"Ahhhhhhh!!!!"
Screams echoed in the sky.
One by one, people wrapped in bear paw marks flew through the air like shooting stars.
The one screaming was Buggy.
"I didn't sign up for this!" Buggy's scream pierced the heavens.
"Why do I have to go too?!" Mr. 3 Galdino responded from nearby.
"We follow Captain Buggy's footsteps!"
"Take Whitebeard's head!"
"Captain Buggy will beco the Pirate King!"
Streaks of light shot across the sky—Jinbe, Crocodile, Mr. 1, and others were all flying through the air. Their destination was Egghead Island in the New World.
Only the mbers of the Revolutionary Army remained behind.
"Kuma, co back with us," Ivankov said.
"No, I still have sothing to do. I won't return yet," Kuma shook his head.
"Why?"
Ivankov asked in confusion.
"Father!!"
At that mont, a girl ran over.
"Father?" Ivankov stared at the young woman in her twenties, graceful and elegant, and fell into thought.
"She's... Could it be!!" Ivankov saw the shadow of Ginny, the original Eastern Commander of the Revolutionary Army, in Bonney.
"She's the child of Ginny and . Bonney, this is Ivankov," Kuma said. Bonney looked up at Ivankov. That face was so huge, it startled her at first sight.
At Kuma's side, Bonney reverted to her original age, a little girl.
"Kuma, what's going on with Bonney?" Ivankov asked in confusion.
"Bonney is the user of the Age-Age Fruit, which lets her freely alter her age," Kuma explained with a smile.
"So that's it. She really looks like Ginny," Ivankov said.
"You knew my mother?" Bonney asked in surprise.
"I've been friends with your parents for over thirty years."
...
"Who?"
Suddenly, Ivankov sensed danger and turned to look at an elderly white-haired man walking toward them.
"Excuse , I'd like to ask, where did you just send Straw Hat Luffy?" The man was none other than Silvers Rayleigh.
"I sent him to Amazon Lily," Kuma replied.
"Amazon Lily?!" Rayleigh paused for a mont. He was quite familiar with that place, his forr lover used to be the empress of the island.
"Thanks," Rayleigh nodded and turned to leave.
"Who is that? He looks kind of familiar," Ivankov whispered.
"The Dark King, Silvers Rayleigh," Kuma explained.
"The Dark King Rayleigh? Roger's right-hand man?!" Ivankov exclaid.
"The Pirate King's first mate…" Bonney looked in the direction Rayleigh left. She'd heard of him before, but never thought she'd see such a living legend in person.
"I'll take you all back now," Kuma offered.
"No need. We'll sail back ourselves, it's not that far," Ivankov replied.
"Alright. I'm taking Bonney to Egghead," Kuma said.
"Why? Isn't a war about to break out there? Even if you're no longer part of the Revolutionary Army, what are you going there for?" Ivankov asked, concerned.
"I need to find Dr. Vegapunk and ensure his safety," Kuma replied.
"Alright, I'm heading back. If the World Governnt shows up, it'll be a problem. You'd better leave soon, too," Ivankov said.
"Goodbye!"
Kuma left with Bonney, and Ivankov led his Revolutionary Army subordinates away from Sabaody Archipelago.
As for Rayleigh, he too rowed his small boat away from the archipelago.
The New World was eerily quiet.
Roy had received news about the Impel Down incident.
If soone escaped from Impel Down, there was no way to keep it a secret.
"Bold move, breaking into Impel Down…" Whitebeard laughed upon hearing the intel. "That guy, the red-nosed… I rember now, he used to be that brat around Roger, the one hanging with Shanks."
"Pops, his na's Buggy," Marco laughed.
"Right, Buggy. That guy with Red-Haired Shanks… Roy, the Marine, has already made their move. Once the exchange happens, I fear..." Whitebeard looked at Roy.
"Yeah, as expected, they'll likely launch a war against us," Roy nodded.
"Then we must prepare," Whitebeard said.
"Non-combatants return to base. Combat personnel stay. All allied pirate crews aside from the Whitebeard Pirates must evacuate from Egghead and hide near the vicinity. If war breaks out, encircle the island and attack from the periter," Roy ordered.
Fifteen division commanders and over forty pirate captains of the Whitebeard fleet were present.
"Do as Roy says," Whitebeard declared.
"Pops, what are we afraid of? Let's just fight them head-on!" Aruwan shouted.
"Yeah, no need to wait for them to make the first move, we can strike first!" Karma agreed.
"Are you all deaf?! This is a plan, you single-minded fools! Are you ignoring my orders now?" Whitebeard glared at them, visibly irritated.
"Pops, they an well. Don't bla them too much," Marco said.
"Don't worry, we'll be fully prepared. Once the fighting starts, we'll hold them off while you guys storm in from the rear. We'll crush their entire fleet," Jozu said.
"We'll follow Pops's orders," Squard added.
"When I'm gone, whether you go independent or stay with the crew, I want one thing, listen to Roy. Roy is the Vice Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates, and I will pass on the position of captain to him in the future.
If you don't agree, you're free to leave the Whitebeard Pirates now. Roy will let you go," Whitebeard said sincerely.
"Pops!!"
Even though they knew it would co to this, many of the captains found it hard to accept.
Except for the captains who had already split off from the main crew, most were unhappy with Roy.
If it were Marco or Ace, they wouldn't have minded. But Roy?
Even if Roy had been Whitebeard's first companion, they still wouldn't accept him.
Whitebeard could tell what they were thinking. Since that's how they felt, he wouldn't persuade them. After the exchange, he would hand power to Roy—they would understand then.
The eting ended. Whitebeard dismissed the others, keeping only the division commanders and Roy behind.
"If I'm gone, you'll need to step up," Whitebeard said.
"Everyone has their fate. If you're gone, I might not be around either. Don't overthink it. Live well. Without you, this family falls apart," Roy said.
"You're still too low-key. Always have been. That's why they don't acknowledge you," Whitebeard said.
"I never agreed to be vice-captain. My life didn't have a purpose. If I hadn't t you guys, I'd probably be living quietly sowhere," Roy said, shrugging.
"Your ambition matches mine. That's why I want you to take care of this family after I'm gone."
"Don't worry—I won't let you die."
...
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu
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