Navy side: Sengoku and his subordinates.
Witness: Shanks the Red-Haired!
Shanks acted exactly as a neutral party, serving as their witness. Both Whitebeard and Shanks had no objections to what El had done. And the Navy also tacitly agreed with El's words.
"See you in two days."
With that, El turned and left with his men.
The Navy, however, was not so lucky! They still had to clean up this total mess. The Marine Headquarters had been reduced to complete ruins.
Worse still, they now had to face questioning and criticism from the Celestial Dragons and the Five Elders.
Suddenly, a vice admiral shouted loudly: "Fleet Admiral Sengoku! I found Blackbeard!"
Sengoku and the others rushed over to look. Blackbeard was already on his last legs, barely clinging to life.
"What should we do with him?" Aokiji asked, looking at Sengoku.
Sengoku thought for a moment.
"Send him straight to Level 6 of Impel Down... under strict guard!"
"Never let him out again!"
The Navy, led by Sengoku, would give Blackbeard no special treatment. This man had nearly caused the entire Navy to be wiped out. He was unforgivable!
Meanwhile, on El's side:
Whitebeard and El walked slowly together.
Whitebeard asked, "El, what do you plan to do next?"
A smile spread across El's lips.
"Simple—divide up the world, of course!"
Whitebeard was shocked when he heard this. He never expected El to harbor such great ambitions. But after thinking it over, it made perfect sense.
After all, El was no inexperienced young pirate. He was a legendary figure who had sailed the seas for decades, a great pirate from the same era as Whitebeard himself.
Perhaps this was the moment he had chosen to step onto the stage in full force.
Back on the ships, everyone rested for a while. El had set the meeting to take place in two days' time.
This timeline ensured they could neither travel elsewhere nor return to their own territories—they had no choice but to stay near the Marine Headquarters.
This was exactly what El had planned. If too much time passed, the Navy might well refuse to acknowledge their defeat. Two days was the perfect length.
It would be nowhere near enough time for the Navy to clean up the chaos; they would be left scrambling.
For the pirates, staying on board meant they could rest while keeping a close watch on the Navy's movements. It was a plan that served every purpose at once.
On the Moby Dick, Whitebeard sat in the center of the deck, gazing happily at his "sons." In the battle just fought, not a single key member of the Whitebeard Pirates had been lost.
The worst anyone had suffered was minor injuries. This filled Whitebeard with joy. Before coming here, he had fully prepared himself to make great sacrifices.
The outcome was far better than he had dared hope. Thinking of this, he let out his signature laugh—"Gurararara!" —the bandages and IV tubes attached to his body shaking with every movement.
Meanwhile, the division commanders were feasting, drinking and eating meat, while also discussing something else: how to seize territories from the Navy.
Laid out in their midst was a huge world map.
Most islands already had rulers—for example, Onigashima in the New World belonged to Kaido; Whole Cake Island and Totto Land were under Big Mom's control.
The Whitebeard Pirates themselves held three main strongholds:
- Foodvalten Island
- Fish-Man Island, under their protection
- Sphinx Island, Whitebeard's birthplace
These were their most vital holdings, the core assets of the crew. Of course, as one of the Four Emperors, they controlled many smaller territories scattered across the seas as well.
As they talked excitedly, Whitebeard stared intently at the map. Suddenly, he spoke up: "Sons... I've decided to give Fish-Man Island to El."
His words left Marco and the others stunned.
Jozu the Diamond immediately stood up. "Old Man... why would you do that?"
He simply couldn't understand. Fish-Man Island was one of their most important territories. How could they just give it away like that?
Whitebeard glanced at him, his expression serious. "You dare ask me why?"
"During the Summit War, if El hadn't joined us, we would have been completely destroyed!"
"He was our most crucial ally—the one who changed the course of the entire world!"
"And he saved both Ace and my own life, time and time again!"
"And you still ask me why? Where is your loyalty? Where is your gratitude?"
At his words, Jozu fell silent. The others lowered their heads, overcome with shame.
Just then, Marco the Phoenix stepped forward.
"Old Man," Marco said gently, "I know Jozu didn't mean to be ungrateful. All of us are deeply thankful to El. We just don't understand... why give him Fish-Man Island specifically? Why not some other land or treasure instead?"
The crew controlled so many territories. Why Fish-Man Island? It was a choice they could not wrap their heads around.
Fish-Man Island lay ten thousand meters beneath the waves, directly below Mary Geoise.
It was the birthplace of nearly all merfolk and fish-men, known far and wide as the Paradise Beneath the Sea, a dreamlike sanctuary.
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