"Hurry, advance at the fastest speed!" Hancock said. "I want to return to Kuja Island as soon as possible!"
Hearing Hancock's words, Sandersonia's face showed a helpless expression.
"Elder Sister, we are already advancing at the fastest speed."
She knew her elder sister wanted to return early, but the problem was... this ship could only go so fast.
Hancock frowned upon hearing this, clearly dissatisfied with the answer, but she said nothing more since her sister wouldn't lie to her.
Seeing Hancock's furrowed brow, Marigold remained silent for a moment before changing the subject. "Elder Sister, tell us about what happened at Marine Headquarters."
"Marine Headquarters..."
"Yes." Marigold nodded. "Was there anything noteworthy?"
At this, Hancock immediately perked up.
"There was!"
"What was it?" Marigold quickly asked.
"I witnessed Meiser's power!" Hancock said with a starstruck expression. "An unparalleled power!"
Marigold: ???
Marigold looked at her elder sister with a puzzled expression. Had she been watching Meiser the entire time?
Was that... appropriate?
Meanwhile, Sandersonia looked at Hancock with confusion and said, "Unparalleled power?!"
Weren't Whitebeard and the Marine Admirals present in that battle at Marine Headquarters? How could Meiser display unparalleled power?
Could he be stronger than the Admirals and Whitebeard?
That... that couldn't be possible.
Those were the Four Emperors and Admirals!!!
"Exactly, unparalleled power!!" Hancock declared.
Being able to fight against three Marine Admirals without being at a disadvantage—wasn't that proof of Meiser's strength?
Recalling the scenes she had witnessed at Marine Headquarters, Hancock's eyes began to sparkle like little stars.
And in those scenes... Meiser was shining brilliantly the entire time!
"Ah~"
Meiser was simply too dazzling. Sandersonia fell silent for a moment before saying, "Elder Sister, you have to tell us what he actually did."
"Fine, I'll tell you then." Hancock said. "During the battle at Marine Headquarters, he fought against all three Marine Admirals and managed to remain undefeated!!"
"Wh...what?!"
Hearing Hancock's words, both Sandersonia and Marigold showed expressions of disbelief.
Fighting against the three Marine Admirals and remaining undefeated?
That... that was terrifying!
Didn't that mean his strength surpassed even their elder sister's?!
At this thought, their pupils contracted sharply.
"Meiser's power is actually that strong..." Marigold swallowed hard and said.
It seems Meiser had indeed been going easy on them earlier, otherwise... he alone could have conquered their entire Kuja Island!
"He's incredibly powerful."
Recalling the Marine Fleet Admiral's headache-inducing expression upon seeing Meiser, a smile appeared on Hancock's face.
"It seems I still underestimated his strength," Sandersonia remarked with emotion.
She had previously thought his power was roughly on par with her elder sister's, but... but he turned out to be this strong!
"Not only is he powerful, Meiser's various abilities are also extraordinary," Hancock said. "For example... his Undying Body!"
With this ability, the Marines truly had no way to deal with Meiser.
"Undying Body?" Sandersonia said in disbelief. "How is that possible?"
Could there really be someone in this world who possessed an Undying Body?
This was utterly shocking.
Meanwhile, Marigold frowned and said, "Undying Body, huh... Oh~ Now I understand! No wonder elder sister said earlier that Meiser couldn't be killed - it turns out he has an Undying Body. That explains why elder sister said those words back then. But... how did he achieve it?" Marigold thought to herself. "To actually achieve immortality... Did he eat some special Devil Fruit?"
At this thought, Marigold fell into deep contemplation.
"Though it sounds unbelievable, that's the reality," Hancock stated.
It could be said that as long as Meiser didn't wish it, no one in this world could kill him!
"Possessing strength to match the Marine Admirals, plus an Undying Body..." Sandersonia swallowed hard and said, "The Marines must be extremely troubled by this."
"Pretty much."
Recalling the Marines' reactions when they discovered Meiser's Undying Body, Hancock couldn't help but laugh.
No matter what kind of attack the Marines launched, they couldn't kill this powerful Ninja!
"Then the Marines must have suffered significant losses too," Marigold said.
"Yes, very significant."
Hancock nodded. "The Marines have been severely weakened after this war."
If they couldn't find a way to address their combat power issues, the Marines would be unable to continue fulfilling their duties.
"So how did the war end?" Sandersonia asked.
"The Whitebeard Pirates managed to rescue Fire Fist Ace after suffering heavy casualties," Hancock replied.
"Does that mean the Whitebeard Pirates achieved complete victory?"
"Not exactly," Hancock shook her head. "Whitebeard fell in the final battle, so strictly speaking, the Marines achieved victory."
By the war's conclusion, Hancock had discerned the Marines' true objective.
Those bastards had aimed to kill Whitebeard from the very beginning!
Fire Fist Ace and the rest of the Whitebeard Pirates were merely secondary targets.
After all... without Whitebeard, one of the Four Emperors, the Whitebeard Pirates were no longer a threat!
"Even someone of that caliber could fall in battle?" Marigold said in shock.
That was one of the Four Emperors who held the title of "The Strongest Man in the World"!
"His strength is indeed formidable, but... he's ultimately grown old," Hancock remarked. "Moreover, he participated in a war of that magnitude."
Whitebeard probably knew from the very beginning that he might die at Marine Headquarters, yet he still went...
It must be said, he truly was an admirable man!
"It seems even the world's strongest man cannot resist the erosion of time..." Marigold sighed with emotion.
"Indeed," Sandersonia agreed with a nod.
Time truly treats everyone with fairness.
"What happened afterward?" Marigold asked. "How did the Whitebeard Pirates manage to leave Marine Headquarters?"
She remembered there was a Marine Admiral at Marine Headquarters who could freeze the sea!
With that guy around, the Whitebeard Pirates wouldn't even be able to sail away.
Unless someone was willing to stay behind and fight Admiral Aokiji to the death, preventing him from freezing the sea!
But the person who stayed behind might...
Could it have been Whitebeard who stayed behind? Marigold wondered to herself.
It wasn't impossible.
With his severely wounded body, standing alone to block the pursuing Marines, buying time for the Whitebeard Pirates to escape... that way, they'd have a chance to leave Marine Headquarters!
Of course, it could also have been Meiser who stayed behind to cover their retreat, Marigold murmured inwardly.
After all... Meiser possesses an Undying Body!
A man like that wouldn't fear being swarmed by the Marines!
"Originally, the Marines had no intention of letting the Whitebeard Pirates go, but another one of the Four Emperors appeared, forcing them to stand down," Hancock explained.
"Another Emperor?" Marigold exclaimed in shock. "Who was it?"
"Red Hair!"
"Red Hair?"
Hearing Meiser's words, Granny Nyon showed a stunned expression. "You mean Red Hair went to Marine Headquarters to mediate?"
"Yes."
Meiser nodded. "That guy said, 'If anyone still wants to fight, then fight us, the Red Hair Pirates. We'll take you all on!'"
"Quite the bold declaration," Granny Nyon muttered.
To demand everyone cease fighting the moment he arrived?
Wasn't he afraid the Marines or the Whitebeard Pirates would fight him to the death?
But then, remembering the strength of the Red Hair Pirates, Granny Nyon understood.
They truly had nothing to fear, because... the Red Hair Pirates are genuinely powerful!
"He was indeed very bold," Meiser said. "But it was precisely because of him that the war came to an end."
"Otherwise, leaving wouldn't have been easy."
After all... Admiral Aokiji can freeze the sea!
With him around, sailing away would have been nearly impossible.
Of course, if they could quickly take down Aokiji, they might have been able to leave Marine Headquarters smoothly.
But... that wouldn't have been easy either, given he's a Marine Admiral!
"No wonder Luffy often mentions him," Merry mused, resting her chin on her hand. "He really is a good person."
If not for that man, it would have been very difficult for Meiser and the others to leave.
"A good person?"
Granny Nyon raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that phrasing a bit inappropriate when referring to a pirate?"
He's one of the Four Emperors!!!
"Am I wrong?" Merry looked at Granny Nyon with confusion. "He helped Meiser and the others, after all."
Anyone who helped her friends must be a good person!
Granny Nyon:...
So that's what she meant.
From Merry's perspective, that person could indeed be considered a good man.
Hearing this, Meiser smiled and reached out to pat Merry's head. "Well, from our perspective, he certainly counts as a good person. Actually, that guy once saved Luffy's life too."
"Hehe, see? I told you~"
Merry's face lit up with a smile as Meiser patted her head, her little legs swinging happily, clearly in excellent spirits.
After smiling for a moment, Meiser turned his gaze to Granny Nyon. "Anyway... it was precisely because of Shanks that the Marines gave up pursuing us and chose to cease hostilities."
"And we took that opportunity to leave Marine Headquarters."
Granny Nyon nodded upon hearing this, then remarked with some emotion, "I never expected that Sengoku would actually compromise with Red Hair."
Was he afraid of this Four Emperor?
Or was there some other reason?
After thinking for a while without reaching any conclusion, Granny Nyon gave up on the question.
"What else could he do but compromise?" Meiser shrugged. "Continuing to fight would have been disadvantageous for the Marines."
Although Uncle Whitebeard fell in battle, their side still had top-tier combat power!
If Red Hair were willing to join forces with them... the Marines would definitely be in serious trouble!
"That's true," Granny Nyon said.
Although the Marines had five Admiral-level combatants, they truly couldn't crush these forces.
After all... the Red Hair Pirates had two extremely powerful figures!
Just then, Merry spoke up: "By the way, Meiser, I heard you mention someone called Blackbeard earlier. Who is that guy?"
"Him..."
Recalling that man's face, Meiser said, "Just an ambitious schemer."
"I believe he's the new Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea, right?" Granny Nyon said. As she spoke, Blackbeard's face from the newspapers surfaced in her mind.
Then she thought: 'Why does this guy seem somewhat familiar?'
It was as if... she'd seen him somewhere before.
But no matter how hard Granny Nyon searched her memories, she couldn't recall where she might have encountered him.
"An illusion?"
With this thought, Granny Nyon fell into deep contemplation.
"Correct, he is indeed the new Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea," Meiser nodded. "But that title is just something he accepted to achieve his own goals."
"Achieve his goals?"
"Yes."
Meiser explained, "From what I understood from his conversation with Sengoku... he only became a Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea to get close to Impel Down."
After recalling the dialogue between Blackbeard and Sengoku, Meiser confirmed with a nod.
Then he thought to himself: 'Those new faces following him must be prisoners from Impel Down.'
Just to acquire a few powerful subordinates?
Tch, interesting.
'This could indeed quickly strengthen his pirate crew, but... such subordinates may not be loyal,' Meiser murmured inwardly.
Come to think of it, is this Blackbeard walking the same path Rocks intended to take?
Recalling Granny Nyon's earlier words, Meiser fell into deep thought.
"What's he doing near Impel Down?" Granny Nyon wondered.
"Probably to recruit powerful pirates as subordinates."
Hearing this, Granny Nyon froze momentarily before thinking to herself: 'This seems somewhat similar to that guy...'
At that moment, Rocks' image surfaced in her mind.
Then, a startling thought occurred to Granny Nyon.
'Why does Blackbeard look somewhat similar to Rocks?' she thought with shock.
Could that guy be Rocks' descendant?
But she immediately dismissed this notion, because... the World Government had thoroughly investigated everything about Rocks!
So it's highly unlikely he's Rocks' descendant, otherwise he'd have been killed long ago!
'Probably just someone who looks similar,' Granny Nyon muttered to herself.
Shaking her head slightly, she completely dismissed this strange idea.
"But there's one thing I don't understand," said Little Merry, resting her chin in her hands. "He already has some powerful companions, so why is he going to Marine Headquarters?"
"Probably to make a name for himself by killing Whitebeard," Granny Nyon speculated.
If he really manages to kill Whitebeard, he'd become famous overnight.
He might even directly become the next Four Emperor!
"That's probably one of the reasons," Meiser said, narrowing his eyes. "But I feel like he has some other purpose."
"Other purpose?"
Granny Nyon showed a puzzled expression before asking, "Did you notice something?"
"After killing Uncle Whitebeard, he covered Uncle Whitebeard's body with a black cloth, as if planning to do something."
"Do what?" Granny Nyon frowned.
Could it be... that guy intends to take Whitebeard's head?
But that doesn't make sense either. If he just wanted to take Whitebeard's head, there'd be no need to cover the entire body with black cloth.
"I don't know," Meiser shook his head. "I couldn't figure out what he intended to do either."
"But I didn't let him succeed."
"What did you do?"
"I used Earth Release Technique to retrieve Uncle Whitebeard's body," Meiser said with a slight smile.
Hearing this, Granny Nyon remained silent for a moment before giving a thumbs up. "Well done!!"
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
In the Calm Belt, a person was floating on the sea surface.
"Trying to swim across the Calm Belt is really not easy," Rayleigh said with a headache.
But there was no other way, since the ship he was on had been destroyed by Sea Kings.
Shaking his head, Rayleigh took out the Vivrecard from his pocket and glanced at it.
Then he turned his gaze toward the southwest.
'There it is,' Rayleigh muttered.
Putting away the Vivrecard, Rayleigh dove into the sea and swam forward at maximum speed.
He needed to reach Kuja Island as quickly as possible!