Reborn as Kaido, Protect Whitebeard Summit war

The pirates' morale was severely damaged.

Kaido had killed three Shichibukai, which had inflicted significant damage upon the Navy and bolstered the morale of the pirates. But now, all that had vanished.

The pirates had lost their will to fight.

They all looked at Whitebeard in disbelief.

Could it be that their father had truly betrayed them?

They needed an answer.

Whitebeard, aware of the shifting situation, fell into a heavy silence.

Explain?

It would be pointless.

No matter how much he explained, the issue would still fester like a thorn, piercing deep into everyone's heart.

Rather than explain, action was what truly mattered now.

And at that moment...

Squard, after having cursed Whitebeard, was drenched in cold sweat and utterly exhausted. He gasped, "It's a miracle I even managed to stab you, Whitebeard. I'm ready to die. At least I've told everyone about your collusion with the Navy so they won't stay in the dark. Kill me, Whitebeard."

Simultaneously, Squard recalled his conversation with Akainu.

The supposed betrayal by Whitebeard.

Initially, Squard hadn't believed it.

It was clear that Akainu had simply deceived him.

And in a rather crude way, at that.

But what Squard hadn't expected was the truth he learned...

Ace was Roger's son!!

Whitebeard was grooming him to be the next Pirate King.

Even if it meant sacrificing all the pirate groups under his command, Whitebeard believed it would be worth it.

Squard had no choice but to accept what Akainu had told him.

Why had Whitebeard hidden the fact that Ace was Roger's son from everyone?

Because, from the beginning, he never truly believed in this so-called family.

They were never as important as Ace.

After all, they were just a bunch of fools Whitebeard could betray and abandon whenever he pleased.

In the Inner Bay...

The pirates under Whitebeard's command were gripped by despair.

"Did Dad really betray us…?"

"Isn't it obvious? The Navy is only attacking us."

Upon hearing this, the pirates fell silent, sinking even deeper into hopelessness.

Yes.

They didn't want to believe that Whitebeard had betrayed them.

But the Navy was only targeting the pirate groups under his command, which was, indeed, a bizarre and inexplicable occurrence.

It seemed that what Squard said was true.

They had all misjudged their father.

On the Bubble Islands...

"Whitebeard wasn't betrayed by his men... Instead, he betrayed his own people first!!"

"So Whitebeard's just a coward who sold out his companions?"

"The so-called world's strongest… turns out to be nothing more than this."

"I thought Whitebeard was so mighty, but it turns out he sells out his own people in front of the Navy just to survive... I feel so much better now. The Navy will win!!"

Across the Bubble Islands, Whitebeard's reputation had been shattered.

Betraying his companions.

Even as a pirate, such an act was utterly disgraceful.

For someone of Whitebeard's caliber to stoop so low was downright despicable.

On the Moby Dick...

Marco remained unfazed.

As a high-ranking officer, his understanding of Whitebeard and the situation was far more profound.

This was clearly a scheme meant to divide them.

Why couldn't they see that?

"Damn it! Why don't you trust Dad?!!"

Marco grabbed Squard by the collar, yelling angrily, "This is obviously a trap! You've been deceived!!!"

"You haven't been betrayed, so of course you don't care!!!" Squard roared back.

It was the 43 pirate groups under Whitebeard's command who had been betrayed.

Marco was part of the core Whitebeard Pirates, the ones protected by the Navy.

From Squard's perspective, anything Marco said was just hollow words.

Those who haven't been betrayed will never understand the pain of it.

At this moment...

Whitebeard finally spoke: "It seems the Navy's strategy was better than ours… They've managed to exploit your hatred for Roger and made you waver."

Though Whitebeard remained calm, on the execution platform, Sengoku immediately sensed the change.

He knew Whitebeard all too well. Having studied him for decades, Sengoku could interpret Whitebeard's subtle gestures and expressions with over 90% accuracy.

"Aokiji!!"

Sengoku's voice rang out.

Aokiji, hearing this, instantly understood.

Having worked together for so long, Aokiji knew precisely what Sengoku was ordering.

In an instant, Aokiji vanished.

With a quick movement, he froze Buggy the Clown solid.

Though Sengoku had already ordered the live broadcast cut off, Buggy had managed to keep the screen rolling. Naturally, it fell upon Aokiji to sever that connection entirely.

And with Aokiji's abilities...

Freezing Buggy's Den Den Mushi was a trivial task.

Suddenly, the screen went black.

The people of the Bubble Islands gasped in shock as the transmission disappeared.

Chaos ensued.

"Where's the screen?"

"Who cut it off?"

"We need to see what happens next, you bastards!!"

At Navy Headquarters...

After the broadcast was cut off...

"Activate the encirclement wall!"

Sengoku gave the command once more.

He had noticed the change.

Whitebeard was furious.

Though still calm outwardly, Sengoku could sense the surge of power within the man. He knew that Whitebeard's rage was imminent, and he had to be ready.

...

Back aboard the Moby Dick...

"Squard, you foolish and naive son."

Whitebeard's voice was deep and calm. "You actually raised a blade against your own father."

Squard trembled uncontrollably.

It was coming.

The wrath of the man known as the world's strongest, a force that could destroy the entire world.

Even though Squard had mentally prepared himself...

He still began to shake, drenched in sweat.

When true death stands before you, even if you're ready, instinct kicks in. Only a handful can conquer their fear, and Squard clearly wasn't one of them.

However, what happened next stunned him.

Whitebeard didn't use the Tremor-Tremor Fruit to strike him down.

Instead, he squatted down and embraced him.

Even though Squard had stabbed Whitebeard with a blade...

"But how could I ever harm my own family?"

Whitebeard's anger wasn't what anyone had anticipated.

Squard was frozen in place.

He couldn't believe what had just happened.

Whitebeard hadn't killed him.

Instead, he had forgiven him?

And he had called him family?

Squard couldn't accept it. "Nonsense! You were planning to sell all of us out, and yet you still say that...!"

"Tell me, Squard."

Whitebeard's tone was calm, "Who manipulated you?"

Squard hesitated.

Then, slowly, he replied, "It was Admiral Akainu… He said that if I assassinated you, all my subordinates would be spared…"

Akainu had seduced him with words, claiming to detest Sengoku for supposedly conspiring with pirates to let Ace and Whitebeard go free.

Akainu had declared he couldn't stomach such behavior.

So, if Squard helped Akainu, Akainu would help him in return.

The plan was to target Whitebeard and Ace, while sparing all the other innocent pirates—Squard and his men included.

Roger had slaughtered Squard's companions once before, but now, thanks to Whitebeard's betrayal, they could survive. There was no need for another tragedy.

"Did Akainu promise you this?"

Whitebeard looked down at Squard, his voice heavy. "I know you despise Roger. But should a son suffer for his father's sins? What has Ace ever done to you? You've always gotten along. Ace is no different from any of you. I've treated you all the same. You are all my family."

Squard wasn't a complete fool.

He had simply let his hatred cloud his judgment for a time.

Whitebeard's words now began to stir memories within him.

Ace had never wronged him. In fact, everyone had always gotten along, living in peace and harmony. Never once had Squard felt that Whitebeard favored Ace, or that he neglected the others.

Could it be... that he had really been deceived by the Navy?

Squard was left speechless.

Whitebeard turned his gaze toward the execution platform.

"The sword is still sharp... Sengoku."

Whitebeard's voice was brimming with fury. "You played me for a fool... and you dare claim that I betrayed my sons!!"

With a crack, the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit split the sky.

Cracks rippled through the air itself.

The icebergs and obstacles created by Aokiji's freezing powers all shattered.

Sengoku's eyes narrowed.

As expected, the man who could destroy the world was enraged.

At the same time, Sengoku's expression grew more somber.

Whitebeard had obliterated the ice, creating a path for the pirates to escape.

Damn it.

Whitebeard had made a choice that could restore his crew's morale.

Faced with their doubts and distrust, no matter how much Whitebeard explained, his subordinates would still harbor concerns. There would always be lingering suspicions.

Therefore, from the Navy's perspective, the strategy of sowing discord, though it hadn't truly harmed Whitebeard, had succeeded in some measure.

But what they hadn't counted on...

Was Whitebeard's cunning.

He had devised a brilliant countermeasure in mere

The pirates' morale had been crushed, but as they stood on the brink of despair, a profound realization dawned upon them. If Whitebeard had truly betrayed them, would he have given them a way to escape? They had lived under his protection for so many years, and yet, in the face of doubt, they had allowed themselves to be misled by the Navy's schemes.

"It was all a plot! A deception to turn us against each other!" one of the pirates shouted in anger.

"How could I have been fooled so easily?" another pirate cursed, his fists clenched in frustration.

The revelation struck them deeply. This wasn't just a battle of strength, it was a battle for their loyalty, their trust. And for a moment, they had faltered, taken the bait, and questioned the very man who had always called them family.

It was a wound not only to their pride but also to their very sense of unity. But now, their eyes were opened.

"Shame on us!" the pirates roared, their anger quickly transforming into a renewed sense of purpose. Their fury at having been manipulated burned hotter than the fire of their enemies. Their spirits, once broken, surged back with ferocity.

Morale rose sharply.

Whitebeard stood at the forefront, his eyes scanning the battlefield. Though the world may call him a devil, a monster, or the strongest man alive, at the end of the day, he was only human—one heart, one body, one man. He couldn't stay the strongest forever. His time would come, but before that, he had one more responsibility—to guide the next generation forward.

With an immense, battle-worn sigh, he filled his lungs, gathering every ounce of strength left within him. His voice, though ragged, was as commanding as ever.

"Those who are willing to follow me..." he paused, eyes blazing with determination, "...just give up your life and follow me to the end!!!"

The battlefield erupted.

"OH OH OH OH OH OH OH OH!!!" The pirates' war cry, loud and thunderous, shook the very earth beneath them.

On the execution platform, Sengoku watched with frustration, his eyes narrowing as the scene unfolded. The alienation plan had failed—spectacularly. It hadn't just failed to break Whitebeard's will, it hadn't alienated the pirates, and it hadn't dealt any blow to their morale. In fact, it had backfired completely.

Whitebeard had turned their trap against them, rallying the pirates with even greater force than before. Their will to fight was now at its zenith.

Sengoku clenched his teeth. This wasn't just an old pirate facing his inevitable end. This was the strongest man in the world, angered, and ready to unleash his full wrath.

"Fight!" Sengoku bellowed to the Navy. His voice rang with urgency and fear. "Prepare yourselves! He's about to show us why they call him the strongest man in the world!"