"Gurararara. It's been a long time since I've had a fight like that. Do you have any booze?"
"I don't drink, but I do have some alcohol for entertaining guests. I'm not too sure about the quality, but the taste is pretty good."
Yes.
Ren took out Erguotou. The tiny bottle looked like a syringe in Whitebeard's hand.
"No barrels? That's the only way to drink properly…"
Whitebeard looked disgusted, but after subconsciously taking a sip, his expression suddenly changed. "A fine liquor with a flavor I've never tasted before!"
For a man who had savored countless famous wines, that was already extremely high praise.
Ren simply took out his entire stock of Erguotou to entertain him, but unfortunately, it did not come in barrels.
Whitebeard lamented that fact while downing dozens of bottles one after another.
Then, he wiped the corner of his mouth and looked at Ren, who had been calmly waiting.
"Speak. Tell me your thoughts and your plan.
"I need to understand them before I can give you my answer. After all, it seems we share the same direction when it comes to Marine Headquarters.
"But if it isn't what I want, then we can only leave and act on our own. I only hope that in the war to come, you won't be too troublesome."
It was different from when they had first met. There were no excessive probes, nor too much pointless talk.
Whitebeard directly stated his bottom line, expressing a strong willingness to understand and cooperate.
At the same time, he lowered his stance, implying that as long as Ren did not interfere with his goal, the two sides would absolutely not come into conflict.
This was the effect brought about by one genuine battle.
At the very least, Whitebeard now placed Ren on equal footing.
Before the fight, he would never have casually let Ren go when Ren held such important bargaining chips in his hands.
The Yonko had never been called emperors for nothing.
But now, things were different.
Whitebeard understood very clearly that the person sitting before him was not some rising star, nor some future potential stock.
He was a powerful figure who had already grasped true strength and possessed the qualifications to fight him to the death.
Even if he was only nineteen years old—no, precisely because he was only nineteen, he was even more frightening!
Marco understood what Pops meant, but after witnessing that power, he felt it was only natural.
Now, it was Ren's turn to give an answer.
"It's nothing too complicated. What I want is for the Navy to suffer a heavy blow, one severe enough that they won't have the spare energy to plan another large-scale war for the next several years."
Ren spoke very frankly. "So, you being in peak condition, or even stronger than you were in the past, aligns with my position.
"I also know exactly what your goal is, Edward Newgate.
"Who could imagine that the greatest dream of the mighty Yonko was merely to have his own family?
"But precisely because of that, Ace, who is about to be executed, is a member of your family you cannot abandon.
"A father does not abandon his son. At least, you won't."
"…You know a great deal. But if it is only me, I cannot accomplish what you are imagining."
"That's right. The strongest force on the sea has never been the Yonko, but Marine Headquarters.
"The Three Admirals, double-digit Vice Admirals, over a hundred thousand elite core troops, and millions of Marines.
"In a one-on-one situation, no single Yonko could be a match for Marine Headquarters.
"So I made a few minor arrangements. During the Marineford War, perhaps Rayleigh and the others will appear as well—in other words, Roger's old followers.
"After all, you know Ace's origins too. That is precisely why Blackbeard became one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
As he spoke, Ren took out a newspaper.
In this turbulent period, when incident after incident was occurring, the birth of a new Warlord could still occupy the front page of the news.
And the final Warlord of the Sea was Blackbeard, Teach!
"Teach…"
Whitebeard's gaze instantly fell on that detestable face, a cold glint appearing in his eyes.
"You don't need to worry about him. Or rather, among them, the only one who will truly make a move in this war is one person.
"The world's greatest swordsman, Dracule Mihawk, who will come to witness the World's Strongest. As for the others…"
Ren took out a stack of photographs and records. "Regrettably, the Navy will probably be unable to witness the spectacle of those Warlords taking action.
"Of course, in order to give them expectations, they will definitely arrive at the battlefield Marine Headquarters has prepared in advance.
"It is just that… they will also disappear at a certain moment.
"Incidentally, Sengoku intends to use this incident to eliminate the Whitebeard Pirates. Marine Headquarters, the execution site, is actually a trap.
"Once you all draw close enough to the execution platform to save Ace, solid walls made of steel and seastone will rise from the bay, forming a cage to lock you all inside.
"And unfortunately, your group is a large organization built in the form of a family. I imagine abandoning family is never something you advocate."
"…Gurararara. What an astonishing move.
"It is not merely turning them against the Navy… no, those Warlords are your pieces, aren't they?
"You even obtained Marine Headquarters' plan. What a terrifying ability."
Whitebeard's pupils contracted, and his assessment of the young man before him rose once again.
Yet Ren shook his head and chuckled. "I didn't do too much, nor do I possess some eerie ability to steal everything.
"All I can do is see.
"For many people, the future is unpredictable.
"But to me, it is merely the present that has not yet unfolded."
"Ren, are you joking?"
Marco's eyelid twitched, and he could not suppress his shock as he asked, "Are you saying you can see the future?"
"Why not?"
"I've never heard of a Devil Fruit ability like that."
Marco still wanted to say more, but Whitebeard cut him off.
"There is no need to doubt him. I do not believe my opponent would tell such a meaningless lie."
"You believe me just like that?"
Ren asked with some curiosity. "Some people still can't accept it even now, but you made such a judgment just by hearing me say it?"
"Are there still not enough unbelievable things about you?"
Whitebeard asked in return. "Multiple Devil Fruit abilities. Yonko-level strength at the age of nineteen.
"You can even, at this age, plan something capable of shaking the power structure of the entire sea.
"What is so strange about you having a prophet-like ability as well? As long as our goals align, that is enough."
"Should I say this is the advantage of having lived a long life?"
"I just know what I want."
Whitebeard shook his head. "Only one Warlord remains. Roger's people. And me, stronger than before.
"It seems Sengoku will have to go home and retire this time. But that bargaining chip in your hands—what must I use to exchange for it?
"I can tell that you like the method of trade. Each party takes what they need.
"In that case, those two bargaining chips should also have a price, right?"
At the side, Marco's breathing hitched. He subconsciously looked around. Although there was no one in sight, not even a flying bird, he still grew tense.
Because the bargaining chips they were discussing were the Celestial Dragons who had disappeared during the Sabaody Archipelago incident!
World Nobles. Gods standing at the summit of all living beings. Yet here, they had become bargaining chips like commodities!
That enormous sense of absurdity made Marco feel a sharp contrast.
But it was precisely because they were Celestial Dragons that he and Pops had come here in person.
"Yes."
Ren nodded frankly. "Goods naturally have prices. Since they have been placed in the transaction column, they won't merely be shown without being sold.
"But I am not sure whether the price I ask is one you can accept.
"Edward Newgate, you should understand the status of Celestial Dragons.
"For ordinary people, buying them is no different from seeking death. But for those with strength, it is different.
"On the premise that the transaction can proceed, they possess astonishing value as commodities.
"Especially when the target is the World Government. Even a person who must die can be exchanged back through them.
"But a pure transaction does not align with my demands or my position."
"…"
Whitebeard closed his eyes, and silence spread at that moment.
Marco seemed to realize something, and his expression turned ugly.
But he had no right to decide. He could only silently wait for Pops' will.
After a long while,
Whitebeard opened his eyes. "You need war, don't you?"
"Yes. That is a necessary step."
"Is Ace important to you?"
"No."
"Are the Whitebeard Pirates important to you?"
"Not important either."
"Then what is important?"
"Having no Navy is important to me."
It was a subtle conversation. Ren smiled. "Of course, that is very difficult, so it must be done step by step."
"I see. Your goal is this world."
Edward Newgate's expression was complicated. "Another ambitious man, then? Is your ambition the root of your arrogance?
"Honestly, this sea always produces ambitious men like you, one after another, without end."
"I think I am still somewhat different from them."
"Is there also a difference in an ambition to swallow the world?"
"Want to hear it?"
"I'm not lacking that bit of time. Speak."
"It's nothing complicated. My thoughts are simply a little different. Or perhaps my position is different."
Ren shrugged and spoke of his thoughts as if it were nothing.
"I hate this world…"
At first, Whitebeard paid little attention. Or rather, he had the look of someone who had seen such things countless times before.
But as Ren continued speaking, his expression gradually changed.
He truly realized just how special the person before him was.
"What an interesting fellow. You possess such power, yet you do not want a world where the strong stand above all?"
"To be precise, I want a world where only one strong person stands above all."
Ren's tone was calm. "The world should operate beneath my will, in the manner I desire.
"Is this method not also the rule of strength?"
"No. It is different, Ren."
Whitebeard's eyes were complicated. "Before meeting you, I only remembered one person who cared about the lives of ordinary people.
"That was the Pirate King, Roger. But Roger was different from you too. That man was purer, like a child.
"As for you…"
At this point, he did not continue. Clearly, he could not find sufficient words to express his thoughts.
Too special.
So special that even Whitebeard could not understand him.
It was not that he had never seen powerful figures rise from the bottom. He himself was even an example of someone who had risen from the bottom.
But never had he seen anyone like Ren, someone who cared about the lives of ordinary people.
To put it harshly, ordinary people in this era lived like weeds.
Slave trading, pirate attacks, the Navy's extortion, exploitation by internal rulers, and so on.
(End of Chapter)