On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Alvida spoke fluently and at ease.
"From what I can surmise, 'Blackbeard' probably intends to kill Weevil, obtain the reborn Gura Gura no Mi—the Tremor-Tremor Fruit—and give it to one of his crewmates to enhance their combat power."
"However, since a Devil Fruit's ability reincarnates randomly after the user's death, no one truly knows how Blackbeard can be certain that by killing Weevil, he'll be able to seize the Gura Gura no Mi successfully."
"In short, Blackbeard wants to kill Weevil, Weevil wants to kill Ace, and Ace seeks to kill Blackbeard—to avenge the captain and crewmates who perished by his betrayal."
"This three-way clash resulted in heavy casualties. On the 'Whitebeard Remnants' side, the 6th Division Captain Blamenco and the infamous traitor Captain Squard both fell in battle."
"Many members of the 'Blackbeard Pirates' were wounded, and even 'Whitebeard Jr.' Weevil sustained serious injuries."
"As the battle dragged on, with both sides suffering grievous losses—and with Admiral Kizaru, Borsalino, leading an army of Pacifistas en route—the three sides finally ceased fighting."
"This conflict came to be known as the War of Inheritance, since all three main combatants were tied to Whitebeard in one way or another—and each sought to claim his 'legacy.'"
When Alvida finished speaking, the room fell into silence.
Everyone was quietly digesting the shocking and unexpected news.
This turn of events left the Blackbeard Pirates without gain, Whitebeard Jr. gravely wounded, and the Whitebeard Remnants in an even more desperate situation.
It was also clear that, in the foreseeable future, these three forces would clash again, gradually turning their struggle into a prolonged war of attrition—until one side finally broke the stalemate.
No one had expected that, after the "Paramount War," the once-mighty Whitebeard remnants, left leaderless, would fall into such dire straits.
But Davy Jones only laughed.
"Alvida, keep monitoring that situation. Report any new intelligence to me. For now, I'll continue the strategy meeting."
"Yes, Captain," Alvida replied.
After Davy Jones hung up, many present finally understood why he had laughed.
On one hand, the conflict between the Whitebeard Remnants, Blackbeard Pirates, and Whitebeard Jr. had nothing to do with the Davy Jones Pirates.
On the other hand, the greater the Whitebeard remnants' desperation, the more they would be forced to reconsider the alliance proposal they had once brought to Davy Jones—questioning whether it had been sincere enough… or sufficient.
Of course, they could also seek help from the remaining Three Emperors—but while Shanks might be open to negotiation, Kaido and Charlotte Linlin would certainly demand a steep price.
And if you don't take advantage of a crisis, can you even call yourself a pirate?
The best ally the Whitebeard Remnants could hope for would still be either the Davy Jones Pirates or the Red-Haired Pirates.
And given proximity, the Davy Jones Pirates were the most convenient choice.
Now it was all up to Ace and Marco—and how they decided to handle it.
Davy Jones had no intention of approaching them first; patience was one of his greatest virtues.
Just like those who had once offered him their souls, those who had signed pacts with him, and those who bore his curse—no matter where they fled, one day, they would all return to him.
Turning around, Davy Jones looked back at Law and said calmly,
"Now then, continue. What was this 'anomaly' you mentioned?"
Everyone snapped back to attention, remembering the meeting's original purpose, and focused their eyes on Law once again.
"It's about the defenses at Punk Hazard Island," Law said succinctly, his tone steady and unreadable.
"Though it's long been a restricted zone, it was never guarded by the Marines. Outsiders could come and go freely."
"Clearly, the World Government had no intention of cleaning up the poisonous gas or restoring the environment—they simply chose to abandon it."
"However, about a week ago—right when you departed from Thriller Ghost Island to head for Black Pearl Island—several Marine warships sailed in and surrounded Punk Hazard on all sides."
"Our scouts couldn't get close, but they did manage to trace the origins of those Marines. It turns out most of them were from the nearby Marine branch—'G-5.'"
At the mention of the "G-5 Branch," Drake's expression stiffened slightly, but he quickly masked his reaction, cautiously glancing around to see if anyone noticed.
Luckily, no one was looking his way.
"The base commander of the G-5 Branch is Vice Admiral Vergo," Law continued.
"And his subordinates include some familiar faces of ours—'Smoker the White Hunter' and 'Black Cage Tashigi.'"
The veteran officers of the Davy Jones Pirates all recognized those two names.
Especially Buggy—who no longer felt the same fear he once had during the "Reverse Mountain War."
After experiencing the "Water 7 Tsunami" and the "Paramount War," he had come to feel that Smoker and Tashigi weren't so terrifying after all.
Perhaps this is what it means to rise in stature, Buggy thought smugly to himself.
Everyone silently acknowledged, however, that for the two of them to have chased pirates from the East Blue all the way into the New World—that persistence was impressive, even if they were enemies.
"Both Smoker and Tashigi received double promotions—skipping the rank of Commodore to become Rear Admirals," Law went on.
"This G-5 force, commanded by Vice Admiral Vergo and Rear Admirals Smoker and Tashigi, has now taken control of the waters surrounding Punk Hazard."
"The World Government didn't bother dealing with the toxic gas or restoring the island—but this time, they've mobilized so many Marines to guard it."
"That alone proves something has changed on Punk Hazard. What exactly, we still don't know."
Davy Jones quickly pieced the situation together. Because of G-5's intervention, Law's men couldn't set foot on the island to investigate further.
Yet they couldn't simply ignore Punk Hazard either—it was only a two-hour sail from Terror Ghost Island. Sooner or later, G-5 would notice their presence.
With a Marine fleet stationed so close to pirate territory, a skirmish was inevitable.
As for whether to attack first or wait in defense, Davy Jones didn't hesitate for a moment.
"We set sail tomorrow—destination: Punk Hazard," he declared, setting down his pipe and exhaling a final plume of smoke.
"If the G-5 Branch stands in our way, we crush them."
Everyone voiced their agreement; none were surprised by his decision.
After all, the strongest among that Marine force was merely a Vice Admiral. Even without Davy Jones himself, the crew present was more than capable of handling them.
Only Drake felt a deep, silent dread.
On one hand, this was the perfect chance for him to make contact with his Marine allies.
On the other, it meant G-5 was walking into a deadly ambush.
Should I risk exposing my undercover identity to warn Vergo, Smoker, and Tashigi? he wondered.
By all logic, he should stay silent—protecting his cover, waiting until he gained enough influence within Davy Jones's forces to better serve the Marines later.
He had already staged a convincing fall from grace—pretending to betray the Marines, even injuring many comrades in the act—to cement his disguise as a "fallen Rear Admiral."
But injuring was one thing. Watching them die was another.
To stand by while his fellow Marines in G-5 were slaughtered—it made his heart ache.
Drake understood that being an undercover agent required the courage to watch comrades die. Without that resolve, he could never survive among pirates.
Caught between duty and morality, he could only take things one step at a time.
After confirming the plan to land the next day, Law immediately went to assign personnel, organize supplies, ammunition, food, and fresh water.
The night passed without incident.
At dawn, beneath a dim and misty sky, the Terror Ghost set sail from the harbor of Terror Ghost Island—its bow aimed straight toward Punk Hazard.
A small force, led by Polky, remained stationed on Terror Ghost Island, while the rest boarded the ship.
After barely an hour and a half, the faint silhouette of Punk Hazard Island came into view—along with Marine warships patrolling the surrounding waters.
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