For the next month, Marco split his time between managing the affairs of the Phoenix Pirates and training Conqueror's Haki alongside Ace.
During this period, the system remained silent—no new missions appeared. Only the two long-term objectives remained: eliminate the Blackbeard Pirates and ascend to the rank of Yonko.
Marco had already dispatched people to investigate Blackbeard's whereabouts. Yet since the end of the Marineford War, Teach seemed to have vanished completely. No trace of him could be found. Most likely, he was still hiding somewhere in the Grand Line, biding his time before entering the New World.
Marco wasn't worried.
With Blackbeard's ambition, it was only a matter of time before he resurfaced.
For now, Marco's priority was clear—stabilize the foundation Whitebeard had left behind.
Though the Phoenix Pirates had lost more than half their forces at Marineford, the core of the crew remained intact. Most of the commanders had survived, and that alone was enough to deter many would-be challengers.
The pirates who dared attack Phoenix Pirates territory were mostly insignificant opportunists, hoping to rise to fame by preying on a wounded giant. The true threats—the real powers of the New World—were still watching from the shadows.
But today, that fragile balance was finally shattered.
A pirate calling himself Edward Weevil had launched an attack on one of the Phoenix Pirates' protected islands. A subordinate crew of over three hundred men was completely annihilated. The island's treasury was looted, the Phoenix Pirates' flag was burned, and Weevil publicly declared that all of Whitebeard's property belonged to him.
His justification?
He claimed to be Whitebeard's biological son, come to inherit his legacy.
Aboard the Moby Dick, Marco ended the call with a sharp click, his expression dark.
On the table before him lay two photographs.
One depicted a large, awkward-looking man with a runny nose, a crescent-shaped mustache, and several grotesque scars that looked crudely stitched together. His vacant expression gave him the appearance of someone… not particularly intelligent.
This was Edward Weevil.
The second photo showed an elderly woman with a twisted face—Miss Bakkin, who claimed to be Whitebeard's former lover and Weevil's mother.
Vista stared at the pictures, his voice heavy.
"Edward Weevil… who exactly is this guy? He actually claims to be Pops' son?"
Jozu slammed his fist onto the table, fury blazing in his eyes.
"I don't care who he is. He slaughtered our brothers. That alone means he can't be forgiven."
The crew erupted.
"Exactly—unforgivable!"
"As if the old man would ever have a biological son!"
"We've sailed with him for decades—when would that even have happened?!"
"It's obviously fake!"
"And that woman—Miss Bakkin? The old man's beloved? Don't make me laugh!"
Marco raised a hand, silencing the room.
His voice was calm—but cold.
"Whether he's lying or not doesn't matter anymore."
He looked down at Weevil's photo, eyes sharp.
"He dared to provoke the Phoenix Pirates. That alone seals his fate."
Marco stood.
"Locate Edward Weevil and Miss Bakkin immediately. Once their position is confirmed, we mobilize. All forces."
His tone hardened.
"He needs to understand the consequences of offending us."
Rakuyo nodded without hesitation.
"Leave it to me. I'll contact the allied crews right away."
At that moment, the familiar mechanical voice echoed in Marco's mind.
"New mission issued…"
Marco opened the system panel and switched to the mission tab.
Mission: Establish Authority
Edward Weevil slaughtered a subordinate crew of the Phoenix Pirates and falsely claimed Whitebeard's legacy.
This act is unforgivable.
Objective: Kill Edward Weevil and deter opportunistic enemies.
Reward: 1,000 attribute points.
Marco's lips curved slightly.
'So the system agrees…'
At last, a new mission.
As the Phoenix Pirates prepared to move, far away—
in the first half of the New World, within the Archipelagos of Archiraman—
A different storm was already gathering.
Whitey Bay—the Ice Witch—led her crew to this island personally.
As she pushed open the door of a tavern, her sharp gaze immediately locked onto her target. At a table near the center sat a man wearing a polka-dotted beret, calm and composed, with a fully clothed polar bear seated quietly beside him.
The tavern erupted into whispers the moment she entered.
"That's Whitey Bay—the Ice Witch."
"She used to sail under the Whitebeard Pirates."
"Idiot, haven't you heard the news? The Whitebeard Pirates are now the Phoenix Pirates. Marco's the Captain."
"All their former allies have raised the Phoenix flag too. It's just a name change."
"Why would someone like her come here? This isn't their territory!"
Whitey Bay ignored the murmurs entirely. Her attention never left Trafalgar Law.
She strode over and spoke plainly,
"Trafalgar Law—the Surgeon of Death from North Blue."
Law raised an eyebrow slightly, his expression unreadable. Before he could respond, Penguin, seated beside him, leaned in and whispered,
"Captain, that's the Ice Witch."
Law's gaze lifted to meet Whitey Bay's.
"Whitey Bay," he said coolly. "What business do you have with me?"
In his mind, he had no connection to the woman before him.
Whitey Bay pulled a chair from a nearby table and sat down across from him without asking.
"I'm not the one looking for you," she said calmly. "Our Captain is."
"Captain?" Law frowned faintly.
Whitey Bay's former captain had been Whitebeard—and Whitebeard was dead. That left only one possibility.
"You mean the leader of the Phoenix Pirates," Law said. "I don't believe I know him either."
"Our captain knows who you are," Whitey Bay replied. "An Ope-Ope no Mi user. A skilled doctor. He wants to ask you to help our injured crew—specifically, to reattach severed limbs."
She paused, then added evenly,
"If you agree, the Phoenix Pirates will owe you a favor."
Law remained silent—but his crew didn't.
"A Yonko's crew asking Captain for help?!"
"That's a favor from a Yonko-level pirate crew!"
"I see…" Law finally said, a faint, intrigued smile forming at the corner of his mouth.
So that was why Marco wanted to meet him.
As he considered the proposal, his thoughts drifted. Ever since entering the New World, he had been plotting how to bring down Doflamingo. He hadn't expected opportunity to come knocking so soon—much less in the form of a request from a Yonko's crew.
The Whitebeard Pirates—no, the Phoenix Pirates—had indeed suffered severe losses at Marineford. But they were still far from weak.
Marco.
Fourteen division commanders.
Forty-two allied pirate crews.
Even wounded, they were a force that dwarfed the Donquixote Family.
Law's smile deepened slightly.
This… was an offer worth considering.
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