Edward Weevil?
Another "Edward"??
Another "Whitebeard"???
Sengoku hadn't expected that his casual inquiry would actually yield such an astonishing answer.
One Whitebeard was already enough to give the World Government and Marine Headquarters headaches.
Two Whitebeards could already storm the Red Line, with even the Five Elders and Marine Admirals joining forces unable to subdue them.
And now there were three "Whitebeards"?
What else could Whitebeard possibly do?
Sengoku felt as though he had fallen into a terrifying hellscape named "Whitebeard."
Even before his eyes, he seemed to hallucinate the unmistakable—crescent-moon-shaped white mustache he could never forget.
"Storm, are you certain this intelligence is accurate?"
Sengoku's expression immediately turned grave as he asked with utmost seriousness.
"Aside from 'Whitebeard Jr.' Edward Teach, there's another 'Whitebeard III' Edward Weevil out on the seas?"
In the earlier analysis by Sengoku and Vice Admiral Tsuru,
both had believed that the so-called "Whitebeard III" and "Edward Teach" Storm had previously concocted at Marine Headquarters were, in fact, the same "Whitebeard" who had attacked the Marine elite recruits' training vessel.
It was a bit convoluted, but simply put—
in the eyes of Sengoku and Vice Admiral Tsuru,
"Whitebeard Jr." and "Whitebeard III" should be the same person.
That previous Whitebeard had slimmed down, eaten the [Rumble-Rumble Fruit], and transformed into the current Whitebeard...
Or something along those lines.
After all, logically speaking,
how could there possibly be so many Whitebeards appearing simultaneously on the seas?
And both of these "Whitebeards" possessed the same terrifying power and strength as Whitebeard in his prime!
Consider this—
Even Big Mom Charlotte Linlin, who had coupled with so many men of different races and given birth to so many bizarre children,
had not a single member of the Charlotte Family capable of inheriting Charlotte Linlin's talents!
The "Masterpiece" of the Charlotte Family—Charlotte Katakuri.
Was Katakuri strong?
Yes.
But his strength was not on the same level as Charlotte Linlin's.
Yet the two Whitebeards were different.
The former had attacked a Marine warship, severely injured former Marine Admiral "Black Arm" Zephyr, and severed the latter's arm.
The latter had assaulted the Red Line, critically wounded Five Elder Marcus Mars, and escaped unscathed.
These two Whitebeards undoubtedly possessed strength comparable to Whitebeard in his youth!
Thus, Sengoku and Vice Admiral Tsuru concluded:
There couldn't possibly be so many "Whitebeards" on the seas.
Aside from the "original Whitebeard" aboard the Moby Dick, the other two "new Whitebeards"...
were likely the same person.
But now, upon hearing Storm's words, Sengoku suddenly realized—
"Whitebeard Jr." and "Whitebeard III" were not the same person?!
"Absolutely true, Fleet Admiral."
This time, Storm wasn't spouting lies to humor Sengoku.
Edward Teach was fake, but no one believed that.
But Edward Weevil? He was undeniably real!
Although Storm couldn't yet confirm whether "Edward Weevil" was truly the biological son of Whitebeard Edward Newgate...
Based on the intelligence he currently possessed, there was undoubtedly some connection between Edward Weevil and Edward Newgate!
After all, Miss Buckingham Stussy had repeatedly proclaimed Edward Weevil as the son of "the strongest man on the seas."
She even sought to leverage this relationship to have Edward Weevil inherit the Whitebeard Pirates' legacy.
Surely no woman would joke about her own chastity in these waters (or would she)?
"Alright, I understand..."
Sengoku massaged his temples painfully.
"Headquarters will draft a new bounty poster for that so-called 'Edward Weevil' soon."
With these "Whitebeards" emerging one after another,
Sengoku grew increasingly convinced they must be connected to the former MADS organization.
Perhaps MADS had collected Whitebeard's genetic material and cloned several versions of him?
These "Whitebeard Jr." and "Whitebeard III" figures were likely different model variants of Whitebeard clones?
The only problem...
The Five Elders had prohibited the Marines from accessing any MADS-related intelligence.
Even though the MADS organization had vanished decades ago.
What exactly were the Five Elders afraid of?
As Sengoku pondered this,
Storm's voice sounded in his ear.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, regarding Edward Weevil's bounty—should he be designated 'Whitebeard III' or 'Whitebeard Jr.'?"
"Why must you focus on such trivial oddities?"
Sengoku snapped back to reality, sighing wearily.
"Though you labeled 'Edward Teach' as 'Whitebeard III,' his bounty posters have already been distributed worldwide. Changing them now would appear farcical...
"Therefore, Headquarters will designate 'Edward Weevil' as 'Whitebeard III' in his bounty.
"Edward Teach shall remain 'Whitebeard Jr.'"
"Understood!"
Storm terminated the Den Den Mushi call.
Dawn Island loomed ahead.
After brief consideration, Storm dialed another number.
"Crocodile, still breathing?"
"White Dragon!"
In Alabasta's Rain Dinners casino, Crocodile—midway through rehabilitation exercises—frowned upon receiving Storm's call, his voice dripping with disdain.
"Make it quick."
"Have you heard about 'Whitebeard Jr.'?"
Storm cut straight to the point.
"Whitebeard Jr., Edward Teach."
"Obviously!"
Crocodile's interest immediately perked up.
"You've located that Whitebeard's whereabouts? Tell me now!"
"No, I'm warning you about something else."
Storm replied seriously.
"I've received word that besides this 'Whitebeard Jr.,' there's another 'Whitebeard III.'"
"...What?"
Crocodile momentarily struggled to process this.
"You're not deceiving me, White Dragon? Two Whitebeards appearing at sea was already absurd enough—now there's a third?"
"Believe what you will."
Storm answered nonchalantly.
"I'm just reminding you that Whitebeard III's name is 'Edward Weevil.' He doesn't look much like Whitebeard Jr.—more like an obese version of Whitebeard."
"I know you're very interested in Whitebeard, so I'm giving you this information in advance."
"Tomorrow, the Marines will likely issue a bounty poster for Edward Weevil. Then you can verify whether this intel is true or not."
After saying this,
(Visit 6•9•s•h•u•s•h•u•b•a•n•g• for the latest updates!)
Storm promptly hung up the Den Den Mushi.
He was well aware that Crocodile harbored a very peculiar "complex" about Whitebeard.
This complex might be tied to Crocodile's past experiences.
But one thing was certain—
Crocodile had always nursed a desire for revenge against Whitebeard!
In Storm's view,
Crocodile would likely be interested in both "Edward Teach" and "Edward Weevil."
And indeed, that was exactly the case.
After receiving Storm's call,
Crocodile hesitated briefly before finally contacting the other senior agents of Baroque Works.
Speaking of which, ever since Miss All Sunday (Nico Robin) left, Crocodile had to personally handle communications with Baroque Works' top agents.
Still, Baroque Works was his own creation—just a bit more troublesome than before.
After learning about "Edward Teach" from the Five Elders, Crocodile had immediately dispatched agents to gather intel on this "Whitebeard Jr."
Now, there was an additional "Edward Weevil" to investigate.
He mobilized all available Baroque Works personnel to track down information on both Whitebeards!
No sooner had Crocodile issued the orders than
a subordinate delivered unexpected news.
"Mr. 0, the mission of Mr. 7—who was previously sent to the East Blue—has failed. He was killed by that young bounty hunter."
Baroque Works bore similarities to the Donquixote Family, but there were differences.
For instance, most of the Donquixote Family's members were "pirates,"
while Baroque Works primarily consisted of bounty hunters.
Since its founding,
Crocodile had continuously recruited renowned bounty hunters from Alabasta and even the neighboring East Blue and South Blue (collectively known as Paradise) to bolster his forces.
"Failures don't deserve to live," Crocodile said coldly.
"What about the bounty hunter?"
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, the East Blue branch leader of Baroque Works replied nervously,
"He killed Mr. 7, then left a message—he'd join if we made him the boss."
"Tch, some nobody. Ignore him."
Crocodile shook his head and dismissed the matter.
So what if the guy was a famous swordsman in the East Blue?
The East Blue was too small.
How strong could someone from there really be?
Not everyone was a "Roger" or a "Garp"!
Crocodile had once placed high hopes in Baroque Works.
But after a brutal reality check from White Dragon,
he quickly came to his senses.
True strength came from oneself.
As for "subordinates"...
The strong may remain.
The weak… let them drift away!
Crocodile tossed the task of finding Whitebeard to his subordinates and threw himself back into training.
Meanwhile.
East Blue.
Storm, riding the Blue-Eyed White Dragon, finally arrived at Dawn Island, home of the Goa Kingdom.
After resting briefly and eating a hearty meal, his Haki had recovered significantly.
His Observation Haki expanded, enveloping the entirety of Dawn Island.
Every living presence on the island was detected by Storm.
To his slight disappointment, there were no "presences" on Dawn Island as formidable as those of Kizaru or the Five Elders.
This meant one thing—
The Marine hero, Monkey D. Garp, was not currently on Dawn Island.
However, at the same time—
Storm raised his gaze toward a certain direction on Dawn Island.
There stood a vast, lush mountain covered in de
nse vegetation.
Near that mountain.
Two presences far surpassed the strength of the ordinary humans around them.
If their strength were measured by pirate bounty standards—
The owners of these two auras.
Were at least at the level of 50 million Belly bounties!
Storm immediately recognized the true identities of these two individuals.
The son of the Pirate King, Portgas D. Ace!
And the son of the Revolutionary, Monkey D. Luffy!
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