On a secluded island in the New World, Edward Newgate had been laid to rest overlooking the sea he had sailed for decades.
His enormous bisento stood beside the grave, while his captain's coat fluttered gently above the stone.
The surviving members of the Whitebeard Pirates had gathered before him one final time.
Not one of them tried to hold back their tears.
Some wept openly. Others bowed their heads and clenched their fists. Even the toughest pirates among them had struggled to remain standing as Marco spoke their final words of farewell.
Ace remained before the grave longer than anyone else.
He knelt there in silence, his forehead nearly touching the earth as tears streamed down his face.
Pops had died to save him.
That truth would remain with him for the rest of his life.
By evening, the surviving ships had finally left the island behind.
Aboard one of the Whitebeard Pirates' vessels, long tables had been arranged across the deck. Plates piled high with meat, bread, fruit, and fish covered their surfaces, accompanied by several large barrels of sake.
Whitebeard had never wanted his sons to mourn forever.
Whenever they lost brothers in battle, the crew would gather together, raise their cups, and pay respect to the lives of those who had fallen.
Tonight, however, the usual laughter was nowhere to be heard.
The men ate in silence.
Some stared blankly into their cups. Others occasionally glanced back at the island as it slowly disappeared beyond the horizon.
Shiki sat near the bow with one leg crossed over the other, tearing a piece of roasted meat from the bone.
Unlike the others, he had not known Whitebeard for long.
He respected the old man's strength and unshakable resolve, but he would not pretend to share the grief of the sons Whitebeard had left behind.
Even so, the heavy atmosphere was enough to ruin his appetite.
Shiki lifted his cup and took a drink of sake.
Footsteps approached from behind.
He did not need to turn around to know who they belonged to.
Marco stopped beside the table with his hands tucked inside his open shirt. Ace stood next to him, his hat hanging from the cord around his neck.
Both men looked exhausted.
The war had ended, but neither of them had truly escaped it.
Marco spoke first.
"Shiki."
Shiki continued eating.
"What?"
Marco glanced at Ace before lowering his head slightly.
"We never properly thanked you."
Ace bowed as well.
"I... I owe you my life. Thank you."
His voice trembled despite his efforts to control it.
"And I'm grateful that you helped us give Pops the farewell he deserved. Without you, we—his own sons—wouldn't even have been able to..."
Ace's hand tightened into a fist, and the rest of his words refused to come.
They had not even possessed the strength to recover their father's body.
That helplessness made him feel utterly worthless.
He could still see Whitebeard standing behind them, wounded beyond recognition yet refusing to fall.
He could still hear his father's final command.
Live.
Shiki waved the meat bone dismissively.
"Don't give me too much credit."
"I went to Marineford because I wanted to. I fought the Marines because they stood in my way, and I killed those Admirals because they possessed something I wanted to take."
He raised his cup again, making no attempt to hide his intentions.
"Nothing more."
Shiki took another drink.
"I've always done whatever I wanted. That day was no different."
Marco gave him a tired smile.
"Even so, you're one of the reasons Ace is still standing here, yoi."
"Whether you want our gratitude or not, you have it."
Shiki studied the two of them for a moment before looking away.
"Do as you please."
A brief silence followed.
Nearby, several pirates began refilling their cups. One of them quietly started telling a story about Whitebeard, and a few weak laughs soon spread around the table.
Ace drew in a long breath, released it in a tired sigh, and sat opposite Shiki.
Shiki glanced toward the empty section of the deck where another group had been eating earlier that day.
"The Straw Hats left quickly."
Ace's expression softened.
"Yeah."
Shortly after the funeral, Luffy and his crew had prepared to depart.
The war had shown each of them just how dangerous the New World truly was.
They had survived Marineford, but simply surviving was not enough for them.
Before leaving, Luffy had stood on the railing of his ship with one hand pressed firmly against his straw hat.
"I'm still too weak!"
His shout had carried across the water.
The rest of the Straw Hats stood behind him, each wearing the same determined expression.
"I couldn't protect anyone by myself! So I'm gonna train until I'm strong enough!"
Luffy then pointed directly at Shiki.
"Next time we meet, I'll be way stronger!"
Shiki had raised an eyebrow.
Luffy's face split into a huge grin.
"I'm gonna become the Pirate King! I'll surpass everyone—the Marines, the Emperors, Ace..."
He jabbed his finger toward Shiki again.
"And you too, Shiki!"
"Me?"
"Shishishi!"
Luffy laughed as though he had said the most obvious thing in the world.
"Just wait!"
The Straw Hats' ship then sailed away, with Luffy continuing to wave wildly from the railing.
Even now, Shiki could not understand that brat.
They had barely spent any time together, yet Luffy already behaved as though they were lifelong rivals who had promised to meet again at the end of the sea.
Shiki had no idea when the boy had decided they were that close.
In the end, he chose not to waste any more time thinking about it.
Luffy was a reckless fool.
Trying to understand him would only give someone a headache.
Ace laughed quietly when he saw Shiki's expression.
"That's just how Luffy is."
"He's an irritating, reckless brat."
"Hahaha... I definitely can't argue with that. But once he decides on something, there's no stopping him."
Shiki placed his empty cup on the table.
The faint amusement disappeared from his face.
He had given Marco and Ace enough time to recover.
Now it was time to discuss the real reason he had followed the Whitebeard Pirates after leaving Marineford.
"Sail under my flag."
Silence swept across the deck.
Ace slowly rose from his seat.
"That's not possible."
There was no hesitation in his voice.
Shiki watched him calmly.
He did not appear surprised. In fact, he had expected this reaction. It would have been far more shocking if they had accepted his offer without resistance.
Ace placed a hand against his chest, struggling to keep himself calm.
Had those words come from anyone other than Shiki, he would have already attacked them.
"We're the Whitebeard Pirates."
His voice grew firmer with every word.
"Pops may be gone, but that doesn't mean we can throw away everything he built and become someone else's crew."
"We're grateful for everything you did, Shiki," Marco added.
His voice was filled with gratitude, but beneath it was a determination that only Whitebeard could have inspired in him.
"But this isn't a decision I can make by myself, yoi. And even if it were, asking these men to abandon Pops' flag—"
"You misunderstand."
Shiki's interruption silenced them both.
He reached for the sake bottle and calmly refilled his cup.
"I'm not asking you to abandon Whitebeard's name."
Ace frowned.
"Then what are you asking?"
"Your captain is dead. Most of your ships were destroyed, many of your commanders are injured, and every scavenger in the New World is already watching your territories."
Shiki's blunt words caused both of them to stiffen.
"Whitebeard's death has left an enormous hole in the balance of power. Pirates who never dared to approach his islands before will begin attacking the moment they hear he's gone."
Marco's expression darkened.
He knew Shiki was right.
Whitebeard's flag had protected countless islands.
Many of those territories possessed no armies capable of defending themselves. They had survived only because no pirate wanted to risk provoking the Strongest Man in the World.
That protection had vanished with Pops.
Shiki continued.
"I need a force capable of working with me."
Ace folded his arms.
He rarely appeared thoughtful, but he was far from stupid. He immediately understood what Shiki was proposing.
"So this is an alliance?"
"Call it whatever you like."
Shiki took another drink.
"You keep your name and your flag as the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates."
"But until Ace—or someone else among you—becomes strong enough to defend everything Whitebeard left behind, you follow my lead when the situation demands it."
Ace and Marco exchanged a glance.
Both could see the astonishment in the other's eyes.
However, before either of them could question or reject the proposal, Shiki's next words forced them to reconsider.
"The Marines and the World Government will never let either of us go."
Shiki looked directly at Ace.
"Your face has become proof of their humiliation. Do you really believe they'll accept that?"
"Both our names are at the top of their kill list."
Marco lowered his eyes.
After the losses suffered at Marineford, the Navy would need time to rebuild, but sooner or later, it would move again.
The World Government could not afford to appear weak.
Ace's continued existence was a threat to its authority. Meanwhile, Shiki's ability to seize Devil Fruits—combined with his terrifying strength and unpredictable nature—had likely made him its greatest enemy.
Even without Shiki explaining it, Marco knew in his heart that they would come for them.
And it would not only be the World Government.
Marco could already imagine the crews of the other Emperors approaching them, either to recruit the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates or to absorb them by force.
"If they kill you now, what was the point of Whitebeard's sacrifice?"
Seeing them hesitate, Shiki spoke without softening his words.
He was not exaggerating.
Once Kizaru had fully recovered, there was a very real possibility that the Admiral would be ordered to capture or kill Ace.
With the Whitebeard Pirates in their current condition, there was no way they could resist such an assault.
They would be wiped out completely.
"Right now, pride isn't enough."
Marco remained silent.
His expression appeared calm, but Shiki could see the conflict behind his eyes.
Marco had inherited responsibility for the crew the moment Whitebeard died.
Every decision he made from now on would determine whether his brothers survived.
Shiki concealed a faint smile behind his cup.
They were beginning to understand.
Now came the part that would make refusing his proposal far more difficult.
"I also need a stronghold."
Marco looked up, momentarily caught off guard.
"A stronghold?"
"A place in the New World capable of supporting a large fleet. Somewhere difficult for the Navy to invade and far beyond the World Government's direct control."
Shiki placed his cup down and turned his gaze toward the sea.
"I've already chosen the country."
"A closed nation protected by natural barriers."
"The land of legendary samurai."
Ace's attention was captured instantly.
For the first time since the conversation began, a trace of barely restrained excitement appeared in his eyes.
The image of a small purple-haired girl flashed through his mind—a girl to whom he had once made a promise, living in a starving country ruled by a tyrant.
Then came the face of his shackled best friend.
Yamato.
Ace was not the only one lost in old memories.
Marco remembered another man.
A loud, reckless samurai who had once sailed aboard Whitebeard's ship and called them his family.
At last, Shiki spoke the name.
"Wano."
Although Ace and Marco had already guessed the answer, they still reacted strongly when they heard it aloud.
"WANO?!"
"Wano, yoi?!"
Their voices rang across the entire ship, causing every pirate on deck to turn toward them.
Shiki watched their reactions with a satisfied smile.
Just as he had expected.
Judging by Ace's barely restrained excitement and Marco's stunned expression, convincing the Whitebeard Pirates to follow him might be easier than he had anticipated.
After all, there was something the Whitebeard Pirates wanted—something that would be easy to obtain with Shiki's help.
They might have hesitated while Whitebeard was still their captain. None of them had wanted to drag the old man into another war, especially while knowing how poor his health had become.
But Shiki was different.
No member of the Whitebeard Pirates would openly admit it out of respect for their father.
Deep down, however, they all knew the truth.
Shiki could now be called the Strongest Man in the World.
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