"Whitebeard Jr." Edward Weevil was stomping around the deck like an oversized infant, happily watching two ships belonging to the "Whitebeard Remnants" sink into the sea.
"They sank! They sank! They're sinking! Hahahaha—!"
Weevil looked like a mischievous brute of a child who had just smashed a neighbor kid's toys—giddy with excitement while the victims were left despairing.
His body was like an iron tower, overwhelmingly strong. His bare arms and chest were covered in fluffy golden hair, and the upward-curving mustache was clearly imitating "Whitebeard."
Even the massive blade he held was a replica of Whitebeard's "Supreme Grade Blade, Murakumogiri."
A man in his thirties with nothing but monstrous strength and the power of the Gura Gura no Mi was indeed deserving of the title "monster."
However, his mind was like that of a child—in truth, he was a complete mama's boy.
"Weevil, how many times have I told you? Stop being so rash."
A blonde old woman rapped her cane sharply against the deck—thunk, thunk, thunk—her voice shrill with irritation.
Weevil instantly lowered his head like a scolded child, clasping his hands over his belly awkwardly.
"Yes, Mama… I won't do it again."
"Mm-hmm."
Miss Bakkin grunted impatiently a few times, then turned toward the Marine battleship sailing alongside them.
"To think the Marine Headquarters would send one of their 'admiral candidates' to invite my precious baby to become a 'new Shichibukai'… If Newgate's spirit is watching from above, he must be so very comforted."
Miss Bakkin's face glowed with pride. She felt that Marine HQ was giving her and her son tremendous respect… Indeed, using the name of the deceased Whitebeard made becoming famous so much easier.
She had once been part of the Rocks Pirates, and she met Whitebeard during that time—she knew enough about him that she wasn't afraid of being exposed.
When it came down to it, there were some things about Newgate that this old lady understood even better than his so-called "sons."
Weevil now raised his thick wrist, clenching his fist, veins bulging.
"I will… I will definitely make Father proud!"
"Good, good… Now go ahead and slaughter these squad captains who betrayed your father, one by one, and soothe his soul. They dare defy Newgate's will and refuse to kneel before my precious son!"
Receiving his mother's praise made Weevil even more excited.
"I'll kill them all!"
"Yes! Kill them! With one or two captains' heads, our standing among the Shichibukai will rise even higher!"
At this moment, the Pacifistas aboard the Marine battleships ceased their laser barrage and went still.
Miss Bakkin shot them a displeased look.
"What now? Why'd they stop? Isn't there still one of those black ships left?"
Weevil acted as his mother's megaphone, planting his hands on the railing and shouting at the Marines beside them.
"My mom is asking you—why did you stop?! There's still one ship that hasn't been sunk!"
The Marine soldiers flinched back in fright, stumbling away.
Only one tall man casually picked his ear, opening his thick lips to answer at an unhurried pace.
"I heard you, I heard you… It's not that the Pacifistas don't want to fire. It's that there's a strong fighter on that black ship… probably one of the Whitebeard Remnants' squad captains."
He brushed back his curly hair and smirked.
Miss Bakkin looked at him suspiciously.
"Strong fighter? Captain? Which one is it? Admiral Candidate 'Green Bull,' you ought to give us something specific."
As one of the "admiral candidates," Aramaki—"Green Bull"—smiled, relaxed and unconcerned.
"Since I agreed to join forces with you to deal with the Whitebeard Remnants, I'll give it my all."
"After all, getting Weevil inducted into the Shichibukai isn't enough. I'll need enough spotlight to drop the word 'candidate' and become a true admiral."
That was the sole reason Aramaki came—to recruit Whitebeard Jr. into the new Shichibukai lineup.
He disliked the Shichibukai system, but that wouldn't stop him from using it to secure his own promotion.
Unlike ordinary Marines, he wasn't bound by their rigid discipline.
Even though Fleet Admiral Sengoku had specially elevated him to the rank of "admiral candidate," he still carried the swaggering, unruly air of his former outlaw-like life—and he hated following rules.
He coveted the title of Marine Admiral intensely and was eager to prove himself, hoping to gain more support within HQ during the selection.
Miss Bakkin's coaxing had also gotten to him, so he acted on his own, planning to team up with Weevil and deliver a devastating blow to the Whitebeard Remnants close at hand.
If he could bring back a few squad captains' heads, all the better.
Miss Bakkin lifted her sunglasses slightly, still dissatisfied.
"In that case, Green Bull, our interests are aligned. Hurry and help us butcher these 'traitors'!"
Weevil hopped left and right across the deck, shaking the entire ship with each landing, adding his voice:
"Yeah! Yeah! Hurry and kill those traitors!"
Aramaki walked toward the bow of the battleship. The sea wind whipped his white coat of justice, revealing his bare upper body—across his chest and abdomen were tattooed four bold characters: "Dead River Heart Within."
"Don't rush me. I know what I'm doing. Marines—bring our ship in and surround that vessel. I'll go greet this so-called expert myself."
Miss Bakkin tapped Weevil's belly hard with the tip of her cane.
"You idiot, what are you waiting for?!"
Weevil snapped to attention and hastily mimicked Aramaki.
"Brothers, bring our ships in and surround that vessel!"
And so, more than a dozen ships—both pirate and Marine—moved toward the black ship and spread out, forming a ring around it.
As the mixed fleet closed in, Aramaki glanced at the Pacifista unit standing beside him.
The Pacifista still carried the appearance of "Bartholomew Kuma," body massive and lifelessly mechanical.
"Pacifista. Tell me—who is on that ship?"
The Pacifista's artificial eyes glowed with an eerie red light.
Its vision could see farther and more precisely than any human, and its database contained profiles of nearly all major pirates—its internal systems made identification extremely fast.
Miss Bakkin and Weevil leaned in at the railing, eager to hear the exchange and find out who their opponent was.
After a series of short electronic beeps, the Pacifista finally gave its conclusion.
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