In the New World, on the island of Eddinton, aboard the Moby Dick, Marco reached out as usual to take the day's newspaper.
After tossing some Berries to the delivery bird, he headed toward Whitebeard.
This was his daily routine, one that had become habit.
Whitebeard enjoyed reading the papers but often hesitated to spend money on them, so Marco usually shared his own—after all, one copy was enough.
Still groggy from last night's prolonged banquet and the copious amounts he'd drunk, Marco yawned and absentmindedly unfolded the newspaper, reading aloud.
"A Great Upheaval in the World: The Rot Within the Marines!"
"The Rise of Dawn's Light: The Radiance of the Blazing Sun!"
"The Arrival of a New Era? The End of the Great Pirate Age?!"
Though Morgans was known for sensational headlines, today's were even more exaggerated than usual.
The moment Marco read them, his drowsiness vanished entirely.
Rubbing his eyes, he stared at the striking photo of Jake on the front page, a grin spreading uncontrollably across his face.
Waving the newspaper, he called out to Whitebeard, who was already drinking early in the morning.
"Pops! Today's paper is a special feature on that kid! He really went and did something huge as soon as he got back!"
Hearing this, Whitebeard set down his nearly finished glass of liquor and took the newspaper from Marco.
After skimming through it briefly, he burst into laughter.
"Gurarararara! As expected of the man I took a liking to. The last era was called Roger, this era is called Whitebeard, hahaha! Will the next era be named after you, Jake? I'm really looking forward to it, gurarararara! Marco, to celebrate Jake receiving such honor, wake up all those brats who got drunk yesterday and still haven't sobered up. Tell them we're throwing a party!"
Upon hearing this, Marco felt a bitter taste in his throat—he was truly suffering from the aftereffects of drinking.
But when he saw the contents of the newspaper in his hand, he was genuinely happy.
The next moment, Marco downed a large gulp of liquor and shouted to everyone.
"Hey! To celebrate that brat Jake's achievements, we're throwing a party today!"
"Woo-hoo!!!"
With the joyous laughter echoing from the Moby Dick, the entire sea surface trembled slightly.
Yet amidst this cheerful and harmonious atmosphere, one man's expression was far from pleasant.
He was Marshall D Teach also known as Blackbeard in the future.
At this moment, staring at Jake's smiling face in the newspaper and the nearly god-like effects of his Devil Fruit ability behind him, his expression twisted into something vicious.
Jake's appearance had thrown all of Blackbeard's plans into disarray.
Originally, he had planned to stay quietly aboard Whitebeard's ship.
If he couldn't find the Dark-Dark Fruit, he would remain Whitebeard's son for life, living out his days in mediocrity.
But if he found the Dark-Dark Fruit, the series of plans he'd formulated would allow him to perfectly seize Whitebeard's position as one of the Four Emperors.
Now, however, Jake's emergence had mercilessly altered all of Blackbeard's schemes.
First was Whitebeard himself—his biggest obstacle.
Having grown up following this man, Blackbeard understood Whitebeard's terror and strength better than anyone.
Blackbeard knew better than anyone how formidable Whitebeard was at his peak.
Even if he swallowed the Dark-Dark Fruit and acquired other rare Devil Fruits, he still couldn't defeat Whitebeard in his prime.
But Whitebeard's steadily declining health was the primary reason Teach's ambitions remained unchanged.
All he had to do was wait—wait until Whitebeard grew so old he could barely move, until his strength dwindled to less than a fifth of what it once was.
Then, he could freely enjoy the seas.
Yes, even now, Blackbeard considered his time aboard the Whitebeard Pirates as imprisonment.
He felt not an ounce of filial affection for Whitebeard.
In fact, he found Whitebeard's behavior baffling and contemptible, sometimes even cursing him in his heart as a fool.
After all, for pirates—a profession inherently intertwined with death and betrayal—Whitebeard's insistence on family and bonds was utterly backwards!
If he truly wanted such things, he shouldn't have called himself a pirate in the first place!
From the very day he boarded the Moby Dick, Blackbeard had never genuinely regarded it as home.
He understood better than anyone that the Moby Dick and Whitebeard were just a small part of his journey of growth and biding his time.
Originally, as Whitebeard's health continued to decline, Blackbeard believed this journey should have had an end.
But now, with the arrival of that man named Jake, Whitebeard's condition wasn't just slowing in deterioration—it was as if he had regained over a decade of youth overnight!
This feeling made Blackbeard see only torment ahead, leaving him with no hope for the future.
The feeling of having his dreams shattered by reality kept Blackbeard awake night after night.
After Jake's reminder, Whitebeard had already begun to subconsciously observe Teach more closely.
As he drank, he used his Observation Haki to monitor Teach's every move.
The strong liquor burned his throat like fire.
Whitebeard let out a long sigh, unsure whether it was from the heat of the alcohol or his frustration with Teach.
During this period of observation, Whitebeard had indeed discovered that Teach was not so simple.
His strength was even comparable to Jozu's.
Teach would often curse certain crew members or commanders—even Whitebeard himself—alone in the cabin, yet the next day, he would act completely harmless when facing those same people.
In his lifetime, Whitebeard had seen too many ambitious individuals.
Teach's eyes were exactly the same as theirs, no different at all.
He could foresee that one day in the future, an unavoidable battle would erupt between him and Teach.
It was as if the trajectory of fate could never be altered.
But thinking of Jake, a faint smile appeared on Whitebeard's face.
Whether the Great Pirate Era was good or bad, Whitebeard knew one thing—he was genuinely looking forward to seeing if Jake had the ability to reshape the next era into his own!
A world truly belonging to fairness and justice.
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