The sea had finally calmed.
"It's not good, Dad fell into the sea! Saqi, Vista, hurry up and fish Dad out!" Marco shouted from the sky, his wings flapping urgently.
"Don't worry, we're looking for him," came the reassuring response from Saqi and Vista. "The waves are coming too fast and too strong. Daddy will be fine!"
The non-Devil Fruit users immediately jumped into the sea, searching for Whitebeard.
But then, with a violent crash, the sea exploded.
Whitebeard shot out of the water, stepping on Moonwalk, and hovered in the air.
Seeing this, everyone's eyes widened in shock.
"What's going on? Dad actually came out of the sea by himself?"
Wasn't Whitebeard a Devil Fruit user? How could he stand in the sea?
Marco, flapping his wings, flew up to Whitebeard, staring at him in disbelief.
"Gu la la la~" Whitebeard laughed heartily. He patted Marco on the shoulder and smiled, "My son, are you wondering why I'm not bound by the sea anymore?"
"Yeah, Dad, what the hell happened?" Marco asked, filled with questions. It wasn't just him—everyone was confused.
"Gu la la la~ Actually, I don't really know," Whitebeard chuckled. "When I fell into the sea, I thought I was finished. But something inside me made me struggle to swim to the surface. To my surprise, my old swimming ability returned, and I was able to reach the surface easily again."
Whitebeard explained what had just happened.
"By the way, not only that, I can use my Devil Fruit power even in the sea!" Whitebeard said, his voice full of excitement.
"Really? Dad, you're no longer bound by the sea?" The captains were all stunned.
If Whitebeard wasn't restricted by the sea, his strength would grow even greater. Especially against other Devil Fruit users—he could now use his powers without worrying about the sea holding him back.
"This is amazing!" one of the pirates exclaimed. "Dad is truly blessed!"
"Even God is watching over him!" another added.
"Hahaha! God bless the Whitebeard Pirates!" they all laughed joyously.
But as the crew celebrated, a voice cut in awkwardly: "Um, I don't want to ruin the mood, but... I don't seem to be bound by the sea either."
Joz, the third division captain, raised his hand, looking embarrassed.
The crew turned to Joz, puzzled.
To their surprise, Joz's upper body was floating above the water while his lower half remained submerged, clearly swimming!
"Wait, what?" Whitebeard rubbed his forehead in confusion. Just a moment ago, he thought he was the only one with such a miracle. Now, his son had outdone him.
"That's... embarrassing," he muttered under his breath.
Marco frowned, deep in thought. A moment later, he flew straight toward the sea.
"Marco, what are you doing?" several voices cried out in alarm.
Marco was a Devil Fruit user—falling into the sea would be dangerous for him.
With a splash, Marco dove headfirst into the water.
"Go save Marco!" someone shouted.
But to everyone's surprise, Marco burst out of the sea with a splash and soared back into the sky.
"What?!"
Seeing this, the crew was in shock.
Marco had freed himself from the sea's curse, just like Whitebeard.
"No way, it looks like all Devil Fruit users are free from the sea's grip!" Marco shouted, hovering in the air.
As Marco's words sank in, other Devil Fruit users jumped into the sea one after another. Moments later, they all resurfaced, grinning in amazement.
"My God, we're really free from the sea's shackles!" one pirate exclaimed.
"Oh my God, now we can swim anytime we want!" another cheered.
"Hahaha, this feels amazing!" they laughed, their joy infectious.
For Devil Fruit users, not being able to swim was a constant burden. As pirates, they spent their lives on the sea, always having to avoid falling into it. But now, they were free.
Finally, they could swim as they pleased.
Meanwhile, inside the Pongle Castle in Mariejois, the Marines sensed that the earthquake had stopped.
"Of course, everything calms down once the marshal takes action!" everyone thought, believing the disappearance of the earthquake was due to Finn's earlier actions.
Admiring Finn even more, they all looked to him in reverence.
Finn slowly opened his eyes and surveyed the room.
"Don't worry, everyone. I already know what happened," he said, his voice calm.
Sengoku quickly stepped forward. "Finn, what's going on? The Red Line has landed—it's at the same height as the other islands now. How could that have happened?"
Finn smiled slightly. "I saw the situation at the far end of the sea through my farsightedness. As for the fusion of worlds, I don't want to reveal it just yet. It's still too shocking, and people might panic or become suspicious."
Sengoku, still confused, asked, "What's happening, then?"
Finn gave a thoughtful pause. "I saw a large landmass at the edge of the sea. Many people live there, and some are very strong... I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing."
He rubbed his forehead with a slightly worried expression, leaving the rest of the room wondering what was coming next.