Sitting beside Zephyr's hospital bed, Claudius held a cup of hot tea in his hands, his expression thoughtful.
"Is Edward Weevil really Newgate's son?" Claudius asked while taking a sip of tea.
Sengoku shook his head and replied, "There are too many people on the sea claiming to be the children of famous pirates. Let tell you, Your Highness, there are even people claiming to be Roger's son."
For a brief mont, a flicker of embarrassnt flashed across Claudius's face. anwhile, Garp, chewing on a senbei, pretended to know nothing.
Sengoku, oblivious to the unspoken exchange, continued, "Marine doesn't have any concrete information on Weevil's parentage either."
"You haven't investigated?" Claudius asked.
"No progress," Sengoku admitted. "Unless we capture him and conduct a blood test with Newgate, we can't say for sure."
But Claudius knew that approach was practically useless. Even if Weevil turned out to be Whitebeard's biological son, what difference would it make?
"Regardless of his lineage, there's no doubt that he's extrely powerful," Sengoku said, his tone serious.
Zephyr nodded in agreent. "That's true."
"The reports I received say that he defeated you. Is that…?" Claudius trailed off, hesitating.
He had almost blurted out 'How strong can soone be if they managed to defeat you?' but realized how tactless that would sound.
Zephyr, however, didn't seem bothered. He waved a hand dismissively and said, "Looking back, maybe that was part of his 'strategy.'"
Claudius raised an eyebrow.
Everyone on the sea knew that Weevil was not a strategic thinker. And yet, he managed to land a decisive blow on Zephyr?
"It was his… mother? Or whatever she is to him," Zephyr said with a hint of frustration. "That woman shouted for him to surrender, and Weevil actually stopped. When I let my guard down, she suddenly gave the order to attack again, and he followed without hesitation. I didn't even have ti to react."
It was understandable. Zephyr had never fought Weevil before and wasn't familiar with his erratic behavior. To be caught off guard like that was unfortunate but not entirely surprising.
Hearing Zephyr's explanation, Claudius understood the situation. Weevil's imnse strength wasn't exaggerated, even if his intelligence was lacking. His raw power alone made him a dangerous foe.
"That guy… He might actually have the sa level of strength Whitebeard had in his youth," Zephyr said, almost as if he didn't want to believe it.
Garp, munching on another senbei, casually added, "He's tough as hell too."
"When he was carrying his mother and retreating, I landed at least three full-power punches on him," Garp said. "And yet, he didn't seem too badly hurt. At least, not on the surface. His body is sothing else. He might be another monster."
From a purely physical standpoint, Weevil was an anomaly. The injuries he had sustained, ones that should have been fatal, seed to barely slow him down. His body bore stitched-up wounds that would have killed an ordinary man ten tis over.
"There's a chance it's an ability," Zephyr speculated. "But we don't know what it is."
"Unlimited strength, insane durability, and the ability to release shockwaves," Garp listed off. "No signs of transformation, no elental traits. That rules out Zoan and Logia abilities… unless he's got a Mythical Zoan."
Claudius wasn't particularly interested in breaking down Weevil's abilities. Instead, he said, "No matter how strong he is, that's not a reason to let him go unpunished."
At those words, the room fell silent.
Claudius sighed. "You're all worried about Whitebeard, aren't you?"
Sengoku t Claudius's gaze, then nodded. "That's right."
"Your Highness, Marine has made great progress in the New World, but compared to the likes of Whitebeard, we still have a long way to go. If we take action against Weevil and Whitebeard intervenes, we could spark an all-out war. That's not in our best interest."
Claudius murmured, "A head-on battle with Whitebeard in the New World would indeed be risky… So, are you saying you want to back down?"
"Absolutely not," Sengoku said firmly. "From the beginning, I said we need to take a long-term approach, not that we should abandon retribution. If we don't take action, how would Marine retain its credibility after what happened to Zephyr?"
Garp grinned. "It's not about avoiding revenge, it's about being smart about it. We can't let this slide, or Marine will lose face."
Claudius had initially assud that Marine wouldn't act on Zephyr's behalf. After all, in the original tiline, they had let the matter drop, even going so far as to make Weevil a Warlord. That inaction had driven Zephyr to go rogue and beco a radical threat to Marine itself.
But looking at Sengoku and Garp now, Claudius realized that Marine wouldn't stay idle after all. Perhaps in this version of events, things would play out differently.
"You've got a plan, don't you?" Claudius asked.
"This could be an opportunity," Sengoku said, his eyes gleaming with calculation.
Zephyr remained silent, lost in thought.
Claudius furrowed his brows. "An opportunity? You're thinking of making a move on Whitebeard?"
"Why not?" Sengoku asked, raising an eyebrow.
Claudius chuckled. "Oh, I'm not against it. Marine hunting pirates, that's completely reasonable."
After a pause, he continued, "But weren't you just saying you wanted to avoid an all-out fight?"
"That's for a disorderly battle," Sengoku explained. "But if we can arrange things on our terms, that changes everything."
Claudius nodded in understanding. "So what's the plan?"
Sengoku chuckled. "It's only been a few days. There's no plan yet, just an idea. Right now, we're just discussing intentions, so there's no need to worry."
Claudius froze for a mont. This again?
The last ti Sengoku said sothing was rely an "intention," it was the precursor to an elaborate sche that took down Big Mom. And now he was pulling the sa stunt?
Sengoku seed to sense Claudius's skepticism and coughed awkwardly. "I an it this ti, there really isn't a detailed plan yet. Don't get the wrong idea."
"…Fine, I'll believe you this ti," Claudius muttered.
Sengoku continued, "The idea is to use Weevil as a focal point, to uncover his true relationship with Newgate, or better yet, to stir up conflict between Whitebeard's biological son and his 'adopted' sons."
"If a fight breaks out among them, and a few get taken out in the process… well, let's see how Newgate reacts."
Sengoku's tone was casual, but his intent was anything but.
Claudius was montarily stunned. Damn, that's cold.
Assuming Weevil really is Whitebeard's biological son, you're planning to have him kill off Whitebeard's adopted sons just to see how the old man reacts?
That's ruthless… but honestly, kind of genius.
Of course, whether or not it would work was another matter. Pirates weren't exactly known for playing by logical rules.
Zephyr finally spoke up, turning to Claudius. "Your Highness, what do you think?"
Claudius smirked and said, "Well, since you're on board with it, I have no objections."
***
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