"I, Whitebeard, lost. I was defeated by Kuke. Forty-five minutes and I was beaten. I'm no match for him. He's the strongest man."
True to his word, Whitebeard honored his defeat. On the very day of his loss, he instructed his sons to notify every news outlet within his territory. Onboard his own ship, before countless reporters and cameras, Whitebeard openly admitted his defeat.
The news spread like wildfire.
Boom!
The world was instantly shaken.
Everyone was left dumbfounded, questioning reality. Whitebeard's admission of defeat obliterated their understanding of the world.
"Impossible! Whitebeard lost? I can accept that, but forty-five minutes? No way!"
"Whitebeard is the strongest man alive! Losing is already shocking enough, but losing so quickly? This has to be fake!"
"There must be something we don't know. A fair one-on-one fight? Whitebeard couldn't possibly lose that fast."
Whitebeard's defeat—and his public acknowledgment of it—shook the world far more profoundly than the earlier defeats of Kaido and Charlotte Linlin.
The seas held countless people who revered Whitebeard. Just as many feared him. To see such an unshakable icon fall was a world-breaking moment.
"This is Whitebeard's own admission. It must have been a fair fight. Whitebeard would never admit defeat otherwise."
"What if he was forced?"
"Are you kidding me? Do you know who Whitebeard is? He'd rather die or lose than be forced to say anything. What do you take Whitebeard for? Some spineless coward?"
"You bastard! You want to fight me?"
"Bring it on! I'll even send my newborn daughter and wife to serve on the Dawn. Dare mess with me?"
"..."
Across the seas, the confirmation of Whitebeard's loss—and the shocking speed of it—caused hearts to thunder as if struck by lightning. The world turned upside down.
"No way, right?"
Kaido clawed at his head in frustration.
"That old hag lost in two hours. That's normal. She's always been weaker than me," Kaido muttered, continuing to believe he was stronger than Charlotte Linlin.
As a result, her loss hadn't bothered him much.
"But Whitebeard? That old bastard lost in forty-five minutes? Are you kidding me?"
Kaido was self-aware enough to know he wasn't as strong as Whitebeard. After all, he had tasted defeat at Whitebeard's hands before.
"It hasn't even been that long. Did Kuke's strength double?" Queen asked, swallowing hard.
"Queen, are you stunned now?"
Plague Quinn nudged Wildfire King.
"???"
"You had the chance to join Kuke before. You clung to the idea of dying in battle rather than joining the Sun and Moon Pirates. I never respected you for it. But now? You've earned my respect. You're stronger than me, King."
At this point, with Kuke's growing reputation, Queen was convinced that if Kuke announced a recruitment drive, pirates everywhere would lose their minds. Even members of established crews might jump ship.
Wildfire King's expression darkened, his gaze piercing. "Say one more word, and I'll kill you."
For someone as proud as King, this was an unbearable humiliation. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined a day when someone wouldn't want him on their crew.
"Heh, but if Kuke's crew offered you a place now, would you still choose death over joining?" Queen taunted.
"I… would…"
King's voice trailed off as his eyes fell on the newspaper. He found himself hesitating, questioning whether he truly had the courage to refuse.
Shaking his head, King startled himself with his own thoughts. "What am I even thinking? It's not like they'd want me anyway."
Meanwhile, Jack the Drought burst into the room with his usual brashness.
"Boss! Boss! Great news!"
"What great news?" Kaido grumbled.
"The seas are filled with praise for you, Boss!" Jack exclaimed, his face glowing with excitement.
Kaido frowned in confusion. He hadn't done anything noteworthy recently. If anything, he'd been the laughingstock of the seas for weeks.
"Why?" Kaido asked.
"Because everyone's saying you lasted the longest against Kuke! They're calling you the second strongest man on the seas!" Jack said, his tone brimming with admiration.
Following the battle in Wano, the Beasts Pirates' pride had been all but shattered. Even Jack's usual arrogance had been subdued. Now, though, a renewed sense of pride surged within him.
Even Whitebeard, the supposed strongest man, had lasted only forty-five minutes against Kuke. Kaido had held out for over four hours.
By simple comparison, their boss was superior.
"Seriously?"
Hearing this, even Kaido was taken aback. His reputation had turned around, not because of anything he had done, but because of someone else's defeat.
"This…"
Kaido's eyes widened as he began to chuckle. Then he burst into hearty laughter.
"So, getting beaten in four hours isn't disgraceful? It's an honor! A huge honor!"
The Strongest Man: Kuke
With Whitebeard's defeat, the title of the strongest man naturally shifted to Kuke.
"Kuke is the strongest man now. Even Kaido, once called the strongest creature, must yield that title to him. Charlotte Linlin has already joined the Sun and Moon Pirates. That means every title of strength on the seas now belongs to the Sun and Moon Pirates."
"Except for the strongest swordsman, right?"
"Hah! Does anyone seriously think Mihawk or Shanks have what it takes to challenge Kuke for that title? Ask them. Do they dare?"
Whether they dared or not was irrelevant. At this point, neither Shanks nor Mihawk had any intention of competing for the title of the strongest swordsman.
For Mihawk, being the strongest swordsman had been his lifelong dream. Now, he was more focused on something else entirely.
"I just want to see the gap between myself and the strongest man in the seas," Mihawk admitted.
East Blue
It wasn't until three days later that Rayleigh and his companions heard the news.
The delay wasn't due to the distance between the East Blue and the New World. Even without interference from the World Government, it took considerable time for news to travel such vast distances.
Instead, Rayleigh had assumed it would take days for Kuke and Whitebeard's battle to conclude. Only after three days did he reach out to his contacts in the New World for updates.
When he finally learned the truth, Rayleigh stood frozen, clutching his Den Den Mushi like a statue.
"What's wrong?" Jabba asked, puzzled. He had been drinking and couldn't understand why Rayleigh looked so shaken.
Any result of the battle should've been within expectations. Whitebeard winning or losing—they had already braced themselves for either outcome.
So why did Rayleigh look as if he had seen a ghost?
Jabba leaned closer in curiosity.
"Kuke won," Rayleigh finally said, his voice heavy.
Jabba's eyes widened slightly, but he wasn't overly shocked. He had considered this outcome possible.
"I didn't think he'd actually pull it off. That's terrifying," Jabba said with a sigh, clapping Rayleigh on the shoulder. "Didn't you believe in Kuke more than anyone? He won. Why do you look so haunted?"
Rayleigh turned his head slowly, his gaze locking onto Jabba's. His voice was strained as he said, "Whitebeard lost in forty-five minutes. He admitted it himself."
"What?!"
Jabba's drinking gourd slipped from his grasp, shattering on the ground. Moments later, the island was filled with exclamations of disbelief.
________________________________
DONT FORGET POWER STONE
________________________________
P/S: If you are interested, you can read up 40+ chapters at patreon.com/Emik01.
________________________________