"That voice..."

"It's Shiki!"

Thatch on the deck paled slightly, shock flashing in his eyes.

As commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' 4th Division, while not intimately familiar with the voice, he retained some memory of it.

Because long ago, when Shiki severed his legs and escaped from Impel Down, he had appeared on the Moby Dick and met their father, Edward Newgate, also known as Whitebeard.

At that time, he had asked their father's to work together.

However, their father had no interest in ruling the world and outright rejected Shiki's proposal, even going so far as to threaten to sink Shiki to the bottom of the sea.

Back then, Shiki had let out a similar laugh before declaring that he would disappear for a while and return later.

Under the watchful gazes of Thatch and Teach, a massive island floated overhead, swiftly drifting towards the sea where the Moby Dick was anchored.

Seeing this, Thatch snapped out of his daze and decisively said.

"Teach! Quick, let's head back!"

*****

By the time Thatch and Teach returned to the Moby Dick, the enormous floating island had already descended onto the sea, maintaining a certain distance from the ship.

Nearly all the division commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates had gathered on the Moby Dick, watching the colossal island that had fallen from the sky with wary tension.

On the deck, Edward Newgate—Whitebeard—sat with an IV drip attached to him, his eyes lightly closed, his imposing figure unmoving.

"Jihahaha—"

At that moment, the sinister laughter rang out once more.

A figure then shot up from the massive island that had landed on the sea, soaring straight into the sky above the Moby Dick.

It was none other than Shiki, his long golden hair flowing, with two swords fixed to the stumps of his severed legs.

"Whitebeard! It's only been a little over a decade, yet you're already hooked up to so many IV drips?!"

Hovering in midair, Shiki didn't recklessly charge onto the Moby Dick.

Instead, he looked down at the tense division commanders on the deck before finally settling his gaze on that towering figure.

Before Whitebeard could open his eyes, a figure flashed onto the scene, hovering opposite Shiki—Marco the Phoenix, commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' First Division.

"Shiki!"

Marco, who had activated his Devil Fruit ability to confront Shiki, spoke warily.

"What do you think you're doing, barging into Whitebeard Pirates' territory like this?!"

Shiki shifted his gaze to Marco and grinned, "No need to be nervous. I'm not here to fight. I just wanted to catch up with Whitebeard, that's all. Jihahaha!"

Hearing Shiki's sinister laughter, Whitebeard slowly opened his eyes and spoke in a measured tone.

"Shiki, you sure know how to pick your timing. After disappearing for so many years, you could've just lived quietly in hiding. Why come out now just to die?"

As he spoke, Whitebeard gave Marco a slight wave of his hand.

Understanding the gesture, Marco stepped back, returning to the deck to stand beside Whitebeard.

Shiki didn't linger in the air either, landing lightly on the deck to stand face-to-face with Whitebeard.

"Jihahaha, Whitebeard, don't be so gloomy! Even though I haven't shown myself in the Grand Line these past years, that doesn't mean I'm unaware of what's been happening."

"So what if Marine Headquarters has a new Fleet Admiral? It's nothing major. If you're willing to join forces with me, the New World—no, the entire world—will soon be ours for the taking."

Watching the ambitious Shiki speak with fervor, Whitebeard casually picked up a wine jar beside him and tossed it over, his tone as calm as ever.

"I'll say it again—I have no interest in ruling the world! If that's why you're here, you'll get the same answer as you did over a decade ago!"

Shiki caught the jar but didn't drink, his eyes fixed intently on Whitebeard as he said gravely, "You can't possibly be scared out of your wits by that young Marine Fleet Admiral, can you? So what if Kaido and Linlin were taken out? Their downfall isn't a bad thing for us. I'll say it again—if you join forces with me, the world will bow beneath our feet!"

"Don't rush to refuse!"

Before Whitebeard could respond, Shiki took two steps forward and continued, "According to my intel, though that young Marine Fleet Admiral has temporarily halted his hunt for pirates, I'm certain that once the Marines finish their worldwide recruitment, their fleet will inevitably target the Whitebeard Pirates. If he could execute Kaido and Linlin without hesitation, he won't let you stay in the New World either!"

"Unless you plan to surrender to the Marines, you have no other choice."

"Of course, that 'no choice' is only because I hadn't reappeared yet!"

At this, Shiki suddenly spread his arms wide, his voice rising with boundless fervor.

"Now I'm back—stand with me, Whitebeard! Remember what I told you all those years ago? I said I'd disappear for a while, then let this soft era witness the true terror of pirates! Jihahaha—!"

"Hmm?"

Whitebeard frowned slightly. "What scheme are you plotting now?"

"Jihaha, as if it's just a scheme!"

Shiki raised the wine jar and took a long swig, draining it before hurling it into the sky.

With a wicked grin, he said, "To be honest, before coming to see you, I already stirred up some trouble for the Marines and the World Government in the East Blue—turning a few towns into hell!"

"Without a doubt, that Fleet Admiral has already received reports. While his attention is diverted to the East Blue, we'll seize Kaido and Linlin's territories in one fell swoop!"

*****

Meanwhile.

Marine Headquarters, Marineford.

Garp, who had replaced Zephyr as the instructor of the Marine officer training program, sat solemnly on the sofa.

Unlike his usual self, Garp wasn't munching on rice crackers this time.

Instead, his expression was grave as he studied the reports on the attacked East Blue towns spread across the coffee table before him.

"Orion, are you certain this incident in the East Blue is linked to Shiki?" Garp looked up at Orion, who had just returned to headquarters and entered the office.

"Shiki vanished after his prison break all those years ago. If he's truly making a comeback, we're in serious trouble!"

Before Orion could answer, Morgans, who had followed him in and now stood beside the desk, abruptly turned his head and said darkly.

"Garp, are you questioning the Fleet Admiral's judgment?"

'????'

Garp's head practically sprouted question marks, nearly bristling at Morgans' sudden accusation.

--------------------------------

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