PIRATES: I WORK IN NAVY FROM NINE TO FIVE

The expansive deck of the Moby Dick was suddenly steeped in suffocating silence.

Even though the Whitebeard Pirates had long resolved to face this war with their lives on the line, when the moment truly arrived, it was impossible not to wish for one more edge in their favor.

"No... I think the Beasts Pirates' involvement might actually leave us at a disadvantage,"

Marco, silent until now, finally spoke up, his voice steady and calm.

"Don't forget—Kaido's favorite tactic is ambushing from the rear. That bastard lives to stab people in the back."

"If he were still lurking, we'd be forced to hold back some strength to guard against him."

"Now that the battlefield is split, we no longer have to worry about that.

We can go all in—and that's a good thing."

Good thing?

Everyone blinked.

None of them had expected Marco to say that.

But as they mulled over his analysis, no one could come up with a counterargument.

"Wahahaha! Marco's right!"

Whitebeard let out a hearty laugh, gripping his massive naginata tightly.

"Relying on others? Bah. I'd rather trust the blade in my hand!"

He strode toward the nearby sake barrels, reached out with one massive hand, and grabbed a full cask.

"Boys… this time, your old man is being selfish."

"But drink this cup with me—your old man's pre-battle toast!"

As he tipped the cask and drank deeply, his words—though few—echoed with the gravity of mountains.

One by one, the captains and commanders followed suit, fire surging in their blood.

Each seized their sake bowls, shouted aloud, and drank in unison.

"To Pops!

We'll bring Ace back alive—no matter what!"

Their roaring voices shook the skies.

Whitebeard's grip on his naginata tightened.

He understood his age… and his limits.

He wasn't sure he would survive this war.

But hearing this—this passion from his sons—was enough.

"Everyone, move out. Stick to the plan."

"Understood, Pops!"

Jozu, the other division commanders, and the many allied captains responded together.

With a final look toward Whitebeard, they turned and dispersed.

But just as they'd taken a few steps, a gentle voice—aged and tinged with sadness—floated behind them.

"...Thank you, my sons."

The crew froze.

Some instinctively began turning around.

But Marco's voice cut through the moment.

"Pops doesn't want to see you looking back."

"Keep walking. Let's go."

The crew paused only for a heartbeat longer… then continued forward without hesitation.

They didn't know why Marco said what he did.

But they obeyed.

Soon, the vast deck was empty save for Whitebeard and Marco.

Gazing at the departing ships, Marco stood beside his captain in silence.

At last, he turned toward Whitebeard's solemn face.

"Pops… have you really made your decision?"

"You're really going through with it?"

Whitebeard nodded slowly.

He released his naginata, drank a swig of sake, and sighed.

"That brat's words… might've been rude."

"But he wasn't wrong."

"The world is changing. It's not that I've abandoned the times—it's that the times have abandoned me."

He looked Marco squarely in the eyes.

"If the moment comes, remember this, Marco…"

"You're the only one who won't act impulsively."

"Now go. If possible… I hope you'll be the one to carry the burden I leave behind."

Marco's sake bowl cracked in his hand.

He clenched and unclenched his fist several times before turning away.

His smile was bitter.

As Whitebeard's right hand, he understood his own limits better than anyone.

Yes—his Devil Fruit mastery, Haki, and combat skills were excellent.

But to inherit the will of a Yonko, to shoulder that title, one needed true sovereign spirit and the ability to wield Advanced Conqueror's Haki.

Without that, he would never be enough.

That was precisely why Ace was so essential.

For the Whitebeard Pirates to survive this war as a family—Ace's existence was indispensable.

As Marco finally disappeared into the distance, Whitebeard looked down at the crumpled letter he held in one hand.

Then lifted his gaze to the endless sky.

At the same time, far off in another part of the New World, a massive fleet of pirate ships surged like locusts across the Osla Sea.

Onlookers aboard nearby pirate vessels and merchant ships turned pale.

Their jaws dropped as they recognized the massive ship at the front—its sail emblazoned with the Beasts Pirates' flag.

It felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped on their heads.

Panic surged.

Those who could turned and fled at once.

The braver ones hesitated, turning slowly, or raised their spyglasses to glimpse the deck of the monster ship.

They wanted—if just for a second—to catch a glimpse of Kaido, the King of Beasts.

But in that instant, just as a few curious souls spotted Kaido's hulking back—

The Emperor suddenly turned around.

His twisted expression was murderous.

He let out a furious roar and swung his massive spiked club.

"Thunder Bagua!!"

BOOM!!

A pirate standing behind Kaido didn't even have time to react.

The spiked club, crackling with thunder, smashed directly into his face.

The man flew like a cannonball, screaming across the waves.

He arced through the sky, straight toward the very ships where spectators still lingered, spyglasses trembling in their hands.

KRAKOOOOM!!

Thunder exploded across the sea.

Gigantic waves surged and smashed into everything nearby.

Within a radius of several hundred meters, ship after ship was torn apart by the shockwave and the crashing sea.

On the Beasts Pirates' deck, Kaido stood, veins bulging.

Lightning crackled around him.

Every pirate on board instinctively flinched back, stepping away with cautious silence.

"Boss Kaido…"

Queen laughed nervously nearby.

"You've already launched half a dozen guys across the ocean…"

"If you keep this up, we'll lose half our men before the battle even starts…"

"Hmph! Trash. Let them die."

Kaido snarled and slammed his club back down onto the deck.

"But that little punk dares treat me like some minor threat?"

"He agreed to split the battlefield and refused reinforcements?!"

"Is he looking down on me, Kaido—or does he just think too highly of himself?!"

Lightning flared again across the sky.

The sea trembled.

And the true storm of war—was only just beginning.