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"What?! Blackbeard joined the Marines?!"
When Red brought this news back to Pokémon Park, the entire Straw Hat crew and Ace were instantly shocked beyond belief.
Facing his companions' stunned stares, Red nodded grimly: "According to Captain Hina, Blackbeard apparently escaped through deep waters and was rescued by their warship while floating at sea."
"Upon boarding, Blackbeard immediately defeated the entire Marine crew and restrained Captain Hina. However, he didn't harm any Marines. Instead, he used the warship's Den Den Mushi to contact Marine Headquarters."
"Hina and her crew couldn't hear the subsequent conversation. They only knew that Headquarters then issued orders instructing them to escort Blackbeard back to Marine Headquarters."
At this point, Red paused. He raised his head and looked at Ace with serious eyes.
"Ace, although Hina didn't hear what Blackbeard said to Marine Headquarters, that guy managed to transform from pirate to Marine instantly. I've even heard that because of his supposed achievements during this period, he now holds the rank of Captain just like Smoker and Hina!"
"Based on my understanding of both Blackbeard and the Marines, for them to form such an alliance... Blackbeard likely struck a deal with the Marines, offering information about the Whitebeard Pirates as his bargaining chip!"
"That bastard!!! That damn traitor!!!" After hearing this, Ace clenched his fists tightly, his eyes filled with boundless rage.
After a moment, however, he forced himself to calm down as a thought occurred to him: "I must let Pops know about this! Red, lend me your Den Den Mushi!"
"No problem." Without hesitation, Red produced the Den Den Mushi he carried. However, after dialing the Whitebeard Pirates' number, the snail remained dormant, showing none of its usual responsiveness.
"What's going on?!" Ace frowned, dialing the number again.
Third time... fourth time... No matter how many times he dialed the number that had become instinctual to him, the Den Den Mushi remained unresponsive.
"Maybe you remembered the number wrong?" Sanji suggested, removing his lit cigarette.
Ace immediately shook his head. "Impossible! I couldn't possibly forget this number!"
Robin, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke: "If the number is correct... the Den Den Mushi's current state suggests that the signal from the other side has been blocked!"
"It seems Blackbeard's actions are faster than we anticipated," Red frowned, placing his hands together thoughtfully.
Judging from Blackbeard's portrayal in the storyline, although his plans often seemed crude and would likely fail without his extraordinary luck, one thing was undeniable—his timing was impeccable. Plans that initially seemed unrelated would ultimately connect in strange, effective ways.
The defeat of Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, would inevitably create ripples throughout the world. The Marines and World Government would naturally focus more attention on Alabasta.
It must have been this opportunity that allowed Blackbeard to identify Princess Vivi among the Straw Hat Pirates and determine the true cause of Crocodile's downfall.
However, judging from Hina's reaction to them, Blackbeard likely hadn't directly revealed the Straw Hat Pirates' identity. So... why had he specifically informed Hina of Smoker's location?
Red fell into deep thought, even forgetting to comfort Ace, who grew increasingly agitated at being unable to contact Whitebeard.
Considering the outcome... Blackbeard's ultimate goal must be Whitebeard's head and the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. According to his original plan, initiating Marineford War would certainly be an effective strategy.
Moreover, with his original crew now killed by the Straw Hat Pirates, he likely still intended to break into Impel Down and recruit powerful prisoners as subordinates.
But to trigger the Marineford War, the Marines would need to capture someone crucial to Whitebeard—someone significant enough that their public execution wouldn't embarrass the Marines.
In the Whitebeard Pirates, only two people met this requirement...
One was Marco, First Division Commander who had followed Whitebeard since childhood and traveled the world with him.
The other was Ace, merely Second Division Commander but carrying the "sinful" bloodline of the Pirate King!
"That's it!" Red suddenly looked up and asked Ace: "How many people know about your visit to Alabasta?"
"Huh?" Ace was momentarily confused by this abrupt question but answered: "I came here hunting Blackbeard. Nobody except my shipmates would know."
"However... I've been questioning people and underground organizations about Blackbeard's whereabouts throughout my journey. I never bothered hiding my tracks, so..."
"I see," Red nodded in understanding, then suddenly asked: "Does Blackbeard know about your brotherhood with Luffy?"
"That's impossible!" Ace answered immediately. But his voice trailed off abruptly as he frowned, recalling something.
"Actually... when Luffy first got his bounty, I proudly showed his wanted poster to everyone aboard the Moby Dick. A few days later, Blackbeard attacked Thatch and fled."
"This makes perfect sense!" Red clapped his hands, his eyes gleaming with realization.
"Blackbeard must have recognized Vivi's identity and deduced our crew had arrived in Alabasta. Then, knowing Luffy as your brother, and with reports of your trail disappearing after reaching Alabasta... he likely guessed that you and Luffy had reunited."
"That's why he told Hina about Smoker and sent her to Alabasta. Once she confirmed Smoker's presence, he could verify our crew remained in Alabasta, increasing the probability that you and Luffy were together."
"His target has always been you, Ace!!!"
Red's gaze locked intensely with Ace's, his analysis leaving the Fire Fist stunned.
"What... what?" Ace whispered softly.
A breeze swept across the ground, stirring dust around them. Though they stood within the brightly lit park, the atmosphere among them suddenly plummeted to freezing.
Abruptly, Red let out a meaningful sigh and turned his complicated gaze toward Ace. For a moment, their eyes met in profound understanding.
Under his companions' watchful stares, Red slowly spoke: "Since events have progressed this far, there are things I can no longer keep to myself." He paused meaningfully. "Ace... I have seen your future."