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"Jihahahahahaha~"
"Jihahahahaha…"
In the central prison on Hunters Island, within his isolated cell deep in the prison's bowels, the Golden Lion Shiki was laughing hysterically.
"Jihahaha~ This is how it always is! This is how things have been since ancient times! When you're at the peak of your power, they flatter you, fear you, and worship you. And when you fall, they bury you in the dirt!"
Moria, observing the nearly deranged Shiki, questioned,
"Shiki, do you think what Akainu is saying is true?"
"Of course not! Newgate chose his path and had his reasons. No admiral can understand that... no marine rat or World Government official can understand the mindset of a man who chose to be free," Shiki replied with a mocking smile.
"Then why is Akainu saying that? Doesn't he fear that it will drive Whitebeard's pirates mad and lead them to choose death with them?" Moria asked, trying to rationalize after enduring multiple kicks to the face.
Shiki, seemingly more willing to converse than succumb to boredom, responded thoughtfully, "Because they know how influential and powerful he is. They want to destroy his symbols and reputation to scatter his followers... the followers who did not participate in the war, the people under his protection, and most importantly... that scoundrel Akainu wants to kill one of those two kids, and it will likely be Ace."
With a mocking smile, Brynndi World, who was sitting next to the cell, stood up and left.
...
In the couple's house in Baterilla, the atmosphere was thick with tension and anxiety as the crucial moment approached.
Rob left because he didn't want to witness the couple's reaction when that scene unfolded.
Roger, the Pirate King, and the man who surpassed Whitebeard according to Akainu's logic, gripped the manga volume tightly, his eyes gleaming with anger and sadness.
"Rouge, did you see what he said? Newgate never thought about becoming a king. By giving me his brother, a precious crew member at that time, he implicitly allowed me to go to Laugh Tale."
"This truth is unknown to the world... unfortunately."
"This is a provocation to weaken the crew's spirit," Rouge tried to console him.
"But this is unacceptable, Rouge! Newgate is not a loser. He simply chose family; that's how he chose to be the greatest captain of his generation."
"My son knows this better, which is why he couldn't allow himself to run away and not defend against these words that have no relation to the truth."
"But he can't win..."
Tears fell from Rouge's eyes with each approaching scene.
Seeing this, Roger's heart bled.
Suddenly, his eyes fell on the last scene on the page, his expression stiffened, his eyes widened, and he felt as if the world had stopped.
...
In the art store on Sphinx Island, the atmosphere was charged with anger and tension. Whitebeard, in his human size due to the art store's feature, was sitting on his chair among his sons, reading Admiral Akainu's words with a cold expression.
Unlike his crew members and sons around him, who felt extreme resentment.
Unlike their manga counterparts, who were more focused on escaping to carry out their boss's last orders, they were sitting here comfortably without any threat... So, all their focus was on the words of the dog admiral who was literally spewing nonsense.
"Are Whitebeard's pirates this weak... They failed to protect their Boss... and now they have failed to protect his pride as well..."
Marco felt immense sadness with each scene he read and with each malicious word Akainu uttered, his sympathy grew for the future version of Whitebeard's pirates.
"Marco, my son... they are not weak... it's just that the marines are very strong... they were fully prepared to bring us down."
Whitebeard spoke rationally.
"Didn't his words against your counterpart anger you?"
Marco's question carried the curiosity of everyone present.
"Of course it angered me a lot... I am even planning to visit this admiral, I bet he won't refuse to talk to me about Whitebeard's glory."
Hearing that, smiles widened on his sons' faces, some even licking their lips wickedly.
They liked their father's idea very much and were overly excited about it... especially Squardo, who was the most emotionally affected by this arc.
"This...?"
Veins appeared on Whitebeard's forehead after seeing the next scene, and he felt he couldn't believe what had happened.
In the moment of silence in the noisy art store, all the readers had wide eyes at this moment.
Squardo's mouth opened wide, as did Marco's eyes.
Most readers found it difficult to breathe because their mouths were fully open due to the absolute shock they were in at that moment.
...
At this moment, Rob was leisurely walking through a cornfield, contemplating a certain scene from the manga.
"Sigh... time flies... we've already reached this moment."
"Sorry, but hearts must break to truly discover their essence."
"Eyes must shed tears to dry, and sadness must overwhelm to end."
"Not all endings are beautiful."
"This is the cruelty of the world, and its virtue too."
After saying that, Rob closed the manga volume and disappeared from his place.
...
"Did he really... do that?"
"W-what did I see? Oh my god..."
"Impossible... not possible..."
"No... no... don't tell me..."
"What is going on?"
"Sorry, I can't turn the pages..."
The readers in Ohara felt lost at this moment. Most of them remained frozen in shock, unsure if what they thought had happened actually happened.
The scene was shocking and harsh, completely unexpected.
This ending wasn't anticipated, it wasn't awaited, it wasn't beloved, no, it wasn't desired at all!
Moments ago, readers were loudly celebrating Luffy's success in freeing Ace and eagerly awaiting a grand feast held by the remaining Whitebeard pirates with Luffy for saving Ace.
But what happened?
Well, what happened was shocking, readers are still in shock.
Except for Doffy, who was smiling sarcastically at this moment.
"The irony of fate... even I was deceived."
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 745: The Death of Portgas D. Ace! (Part 1)
Chapter 746: The Death of Portgas D. Ace! (Part 2)
Chapter 747: His Last Words.
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