Loxus only said that something had happened to Jack, but didn't specify what it was. Roy seemed to realize something, after all, Jack was known for his "iconic moments."

In fact, the territory of the Whitebeard Pirates extended even deeper into the New World than that of the Beasts Pirates.

The Beasts Pirates' territory was closer to the Red Line. From Dressrosa, it only took a day to reach Zou. From there, it took less than a week to reach Wano Country.

Wano wasn't as far away as one might imagine. Beyond Wano lay the territories of the Whitebeard Pirates and the Red-Haired Pirates.

If the New World were divided into four parts, with Hachinosu at the center, the front half would be the Beasts Pirates and Big Mom Pirates' territory, while the back half would belong to the Whitebeard Pirates and Red-Haired Pirates. The Whitebeard Pirates controlled the largest territory, while the Red-Haired Pirates had the smallest.

After all, Shanks had only been an Emperor for six years, and his subordinate crews were relatively weak. Their survival relied heavily on the protection of the Red-Haired Pirates.

Roy's son intentionally took a detour to visit their territory first before heading off to find Jack. After briefly meeting his baby sister, Loxus departed.

"It's only been two years, and the change is massive," Whitebeard sighed.

"He has changed a lot. At least he's matured and doesn't act on impulse anymore," Roy nodded.

Once kids grow out of adolescence, they often feel awkward expressing love toward their parents. But as they grow older, they start to understand the reasons behind their parents' actions.

Everything Roy taught Loxus had now become valuable experience that helped him navigate complex relationships and make wise decisions.

Sometimes, it takes until middle age for the father-son relationship to truly soften, especially once the child becomes a father themselves and begins to understand what their own dad went through.

Loxus was lucky; he grew up in a pirate crew where many people loved and cared for him.

Just look at Ace or the other Whitebeard Pirates.

None of them had proper parents or had anyone at all. Would they have recognized Whitebeard as their father if they did?

They were all orphans, driven to the seas because they couldn't survive otherwise.

"You're a failure of a father," Whitebeard said bluntly.

"Where do you get off talking? Isn't Weevil your so-called son?" Roy shot back.

"Shut up," Whitebeard snorted coldly.

The two exchanged glares before bursting into laughter.

....

Meanwhile – Near Dressrosa

With the crisis resolved, former Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Tsuru arrived alongside Admiral Fujitora.

"Haha, Sakazuki won't let you come back, huh?" Sengoku laughed heartily on the warship's deck.

"He just said I couldn't return to base. I already have other plans," Fujitora replied.

"Where are you headed?" Sengoku asked curiously.

"Mary Geoise. That's not a Marine base," Fujitora answered.

"Pfft- World Government territory? Bold move. You're really determined to abolish the Warlords, huh?" Sengoku asked.

"Don't you want that too? The Warlord system was born out of necessity during the Great Pirate Era, but times have changed. You were against it back then, too, weren't you?" Fujitora said.

Sengoku fell silent for a moment, recalling the past nearly 20 years ago. After the Great Pirate Era began, many powerful pirates emerged. As the power balance became clearer, the World Government proposed legalizing some pirates, recruiting strong ones into their fold.

This created a system where pirates fought other pirates, maintaining balance on the seas.

Back then, the Marines strongly opposed it, especially Sengoku, who was still an Admiral at the time.

If pirates were legalized, what was the point of the navy? How could pirates attend government meetings? It was a disgrace to the Marines.

But their objections didn't matter. The World Government passed the proposal at the Reverie and began implementation.

That's why, when Sengoku first appeared during the Warlord meetings, he insulted them as "scum of the seas."

To him, pirates were nothing but trash. How could they sit in a government meeting?

"The past is the past. You want to abolish the system now, right?" Sengoku said.

"Yes. Dr. Vegapunk's research has succeeded. We can now replace them. I want to get rid of them," Fujitora said.

"You're using the Dressrosa incident to expose the Warlords' crimes to the world," Tsuru said.

"I just want to give justice to Dressrosa," Fujitora replied.

"Justice, huh?" Sengoku chuckled. He admired Fujitora.

Only someone not raised in the Navy's rigid system could act so freely. The deeper you were embedded in the Navy, the more helpless you felt. But Fujitora, blind as he was, had a fearless heart.

His world was already dark. What could be darker than that?

But through his Observation Haki, he could still see people's hearts, and to him, they had color.

"Abolishing the Warlords won't be easy," Sengoku said.

"That's why I'm going to May Geoise, to appeal to the kings personally," Fujitora replied.

"Ah, so that's your plan."

The warship sailed through worsening storms. The marines brought out soba noodles to eat.

"Admiral Fujitora, there's a ship!" someone reported.

"A ship?" Tsuru looked up. "Whose ship?"

"It's too dark to see clearly."

"Shine the spotlight."

"Yes, ma'am!"

The navy's spotlight lit up the sea and revealed three ships flying skull flags charging toward them.

"It's the Beasts Pirates!"

"That's the Mammoth! Jack the Drought's flagship!"

"Hard to starboard! Fire the cannons!" Tsuru ordered.

"Yes, ma'am!"

"RAM THEM!" Jack shouted from his ship. He wasn't one to back down. He gave the order to charge straight through Marine fire and board them.

The result was predictable.

With a former Fleet Admiral, an Admiral, and a legendary strategist onboard, Jack stood no chance.

Within minutes, his ships were crippled.

Cornered, Jack made a desperate move; he leaped into the sea.

Seeing that he dived into the ocean, the marines couldn't chase after him.

Otherwise, they would have captured Jack and sent him to Impel Down alongside Doflamingo.

"A Devil Fruit user jumping into the ocean? In this storm? He's dead," Fujitora said as he sheathed his sword.

"No. He'll live," Tsuru corrected.

"Why?"

"Jack has fishman blood. He can breathe underwater. That wasn't suicide, it was an escape."

"If I'd known that, I wouldn't have let him jump into the sea," Fujitora muttered.

...

If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.

[email protected]/DaoistJinzu