie.
Weevil screamed and roared in anger, continuously muttering, "Akatsuki, I'll kill you all, kill you all!" Weevil was like a tireless machine, repeatedly shouting and destroying his surroundings to vent his anger.
Sea Weasel Nero saw that this couldn't go on and didn't know when it would end, so he loudly said, "Weevil, your mother is waiting for you to avenge her. Let's quickly bury your mother and go find them for revenge, shall we?"
"Yes, revenge! Avenge Mom! I must get revenge..."
Weevil shouted again.
Nero saw that the fellow seemed to be losing control again, so he punched a large crater in the ground and shouted at Weevil, "Don't waste your energy! Quickly bury your mother and come with me. If we don't go now, I'll leave, and then it'll be hard for you to find them on your own."
Seeing Nero say this, Weevil obediently walked to his mother's side, picked up the body, and threw it into the pit. After burying his mother, he followed Nero to the warship that had been waiting by the sea for a long time...