Ace fell silent; the Whitebeard Pirates had officially ceased to exist.
"Ace, the Whitebeard Pirates are a thing of the past. Moving forward, you need a new goal. I have things I must do as well, yoi. We can't just stop here. I'm sure the Old Man would think the same." Marco looked at Ace, his voice heavy but steady.
"I understand," Ace nodded, his expression serious. "Don't worry, Marco, I won't stay depressed. I still have things I must do and promises waiting for me to fulfill. I'm not going to stop moving forward."
Seeing that Ace had regained his composure, Marco smiled with relief. Perhaps it is only through experiencing true loss that a person can finally grow. After they finished eating, Marco asked, "So, Ace, what are your plans?"
" I'm going to travel and train alone. I need to hone my skills and become stronger," Ace replied, having already made up his mind. For the time being, he would set everything else aside and focus solely on his own power.
"That's a good plan. Here, take this; it's my Vivre Card. Find me if anything happens. Ace, we've both inherited the Old Man's will. Don't forget that, yoi." Marco handed a small scrap of paper to Ace, speaking with solemn intensity.
"I won't," Ace promised. He was no longer the impulsive youth who had rushed blindly into battle. The two parted ways on that island, setting off toward their respective destinies.
"Young Master, you were right. The Tremor-Tremor Fruit fell into Blackbeard's hands. But how is it possible? One person having two abilities is unheard of!" Haruko looked at the intelligence report before her, her shock evident.
"It's likely a special bloodline or a unique constitution; I can't think of any other possibility. Marshall D. Teach is a truly anomalous man," Maria speculated, blowing a cloud of smoke from her pipe.
"The moment he got Whitebeard's ability, he went and wiped out the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates. He really is a 'filial son' raised by Whitebeard," Yamato said, her lip curling in disgust. Even the original Yamato couldn't compare to Blackbeard; this was the ultimate betrayal of one's master and family.
"Filial son?" Maria and Haruko glanced at each other. It was clearly a positive term, but coming from Yamato's mouth, it was dripping with irony. Applied to Blackbeard, however, it seemed particularly fitting in a twisted way.
"By the way," Yamato continued, leaning back, "what were the casualties in that conflict?"
"The Whitebeard Pirates have lost all contact. As for the Blackbeard Pirates, one of their executives—the newcomer Vasco Shot—is dead. Also, Doc Q is heavily injured; half his body is useless. Everyone else is wounded to some degree," Haruko reported. "That includes Blackbeard; I heard he nearly lost a leg."
Yamato was surprised. "Even with preparation and numbers, the Whitebeard Pirates still lost. Those Blackbeard Pirates have some skill after all. One dead, one crippled, and the Whitebeard Pirates wiped out... that's quite a record. How many survived on the other side?"
"Only Phoenix Marco and Fire Fist Ace can be confirmed. The others were either killed or scattered," Haruko replied.
"Well, with a Mythical Zoan and a Logia, their survivability is high. They'll probably stay quiet for a while." Yamato rubbed her chin. It seemed Ace's fate had been completely overturned. What path would the son of the Pirate King take now?
"Anyway, it seems Blackbeard wants to come for my 'Idiot Old Man' eventually. I just wonder if he'll be faster than his little brother. Time is running out for him," Yamato thought.
"There's one more thing, Young Master. That rookie with the Ancient Zoan we mentioned has entered our territory. He even defeated the guards on the outer islands," Haruko said. "It seems he wants to catch Lord Kaido's attention and join the crew. I think the Governor-General will be pleased."
"I wonder if he's being sincere," Maria pondered. "He's one of the 'Worst Generation.' Someone who made it that far through the Grand Line doesn't seem like the type to submit easily."
"We'll find out soon enough. He's just a rookie; he won't cause much of a stir," Yamato said dismissively. She knew the rookie was X Drake, and that he was a Marine mole trying to infiltrate a Yonko's crew to provoke a war. If he thought it would be that easy, he was in for a surprise. "Alright, enough about them. It's time to train Ulti and Page One before those two start clinging to me again."
That day, following Kaido's orders, Jack went out to sea to intercept the rookie pirate crew. The captain was indeed X Drake.
"Take the others away. You, follow me," Jack commanded. His subordinates led Drake's crew toward the barracks, while Jack led Drake alone toward the upper levels of Onigashima.
Drake, with his short orange hair and leather attire, followed behind the sturdy figure of the All-Star. A hint of solemnity flashed in his eyes; even just walking behind Jack, he could feel a suffocating pressure.
Jack the Drought... an All-Star with a bounty of 1,000,000,000 Berries. He's definitely a monster, Drake thought. Once a bounty reached a billion, a pirate's strength underwent a qualitative change, putting them far above ordinary Vice Admirals.
Even Jack has such a powerful aura. Not to mention the stronger 'Plague' and 'King.' Perhaps even a 1,300,000,000 bounty is too low for them, Drake mused. And then there are the two dragons: Beast Kaido and Onihime Yamato. Intelligence says Yamato is already on par with her father. She might even surpass him and reach Whitebeard's level—
His heart throbbed violently. He began to wonder if going undercover here was the right choice. No matter what, I need to map out the combat power of the top brass. Unknown variables are too dangerous, he reminded himself.
Jack brought Drake to the upper levels. "Big Brother, I've brought the man," Jack said to Kaido, who was sitting at the head of the hall. Beside Kaido were King, Queen, Sasaki, and Who's-Who.
Drake swept his gaze across them, feeling the collective weight of their stares. The pressure was so sharp it felt like needles against his skin.
"So, you're X Drake. The kid who inherited Hana Fuda's ability. Choosing to serve me is a wise choice," Kaido said, looking down at him. "However, you're a newcomer. Even with an Ancient Zoan, you won't become an executive immediately. Start as a Headliner. If you contribute enough, you'll be promoted. What do you say?"
Drake nodded. "I have no problem with that. I will follow your arrangements, Governor."
"Good. As long as you have the strength, promotion is only a matter of time," Kaido said, satisfied. Someone led Drake away to be processed.
"Sasaki, Who's-Who, Drake will be stationed near your area. Get him acquainted with how we do things," King instructed. The two nodded reluctantly and left.
"Those two unmotivated fools," Jack snorted. Ever since he had beaten them into the dirt a few times, they had stopped challenging him for his All-Star seat, preferring to waste time in the Flower Capital.
"Jack, your strength has improved quite a bit lately," Queen noted with rare respect. In the past, he had seen Jack as a reckless brat who only knew how to charge blindly. Now, Jack had discarded his scimitars for Taijutsu and Haki, fighting with actual technique.
"It's because King helped me train," Jack replied.
"It was your own effort. I wouldn't have helped if you didn't want to change. You should probably thank the Young Master instead," King said, waving it off. He and Queen had also benefited from the new training regime.
"Hmph, I have nothing to thank her for," Jack muttered, crossing his arms. To him, thanking Yamato was worse than taking a beating.
"By the way, Queen," King turned his attention back to the scientist. "How is the body modification project coming along?"
"It's going smoothly. We can start large-scale implementation soon, though I did ruin a few test subjects recently," Queen replied.
"Losses are expected in experiments. Roll it out as soon as possible. We need to increase the combat power of the Gifters," King nodded.
Kaido listened to his three All-Stars, feeling entirely excluded. "Body modification? Experiments? What are you three talking about?"
King turned to explain. "It started with a conversation we had with the Young Master, Big Brother. She was curious about Queen's specialization in cybernetics. That inspired Queen to conduct experiments on our artificial Devil Fruit users to enhance their strength."
Kaido looked surprised. "Worororo! Well done! You've been busy behind my back."
"It was the Young Master's idea, really. I'm just putting my specialties to use," Queen added.
"Go ahead then. Use whatever resources you need," Kaido waved a hand grandly. As long as Joker kept providing SMILEs, he wouldn't run out of soldiers. If they became stronger, it was a win for the crew.
Later, as the three All-Stars walked away, King asked quietly, "Queen, exactly how many Gifters did you 'ruin'?"
"Uh... about 120 or so," Queen admitted.
King's eye twitched. "120? We have fewer than 300 Gifters in total. You've consumed nearly half of our elite force." He wondered if Kaido would be quite so happy if he knew the actual cost.
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