New World, a specific sea area, and the massive Moby Dick welcomed a special guest today. Whitebeard, the captain of the Whitebeard Pirates, and the world's most muscular man, Edward Newgate, sat in a huge chair, holding a giant gourd of sake.
On both sides of him, his sons stood tall, watching Ace, who stood opposite Whitebeard. Ace stood straight, seemingly unaffected by the presence of the entire Whitebeard Pirates crew.
"Whitebeard, I've already delivered the message from our captain, and I've placed the gift here," Ace said, tossing a pure gold necklace toward Whitebeard. "Can you tell me your response now?" Ace asked Whitebeard calmly.
"Hey! Ace, you bastard, show some respect to your old man!"
"That's right! Just because you're one of the Three Supernovas of the Rocks Pirates doesn't mean we won't give you a piece of our minds. This is the Moby Dick, the ship of the Whitebeard Pirates!"
"Get your act together and talk properly!" The Whitebeard Pirates captains yelled angrily at Ace's tone while addressing their father. Ace ignored the shouting Whitebeard Pirates crew and maintained his calm gaze on Whitebeard. Whitebeard silently drank his sake and looked at Ace after hearing his words.
After some time, the emptied sake gourd was carelessly thrown to the ground by Whitebeard. "Gurururururu, that kid Rocks knows how to brew sake," Whitebeard praised, then looked at Ace.
"Ace, my boy, go tell your captain that Rocks' little brat should come and talk to me himself. You're not qualified yet." Ace's body tensed as he felt the overwhelming aura bursting from Whitebeard.
"Ah, I will convey your message," Ace replied calmly. "But Whitebeard, our captain, mentioned that due to his gratitude for you, he's not willing to act against you right now. So please consider it." Ace finished speaking and didn't linger, unfurling his wings behind him and flying into the sky, disappearing.
After Ace had vanished, the entire Whitebeard Pirates crew breathed a sigh of relief. Although Ace's strength wasn't terrifying enough to intimidate them, he represented the strongest pirate crew in the New World.
"Old man, will we follow that guy's advice and temporarily leave the New World?" Marco was the first to approach Whitebeard and ask.
"Yeah, pops, will we listen to that guy?"
"That's right! Does that punk rock think he's the ruler of the New World now? If he wants a fight, let's give it to him! We're the Whitebeard Pirates!"
"Old man, let's go to war!" Whitebeard watched his sons' indignant expressions and sighed softly.
"Ha, you foolish sons, do you think I'm a pushover? I'm Whitebeard! How could I possibly bow to a little brat?" Whitebeard laughed heartily as he spoke to his sons. His words were filled with confidence and pride.
However, he quickly changed his tone. "But, that little punk Rocks is indeed terrifyingly strong now. Although I'm not afraid to fight him, I don't want to lead my dear sons into a pointless battle."
"As that little brat said, we have no conflict of interest in competing with them. So, temporarily leaving the New World is beneficial for both sides." After hearing Whitebeard's somewhat weary words, Marco and the others sighed in resignation.
"Old man, you're just drinking sake. You're only temporarily leaving the New World. It's not like you're giving up. Besides, facing the Rocks Pirates without fear is not a sign of weakness."
"Right, right, old man, tell us where we're going on our next adventure. The first half of the Grand Line or the Four Blues?" Seeing his sons' reactions, Whitebeard felt a mixture of helplessness and relief and even a touch of emotion.
"You foolish sons."
"Damn it, old man! I can't agree with your decision! By doing this, it's essentially admitting defeat."
"Ha, ha, ha. That's right, old man, we don't have to fight this reckless battle."
"That's right. Tell us, old man, where we're going next, and we'll follow."
As he watched his sons, Whitebeard, for the first time, felt a bit helpless, touched, and proud of them.
"Are you brats?"
"Damn it! Older man, I disagree with your words! If this is the case, I'll face Rocks' Pirates alone. I won't be scared of their reputation!" Teech roared again.
In the end, after hearing Teach's words, the entire Whitebeard Pirates crew fell into silence, and the suppressed atmosphere quickly spread throughout Moby Dick, weighing heavily on everyone's hearts.