"The Dawn Hunter Pirates... Ash!"
Whitebeard's deep voice thundered across the sea, instantly silencing the battlefield. Every gaze shifted toward the towering figure standing at the bow of the Moby Dick, then toward Ash and the others aboard the Dawn.
"Squard, my son... he died at your hands, didn't he?!"
Whitebeard's oppressive stare locked onto Ash.
Hearing that, Ash casually pointed at Pini beside him.
"Wasn't me, it was him."
Pini and the others immediately rolled their eyes.
You really threw him under the ship without hesitation.
Even Whitebeard was momentarily speechless. The words he had prepared got stuck in his throat.
After sailing the seas for decades, he had never seen a captain as shameless as Ash.
Marco quickly understood what had happened. Pirates of Whitebeard's generation always exchanged words before battle. Whether it was revenge, territory disputes, or simply teaching someone a lesson, there was always a declaration before the fight began.
That was the old pirate way.
But Ash's response completely disrupted the atmosphere Whitebeard had been building.
In Whitebeard's eyes, a captain should shoulder responsibility for everything his crew did, no matter what happened.
That was what being a captain meant.
You needed pride, loyalty, and the resolve to stand at the front.
Yet in front of tens of thousands of people, Ash instantly pushed the blame onto his subordinate without the slightest hesitation.
And not just any subordinate, but Pini, a powerful fighter with a massive reputation.
Wasn't he worried about disappointing his crew?
How could someone like this survive on the seas?
...Then again, this bastard wasn't technically a pirate.
But even so, could someone really be this shameless?
And Squard had actually died at the hands of people like this?
Whitebeard's expression darkened further.
Seeing the atmosphere turning heavier, Marco stepped forward and pointed toward the Dawn.
"Everyone on the sea knows what happens when you attack one of our comrades!"
"We won't forgive anyone who harms our family! Whether it's you, Ash, or Pini, today will be your last day!"
"Be ready!"
Whitebeard nodded in satisfaction at Marco's quick response. He rested a hand on Marco's shoulder before stepping forward.
Then, without another word, he slammed his naginata into the deck.
Whitebeard crossed both fists in front of him and swung outward violently.
Crack!
The surrounding space fractured like shattered glass. Violent vibrations spread across the sea as terrifying shockwaves erupted outward.
Ash burst out laughing the moment he saw it.
"This old man's fighting dirty, attacking before the trash talk's even over! Watch out, tsunami incoming!"
The Dawn crew had long grown used to Ash's nonsense.
If they were already going to fight anyway, what was wrong with talking while fighting?
Several members with water-based abilities immediately prepared to suppress the rising waves, but Kirk raised a hand first.
The distorted space instantly stabilized.
The violent sea returned to stillness.
Kirk smirked.
"Using vibrations to stir the ocean? Who are you trying to intimidate?"
"You guys focus on fighting. As long as I'm here, let's see how he's going to flood the battlefield with the Tremor-Tremor Fruit."
"Kirk's awesome!" Ash shouted immediately.
"Then Whitebeard's mine first."
Sali grinned as he cracked his fists and shot forward.
Pini snorted.
"What do you mean yours first? You're just going ahead before us. Leave some for everyone else."
Youki also leaped into the air beside them.
The Dawn faction had never been the type to stand still and wait for attacks.
Since Whitebeard had already made the first move, they naturally intended to strike back immediately.
There was also one unspoken rule among them.
No matter where the battlefield ended up, whether on nearby islands or across Whitebeard's fleet, they absolutely would not allow the fighting to destroy the Dawn.
Sali's speed exploded across the battlefield as he charged directly toward Whitebeard.
Ever since the brutal training period against Kaido ended last year, Ash had already concluded that Sali's combat power had reached the level of a true Emperor-class fighter.
Back then, Sali had already been capable of fighting Kaido one-on-one without falling behind.
Still, there was one undeniable truth.
During that month of nonstop combat, the Dawn fighters had rotated in and out to recover.
Kaido had endured the entire thing alone.
Because of that, Sali still wasn't certain how he compared to a Yonko at full strength.
Especially after hearing Pini and Youki's conclusions after their battle against Shanks.
Both of them admitted that in a true one-on-one fight, neither could defeat Red-Haired Shanks.
Even working together, they could only gain the upper hand slowly by dragging the battle out and exhausting him.
That shocked Sali.
After all, even now, while he could defeat either Pini or Youki individually without much difficulty, handling both at once was impossible for him.
Against the two of them together, lasting half a day was already his limit.
That realization reignited Sali's competitive spirit.
Just like when he first encountered Kizaru in Dressrosa, he desperately wanted to know how large the gap still was between himself and the strongest monsters on the sea.
Especially the man standing before him now.
The World's Strongest Man.
Sali's grin widened as he launched a devastating strike toward Whitebeard.
But before he could reach him, blue flames erupted between them.
Marco the Phoenix blocked his path.
Marco's eyes narrowed.
He naturally recognized Sali.
One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, White Lion Sali.
And the man beside him with the tattooed face and rooster-comb hairstyle was another Warlord, Thunder Demon Wyper.
There had always been rumors that both Warlords were closely connected to Ash because they had once challenged Kaido together.
But now it was obvious this relationship went far beyond simple friendship.
The moment Whitebeard's fleet surrounded the Dawn, Sali and Wyper had immediately arrived with reinforcements.
That wasn't normal loyalty.
Everyone knew the Dawn possessed an unknown Devil Fruit user capable of allowing instant travel across the seas.
And just now, Marco had personally witnessed Kirk casually neutralize Whitebeard's shockwave tsunami with a single wave of his hand.
There was no doubt about it anymore.
Kirk was almost certainly the mysterious space-type ability user the world had been speculating about.
Which made things even more alarming.
For Ash to openly reveal such a strategically valuable ability in front of two Warlords, and for those same Warlords to willingly risk war against the Whitebeard Pirates to support him...
Their relationship was far deeper than the outside world realized.