In the New World,
In certain sea area which was enveloped by a thick fog.
The massive Sea Kings that once roamed freely were unusually docile today. They all lurked in the depths, not daring to surface.
A giant, whale-shaped ship was quietly moored on the sea above them.
It was the Moby Dick, the ship of Whitebeard, the strongest man in the world!
On the deck, all remaining fifteen division commanders, except for Ace, had assembled.
"Daddy, let's go now! I can't wait to fight those Marine bastards!" "Diamond" Jozu said through gritted teeth.
"Yeah, Dad, if we attack now, we'll definitely catch them off guard. It's time to let those guys know how powerful we Whitebeard Pirates are," another commander chimed in.
"That's right, we're the strongest pirate crew in the world!"
"Haha, maybe those useless Marines are already trembling with fright just hearing that we've gathered."
All the commanders laughed and shouted, none of them taking the Marines seriously. In their eyes, the Marines were nothing more than a bunch of weaklings.
After all, their father was Whitebeard, the strongest man in the world!
Compared to him, Marine Headquarters was simply insignificant!
"Goo la la la! My sons, don't underestimate Marine Headquarters. That guy Sengoku isn't easy to deal with," Whitebeard reminded them with a smile, then picked up his flagon and took a deep swig.
However, the captains, who were used to being unstoppable under his command, didn't care at all.
"Marine Headquarters is nothing. I just know that on this ocean, no one can harm our family."
"Yes, no matter who dares to oppose our Whitebeard Pirates, they will pay the most painful price."
"Hey, this time, we'll let the guys at Marine Headquarters know just how powerful we are and make them remember what fear is."
"That's right! They're playing with fire, daring to challenge our old man's authority!"
The commanders shouted with righteous indignation, as if victory was already in their hands.
Their father, Whitebeard, was the source of all their confidence. As long as he was there, they had nothing to fear.
Among the crowd, only Marco wasn't blinded by past their victories. He watched Whitebeard's every move with a serious expression.
As Whitebeard's right-hand man and the second-in-command of the Whitebeard Pirates, Marco wasn't as blindly arrogant as the others.
During the more than thirty years he had spent sailing the seas with Whitebeard, he knew better than anyone just how powerful and terrifying the forces at Marine Headquarters were.
Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru! Just these three Marine Admirals, all Logia fruit users, had reached the level of the world's top combatants.
Not to mention veteran powerhouses like "Buddha" Sengoku, "Hero of the Marines" Garp, and "The Great Staff Officer" Tsuru.
Marine Headquarters, with its blend of new and old powerhouses, had perhaps the most formidable lineup in Marine history. No matter how confident Marco was, he wouldn't be so arrogant as to completely ignore the existence of these strong fighters.
The Whitebeard Pirates were about to face their most dangerous test yet. If they weren't careful, their former glory could be gone forever.
"Father, what are we going to do next?" Marco asked with a hint of worry.
"My dear son, of course I'm going to rescue Ace, and then... get you all out of here."
Whitebeard stared at the cheering crowd with great nostalgia, his eyes filled with reluctance.
"Father, in your current physical condition, can you really handle that situation?"
As the head ship's doctor, Marco knew Whitebeard's physical condition best.
With age, and under the influence of various factors like physical deterioration and old injuries, the health of Whitebeard, the "World's Strongest Man," was already a concern. He now needed IV drips and oxygen to slow down the worsening of his condition.
Marco was very worried about this.
"Goooooh, my silly son, have you forgotten that I am Whitebeard?"
Whitebeard laughed nonchalantly. "Even Shiki could destroy half of Marine Headquarters back then. How could this old man be worse than him?"
Smack.
Whitebeard's warm, large hand pressed heavily on Marco's head. He comforted him softly, "Don't think about it too much. This public execution of Ace is clearly a challenge from Sengoku to me. Whether it's for Ace or for the future of the Whitebeard Pirates, we must fight!"
"I understand," Marco nodded, though it was a difficult admission.
"Gu la la la, you brat, don't hang your head there! We're going to get our family back. Isn't that something to be happy about?" Whitebeard looked up at the sky and let out a hearty laugh.
"You're right. We should be happy. We will definitely bring Ace back!" Marco grinned.
"That's my good son," Whitebeard nodded in satisfaction, then stood up abruptly. The massive naginata, Murakumogiri, in his hand slammed against the deck. He declared with extreme dominance:
"Gu la la la, children, our destination is Fish-Man Island! Let's go... This time, I'm going to give Sengoku a big surprise."
"Let's go!"
Cheers instantly echoed across the sea. The huge Moby Dick began to move slowly, and all members of the Whitebeard Pirates were officially on the move!
At the same time, Adrian had already set foot on the land of Fish-Man Island.
In the heart of Fish-Man Island, at Ryugu Palace City, King Neptune stared bitterly at the wet, black-haired boy who seemed to have just emerged from the sea. A storm raged in his heart.
Just half an hour ago, the boy, Adrian, had suddenly appeared outside Dragon Palace. The hundreds of Merman guards stationed there didn't even have time to react before a terrifying pressure swept over them, causing them all to collapse and faint. Neptune knew this was the work of Conqueror Haki, a special ability possessed by only one in a million people—the "King's Qualification" of legend. Before this, he had only ever felt it from Whitebeard.
"King Neptune, what are you thinking about? My patience seems to be running out," Adrian said, taking off his drenched shirt to reveal a perfectly sculpted physique. He wrung out the water and put the shirt back on. As Neptune had guessed, Adrian, with his special Merman constitution, had simply dived 10,000 meters to swim directly to Fish-Man Island instead of going to the Sabaody Archipelago for ship coating. He had to admit, the Merman constitution made underwater travel incredibly fast, and breathing in the water was no problem at all.
"Adrian, but our Fish-Man Island has been under the protection of the Yonko, Whitebeard. If we switch without permission, I'm afraid..." Neptune said, a look of profound dilemma on his face.
Adrian's first words to him were, "Fish-Man Island will be my territory from now on. If you don't agree, this place will be destroyed immediately." Neptune was stunned, and it took him a long time to regain his composure. This is outrageous, isn't it? he thought. Who would dare try to take over Whitebeard's territory?
Although this bold young man claimed to be one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the difference in influence between a Four Emperor and a Warlord was vast. Even with Jinbe as a Warlord, they couldn't protect the island's safety, which was why they'd needed Whitebeard's protection in the first place. What gives this guy such confidence?
However, Adrian soon proved his strength with his actions. In less than three minutes, he single-handedly wiped out the New Fish-Man Pirates, who had been a scourge to Fish-Man Island for ten years. When Adrian laid eight bloody heads at Neptune's feet, a chill ran down the king's spine.
Setting aside the question of his power, just the speed of his assault was something no normal human could achieve! Even if Neptune rode a whale, it would have taken him at least ten minutes.
Neptune suddenly realized he might be in a lot of trouble. This seemingly gentle and elegant black-haired boy was not only incredibly powerful but also ruthless in his methods. The murderous intent emanating from him was so potent that Neptune felt suffocated. He no longer doubted that Adrian had the power to destroy the entire island. But to make Neptune offend Whitebeard, one of the Four Emperor, was something he couldn't dare to do even if he was granted the guts.
"You don't have to worry about Whitebeard," Adrian said calmly, waving his hand. "That old man won't be alive for much longer..."
"What?!" Neptune's expression changed instantly. He looked at Adrian with astonishment, unable to believe what he'd just heard.
Adrian wasn't interested in explaining. He pointed a finger at Hody Jones's head and said, "Your wife, Princess Otohime, was actually assassinated by this man. His purpose was to destroy the friendly relationship between the Mermen and humans and provoke a war!"
"Mr. Adrian, are you kidding me? Otohime was shot and killed by a human pirate..." Neptune felt like a lightning bolt had struck his head. His tall body staggered, but he gritted his teeth, demanding the truth.
"You were all played by him," Adrian said, his gaze fixed on Neptune. Then, he delivered another shocking piece of information: "You can ask Princess Shirahoshi about this. Her pet, Megalo, witnessed everything and told Shirahoshi what happened after the incident."
Thump...
When Adrian's voice fell, Neptune's imposing figure collapsed to the ground. This news was too much to bear. The truth he had been searching for for eight years had finally been revealed, but for some reason, Neptune felt no joy. Instead, he was filled with deep self-blame. Not only had he failed to protect his own wife, Otohime, but he had also failed to protect his daughter, Shirahoshi. In the end, it was his young daughter who had shouldered all the hate and buried it deep within her heart. He was, quite simply, an incompetent father.
"Oh, and yes, Princess Shirahoshi will also belong to me from now on," Adrian said, ignoring Neptune's sorrow. "I'm not asking for your opinion; I'm simply telling you my decision."
"Wait a minute, Mr. Adrian," Neptune said, no longer caring about his grief. When he heard that he was planning to take Shirahoshi, he immediately spoke with a pained, indignant expression. "Shirahoshi is only fourteen years old; she's still a child..."
Adrian let out a cold snort. With an icy look in his eyes, he said, "You don't even have the strength to protect Fish-Man Island or your own wife, so how can you protect the unawakened Ancient Weapon Poseidon?"
"What? You... you actually know Shirahoshi's true identity." Neptune's body trembled violently, his eyes widening in horror. The black-haired boy in front of him knew the secret that he had buried deep in his heart.
When Neptune recovered from the shock, he was saddened to realize that what Adrian said was true. He really couldn't protect Shirahoshi.
After a long silence, Neptune decided to make one last gamble, drawing on his final shred of a father's dignity. He said, word by word, "Then you have to promise me... you will never let Shirahoshi suffer any injustice!"