Teach's corpse was brought down.
Everyone present fell silent at the sight of the cold, lifeless body.
"Alive, we need to see the man; dead, we need to see the corpse."
That was what Whitebeard had always said: they had to take care of Teach once and for all.
Otherwise, Teach would always remain a huge threat to the Whitebeard Pirates.
Now, faced with the reality, Whitebeard said nothing.
"How do we handle this?" Roy broke the silence.
"Behead him and hang his head at the entrance," Namur growled angrily.
Pirates were far more brutal than people imagined. Publicly displaying a rotting head was nothing unusual.
Namur was among the more violent mbers of the Whitebeard Pirates. He was furious at Teach's betrayal and wanted to make an example of him.
"Let's not go that far. He's dead already. Just bury him sowhere," Thatch suggested.
"Thatch, this bastard tried to kill you." Namur snapped.
"I know. But like I said, he's dead now. No point desecrating his body," Thatch replied.
"Pops!" Marco looked to Whitebeard for the final decision.
"He's dead. Do whatever you want. I'm tired," Whitebeard said, giving Teach one last glance before turning away.
No matter what, Teach had been his son for over twenty years. Betrayed by his own son, the pain ran deep.
"Pops," The others looked on with concern as Whitebeard walked silently into the house.
"Ace."
Roy's voice snapped Ace back to attention.
"Y-Yeah? What's up, Big Bro?"
"Your firepower's strong. Burn him," Roy ordered.
"? I'm the one doing it?" Ace blinked.
"Obviously. Or should we have Marco try? His flas can't even light a cigarette. Teach's body's weird, but it's not worth studying. Burn it." Roy waved it off.
"I got it."
Ace took a deep breath, stretched out his hand toward Teach's body.
"Hidden Fla!"
Fwoooosh!
Teach's body burst into flas from the inside out. The heat was so intense that his flesh was instantly consud, leaving behind only a skeleton.
"Huh?"
Roy was startled; it looked familiar. 'Wasn't this how one of the Gorosei would burn in the future?'
Ace's mastery of the Fla-Fla Fruit had clearly grown. He'd used this technique before, like back in Alabasta, where he lit Sanji's cigarette from afar.
Now, with no visible flas, he incinerated Teach's corpse from the inside, a technique akin to a microwave, heating from within.
"Looks like you've really grown, your control over your powers is getting better and better."
With only a skeleton left, Ace stepped back.
"Thanks for the praise, Big Bro... I never thought Teach would die by your hand," Ace said, a bit disheartened.
"If he hadn't gotten the Float-Float Fruit, maybe I'd have left him for you. But the mont he obtained it, he sealed his fate," Roy replied calmly.
The Float-Float Fruit's power was too dangerous. Though it didn't boost personal combat strength like the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, it could completely break the balance of the battlefield.
Roy couldn't let him live comfortably. When the opportunity ca, he had to kill him.
rcy? Not an option.
"Rember this, Loxus is still waiting for you," Roy walked past Ace, leaving him with those words.
Ace clenched his fists. He had to get stronger. After seeing Kaido's power, he knew the gap was vast. If he wanted to rescue Loxus, he had to surpass even that monster.
....
Roy returned ho to take care of his wife.
As for Catarina Devon, Whitey Bay had heard Roy brought back a woman and went to see for herself. But upon seeing Devon's appearance, she imdiately cald down.
Roy's taste wasn't that bad. There's no way he'd fall for soone like that.
"Why'd you bring Catarina Devon back?" Whitey Bay asked.
"She's a Zoan-type Mythical Beast fruit user," Roy replied.
"Mythical Zoan... no wonder. Can you replicate it?" Whitey Bay asked curiously.
"Not sure yet. We'll see what happens."
"It's been nearly a year."
"It's only been a few months."
"What are you planning with all that seastone and Adam wood? If the giants find out, we'll be in deep trouble."
"We didn't steal it. Not our problem."
"Then what are you going to do with it?"
"Build a sea train. You saw it back in Water 7, rember?"
"You're really going through with it? Is it even suitable for the New World?"
"Our surrounding sea area is pretty calm, ideal, actually."
The Whitebeard Pirates' territory was on par with Totto Land.
That region used to be one large landmass before it was subrged, creating dozens of islands that Big Mom later claid.
Technically, it sits on a continental shelf.
Likewise, the area currently under the Whitebeard Pirates was once a single landmass, as confird by Namur's exploration. The islands share the sa general climate and are close enough to justify a sea train network.
Roy didn't venture out for a while. He stayed at the base and focused on building the sea train.
The Whitebeard Pirates had no shortage of talent. Working together, they completed the train in a month. They also contacted the Sun Pirates, and Jinbe personally led a team to help lay the sea tracks.
"I've heard of the sea train before, but this is my first ti seeing one," Jinbe said.
"I'm not sure if it'll work either, but this is how the blueprint was designed," Roy said, holding the schematic.
The sea train needed substantial floating platforms to support its weight when stationary. Once in motion, montum would keep it afloat without as much support.
"Big Bro, everything's ready," Atmos called from atop the train's engine.
"Start it up."
"Aye!"
Atmos pulled the valve, releasing steam.
The sea train was essentially coal-powered, burning coal to heat water, using steam to drive the wheels and pull the cars behind.
The engine had been enhanced by Tom, enabling incredible speeds, enough to run reliably across the sea.
Wooooootwooot!
The train roared to life, picking up speed, and shot forward. The Whitebeard Pirates erupted in cheers.
They'd done it.
They finally had their own sea train, Roy could now transport goods and people far more efficiently.
anwhile, on the Marine side…
"It's ti to announce the rise of the New Navy to the world!!!"
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu
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