The Sea Near Wanokuni
After a week of sailing, the Moby Dick finally reached the waters near Wanokuni. On the deck, Whitebeard stood at the bow of the ship, his massive frame holding a naginata, as he squinted at the island ahead. Wanokuni's unique geographical location made it a formidable place to reach. The island sat high above sea level, surrounded by towering waterfalls that poured the inland sea down into the ocean below. To reach Wanokuni, outsiders had two options: scale the waterfall and swim upstream, or possess the ability to fly.
"Dad!" Marco's voice echoed from above. The First Division commander, in his phoenix form, soared above the Moby Dick, his body engulfed in cyan flames as he kept watch. "Something's approaching quickly from behind us!"
"Behind?" Diamond Jozu's eyes widened in surprise as he turned to face the direction Marco indicated. Many of the captains followed suit, their expressions tense.
Whitebeard frowned, his sharp gaze locking onto the horizon behind the ship. Above the sea level, a dark shadow rapidly approached from the sky. As it drew nearer, the shadow grew larger and more distinct, gradually revealing a ferocious, unmistakable figure.
"Kaido!" exclaimed a member of the 2nd Division, a Certain fat man with dark skin. "Kaido is so despicable, attacking us from behind!"
This man was none other than Marshall D. Teach.
"No, that's not Kaido! It's... what's that dragon called?" Marco corrected, his keen eyes focusing on the approaching figure. Shifting from his full phoenix form, Marco returned to his hybrid form, his arms now wings that flapped to keep him aloft. "There's someone riding on the dragon's head!" he added, his tone urgent.
As the crew discussed this unexpected development, a sudden, overwhelming force descended upon them.
Boom!
A colossal wave of Conqueror's Haki swept over the Moby Dick, causing the sun in the sky to be obscured by gathering black clouds. The light dimmed rapidly, casting an eerie shadow over the sea.
"Gurararaa... It's that kid, the scientist Edie," Whitebeard chuckled, his eyes narrowing as he recognized the source of the Haki. Without hesitation, he unleashed his own Conqueror's Haki, creating a powerful clash between the two forces. The air crackled with manic black lightning as the two realms of Haki collided, each trying to dominate the other.
The tension in the atmosphere grew palpable, the energy from their clash pushing against one another like two massive, hollow spheres squeezing together. Finally, with a thunderous roar, a massive wave, tens of meters high, erupted from the sea.
"As expected of Whitebeard," Edie remarked, standing atop Chenlong's head, his voice carrying a note of admiration.
"First time we meet, my name is Edie, and I am a scientist."
Edie stood tall atop the dragon's head, his hands casually tucked into his pockets as he introduced himself with a polite, almost nonchalant tone. His gaze swept over Whitebeard and the formidable captains gathered on the deck of the Moby Dick.
The Whitebeard Pirates boasted 16 captains, with only 15 present now after the death of Kozuki Oden, the former 2nd Division Captain. Among them, a few stood out even more prominently:
The First Division Captain, Marco the "Phoenix." The Third Division Captain, Jozu the "Diamond." The Fifth Division Captain, Vista the "Foil."
These three, in particular, radiated a sense of power that even Edie couldn't ignore. As he assessed them, Whitebeard and his crew were also sizing him up.
A man arriving on a dragon.
A man who met Whitebeard's Conqueror's Haki head-on.
Before Whitebeard could speak, Marco's expression darkened. "What's wrong with you guys? Don't just throw Conqueror's Haki around like that! What if you knock out the crew?"
Edie tilted his head slightly and smirked. "Chenlong, mind your manners. Don't go flaunting your Conqueror's Haki unnecessarily. We wouldn't want to scare the children."
"My apologies, Heavenly Father," Chenlong responded obediently.
Marco was left speechless, his feathers visibly ruffled. "Hey, hey, hey, that's not the right person to apologize to!" he snapped, his irritation clear. He was on the verge of launching an attack when Whitebeard's laughter rumbled across the deck.
"Gurarara... Scientist boy, what brings you here?" Whitebeard asked, his eyes narrowing with curiosity.
"That's a strange question, Whitebeard," Edie replied, his smile unwavering. "I should be the one asking you—what are you doing here?"
The tone of his voice instantly shifted the atmosphere. The captains exchanged uneasy glances, their faces growing serious.
Whitebeard's expression hardened, his gaze sharpening. "From your tone, it sounds like you're planning to stop me."
"Yeah, it wasn't my business originally," Edie said with a light chuckle, discarding any pretense. "Ignorance isn't a crime, Whitebeard, but Kaido owes me 200 billion beli."
"What?" The captains were stunned, their minds struggling to grasp the staggering amount Edie had just mentioned.
Marco flapped his wings, his disbelief evident. "Stop lying! Do you even understand how much 200 billion is? That's an unimaginable amount of money!"
"Exactly," Edie said calmly. "As Kaido's biggest creditor, I can't just sit back and watch him get killed by you. If he dies, who's going to pay me back? So... how about you turn around and go back to where you came from?"
"Don't be ridiculous! Who do you think you are, bastard!" Marco shouted, his anger boiling over as he launched himself at Edie. His right leg morphed into a phoenix's claw, aimed directly at Edie.
"Boro breath!" Chenlong opened its massive jaws, unleashing a fiery blast of dragon's breath.
Boom!
The scorching flames engulfed Marco mid-air. A charred figure fell from the sky and landed with a heavy thud on the deck. In mere moments, Marco regenerated, but his expression was grim.
"Damn... Dad, this guy's power is just like Kaido's Dragon Breath!" Marco growled, visibly shaken by the encounter.
"Really? It seems it's not just a superficial resemblance," Whitebeard mused, his confusion deepening. Devil Fruits were supposed to be unique—how could there be another Azure Dragon Fruit? But even more puzzling was why Edie was here, trying to stop him.
"Hey, kid," Whitebeard began.
"I'm not a kid, and I'm certainly not a 'boy.' Stinky old man, call me Dr. Edie," Edie interjected with a smirk.
"Gurarara... You're a rude one, Dr. Edie," Whitebeard chuckled, his grin widening. "So, you want me to leave? What if I say no?"
"If you don't want to leave, that's fine. I won't stop you," Edie replied nonchalantly.
"Ah?" The crew was stunned. What was Edie playing at? They expected a fight, not a negotiation.
Edie's tone grew more serious. "It's simple. I don't think the Beasts Pirates can defeat the Whitebeard Pirates right now. But let's say, hypothetically, you win and Kaido loses miserably. Then, the 200 billion beli he owes me would fall on your Whitebeard Pirates—20 billion per year for 10 years."
The atmosphere grew even tenser as the captains' faces darkened. Whitebeard's laughter boomed, but there was an edge to it now. "Gurarara... You've got guts, kid. But you're playing a dangerous game."
A powerful punch erupted through the air, aiming directly at the person and dragon hovering in the sky.
Crack!
The atmosphere shattered like glass, and the force of the vibration was channeled into a straight line, targeting Edie with devastating precision.
Roar!
Chenlong roared, unleashing a terrifying wind pressure that swept across the sea. In the next moment, the dragon flicked its massive tail, countering Whitebeard's punch with a thunderous strike.
Boom!!
The collision of these two immense forces created a shockwave that spread outward, causing towering waves hundreds of meters high to surge on both sides of the impact zone.
"He actually blocked Pop's attack!"
"Impossible... how is this even possible?"
"Does this dragon have the same strength as Kaido!?"
The Whitebeard Pirates' captains gasped in disbelief, unable to conceal their shock. Even Whitebeard himself was taken aback.
No wonder they dared to confront him, threatening to make him inherit Kaido's debt... Their strength was formidable!
But as Whitebeard focused on Edie, who stood calmly atop the dragon with his hands behind his back, he noticed something unsettling. Edie seemed entirely unperturbed, showing no intention of joining the battle.
"You think you can start a war with me with just the strength of two people? There's a limit to underestimating someone! Who do you think I am!?" Whitebeard roared, his Conqueror's Haki surging to new heights.
Black lightning crackled around him, violently exploding in the air. With a deafening bang, Chenlong's tail was blasted away, forcing the dragon back.
Edie sighed, turning a ring on his left little finger with a sense of regret. "Chenlong is indeed no match for you, Whitebeard," he admitted. "But... you don't want to leave, and you refuse to take on the debt. That puts me in a difficult position."
Time Fruit Activate!
As he spoke, he raised his right hand, his thumb and index finger poised to snap.
"What's he trying to do?" Marco frowned, sensing danger. "Be careful!"
The pirates braced themselves, their eyes locked on Edie. But Whitebeard's expression suddenly changed, his top-tier Observation Haki giving him a brief glimpse into the near future.
"Stop...!" Whitebeard bellowed, but Edie ignored him. With a swift motion, Edie snapped his fingers.
Snap.
The sound was crisp, but to the Whitebeard Pirates, it seemed like nothing happened. For a brief moment, there was only confusion.
Then, there was a flash of white light.
The Moby Dick, their massive three-masted sailboat, vanished without a trace, leaving everyone in midair.
Screams of shock echoed across the sea as thousands of pirates plummeted into the water.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The sound of bodies hitting the water was continuous, and chaos ensued. "I'm a Devil Fruit user! Save me!" Jozu shouted, flailing as he tried to grab onto something, anything, to keep from drowning.
Even Whitebeard found himself falling into the sea, his massive form splashing down with a great roar.
In the midst of this chaos, no one could comprehend what had just occurred.
"Asshole!" Marco shouted in disbelief, his eyes wide as he flapped his wings, rushing to catch Whitebeard before he sank. "What did you do?"
Edie chuckled softly, his voice barely audible over the chaos. "Just teaching you a little lesson."
The scene was utter pandemonium. Thousands of pirates floated in the sea, desperately trying to rescue their comrades who were Devil Fruit users and couldn't swim.
Whitebeard's expression was grim as he struggled to understand. "What kind of ability is this?" he demanded.
"I'm not in the habit of explaining things to others," Edie replied, looking down at Whitebeard from above. "Since you don't want to leave, go ahead into Wano and do as you please. I won't stop you."
With that, Chenlong ascended, grabbing Edie with its dragon claws and swiftly flew towards Wanokuni.
The pirates left in the sea could only watch as Edie and his dragon disappeared into the distance.
From atop the dragon's head, Edie glanced back at the Whitebeard Pirates, a long, echoing voice drifting down from the sky.
"If you kill Kaido, you will inherit the 200 billion debt. This is not a request; it's a notification."
"Farewell, Whitebeard..."