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In a secluded bay, the Spade Pirates ship was anchored.
Skull handed a newspaper to Ace. "That king... he actually agreed to become a Warlord. I'm surprised."
"Are you?" Ace said, glancing at the paper. "His power base is in Paradise. Doesn't being a Warlord suit him perfectly? The only surprising thing is that it took them this long to make him one."
Though Ace was often reckless and impulsive, sometimes he could cut right to the heart of the matter, Deuce thought.
"Alright," Ace said, "let's get back to the main topic. Whitebeard."
The name hung in the air, heavy with meaning.
"Whitebeard..." Skull's voice was grim. "He's the only man who could ever go toe-to-toe with the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger. A living legend. And now, he's undoubtedly the strongest man in the world. The man closest to the One Piece. Every piece of intelligence I've gathered says the same thing: whatever you do, do not mess with Whitebeard."
"The strongest man in the world," Ace said, a fire burning in his eyes. He wasn't intimidated; he was energized.
"The tricky part is, how did he become the strongest?"
"This isn't a footrace or an arm-wrestling match," Deuce said.
"In terms of pure combat power, if it's a one-on-one fight, I think Kaido is probably stronger," Skull offered.
"Everyone has their own 'strongest.' It's a fun topic to debate over drinks. Who's stronger, the Four Emperors or the three Admirals? And among the Four Emperors, who's the strongest? They say Kaido is the 'Strongest Creature,' Big Mom has the 'Strongest Family,' and Shanks has the 'Strongest Crew.' But Edward Newgate... he's called the 'Strongest Man' because of the way he lives. If you violate his code of honor, he becomes a terrifying force. And in the world of pirates, that code of honor is the 'sake cup.' The men who have exchanged a sake cup with him are his sons. And Whitebeard will never tolerate one of his sons being killed. Absolutely never."
"If someone hurts one of your own, you can't let it slide," Ace said, nodding. "Even if it's another Emperor. Of course, I'm the same way."
"True," Deuce said. "But there are different ways of looking at it. When one of your own gets hurt, are you angry because they're one of your own, or because you've lost face, or is it a calculated display to maintain the unity of the crew...?"
"Which one do you think Whitebeard is, Deuce?" Ace asked.
"Based on what Skull said... Kaido is a dangerous warmonger, Big Mom is more of a businesswoman... As for Shanks, we don't know much about him. So I guess that makes Whitebeard the 'righteous' pirate. His fleet and his territory are constantly expanding. If a free pirate enters his territory, he orders one of his commanders to go meet them. If they submit, they're left alone. If they resist, they're crushed."
Although the New World was divided among the Four Emperors, there were still pirates, like Ace and his crew, who refused to bow to them. But in the end, they all had to make a choice: join one of the Four Emperors for protection, be destroyed by them, or carve out a territory of their own.
That was the harsh reality of the New World.
"Alright, let's get down to business," Skull said, unfolding a sea chart and placing chess pieces on it. "The white king is Whitebeard. The white pieces surrounding him are his commanders. Decalvan Brothers, the A.O. Pirates... and several other crews are currently trying to take his territory. Although they haven't officially allied, they all launched their attacks at the same time. It seems the other Emperors have a hand in this. Kaido, for example, is furious about Hanafuda's death, because there are signs that one of Whitebeard's crews was active in the area where he died. In any case, Whitebeard's commanders are on their way to crush the rebellion."
Skull moved the pieces. The black pieces entered Whitebeard's territory, and the white pieces moved to intercept them.
"So the white king's defenses are weak right now?" Ace said with an excited grin.
"Four of Whitebeard's main ships have been dispatched. The mothership, the Moby Dick, is like a naked woman... This is our chance to take the head of the strongest man in the world."
Ace reached for the white king.
As they were talking, a Fish-Man watched them from the bay, then dove into the sea.
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Fish-Man Island.
In the magnificent Ryugu Palace, Jinbe, having returned from Hannabal, was reporting to King Neptune.
"This new Warlord king... he has his own territory, his own power base. He is someone worth cultivating a relationship with."
"Won't that draw the ire of the Whitebeard Pirates?" Prince Fukaboshi worried. "Although Pops gave us permission to make contact..."
"I don't think so," Jinbe replied. "Pops genuinely wants peace for Fish-Man Island. His crew is the same."
King Neptune nodded slowly, but a flicker of worry remained in his eyes. He was worried about Whitebeard's age, his health. How many more years could he hold on? The fact that he had suggested Jinbe make more contact with the outside world... it was a sign that he could feel himself growing old.
"You've done well, Jinbe."
Jinbe left the palace and went to the Sea Forest. A Fish-Man with the mark of the Sun Pirates hurried over to him. "Boss! I found them!"
"Where are they?" Jinbe asked urgently.
The news that "Spade" Ace had defeated Hanafuda had left Jinbe deeply unsettled. And Ace had burned Whitebeard's flag right here on Fish-Man Island. His intentions were clear. He had to be stopped. He couldn't allow Pops to suffer any more injuries, not even a single scratch. He had decided to stop Ace himself.
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"We meet again, brother."
In the dim light, Hanafuda slowly opened his eyes. He was so weak that even that simple act took all his strength.
"Is... is that you?"
Jin looked down at him. He was in a bad way. All four of his limbs were shattered, his body was covered in wounds, and the stench of decay was in the air.
"Yasopp brought you here. You were on your last breath. I used a forbidden drug to give you a final burst of energy. Do you have any last words?"
Hanafuda gave a bitter smile and sighed. "I never thought you'd be the one to bury me. Such is life. I have no last words. If you could... scatter my ashes in the sea."
"Alright," Jin said. "I'll do that. By the way, have you found any other Devil Fruits recently? Where did you put them?"
Hanafuda froze.
'Damn you! I'm on my deathbed, and you're still trying to get something out of me? Have you no conscience??'
"Guess not," Jin said. "Then you can rest in peace."
He stopped the life-sustaining treatment.
And while the body was still warm, he took the Devil Fruit.
Dragon-Dragon Fruit: Ancient Zoan, Model: Tyrannosaurus Rex.
The body didn't go to waste, either. He burned a small finger bone and scattered the ashes in the sea. The rest he gave to Judge for his research.
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