The Whitebeard Pirates' sudden assault on the Big Mom Pirates quickly spread to all corners of the world, shocking everyone.
The unexpected move by the Whitebeard Pirates, coupled with Whitebeard himself taking action after two years, left the world in astonishment. Follow current novels on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵✶𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮✶𝓷𝓮𝓽
"It's been two years. Ever since Roy took over the Whitebeard Pirates, Whitebeard himself is making a move again."
In a tavern on Elbaf, Shanks sat by the shore sipping his drink. The one speaking was Lucky Roux.
"Boss, I think it was Roy who acted. Since he didn't make a move on Charlotte Linlin himself, he must have another agenda," said Yasopp.
"He might be handling something else and let Whitebeard act. Or maybe Whitebeard moved on his own while Roy stayed home," Shanks said with a smile.
"No. The most likely scenario is that Roy has gone to Mary Geoise," Benn Beckman said, exhaling smoke.
"Mary Geoise?" The officers of the Red-Haired Pirates were startled.
"The Reverie is about to begin. His sworn enemies are the Celestial Dragons. Know thy enemy and know thyself, and you will never be defeated. If Roy plans to make a move, the first step is to learn about the power behind the Celestial Dragons. If I'm right, he'll appear at Mary Geoise," Beckman continued.
"You sound very certain," Shanks said with a grin.
"Eight or nine times out of ten, yes. With his personality, now is the perfect time to infiltrate Mary Geoise. If the World Government anticipated this, they'll reinforce security. If not, he'll likely uncover something." Beckman replied.
"The world's about to get a lot more interesting… Luffy…" Shanks lowered his head and looked into his sake jug with a soft smile, then took a big swig.
With Whitebeard's involvement, the battle ended in the Big Mom Pirates' defeat. Charlotte Linlin and Whitebeard were both severely wounded.
Marco stepped in and forcibly pulled away the still-fighting Whitebeard.
"You can't keep fighting, Pops," Marco said, dragging him away while the others bombarded Charlotte Linlin.
"Marco… I can still fight…" Whitebeard said, blood trickling from his mouth.
"If we head back now, we can see Rein. If we wait until Roy returns, we won't have time to spend with her," Marco said with a smile.
Whitebeard fell silent. Age had truly caught up to him. After not fighting for two years, the toll of age, past injuries, and overusing Marco's powers had left his body in far worse condition than even Sengoku and Garp.
Sengoku hadn't fought in years, and Garp even longer.
Whitebeard, on the other hand, had gone hungry in his youth, lived through constant battles as a pirate, and suffered more wounds than most. Just one look at the scar on his chest from his fight with someone years ago showed how worn down he was.
Marco's healing came at a cost; at seventy, Whitebeard's body was already deteriorating. By seventy-two, he needed oxygen and IVs. At seventy-four, he left the battlefield entirely, only partially recovering thanks to Roy's care.
That recent battle showed him clearly that his time had passed. 'Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to die in battle.'
But hearing Rein's name gave him pause. 'Maybe I shouldn't die yet, not until I saw more of the next generation… my grandchildrens.'
"I get it, Marco. Let's finish this quickly and head back. While Roy's not around… Rein's personality is even more like a true pirate than his brother." Whitebeard smiled.
Marco took Whitebeard to safety. Meanwhile, Charlotte Linlin faced an overwhelming assault from three dragons and a group of phoenixes. Even as an Emperor, she couldn't withstand that kind of firepower.
Worn out from her earlier fight, she was exhausted, yet still able to continue.
"She's a real monster," gritted Kingdew
"She is an Emperor after all. If we could take her down, that would be something. I don't even know how Big bro managed to beat her. Anyway, Ace has been rescued. Mission accomplished. Let's get out of here," said Blenheim.
The three dragons turned and left. Charlotte Linlin took two steps forward, then her knees buckled and she fell to the ground.
Her Homies cried out.
"Damn Whitebeard… damn Straw Hat… I won't forgive any of you!" Linlin howled, forced to watch as her whole kingdom was looted clean by the Whitebeard Pirates again.
She was like a treasure chest monster, hoarding riches for two years, only to have them stolen in a single day.
Thirty-four islands. Aside from the one she stood on, destroyed in the battle, the rest were all plundered. Especially Whole Cake Island. The treasure vaults were emptied once again.
The Whitebeard Pirates swaggered away from Totto Land, leaving behind a raging, physically and emotionally shattered Charlotte Linlin.
These 20-something hours had been a nightmare for her.
From the moment the Straw Hats ruined her banquet, smashed the nun's photo, destroyed the cake, escaped, fought Ace, and then Whitebeard…
Now she knelt helplessly on the ground, watching her life's work be stolen again.
The rage and hatred boiling within her had robbed her of all reason.
Baron Tamago rushed over, but Linlin turned and glared at him with bloodshot eyes. Before he could speak, she grabbed his soul and devoured it in one gulp.
Everyone else was too terrified to approach. In her current state, anyone who came close was dead.
Meanwhile, in a Marine fortress on the Grand Line.
Roy's disappearance had alarmed the World Government. Suspecting he might infiltrate Mary Geoise, they tightened security across the Red Port and sent out marines and agents to inspect representatives from every nation.
"Security's that tight?"
King Riku, just arriving after the Dressrosa incident, was the first to face intense inspection from both Marines and government agents.
"Apologies, King Riku. To ensure the safety of the Reverie, we ask for your cooperation," a Marine major said.
Everyone had to undergo full inspections and even touch Seastone to be cleared for entry. The World Government already had intel suggesting Roy had captured Devon alive and possibly obtained the Nine-Tails Fruit.
What they didn't know was that Roy had slipped into Mary Geoise from the Sakura Kingdom on the Grand Line's first half. Since the Marines had largely abandoned that region, surveillance there had weakened.
With marine ships now upgraded to sail directly through the Calm Belt, ships from the North and West Blue no longer needed to go over Reverse Mountain. Thanks to the focus on the Fish-Man Island route, Roy and Miro had slipped in undetected.
They successfully passed all checks and entered the Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
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