Meanwhile.
Having learned that Lancelot had captured Ace, Kaido had managed to get in touch with Whitebeard.
Watching as Marco handed him the Den Den Mushi, which had already transformed into Kaido's face, Whitebeard raised an eyebrow.
"Kaido?"
At that moment, he was deeply puzzled.
Although he, Kaido, and Big Mom had once been comrades on the same ship back then, he and those two had never been able to see eye to eye.
As a result, their relationship had always been distant.
Even before they had each established their own Pirate Crews, back when they were on the same ship, they had rarely interacted, let alone now.
So, he couldn't fathom why Kaido would call him.
However, one thing was certain: something major had happened, and it involved his Whitebeard Pirates.
Simultaneously, a sense of foreboding washed over him.
Nevertheless, he took the call and asked bluntly, "Kaido, what do you want with me?"
Kaido fell silent for a moment before replying, "I want to join forces with you to take on the Marines."
"Join forces with me?"
Whitebeard couldn't help but show a look of astonishment.
Who was Kaido? One of the Emperors.
Though Whitebeard looked down on Kaido, he had to admit the man's strength.
His resilience was absurdly formidable—otherwise, given Kaido's penchant for courting death, he would have died countless times over.
For someone like that to propose an alliance now struck Whitebeard as unbelievable... and his sense of foreboding grew even stronger.
Still, he didn't hold back, adding a touch of mockery to his tone.
"Take on the Marines? Is this about that upstart Lancelot? Gurarararara!"
This was practically a direct slap in the face!
Kaido: "..."
His face darkened instantly, and his eyes narrowed, glinting with a cold light.
But he quickly added, "That guy Ace has gone to Wano Country again."
"What?"
Whitebeard's expression tightened, and his heart leaped into his throat.
He thought to himself, 'So this is the source of my bad feeling. Could it be that Ace has been captured this time?'
At that thought, a cold gleam flashed in Whitebeard's eyes.
"Kaido, release Ace, or I will personally set foot on your Onigashima."
Kaido laughed. "You don't actually think I captured Ace, do you?"
"Whoosh..."
As soon as Kaido spoke, Marco, Vista, and Jozu all turned their gazes toward the dendenmushi, their eyes turning aggressive.
Kaido's words revealed one crucial piece of information: Ace had indeed been captured, but not by Kaido.
Yet, that no longer mattered.
What mattered was that Ace had been captured.
Though Kaido wasn't present, he could easily imagine the expressions on everyone's faces.
He gloated inwardly, "Laugh now! Go on, laugh! You love him so much, don't you?... Why aren't you laughing anymore?"
At the same time, Whitebeard's expression shifted instantly, his eyes blazing with intensity as he demanded sharply.
"Who! Who captured Ace?"
Kaido: "Lancelot!" He answered without hesitation.
Whitebeard: "..."
Marco: "..."
Vista: "..."
Jozu: "..."
Including Whitebeard, everyone present fell silent, their expressions turning strange at the same time.
Whitebeard's eye twitched violently.
He gritted his teeth and said, "Kaido, are you taking me for a fool? That Marine brat and Ace have no conflict whatsoever—how could he have been captured? Even if Lancelot is strong enough, as a Logia User, Ace could easily escape if he wanted to, right? If that brat Ace were so easy to deal with, you would have captured him countless times by now. After all, he's challenged you more than once or twice."
Kaido: "…"
He was convinced.
But at the same time, he had a bad feeling.
Sure enough, the next moment, Whitebeard changed his tone.
"Kaido, just because you can't handle that boy Lancelot, you're trying to scheme and get us to join forces against him… Do you really think we're that stupid? Kaido, I'm warning you… I want to see that brat Ace back by tomorrow at the latest. Otherwise, even before that Marine rookie makes a move, I'll take you down myself."
"You…"
Kaido was nearly enraged to the point of exploding.
He roared, "ARE YOU ALL IDIOTS? That brat is a Marine, a Marine! Aren't they naturally in conflict with us pirates? If he had the chance to capture Ace, why would he let it go? For him, it would be a great achievement. And if you don't believe me, just wait! My subordinate is already on his way to you… When he delivers the photo of Lancelot capturing Ace to you, you'll know whether I'm scheming against you or not."
After saying this, he hung up immediately.
Thinking about how he, Kaido, had dominated the seas for decades, he had never suffered such humiliation before.
'Really… really…'
The more Kaido thought about it, the angrier he became, almost reaching the point of going berserk.
"Uh, this…"
After Kaido hung up, Whitebeard, Marco, Vista, and Jozu exchanged glances.
Kaido's furious demeanor at the end… It seemed… as if he wasn't lying.
Either that, or Kaido was an exceptional actor.
"Gulp…"
Vista couldn't help but swallow nervously, then cautiously said, "Pops, could Kaido be telling the truth? Could it be… Ace was really captured by that Lancelot?"
Jozu: "Didn't Kaido say someone would deliver a photo tomorrow of Ace being captured by Lancelot? Then everything will be clear, won't it?"
Marco, however, frowned deeply. "But what if Ace really was captured by Lancelot? Could there be… any accidents?"
Though he said "accidents," his true meaning was clear to everyone present.
So, the expressions on everyone's faces turned grave.
After a long silence, Whitebeard waved his hand.
"It shouldn't happen. Even if he was really captured by that rookie, just because Ace is my son, he wouldn't dare kill him outright."
This wasn't just empty talk.
Whitebeard's rules were well-known throughout the New World.
Whether it was fighting for territory or scheming and clashing with others, there was one rule that could not be broken.
That was, no one was allowed to harm his children.
Driving them back, defeating them, injuring them, or even seizing their territory—he wouldn't mind too much.
But if anyone dared to kill his children, he would hunt them down to the ends of the earth.
So, whether it was Kaido, Charlotte Linlin, or even Red-Haired Shanks, or even Roger or Shiki back in the day, none of them had ever killed any of his children.
Otherwise, it would mean an endless feud with Whitebeard.
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