Hearing Marco's words, no one raised an objection. He continued, his voice steady but heavy with reality.
"Our Whitebeard Pirates controlled the greatest territory in the New World and stood at the pinnacle among pirate crews—not merely because of our numbers, but because pops stood behind us."
He paused, letting that sink in.
"But now Pops is gone. Our crew and our allied forces have suffered devastating losses. Among the Yonko, our strength has fallen—from the strongest… to the weakest."
A murmur rippled through the deck.
"In the days to come," Marco went on, "countless pirates will begin to stir. They'll test us. They'll challenge us."
Everyone nodded in grim agreement.
Jozu stepped forward without hesitation.
"Marco, you should lead us. Pops trusted you more than anyone. Your strength is something everyone here has seen firsthand—and now you've even awakened Conqueror's Haki. The position of Captain belongs to no one else."
Ace immediately spoke up.
"I agree. I recommend Marco too."
Rakuyo nodded firmly.
"If it's Marco, I have no objections."
Other voices soon joined in.
"I recommend Vista!"
"That's right—Commander Vista!"
"He held off Kizaru back then!"
"Captain Namur is strong too!"
"What about Kingdew?"
Kingdew raised his hands at once.
"Count me out. I don't have the qualities of a Captain."
Those who had nominated him were all from his own division. He knew his limits—and he knew he couldn't compare to Marco or Vista.
Namur followed suit.
"Me too. I'm not interested."
As the captains withdrew one by one, it became clear that the overwhelming majority supported Marco. Vista remained second, but the gap was obvious.
Noticing that only members of the Fifth Division continued to back him, Vista was about to step aside when Marco suddenly spoke.
"In that case, Vista and I will fight."
The deck went silent.
"Whoever wins becomes Captain," Marco continued calmly. "And the same goes for anyone else who wishes to compete. If you have confidence in your strength, you're welcome to challenge."
His gaze swept across the gathered pirates.
"Pops is gone. From now on, we rely on our own strength to protect everything he left behind. Naturally, the captain must be strong enough to stand alongside the other three Yonko."
Vista immediately shook his head.
"Forget it. I've never fought you seriously, but if we did… I'd probably lose."
Marco shook his head in return.
"No. We should still fight."
He spoke earnestly.
"What we need most right now is unity. If there are disagreements, it's better to bring them into the open. If your refusal breeds resentment among those who support you, that would only weaken us."
Vista paused—then smiled.
"…To be honest, I want to test myself against you too."
Marco nodded.
"Good. After Pops is laid to rest, we'll have a quick fight and settle the matter as soon as possible. Only then can we move forward."
His tone hardened slightly.
"Pops left behind too many foundations. We can't afford internal discord—we need to resolve this quickly and unite against the threats outside."
Vista chuckled softly.
"It seems you're already thinking further ahead than I am, Marco. You've got the bearing of a Captain."
Marco smiled faintly.
Then he turned to the figure sitting quietly beside him.
"Jinbe… what are your plans from here?"
When Marco suddenly addressed him, Jinbe frowned slightly before answering in a calm, measured tone.
"I am no longer a Shichibukai. After attending Pops's funeral, I intend to carefully consider how best to protect Fish-Man Island."
Marco met his gaze, his expression serious.
"Then how about joining us?"
"Joining the Whitebeard Pirates?" Jinbe repeated, visibly surprised.
Marco had no intention of letting such a powerful ally slip away.
"Yes. Join us—and your Sun Pirates can come as well. Even though Pops is gone, the Whitebeard Pirates will continue to protect Fish-Man Island."
The others immediately chimed in.
"That's right, Jinbe—join us!"
"We've fought side by side for years already!"
"You're no longer a Shichibukai anyway—why not sail with us?"
Jinbe was deeply tempted. Truthfully, he had long admired the Whitebeard Pirates. Yet his concern for Fish-Man Island weighed heavily on him. Marco was not Whitebeard—he did not yet possess the same overwhelming strength. Still, Jinbe's sense of honor would not allow him to refuse outright when the Whitebeard Pirates were at their most vulnerable.
After a brief silence, he spoke solemnly.
"…Please give me some time. I want to discuss this with the Sun Pirates before making a decision."
Marco smiled and nodded.
"Of course."
The following day, more than twenty thousand members of the Whitebeard Pirates and their allied crews arrived at Sphinx Island.
Under a silent sky, Marco and the division commanders personally carried Whitebeard's coffin, lowering it slowly into the earth. The funeral lasted from dawn until dusk. When it finally ended, Edward Newgate—Whitebeard—was laid to rest in his homeland, returning at last to his roots.
As the final rites concluded, a familiar mechanical voice echoed in Marco's ear:
"Mission complete: Retrieve the Body.
Whitebeard has been successfully buried on Sphinx Island.
Reward granted: 3,000 attribute points."
Marco immediately allocated 1,000 points into Strength, pushing it past a critical threshold.
Strength: 10,054
Satisfied, he turned his attention to the remaining 2,000 attribute points.
He had set a personal goal: raise all six core attributes above 10,000. At present, four still lagged behind—
Speed: 4,500
Defense: 8,800
Stamina: 8,100
Spirit: 4,800
Adding points to Defense or Stamina would be the fastest path to another milestone. But Marco hesitated.
'Those two are already close… they can wait.'
Speed mattered, but with flight and maneuverability, he could compensate for burst speed when needed.
Spirit, however—
'Haki consumes Spirit. And my regeneration burns through it just as much as stamina.'
His decision was swift.
"All into Spirit."
The final points flowed in.
Spirit: 6,800
Marco exhaled slowly, feeling the difference almost immediately.
Just then, hurried footsteps echoed across the deck.
"Captain Marco! Captain Vista!"
An allied pirate ran over, clutching a thick stack of newspapers, his voice full of urgency.
"Your new bounties are out!"