Unlike the other five members of the Tobiroppo, X Drake had only recently joined the Beasts Pirates.
He did not have a strong sense of loyalty toward the crew.
Because of that, he could view the situation more rationally.
"In my opinion, since Jack wasn't killed outright, then Edward Newgate's goal isn't simply revenge," Drake said calmly. "He's using this opportunity to warn the entire New World. He's telling everyone that even though there are four Yonko, there is only one true king."
Throughout history, only two Pirate Kings had ever existed.
One was Gol D. Roger, the man who reached the final island.
The other was the uncrowned Pirate King, Whitebeard.
"So what?" someone snapped back. "It's still the entire Beast Pirates losing face!"
"Whitebeard!"
The atmosphere among the Flying Six became tense and chaotic.
There was resentment toward Jack.
There was anger toward Whitebeard.
"Revenge!"
"Revenge!"
"Declare war on the Whitebeard Pirates!"
"We have to restore our reputation!"
If even the Flying Six felt this way, the rest of the Beast Pirates were even more enraged.
Voices calling for war echoed throughout their territory.
"So what do we do now, Governor?" someone asked.
Unlike the furious mood throughout his territory, Kaido had already calmed down after his initial rage.
"We go talk to that old man," Kaido said.
On the deck of the Moby Dick, another Yonko had appeared.
The Governor of Pirates, Kaido.
Whitebeard and Kaido sat across from each other at the same table.
Neither spoke for a moment.
Behind Whitebeard stood Marco, Jozu, Renji, and the other division commanders.
On Kaido's side were also many powerful figures.
Standing at the front were two of the All-Stars, King the Wildfire and Queen the Plague.
Behind them were the members of the Flying Six.
The two forces stared at each other like drawn blades.
It felt as if a single wrong word could ignite a full-scale battle.
"Newgate, what exactly are you trying to do?" Kaido finally spoke, his expression irritated.
After all, this was Whitebeard's territory, and Kaido had come here to negotiate Jack's release.
But Kaido had no intention of showing weakness.
An invisible aura surged from his body.
In an instant, the pressure spread across the entire Moby Dick.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Both Whitebeard's crew and Kaido's own men began collapsing one after another.
It was Conqueror's Haki.
And an extremely powerful one at that.
Even the commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates and the All-Stars and Flying Six of the Beast Pirates were slightly affected.
"My intentions?" Whitebeard glanced around with the corner of his eye, clearly displeased.
A similar aura erupted from his body.
In the next moment, the two overwhelming waves of Conqueror's Haki collided in midair.
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion echoed across the sky.
The clouds above shattered from the sheer pressure.
Within the area covered by their auras, not a single intact cloud remained.
The sky looked like a bowl of scattered egg drop soup, torn apart beyond recognition.
[You picked up 1 Conqueror's Haki Insight!]
[You picked up 1 Conqueror's Haki Insight!]
[You picked up 1 Conqueror's Haki Insight!]
[You picked up 1 Conqueror's Haki Insight!]
Seeing this, Renji quietly stepped forward.
The clash between two Yonko had dropped six attributes in an instant.
And they were all Conqueror's Haki insights.
As soon as those insights entered his body, Renji felt a dramatic change.
With just those six fragments of understanding, he went from not having Conqueror's Haki at all to becoming someone capable of using it proficiently.
'No wonder Yonko-level attributes are this powerful.'
Renji felt delighted.
In fact, he almost hoped Whitebeard and Kaido would actually fight.
If they did, Renji might be able to gather enough attributes to surpass Jozu and reach the level of a high-tier Yonko commander.
Unfortunately, the balance between Yonko was extremely delicate.
Even though Whitebeard currently held Jack as leverage, Kaido would inevitably lower his head.
A direct battle between Yonko was extremely unlikely.
"This is boring."
After the brief clash ended in a stalemate, neither side could gain the upper hand.
A full-scale war was unrealistic.
Whitebeard decided to stop playing games.
"I know you came to rescue Jack," he said calmly.
"In that case, I won't waste time with small talk."
"Two billion. Just two billion berries, and I'll release him."
"You're robbing me!" Kaido exploded in anger.
Jack's bounty was one billion berries.
Demanding double that amount was practically extortion.
"If that's the case, then there's nothing left to discuss," Whitebeard replied casually.
He already looked ready to send Kaido away.
Normally pirates capturing pirates and turning them over to the Marines for bounty money sounded ridiculous.
But people like Whitebeard had their own ways of collecting such rewards.
Whitebeard smiled calmly.
"You either pay, or you leave."
Then he added with his signature grin, "Of course, you could also choose to start a full-scale war with me. I guarantee that Jack will remain alive until the battle between our crews is completely decided."
Who would want to fight you, you old monster?!
Kaido nearly exploded with anger.
He truly wanted to start a war right then and there.
But that was impossible.
Even if Whitebeard was old and sick now, Kaido still knew he could not defeat him easily.
"Fine. Very fine."
Kaido glared at Whitebeard with burning frustration.
But the fact that he had not flipped the table already showed his decision.
Even though he had tested Whitebeard by sending Jack, Kaido had never intended to start a war.
He stared at Whitebeard with unwilling fury.
"Newgate… this is extortion."