"Sir, look! What is that?" Just as the warship was approaching the target sea area, a Marine suddenly noticed something unusual in the sky. When he looked up, he couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
Ryu, who had been resting on a deck chair, removed his sunglasses and looked up at the sky. It seemed as though the clouds had been sliced open.
"Looks like we've timed this perfectly! Get closer!" Ryu ordered.
However, when they drew near the area, they were intercepted by countless pirate ships.
"This is not a place for Marines! Get lost!" a pirate captain shouted toward Ryu's ship.
"It seems we've arrived just in time. This should be the flagship of Whitebeard and Red-Haired Shanks!" Ryu looked toward the center of the pirate fleet. There, in the middle of the sea, a massive whale ship and a dragon-headed ship were anchored, and the clouds overhead seemed to have been split apart right above them.
"Sir, should we leave now? After all, there are two of the Four Emperors here!" Lena asked in surprise.
She thought Ryu only intended to contact Whitebeard, but now they had stumbled upon a meeting between two of the Four Emperors.
Meanwhile, at Marine Headquarters in Marineford:
"What? Say that again!?" Sengoku couldn't believe his ears. The news he had just received shocked him.
"Report, sir! The area where Whitebeard and Red-Haired Shanks are meeting has a warship belonging to Rear Admiral Ryu. Although it is not flying the Marine flag, I'm sure it's him!" A Marine monitoring the meeting between Whitebeard and Red-Haired Shanks reported over the transponder snail.
"That bastard! Not only did he privately travel to the New World via Fish-Man Island, but now he dares to go there? Does he have any idea what kind of trouble he's causing? Does he understand the price of angering two of the Four Emperors?" Sengoku angrily crushed the transponder snail, causing it to fall into sleep mode.
Back with Ryu, who was facing off against the Whitebeard Pirates:
"Go tell Whitebeard. I have information about Ace to give him! Whether he wants to meet me is up to him. If he refuses, I'll leave immediately!" Ryu stood at the bow of the ship, speaking to the pirates across from him.
The pirates exchanged confused glances, unsure of what to do. It seemed too weak for them to deliver a message like this, considering the reputation of the Whitebeard Pirates.
"Send someone to inform Pops. As for this Marine, I'll keep an eye on him!" A fish-man stepped forward. He was short and stocky, with spiky hair, a number 8 tattooed on the left side of his neck, and wearing a white shirt with blue sleeves.
"That's Captain Namur of the Eighth Division!" A pirate beside him gasped, recognizing the figure.
Ryu looked at the Eighth Division Captain, Namur, and smiled, though he didn't speak.
"Jinbe has already sent word, but whether Pops will meet you is still uncertain!" Namur whispered to Ryu.
"It's fine. I believe Whitebeard will meet me!" Ryu said with a confident smile.
Sure enough, a little while later, they received a message from Whitebeard's flagship, the Moby Dick. Despite the ongoing meeting with Red-Haired Shanks, Whitebeard agreed to meet Ryu because it concerned Ace. However, he insisted that Ryu come alone.
"Lena, stay here. I'll be back shortly," Ryu instructed as he turned to Lena.
"Sir, let me accompany you!" Lena replied anxiously.
Ryu shook his head, using the Moonwalk to swiftly reach Namur's ship. Afterward, he and Namur took a small boat to board the Moby Dick.
"Father, the man is here!" Namur, the Eighth Division's fish-man captain, called out to the massive figure on the deck of the Moby Dick.
"Ah, I see~ So, you have news of my Ace?" Whitebeard chuckled, though he didn't even look at Ryu as he spoke.
"Yes, I hope you can find Ace. He's no match to Blackbeard Teach" Ryu responded, calm and undisturbed, staring at Whitebeard.
However, Ryu's words seemed to anger the rest of Whitebeard's crew. Yet, Whitebeard raised his hand, signaling for them to remain silent. Red-Haired Shanks, who sat next to him, also shot Ryu a sharp, inquisitive look, wondering what he was thinking.
"Ahahaha, who do you think you are? You really think a Marine Rear Admiral can teach me what to do?" Whitebeard's voice was filled with anger.
"I'm no longer a Marine. I'm just Ace's brother," Ryu said solemnly.
Both Whitebeard and Shanks narrowed their eyes, focusing on Ryu.
"You know just how dangerous Blackbeard is, and Shanks surely knows well too. As for Ace's identity, as his captain, you must also be aware of how sensitive it is! When the Marine called for the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Teach sent his men to Mary Geoise to vie for a spot, and I'm certain he's already targeting Ace. Whitebeard, I advise you not to gamble with Ace's life, or this situation could spiral in ways you never imagined!" Ryu said sternly.
Before he could finish, at least a dozen weapons were pointed at his head.
"Kid, I don't care who you are or what your purpose here is. You'd better remember this—this is Whitebeard's territory. Speak carefully!" Marco, the leader of the First Division, said darkly, his expression menacing.
"That's right, Ace is our family, and you can't just say a few words to turn us against him!" Diamond Jozu, the Third Division's captain, had blocked Ryu's escape route, also glaring at him.
"Hahaha, I'm really curious, kid. You can't be just an ordinary Rear Admiral, can you? You seem to know quite a lot!" Whitebeard chuckled, clearly not angry.
Shanks, though equally curious about Ryu, remained silent since they were aboard Whitebeard's ship.
"I once shared a cup of brotherhood with Ace, so I consider myself his brother. I've warned him before about Blackbeard, but it's clear he didn't take my advice seriously. From the fact that he set out alone to hunt Blackbeard, it's obvious that he trusted you more than me! With such a troublesome brother, I had no choice but to come find you, even though, given our statuses, we shouldn't have met!" Ryu replied calmly, not even flinching at the threats from the Division Captains.
"I don't know what's going on between you and that kid," Whitebeard said, glancing at Shanks before continuing, "But Teach has committed one of the biggest mistakes aboard a pirate ship, and as his captain, Ace should handle this. I don't see a problem with that, and I trust Ace! Kid, for Ace's sake, I won't make things difficult for you. Get lost!"
(TL: Don't worry you'll follow Ace to heaven if you don't stop him.)
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