"Dad's flag... is no longer here."
At the entrance of Fishman Island, a new flag stands high on the flagpole. The might of the Hundred Beasts deters pirates arriving at Fishman Island from harboring any ulterior motives; it's either crossing peacefully or becoming ghosts in the depths of the sea.
For the Whitebeard Pirates, this disparity is still quite significant. Just a few days ago, when they passed through Fishman Island on their way to Marinfanto, the flag here was still theirs, but now everything has changed.
The Whitebeard Pirates are the same; it was ultimately Whitebeard who brought them together.
The composition of the Whitebeard Pirates isn't like the former Rocks Pirates or the fleeting Blackbeard Pirates, which had no morality, although their composition is also mixed.
After Whitebeard's death, the main crew didn't disband and maintained their original state under the leadership of various captains.
But the affiliated pirate groups were different. Some captains died in the top war, and the remaining people each had their own plans. Some chose to continue flying Whitebeard's flag, while others returned to independence.
Unless someone can carry the flag left by Whitebeard, the Whitebeard Pirates are already in a state of nominal existence.
Nowadays, they are still a powerful force in the New World, but have already withdrawn from the front ranks.
The flag change at Fishman Island was within Marco's expectation; he knew Fishman Island had some connections with the Hundred Beasts, but the speed of the flag change surprised him.
"Marco, it's also something we couldn't help. Fishman Island needs to survive, and I hope you can understand our actions. Besides, to be honest, Newgate's last words... brought us quite a bit of trouble."
The one receiving them was still Neptune, who had been quite busy during this time.
Whitebeard brought them real help. Even now, with the Hundred Beasts' flag raised, Neptune wasn't unkind and still warmly welcomed Marco and the others.
After Whitebeard's death, Marco became the acting captain of the Whitebeard Pirates. For them, there is only that one captain.
Whether now or in the future, the position of captain in the Whitebeard Pirates is likely to remain vacant.
If Whitebeard were still alive, his chosen successor would likely be Ace, but the current Ace couldn't take over this position. Neither he nor the other crew members can accept such a thing for now.
Listening to Neptune's explanation, Marco sighed; he knew he had no reason to say anything.
"I understand... but Fishman Island in the future probably won't need us either."
"..."
Neptune didn't reply, but everyone understood that Fishman Island, under the protection of the Hundred Beasts, no longer needed the remnants of Whitebeard, and the Whitebeard remnants couldn't protect Fishman Island.
"Then we won't stay long, King Neptune, we're heading back to Dad's territory."
...
Territory being occupied by other pirates was within Marco and the others' expectations. The Hundred Beasts and Big Mom taking action was not surprising; they couldn't afford to offend those with Four Emperors-level power now.
And now, they no longer need as much territory as before, so the Whitebeard Pirates' goal shifted to Whitebeard's homeland - Sphinx Island.
This impoverished island couldn't possibly pay the Heavenly Gold and naturally lacked qualification to become a member nation, turning into a lawless country over time.
Although Whitebeard became a pirate when he left his homeland at a young age, he always cared for the land where he was born, occasionally transporting supplies here despite having no friends or family on the island, as he had special feelings for his hometown.
The things Whitebeard always protected are also what Marco and the others want to protect; they don't want to give this island to anyone.
Sphinx Island is far from Big Mom's territory, the only risk being from the Hundred Beasts, yet they chose to leave this island alone, which was also Kaidou and Arceus's decision.
Sphinx Island is too poor, its location isn't good, and it has no unique advantages, occupying it yields no benefits, so they simply left it to the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Giving these people a fixed place is much better than letting them roam the world.
After all this, Shanks arrived at the island and participated in Whitebeard's funeral; the future path of the Whitebeard Pirates was not his concern.
The actions of the Whitebeard Pirates are also sensible; they pick the weak to deal with. The current Hundred Beasts and Big Mom are beyond their reach, but they can still handle those pirates causing trouble amid the chaos.
They kept their sorrow within and began to numb themselves with new battles.
...
On the other side, within the Hundred Beasts Pirates' territory, most island residents were filled with joy. The relationship dynamics in the Pirate World are generally distorted, and under such circumstances, the Somalia Pirate Bank system of the Hundred Beasts was preserved.
Many people gained investment dividends from the Hundred Beasts' victory, as for those who were saddened...
Wars cause deaths; even if they were the attackers, they couldn't avoid this situation. Although compensation is given, friends and relatives still feel sadness, but there aren't many such people.
Most pirates are solitary individuals; those like Mandfeish, constantly thinking about promotions and retirement, are rare, while pleasure seekers like Drake are the norm.
Brothers would grieve fleetingly, but soon after, they would throw themselves into parties to celebrate their victory.
As the leader of the Hundred Beasts Pirates, Kaidou and Arceus hadn't returned to Wano Kuni yet; unless there were special circumstances, Arceus wouldn't accelerate the sailing pace, only letting the Origin continue at its regular speed.
Kaidou couldn't bear the loneliness and rode the Eight-Headed Evil Dragon to find someone to fight; more accurately, he was going to crush weaklings. He had heard the news of unrest in the sea and planned to teach those ignorant brats a lesson.
Before leaving, he announced the date of the feast and stated that he would return to Ghost Island as scheduled.
During Origin's voyage, lifeboats were occasionally seen, and the kind-hearted Yamato frequently lent them a hand. Initially, those people were grateful, but upon seeing the pirate flag on her, their expressions turned to fear.
"Godfather, I don't understand why these people think the sea will become calm now that Whitebeard is dead?"
This is what she heard from the mouths of people on a distressed ship.
"Whitebeard is dead, why is the sea still restless."
Even she couldn't comprehend such statements.
"Yes, a truth even you understand, yet most people still don't get it, or perhaps it's not that they don't know, but more don't want to believe it."
"... Is that so... Wait, Godfather, isn't that a compliment to me?"