"Dad!"
Seeing the massive explosion on the screen, the Whitebeard Pirates panicked.
Although they were confident in Whitebeard's strength, in the face of such a terrifying explosion, even they couldn't be sure that Whitebeard would come out unscathed.
"Calm down! Why are you panicking?"
Marco addressed the anxious crew of the Whitebeard Pirates. Then he turned and looked at the huge mushroom cloud rising over Lodestar Island, calmly saying, "If you're worried about Dad, let's just go over there ourselves."
"Yeah, let's go help Dad."
"Idiot, does Dad really need our help? Don't forget, Dad is in peak condition. Let's go welcome him back as the victorious hero!"
"That's right, we're here to greet our triumphant Dad."
"Hahaha…"
Laughter filled the deck of the Moby Dick as the members of the Whitebeard Pirates relaxed. In their eyes, a peak-condition Whitebeard was invincible.
Just as the Whitebeard Pirates were about to set sail for Lodestar Island, a grand and imposing ship descended from the sky, blocking their path.
On the deck of the Sea Sovereign, Vista and the others stared at the large fleet of Whitebeard's ships.
Marco and the others stared back.
The two sides locked eyes across the distance.
"As agreed, we're here to pick up our companion."
Brook stepped forward and looked at Bonney, who was closely guarded by Marco and the others on the Moby Dick.
Hearing Brook's words, many of the Whitebeard Pirates' faces darkened. Silently, they gripped their weapons.
No words were exchanged, but the tension in the air was palpable.
The Whitebeard Pirates knew that Whitebeard's current state was closely tied to that pink-haired woman. As long as she didn't undo her ability, Whitebeard could remain at his peak. But if she released her hold, the peak-condition Whitebeard would be gone, replaced by the frail old man who relied on medical treatment to survive.
In a battlefield swarming with monsters, Whitebeard's condition deteriorating to that extent would be disastrous.
"Marco."
Jozu looked at Marco, his eyes asking for guidance.
The meaning was clear: Marco should make the decision.
Everyone in the Whitebeard Pirates understood that Marco would be the next captain after Whitebeard. He had proven he could take on that role with his strength and actions. So when Whitebeard wasn't around, Marco's orders were final, and most of the crew had no objections.
"No problem."
After brief consideration, Marco smiled at Brook and agreed.
"Marco!"
"Marco!"
Several members of the Whitebeard Pirates protested.
"This is my decision. Do any of you have objections?"
Marco turned and looked seriously at those who had spoken up.
Facing Marco's calm gaze, the ones who wanted to keep Bonney fell silent, avoiding his eyes.
"Jozu!"
Marco called out to Diamond Jozu, who nodded and quickly brought Bonney out from the group.
"She's unharmed. Also, thanks for your help," Marco said with a smile to Brook.
"No need to thank us. It's just following the captain's orders. Don't worry, Whitebeard's ability won't be removed today."
Without further ado, Brook took Bonney back onto the Sea Sovereign.
As the ship was about to take off, a figure was tossed from it, landing in front of the Moby Dick.
"That guy—our captain is returning him to you. Also, a word of advice: the Navy has arrived in this area. If you don't want the Whitebeard Pirates wiped out, you'd better leave quickly."
With that message, the Sea Sovereign sped away.
At that moment, the figure landed on the deck of the Moby Dick.
Marco recognized the person as the Supernova Ace, whom Nicholas had asked him to capture earlier.
"Damn it! Don't let me catch you guys again!"
Ace shouted, but then he noticed the entire Whitebeard Pirates crew staring at him.
"Uh… hi, everyone."
Awkwardly, Ace realized no one was paying attention to him. Instead, they seemed to be arguing among themselves.
"Marco, don't you realize how important that person is? How could you just hand them over so easily!?"
"Exactly! With that ability, Dad could completely free himself from his illness! The Whitebeard Pirates would return to their peak strength!"
"Enough!"
Blenhiem shouted, cutting off the chatter.
"Are you all done?"
Marco slowly asked the group, who fell silent.
Seeing no one speak, Marco looked in the direction where the Sea Sovereign had left.
"You think I don't want Dad to stay healthy? But do you even know who we're dealing with? If we really fought them, do you think we'd stand a chance?
To be blunt, if a fight had broken out, besides me and Jozu, , the rest of you would probably be dead!"
The deck of the Moby Dick fell silent. The crew now realized that the Whitebeard Pirates' strength lay in Whitebeard and the commanders. But even they had suffered heavy losses recently.
If they had gone to war with the infamous Nicholas Pirates just now, Marco's words might have been true—they could have all died!
Meanwhile, in the waters near Lodestar Island, the distant horizon began to reveal the sails and silhouettes of navy warships.
"Marco, it's the Navy Grand Fleet!"
The lookout on the Moby Dick shouted, peering through his telescope.
Hearing the report, Marco immediately leapt up beside the lookout and grabbed the telescope. With some adjustments, he saw the densely packed Navy fleet in the distance.
"Attention everyone! Notify the other ships—the Navy is here!"
Marco quickly gave the order.
The Whitebeard Pirates' fleet responded instantly.
At the same time, viewers worldwide hadn't even recovered from the shock of the terrifying explosion caused by Kaido and Whitebeard when they saw the Navy's arrival.
"Admiral Akainu Sakazuki!"
"Admiral Kizaru Borsalino!"
"Admiral Aokiji Kuzan!"
"Vice Admiral Tsuru!"
"Vice Admiral and Admiral Candidate Fujitora Issho!"
"Vice Admiral and Admiral Candidate Momousagi Gion!"
"Vice Admiral and Admiral Candidate Chaton Tokikake!"
"Vice Admiral Doberman!"
"Vice Admiral Onigumo!"
…
"And that green-haired tattooed guy next to Tokikake, whose name I don't know!"
Seeing the appearance of one renowned Navy figure after another, viewers realized with a jolt that this battle might truly shape the course of the world!
[AN - Guys we are about a 100 chs away from the end of this story, So i have to prepare future works. What should i work on next? Naruto, One piece, Cultivation, or something else? pls give your Opinion.]