The vast deck of the warship was shrouded in an inexplicable oppressive atmosphere, like an invisible dark curtain hanging over everyone's heads.
Faced with Vice Admiral Garp's praise, their nerves were undeniably stirred.
After all, the current situation at the Navy Headquarters was far from what it used to be.
"No, based solely on the current intelligence, it doesn't mean that Saitama is stronger than Whitebeard. It only shows that his strength is quite good," Garp shook his head and explained.
"But, with this level of skill alone, it's enough to prove that his strength is definitely not inferior to the so-called Seven Warlords of the Sea. Perhaps, he could even sit in the position of a Marine Admiral."
Comparable to an Admiral?
The navy soldiers present were stunned. In their eyes, Admirals were an unattainable existence.
Moreover, they represented the peak combat power of the Navy Headquarters against the New World.
The strange, comically large bald head in front of them was being highly praised by Garp, a hero of the Navy.
This completely overturned their understanding.
Meanwhile, on the Moby Dick, over a hundred pairs of eyes suddenly turned sharply, locking onto Vladimir. The shock in their hearts was even greater than what the navy on the shipboard felt.
Especially those division captains—none of them had not experienced rebellious periods.
They had all been beaten by Whitebeard at some point and knew exactly what kind of destructive power this furious strike could unleash.
Yet, such a fierce, unmatched blow was easily caught by a man with a vastly different physique.
If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, who would believe all of this was real?
"Whitebeard, is this how your pirates treat your guests?" Vladimir, holding the Sabre, grinned and mocked.
"If I hadn't taken action to knock that ignorant little brat out, he would have already been handed over to the World Government by Blackbeard as a gift to become a Warlord of the Sea."
A gift to become a Warlord? Everyone present froze in surprise.
They knew Blackbeard was a man with an inhuman ambition who tolerated a long time.
However, they never expected Teach to actually harbor ambitions to become a Warlord of the Sea.
In the original story, Doflamingo, one of the Seven Warlords, once mentioned during his arrest that the true overlord of the sea was the Navy Headquarters, but the smartest pirates weren't the four emperors ruling over their territories—they were the pirates who became Warlords.
Because, if the Navy was the righteous path, then pirates were the underworld.
Becoming a Warlord of the Sea was undoubtedly the path of the clever—walking the fine line between black and white.
They wouldn't offend the pirates, nor would they be worried about the Navy attacking them at any moment.
For Blackbeard's sly and cunning nature, becoming a Warlord was the best disguise.
Especially now, after knowing the relationship between Ace and the Pirate King Roger, Blackbeard's chances of becoming a Warlord had increased significantly.
"Dad, calm down," Marco's Azure Flame suddenly flared up. Without hesitation, he leapt forward and landed in front of Whitebeard.
"Now that Ace is safely back, let's first clarify the situation before making any plans."
"Marco's right," Shanks also stepped forward slowly. "I believe this young man will give me some face and not get entangled in this matter for now."
As soon as he spoke, he was already seeking face!
Vladimir, well aware of Shanks's personality, had long understood this.
But this time, Vladimir came to Whitebeard's pirate crew mainly to fulfill his promise from that day.
He glanced at Whitebeard, who was still maintaining a gloomy expression and had just loosened his grip.
The crowd, witnessing this scene, secretly let out a sigh of relief.
However, when they saw the clear teeth marks on the blade of Whitebeard's legendary great sword, the Murakumogiri, shimmering with cold light, their eye muscles twitched uncontrollably.
Even the legendary black sword was almost bitten in half.
If it had been a normal person, they'd be sure they'd bite through it.
This scene made Whitebeard's face, already grim, turn even more intense.
But as the overlord of the sea and captain of the Whitebeard Pirates, Whitebeard also knew very well that Marco and Shanks's words weren't wrong.
Suppressing the pain in his heart about the Murakumogiri, he said in a deep voice, "Little brat, you just said that if it weren't for you, Ace would have been defeated by Teach, using that as a bargaining chip to take the position of a Warlord!"
"But I highly approve of Ace's strength. Just your words alone, I don't believe it."
He then looked at Ace, who had just caught his breath, and said, "Ace, tell him clearly—being the second-in-command on my ship is a symbol of strength. Teach would never be your match."
His old voice, filled with unquestionable authority, echoed across the deck and lingered for a long time.
After all, in their eyes, the previous Second-in-Command was Kinemon Momonosuke—a strong man capable of overpowering Kaido and nearly defeating the Dragon.
Within Whitebeard's crew, even Marco, the first mate, was overshadowed.
It was for this reason that after Kinemon Momonosuke left, the position of Second-in-Command remained vacant.
The core reason wasn't just to honor Kinemon Momonosuke, but because no one within the vast Whitebeard Pirates had enough strength to take over that role.
Now, with Ace having just boarded the ship and become the candidate for that position, it showed Whitebeard's high hopes and recognition of Ace's strength.
And now, Vladimir's words—saying Ace couldn't compare to Blackbeard—hit Whitebeard like a slap.
Did the old man's eyes deceive him?
In an instant, everyone's eyes on the vast deck shifted sharply, locking onto Ace.
Feeling the intense gaze, Ace's face kept changing, teeth clenched, as he said through gritted teeth, "Dad, this is just an accident. If I can figure out how the Dark-Dark Fruit works, and make Devil Fruits powerless, I absolutely won't lose to Teach!"
"Dad, give me another chance. I will bring Teach back to you this time."
His urgent words echoed across the deck, and Shanks, seeing this, secretly let out a sigh of relief.
This also proved that Whitebeard, the "horse whisperer," had seriously underestimated Blackbeard with the Dark-Dark Fruit.
Whitebeard's expression immediately darkened. "Enough!"
"Ace, you should know very well—on this cruel, survival-of-the-fittest sea, there are no second chances. Fail, and you die."
"This time, you've only managed to save your own life."
He then looked at Vladimir and said, "I'm glad you managed to save Ace."
"But I really want to know—how did Ace's injuries happen? You went too far!"
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