Chapter 561: Cause and Effect (1)
The Edd War Sea, a region with highly changeable weather, but in the New World, such regions were abundant, so the Edd War Sea was not particularly noteworthy.
Originally, this area was just an obscure place in the New World, but over twenty years ago, a battle between the Pirate King Roger and the Golden Lion Shiki’s pirate crews in this sea made it widely known to the world.
In that battle, the forces and numbers of the Golden Lion Pirates completely overwheld Roger’s crew. However, during the conflict, a strange storm suddenly struck. While the Golden Lion Pirates had more ships and were more affected, Roger, with only one ship, took advantage of the chaos and successfully turned the tide.
This naval battle was known as the Battle of Edd War, a highly morable battle, representing not only the classic tale of the weak triumphing over the strong but also because after this battle, Shiki’s fleet was mostly destroyed, the Golden Lion Pirates suffered heavy losses, and they were no longer able to stop Roger’s advance. After defeating Shiki, Roger then traversed the New World’s route, successfully reaching the final island, Laugh Tale, and earning himself the title of Pirate King.
Although shortly thereafter, Roger disbanded his pirate crew and surrendered to the Navy, subsequently being executed in Loguetown, and his so-called title of Pirate King only lasted for two or three years, whenever people ntioned Roger, the Pirate King, they couldn’t help but recall the Battle of Edd War Sea…
And now, after more than twenty years, this area once again attracted the world’s attention. However, this ti it was not a confrontation between the Golden Lion Pirates and Roger’s crew but rather a battle between the marines and the Whitebeard Pirates.
The Edd War Sea covers an area of ????about hundreds of square nautical miles, and like other sea areas in the New World, it has its own characteristics. The most famous feature here is the hidden reefs!
Indeed, beneath the sea surface, there are countless coral reefs stretching endlessly. These coral reefs have been growing here for years, with shapes that are irregular. So are relatively short, with tens or hundreds of ters from the sea surface, while taller ones have erged above the water, forming peculiarly shaped rocks or even small islands on the sea surface.
However, more of these reefs are hidden just beneath the water’s surface in subtle positions. This makes it risky for ships navigating in this area. While smaller vessels might navigate with caution, larger ones have a significant chance of running aground.
Over the years, nurous pirate ships have fallen silent in this area due to running aground.
Of course, this doesn’t an that ships cannot navigate in this area at all. In fact, although these hidden reefs are widespread in this area, there is a certain pattern to their distribution. They radiate outward from the Edd War Island Reef Cluster at the center, which is also how this area got its na.
The Edd War Island Reef Cluster consists of thousands of coral reefs, so small enough for just a few seals to perch on, while larger ones can reach several square kiloters in size, qualifying as small islands.
Now, the Navy’s fleet of more than five hundred warships has ford a large circular formation here, surrounding the Edd War Island Reef Cluster.
Why? That’s because there’s a possibility that Whitebeard Edward Newgate might be hiding on one of the small islands among the reef cluster!
It’s worth ntioning that about two hundred nautical miles northwest of the Edd War Sea is the headquarters of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Whitebeard’s territory is extensive. In the New World, a large part of the area falls under Whitebeard’s influence. Additionally, there are enclaves like Fish-Man Island scattered throughout the Grand Line, where people fly the flag of the Whitebeard Pirates seeking refuge. If you were to count these enclaves, Whitebeard’s territory is truly unimaginably vast.
However, despite having such a huge territory, the Whitebeard Pirates have only one headquarters.
Currently, Whitebeard is not in his headquarters; instead, he is hiding among the Edd War Island Reef Cluster. The reason is simple: they are laying in ambush!
When Blackbeard Teach killed the fourth division commander Thatch and fled the Whitebeard Pirates with the stolen Devil Fruit, Whitebeard was furious. Moreover, Ace felt responsible for Teach’s actions as he was a mber of his second division. Hence, Whitebeard reluctantly agreed to let Ace go after and capture Teach.
However, Whitebeard had a bad feeling about it and instructed Ace to find Ian and go after Teach together.
It was an unexpected decision, but it saved Ace’s life. Thanks to Ian’s intervention, Ace successfully captured the Blackbeard Pirates.
Killing a comrade is a grave offense, but when Whitebeard saw Teach, he softened. While Whitebeard could be rciless towards enemies, he couldn’t bring himself to harm Teach, who had been a forr son figure on the ship for decades.
His longing for family was sothing others couldn’t fathom. Besides, isn’t there a saying, “If the son doesn’t learn, it’s the father’s fault”? During the ti before Ace went to capture Teach, Whitebeard thought a lot about this matter. In fact, he felt so self-bla for it, but he didn’t show it in front of his sons.
So, Whitebeard was quite conflicted about whether to execute Teach or not.
Even so, Teach had a hard ti during the period he was captured. He was hung by Whitebeard himself on the mast of the Moby Dick and whipped!
And it was Whitebeard himself who carried out the punishnt!
It’s a father’s duty to discipline his son, especially considering Teach’s act of killing a comrade. The division commanders like Marco and the others didn’t speak up for him; they just watched coldly.
However, what they didn’t know was that Teach witnessed this scene, which further fueled his resentnt.
Whitebeard whipping him while drinking might seem like dostic violence, but who could truly understand Whitebeard’s inner turmoil? He was rely drowning his sorrows in alcohol, fearing that without it, he might not have the heart to punish Teach…
Teach endured Whitebeard’s whipping for a full three days. These three days of torture were unimaginable, especially considering that his Dark-Dark Fruit ability only amplified his pain. It’s hard to imagine how agonizing those three days were.
When he was finally released, Teach was on the brink of collapse. He knelt weakly before Whitebeard, tears streaming down his face, begging for a chance to apologize to Whitebeard alone.
What he didn’t know was that after three days of beating him, Whitebeard’s anger had subsided, and deep down, he had already forgiven him.
Unfortunately, Teach was unaware of this. Instead, the tornt he endured over the past three days fueled a raging fire within him, driving him relentlessly toward executing his next plan.
Coincidentally, Whitebeard also needed a way out, so he agreed to Teach’s request and gestured to Marco and Ace to leave the ship temporarily.
Teach was a complicated character—wild, vulgar, ambitious yet arrogant, yet surprisingly skilled at acting. During his many years in the Whitebeard Pirates, he portrayed the image of a good person to perfection. If not for the sudden appearance of the Dark-Dark Fruit, who would have known he could be so heartless as to kill his own comrade?
This ti was no different. He knelt on the ground, tearfully confessing his mistakes to Whitebeard, claiming that he had only killed Thatch accidentally during a dispute. Afterwards, fearing punishnt, he fled the Whitebeard Pirates.
Due to Ian’s intervention, Teach didn’t follow the original historical path of capturing Ace to offer him to the Navy in exchange for the position of Warlord, so his notoriety didn’t grow. This led Whitebeard to seriously underestimate the threat he posed and ultimately believe his words.
Whitebeard had scolded him, even beaten him, but could he truly bring himself to kill his own son?
So, Whitebeard sighed, approached Teach, bent down, and extended his hand, just as he had accepted Ace and the others before, ready to welco Teach back.
However, it was precisely at this mont that Teach suddenly attacked. Without the seastone handcuffs restraining him, he swiftly drew a sailor’s knife he had hidden in his secret compartnt and viciously stabbed it into Whitebeard’s chest!
Whitebeard, completely unprepared, was instantly struck. When he was pierced, even his towering figure couldn’t help but tremble. He looked incredulously at the ferocious Teach before him.
As the knife plunged in, Teach also snapped back to reality. Seeing the anger gradually gathering in Whitebeard’s eyes, he felt fear creeping in. He quickly let go of Whitebeard and ran towards the cabin to release his companions, including Lafitte.
Whitebeard, clutching his chest, half knelt on the deck, his hands covered in blood. He watched them hastily lower the small boat, attempting to escape, while the enraged Whitebeard fiercely punched in Teach’s direction.
The five mbers of the Blackbeard Pirates were all knocked back by this punch, each spraying a mouthful of blood as they fell from the Moby Dick. However, these injuries were not enough to kill them outright. They struggled to climb into the small boat, using every last ounce of strength to row away into the distance.
Marco and Ace, who were on the island, naturally felt the impact of Whitebeard’s punch. Sensing sothing amiss, they hurried back to the ship. However, what they saw was Whitebeard lying on the ground, coughing up blood…
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