Everyone fell silent, Whitebeard's words like a physical slap in the face. They had been so eager to fight, yet none of them could defeat Teach. It was up to their father to do the job, and he was seriously injured. If he wasn't careful, he could die.
Marco breathed a sigh of relief. As long as his old man didn't go to war in a fit of rage, his safety was more important than any territory.
Whitebeard continued, "That Straw Hat kid made us look like fools, but he had a point. So while I'm recovering, all of you are going to train yourselves to death. I won't be around forever. You all have to get stronger, or I can't leave this world with peace of mind."
Everyone lowered their heads in shame. Whitebeard was right. They had been with him for years, but their strength had barely grown. They couldn't even put up a real fight against a Marine Admiral.
Meanwhile, the Straw Hat crew, who hadn't been pirates for long, had already reached a strength comparable to their father's. They had to work harder for the glory of the Whitebeard Pirates.
"Father," Marco said, "I'll be in charge of supervising everyone from now on. If anyone gets lazy and doesn't train, I'll break their legs myself!"
Whitebeard nodded. "Good. And Marco, you're no exception. I'll supervise you. If you don't reach the strength of a Marine Admiral, I'll beat you every day!"
Marco winced. His old man was going to be extra hard on him. He had a feeling he would be beaten to a pulp one of these days.
On one side, Whitebeard and Blackbeard were on the verge of a full-scale war. On the other, the Supernovas were causing chaos. The Kid Pirates were heading to challenge Red-Haired Shanks. Kid didn't know what he was in for. He had watched the Summit War and still ignorantly challenged an old Emperor, hoping to defeat him and take his place.
The On Air Pirates and the Hawkins Pirates were hunting down Kaido's territory. The mad monk Urouge was causing trouble in Big Mom's territory. The newcomers were reckless, not understanding the power of the old pirates. They had no idea what fear or regret was.
Others, however, chose a more careful path. Drake had joined the Beast Pirates, and Capone Bege was hoping to get into the Big Mom Pirates. The big eater Bonney was still missing. The New World had become a lively place, with a clash of new and old pirates.
The Marines, meanwhile, had retreated. They were moving their headquarters to the New World, but they couldn't stop everything. The Marines only truly controlled the Four Seas and the first half of the Grand Line. The New World was a lawless pirate paradise where they couldn't intervene.
Sengoku had received countless reports from the New World, and his face was full of helplessness. Even before the war, the Marines could barely interfere with the structure of the New World. The Marines' resources were already strained, and the recent war had left them weakened. It would take a long time to recover.
"Since you're about to retire, why don't you leave these troubles to your successor?" Vice Admiral Tsuru advised.
"I know," Sengoku replied, dismissing the reports. "I'm just so used to it."
Sengoku was very unhappy that the World Government hadn't approved his nomination of Aokiji. They clearly wanted Akainu to take over.
Akainu's extreme sense of justice would likely lead to a direct, full-scale war with all the pirates, which might not end well for the Marines. The World Government and Sengoku were at a stalemate, with both Akainu and Aokiji vying for the position of Fleet Admiral.
Finally, they came up with a ridiculous solution: the two would fight, and the winner would become the new Fleet Admiral.
Sengoku was furious, but his objections were useless. He had fought hard for Kuzan already, and the World Government's decision was a compromise. If he kept fighting it, he would be seen as ignorant. The decision was final.
Before the duel could start, another piece of news enraged the Marines. A convoy carrying a Celestial Dragon, escorted by both Marines and CP9 agents, was ambushed by the legendary pirate Byrnndi World, who had escaped from Impel Down.
The World Government was furious and ordered the immediate capture of World. Sengoku, left with no choice, sent Kizaru to hunt him down and ordered the remaining Warlords to assist him.
Sengoku finally understood what it meant to be stretched thin. He proposed to the World Government that they fill the empty Warlord positions to make up for the Marines' lack of combat power.
The World Government agreed, but they reserved the right to choose the new Warlords themselves. Sengoku had been stripped of most of his power. All he could do now was wait for the duel to end so he could hand over his position. This was a sad reality for him to face.
Through his CP9 contacts, Law learned all about the situation with the Marines and the World Government, but he didn't tell the Straw Hats. They had been sailing for several days, and the journey had been oddly quiet.
Aside from a few storms, they hadn't encountered a single ship. The name of the Straw Hat crew was too terrifying; any ship that saw them from a distance immediately changed course to avoid offending one of the Five Emperors.
On this particular day, the Thousand Sunny sailed into an area shrouded in a black fog. The dark atmosphere made everyone uneasy, especially the timid trio of Nami, Usopp, and Chopper. "Hey, what is this place?" Usopp stammered, his legs turning to jelly. "Why is it so dark? There aren't any ghosts here, are there?"
Usopp was scaring himself as he spoke, and Chopper and Nami clung to him, on guard against any ghostly beings that might be lurking in the shadows.
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