Marco and Jozu were figures who had reached the level of Yonko commanders.
Even if their potential was not as high as Renji's or Portgas D. Ace's, how much worse could it really be?
They were more than twice the age of Renji and Ace, which meant they had spent twice or even several times longer training.
Yet Renji and Ace were gradually catching up to them.
That alone was enough to explain the problem.
"Pops is right."
Marco scratched his head and quickly admitted defeat.
Jozu did the same beside him.
"But we've been training hard recently too."
"Do you want me to explain why you've been training?"
Facing their final attempt at stubbornness, Edward Newgate mercilessly exposed the truth.
"If it weren't for Renji and Ace, especially Renji's almost abnormal progress over the past year, would you two be working this hard?"
Alright, stop scolding us.
Marco and Jozu did not dare say another word.
The other division commanders and vice-captains nearby secretly laughed.
"I criticized those two, but do you think that means the rest of you are innocent?"
Whitebeard looked at Renji training the entire Whitebeard Pirates below, and the more he watched, the more satisfied he became.
When he noticed the reactions of the other commanders and vice-captains, a slightly dissatisfied expression appeared on his face.
"Have none of you become lazy?"
Awkward silence filled the air.
The commanders and vice-captains could only accept the criticism.
Renji had no idea what was happening above on the deck of the Moby Dick.
Below, he had been training intensely for two hours, yet he did not feel the slightest irritation or fatigue.
A hundred people truly could not compare to sixteen hundred.
[You picked up 1 Intelligence!]
[You picked up 1 Observation Haki Insight!]
The difference was not just in the number of people.
There were also far more strong fighters among them.
In just one day, Renji's growth had already surpassed what he used to gain in an entire week.
Renji was extremely pleased.
His newly reached Yonko commander level strength had already stabilized after only a few days.
At the moment, he might not yet match someone like Charlotte Katakuri of the Big Mom Pirates, who stood at the peak of Yonko commander level and was even approaching Yonko level.
However, he was already stronger than Donquixote Doflamingo, who had barely reached that level mainly because of his awakened Devil Fruit.
Moreover, Renji's improvements were not limited to physical strength.
His Armament Haki and Observation Haki had both improved significantly.
He had even obtained Whitebeard's Gura Gura no Mi.
Was the Tremor-Tremor Fruit powerful?
Of course it was.
It could easily be considered one of the strongest Devil Fruits in existence.
After several days of practice, Renji could now use the Tremor-Tremor Fruit at a basic level.
Unfortunately, because of the fruit's backlash and the short time he had possessed it, he could not unleash attacks on the scale of Whitebeard shattering an island.
For now, he could only barely use it.
But even that was already enough.
Once the Tremor-Tremor Fruit was unleashed, even Logia users had to retreat.
That was no joke.
Renji rubbed his hands together slightly, and tiny cracks appeared along his dark Haki-covered fingers.
Over the past few days, he had gradually figured out how to reduce the fruit's backlash.
The method was to use Armament Haki to block the returning shockwaves.
As long as his Armament Haki was strong enough to completely isolate the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's recoil, his body would not suffer damage.
Achieving that level was extremely difficult.
Otherwise, Whitebeard would not be suffering from so many injuries.
But Renji was different.
He could train himself while also collecting Armament Haki insights from others to strengthen his Haki.
With his system, not only becoming a Yonko but even surpassing Whitebeard and becoming the strongest person in the world was only a matter of time.
Training continued.
Watching Renji lead the sixteen hundred pirates in intense training made Whitebeard feel a little restless.
He looked toward the commanders beside him.
"You…"
Just as Whitebeard was about to call someone over for a sparring match, a wounded pirate stumbled toward him and the assembled commanders.
"Report!"
When the pirate saw Whitebeard, he immediately dropped to his knees.
"Pops, please save my brothers!"
"Hm?"
Whitebeard shifted his gaze toward the injured pirate.
A look of confusion appeared on his face.
He knew all sixteen hundred crew members of the Whitebeard Pirates and remembered each of their names.
But he did not recognize this man.
However, if the man had boarded the ship, he must still belong to the Whitebeard Pirates.
That meant there were only two possibilities.
Either he came from one of the islands protected by Whitebeard, or he was a member of one of the forty-three allied pirate crews.
The pirate was covered in blood.
His right arm was missing.
His condition was extremely poor.
At this rate, it would not be surprising if he died at any moment.
"Where's the doctor?"
"Come here and bandage him."
Whitebeard did not immediately ask what had happened.
Even when he saw the urgency on the man's face, he remained calm.
"I know you're in a hurry, but your injuries are severe. You wouldn't want to die from blood loss before delivering your message, wasting the effort of the brothers who sent you here."
Hearing Whitebeard say that, the pirate finally allowed the doctors to treat him.
They stopped the bleeding, applied medicine, and bandaged the wound.
Gradually, the pirate's complexion improved.
However, the matter was too serious.
Before the doctors had even finished treating him, he spoke again.
"Pops! Jack the Drought has looted our ship!"
When everyone heard this, they froze.
Even Renji, who had just arrived after hearing the news, was stunned.
"That's impossible!"
Jack was one of the top commanders of the Beasts Pirates under Kaido, one of the Four Emperors.
He was one of the Three Calamities.
"Although the Four Emperors often have friction between them, they usually avoid large-scale conflicts and keep things limited to small clashes."
"What exactly is Jack trying to do now?"
The entire Whitebeard Pirates crew erupted into an uproar.
Everyone showed disbelief.
"What exactly did Jack do?!"
The strongest man on the seas, Whitebeard.
Fifteen division commanders.
Fourteen vice-captains.
And one acting commander.
All their eyes focused on the one-armed pirate.
Facing such an overwhelming lineup, even the full strength of the Marines would not dare take it lightly.
For a moment,
The one-armed pirate froze.
He did not even know where to begin.
"It's alright. Don't rush."
"Tell us slowly."