In the New World, in the country of Wano.
Inside a spacious and bright banquet hall, a long table was set up.
On the table, there were various delicious dishes, fruits, vegetables, and fine wines.
Whitebeard sat at the head of the table, ignoring the food in front of him, just constantly pouring wine from his bowl into his mouth.
Clearly, the situation in Wano was weighing heavily on his mind.
The atmosphere among the Whitebeard Pirates was similarly somber, with none of the usual cheerfulness present.
"Hey, Marco, what do you think we should do about Wano? It seems like Pops is really conflicted," Thatch whispered to Marco, using his hand to shield his mouth, a worried expression on his face.
"What should we do? We just wait for Pops to decide. Whether we go to war with Nicholas or not, it's up to Pops," Marco responded nonchalantly. To them, any decision made by Whitebeard would be followed without hesitation, even if it was wrong.
"But..."
Thatch's mind raced back to the scenes he had witnessed in Wano recently, making him anxious.
Most people who choose to become pirates do so because of unfortunate circumstances; only a few seek adventure or chase dreams. After all, who would want to live a life of constant drifting at sea, being hunted by the Navy, if they had a happy and fulfilling life?
"Thatch, don't worry. Pops will handle it," Marco reassured him.
"Hahaha, Marco, you might be a bit too optimistic this time," laughed Marshall D. Teach, a member of the second division, as he approached them with a jug of wine.
"Oh, Teach, what do you think? After all, Oden is technically the captain of the second division," Thatch asked, curious about Teach's perspective on the matter.
"Hahaha, what do I think? Well, considering that the widow of the Kozuki clan will soon be coming to see Pops with Oden's children, it's clear that Pops doesn't really want to get involved in Wano's issues anymore. We came here with the intention of restoring order to the Kozuki clan, but now you've seen those who have left Kozuki's rule—they are satisfied with their current lives and don't want to return to being oppressed by the Kozuki..."
Seeing Thatch's strange look, Teach quickly corrected himself, "My mistake, I meant they don't want to return to being led by the Kozuki. And you know, Pops left his homeland because of poverty and pirate ravages, so when he sees the peaceful lives of ordinary people in places like Hakumai, he doesn't want to disrupt that.
If he did, he'd be no different from the ones who brought suffering to his home back then. But because of Izo's face, he can't say it outright. As for the Kozuki clan..."
Teach continued thoughtfully, "Oden has been dead for years. Any bond we had has long faded with time."
Hearing Teach's words, Marco took a swig from his bottle. He had to admit, Teach had a point. If Oden had asked for help immediately after returning to Wano, Pops would have come without hesitation. But Oden chose the worst possible path, and with him gone, the connection naturally weakened.
They had good feelings for Oden, but that didn't mean the Whitebeard Pirates felt the same about the Kozuki clan or its successors.
"Pops, Izo, and Neko and Inu are here," called a member of the Whitebeard Pirates from the doorway, causing everyone in the banquet hall to turn their heads towards the entrance.
Near the North Blue side of the Calm Belt in the New World.
A large ship shaped like a flamingo was being pulled towards the Calm Belt by two Sea Kings. Doflamingo sat cross-legged at the bow, constantly moving his fingers to control the Sea Kings pulling the ship.
"Young Master, are we heading back to the North Blue?" Senor Pink stood next to Doflamingo, lighting a cigarette as he asked. Clearly, the events in Dressrosa had taken a significant toll on them, making them realize the insurmountable gap between them and the top-tier powers of the sea.
"Yes, we're going back to the North Blue first, then we'll head to the Sabaody Archipelago. With the tides of the era surging, Sabaody is destined to become the center of the storm," Doflamingo said as he looked at the approaching Calm Belt.
"Doffy, do we really have to submit to Nicholas?" Trebol asked unwillingly. He had chosen Doflamingo because he saw the potential for him to become a king. If Doflamingo chose to submit to Nicholas, wouldn't all his efforts over the years be in vain?
"Trebol, in this sea, strength speaks. Nicholas has set his sights on us. Unless he dies, if he decides to hunt us down, no one can survive. Don't forget, he's very interested in Pica's fruit. By the way, any news on Rosinante?" Doflamingo turned to look at Trebol. When they left Dressrosa, they only found the bodies of Jola and Gladius, but not Rosinante's. So Doflamingo was sure Rosinante was still alive.
"No news yet, but I've instructed the family's intelligence network to keep an eye out."
...
On another sea.
Kaido, back in his human form, stood with his spiked club in hand. His usual sake gourd was nowhere to be seen, and the anger in his eyes seemed almost tangible. Beside him stood Queen and King. In front of them were a group of Beasts Pirates members, unable to hide their fearful expressions.
"Why couldn't you keep an eye on a single person!?" Kaido's voice was like a snarl, full of rage.
"..." Facing Kaido's questioning, even Queen remained silent. Perhaps only King could speak when Kaido was furious; anyone else would be courting death. Queen knew exactly how important Yamato was to Kaido. Yamato, showing exceptional talent and potential to become a king, was someone Kaido wanted to mold into the perfect weapon for the Beasts Pirates. Once Yamato was fully trained, the Beasts Pirates would have two kings of the sea, plus King, Queen, and their forces, making them the strongest power on the ocean!
But before Yamato's training was complete, the Whitebeard Pirates showed up. In their hurried retreat from Wano, the Beasts Pirates suddenly realized Yamato was missing. This was a serious problem. Queen also knew that during their retreat, Kaido had forgotten about Yamato. But he couldn't explain that—it would be like rubbing salt in Kaido's wound, and Queen didn't want to end up on Kaido's bad side.
Kaido looked coldly at his silent subordinates. After a moment, he turned to Queen.
"Queen, how's your research progressing?" Kaido's patience was wearing thin. He needed Queen to produce the first artificial Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit and integrate it into their ranks as soon as possible. Queen understood Kaido's urgency. He wanted to explain that scientific research wasn't something that could be rushed—it required time and accumulation. But Kaido only cared about results.
"Any way to speed up the process..." Queen thought to himself, feeling anxious. Suddenly, a figure flashed in Queen's mind—Vegapunk. No, not him. It was Vinsmoke Judge, who used to work alongside him under Vegapunk.