Chapter 338: ICISEI Episode 324

Episode 324: Whitebeard Prepares to Settle Family Business

『 "Listen up, everyone! Why are we fighting here? In truth, we’ve all been set up by someone. We had absolutely no idea that Ace was the son of the Pirate King, Gold Roger! When you found me back then, my entire fleet had been wiped out, leaving only me. You know exactly why I ended up like that—all my crewmates are gone, and it was all because of what Roger did. You of all people should understand how much hatred I harbor for Roger!"

"But even so, couldn’t you have just said something? Just tell everyone that Ace is Roger’s son! Tell us that you want Ace to become the next Pirate King, instead of aiming for it yourself!"

The moment this news broke, everyone present was utterly dumbfounded!

The people on the Sabaody Archipelago found it equally hard to believe.

They had always believed that Whitebeard was the one who deserved to be the Pirate King; with his leadership, he was more than qualified. Who could have guessed that he was merely paving the way for Ace!

Even Luffy was stunned by this sudden revelation.

He muttered under his breath, "Old man is planning to make Ace the Pirate King? That’s not what Ace told me!"

Luffy recalled a conversation he once had with Ace.

At that time, Ace had a proud look on his face as he said, "Whitebeard is the greatest pirate I’ve ever met. I’m going to support him all the way until I push him onto the throne of the Pirate King!"

The memory flashing through Luffy’s mind was broadcast directly on the inventory screen.

And right at this moment...

Explosions continued to ring out.

The Human Weapons would not halt their attacks just because of these circumstances.

On the battlefield, the Marines shouted at the top of their lungs, "Forget about Whitebeard and the others! Everyone, retreat immediately! Hurry!"

The Marines had no desire to keep fighting. One by one, they scrambled frantically toward the plaza. After all, those monster-like machines behind them were launching indiscriminate attacks!

Meanwhile, the pirates couldn’t care less about the fleeing Marines. What they cared about were Squard’s words and Whitebeard’s safety!

Amidst the billowing smoke...

Squard was trembling with rage!

"From the very moment you brought Ace back, I felt betrayed by you!"

"Like a fool, I became close friends with Ace without knowing a single thing!"

"Looking back now, I was incredibly stupid to let myself be played for a fool by you!"

"This entire war was caused solely because of Ace. He is a special existence to you!"

"Inside the bay, all of you from the Whitebeard Pirates invaded from underwater, while we on the outside were completely cut off. Your plan was simple: you wanted to trade the lives of us forty-three subordinate captains just to save Ace’s life!"

"We would be completely wiped out, while the Whitebeard Pirates and Ace would make a clean escape!"

The reason Squard had come to this conclusion was entirely due to Akainu pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Akainu had approached Squard and laid everything out for him.

Reeling from the shock of learning Ace’s true identity, Squard had completely lost his composure and his mind...

Akainu hadn’t laid a finger on him, choosing instead to let him walk away.

Under the onslaught of this series of shocking revelations, Squard ultimately chose to believe Akainu’s words and made his decision during his confrontation with Whitebeard.

And that was what led to his subsequent sneak attack on Whitebeard!

Even now, he still firmly believed everything Akainu had said!

"We claimed we came here for Ace and for Whitebeard, but in reality, all of this is nothing more than a transaction. Look at what state we are in now, and then look at the Marines on the other side of the bay!"

Hearing Squard’s words, the surrounding pirates felt a deep sense of helplessness.

It was a terrible coincidence.

It happened to align perfectly with the exact moment the Marines were retreating and preparing to open fire on Whitebeard!

Thinking about it carefully, it really did seem to match the scenario Squard had described!

"Our paths are blocked on both sides by ice walls and the defensive wall; enemies are pursuing us from behind; our ships have been destroyed, leaving only a narrow passage to escape, yet our path ahead is blocked by those battleships..."

"We have nowhere left to retreat!"

Every single one of them had once trusted Whitebeard implicitly. But now, seeing how perfectly the reality matched Squard’s description, they couldn’t help but begin to doubt Whitebeard!

"Pops, is that really true?"

"Tell us it’s not true, Pops!"...

"Pops, just one word from you is enough!"

Despite the doubts blooming in their hearts, they still chose to believe in Whitebeard. Their stance was clear: as long as Whitebeard denied it, even if they knew it was a lie, they would stand firmly by his side!

At this moment, everyone wanted only one thing—to hear Whitebeard speak!

Meanwhile, Whitebeard’s eyes were locked onto Squard.

Yet, facing this terrifying great pirate, Squard showed no fear whatsoever.

He spread his arms wide and tossed his blade aside.

"I never expected this strike to actually wound you. Managing to pull this off is already a miracle. I had prepared for the worst before taking action. Come on, give me the finishing blow!"

The attacks from the outside continued.

The pirates began to waver.

The ice walls and the defensive wall blocked their retreat, making them feel as if they were completely trapped.

"In that case, do those guys really only want to target us?"

"Hurry and run!"

"Could Pops really have traded our lives for something?"

"That shouldn’t be possible!"...

"Pops would never do such a thing!"

"Pops, please give us an explanation so we can die with a clear mind!"

"Pops!"

The light of hope had vanished from Squard’s eyes as he muttered, "I didn’t want to believe this either. I even wondered if there was something wrong with my own head. For Pops to betray us... Whitebeard, you..."

"You bastard!"

Marco grabbed Squard by his collar, gritting his teeth in fury. "You bastard, you’ve been completely misled!"

"Why didn’t you choose to believe in Pops!"

Squard angrily brushed off Marco’s hand and shouted, "Are you still trying to play dumb with me, Marco?!"

"You’re the First Division Commander. Others might not know Ace’s true identity, but you definitely did! In fact, you probably knew about the deal with the Marines long ago!"

Marco felt more frustrated than anyone.

But he still let go of his grip.

Because he knew that Whitebeard, standing behind him, would never allow infighting to occur within the crew.

That was the kind of man Whitebeard was!

Under everyone’s expectant gazes, Whitebeard finally spoke.

"The matter regarding Ace is true. He is indeed the son of the Pirate King, Gold Roger."

"The Marines played a ruthless hand. They actually manipulated Squard, who is the most vulnerable and easily affected by this matter! I didn’t foresee this. In this battle of wits, they have gained the upper hand."

At this moment...

Sengoku made a decisive call.

He said to Aokiji, "Don’t delay any longer. Move immediately!"

"Understood."

Though Aokiji had lost some hair from Whitebeard’s previous attack, his combat strength was not diminished in the slightest.

Aokiji’s figure blurred.

In the next instant, he materialized right in the midst of Buggy’s group.

In the blink of an eye, Buggy and his subordinates were frozen into solid blocks of ice, and the Visual Den Den Mushi instantly went dead.

Just as people all over the world were eager to learn the truth, the screen suddenly went completely black.

Meanwhile in Sabaody Archipelago—

The crowd was still staring in the direction of Whitebeard, utterly baffled by the situation on the battlefield. Just as they were wondering what would happen next, the situation took a sudden turn.

At this critical juncture, the broadcast had cut off!

"What happened?"

"Did Whitebeard actually betray them? No way, right?"

"Why did the screen go blank? Won’t the Marines even let us watch through the Den Den Mushi anymore? What on earth are they plotting?"

"The more they try to hide it like this, the more suspicious it is that they’re covering something up!"

"Is this the so-called justice of the Marines?"

The people on the Sabaody Archipelago were furious, but there was nothing they could do. They could only wait in silence, hoping the broadcast would reappear just like before!

Aokiji had frozen all of them. Even Buggy was frozen stiff in an instant, unable to move a muscle!

Standing before the execution platform, Sengoku bellowed, "Activate the encircling wall!"

Following Sengoku’s roar, the entire icy surface and the ground began to shake rhythmically, accompanied by the mechanical clanking of machinery shifting.

The camera angle cut underwater, showing some sort of device being activated.

On the other side—

Crocodile stared at Whitebeard before him, his face filled with rage.

He slammed his fist violently onto the ground, causing the ice to crack beneath him.

Everyone was bewildered. Wasn’t he the one who wanted Whitebeard dead the most?

He cursed furiously, "To be stabbed so easily by someone else... how pathetic! I don’t want to lose to a version of you like this, Whitebeard!"

His face was a mask of fury and roaring anger, his eyes filled with nothing but dissatisfaction.

Crocodile’s voice was incredibly loud.

He was the first person to step up and confront Whitebeard after the stabbing. The surrounding pirates were stunned; no one had expected Crocodile to react this way.

Even Whitebeard looked over at him, a faint smirk playing on his lips, though he remained silent.

Luffy looked at Crocodile with curiosity, not understanding why he was reacting so strongly!

Marco also knit his brows tightly, muttering under his breath, "That’s right. Pops couldn’t have been stabbed so easily. The Pops of the past would have dodged that effortlessly, but now..."

The wound on Whitebeard’s chest was just a minor injury to him. Having fought on the seas for so many years, his body was covered in countless scars, many of which were fatal wounds that Pops had managed to endure.

But this strike!

Pops hadn’t been able to dodge it!

What did this represent?

It meant that Whitebeard’s current physical condition was far worse than Marco had imagined!

Marco recalled that before they set out, Whitebeard had ripped out all the medical tubes attached to his body.

"Take them all off!"

"Hooked up to IVs on the battlefield? Do you want the enemy to pity me?"

"I am Whitebeard. I know my own body better than anyone!"

He believed that entering the battlefield with those things attached was an insult to himself. But Marco knew that Pops’ body had long relied on medicine to sustain itself. Stopping the medication so abruptly was bound to have severe consequences!

"Pops! Your health is still deteriorating!"

Marco was fraught with worry!

THUD—!

Another tremor shook the ground!

Whitebeard slammed his massive bisento heavily onto the ground.

His towering shadow slowly blanketed Squard. His eyes locked onto him as he asked in a low voice, "Squard, do you have any idea what you have done?"

Facing Whitebeard’s interrogation, Squard’s body couldn’t stop trembling.

He knew of Whitebeard’s power. As long as Whitebeard had a single breath left, crushing him to death would be as easy as stepping on a bug.

He was no longer afraid of death, but he was still terrified of looking into Whitebeard’s eyes, because he feared that everything he had done might actually be a mistake!

Faced with Whitebeard’s question, Squard did not answer.

His weapon was already discarded on the ground, and he had absolutely no intention of resisting. Whitebeard could do whatever he pleased with him! 』

『 .....』

?Dimensional livestream, Chat Room?

[ Keqing (Genshin Impact): "The other party has stopped resisting. So, how is he going to deal with this person who can be considered a traitor?" ]

[ The Doctor ?11th? (Doctor Who): "According to the course of human history, traitors are always highly detestable." ]

[ March 7th (Honkai: Star Rail): "Exactly, exactly! People who suddenly stab you in the back during a battle are the worst!" ]

[ Squard (One Piece): "..." ]

[ .....]

?One Piece World?

The Whitebeard Pirates—

At this moment, everyone’s gaze was fixed entirely on Squard!

Squard was completely dumbfounded!

He had barely processed the revelation of Ace’s identity, and now his own future betrayal had been exposed. How was he supposed to face his brothers now?

His only choice was to leave the Whitebeard Pirates...

But if he left, he didn’t know how many of his subordinates would follow him.

No one wanted to follow a traitor!

The atmosphere on the ship was incredibly tense!

He stood up trembling, looking at the towering Whitebeard before him, who was covered in medical tubes and IV drips, yet still possessed a fierce gaze.

"Pops, I..."

Whitebeard snorted softly and said,

"There’s no need to explain anything. I can understand your decision. You don’t need to blame yourself too much either. After all, these are things that haven’t happened yet, and the future can still change. Blaming you now would indeed be unfair."

Tears welled up in Squard’s eyes as he cried out,

"Pops!"

"But my forgiveness is not so easily earned. You must do one thing for me!"

"What is it?"

"Do not distance yourself from Ace because of his identity. You two are close friends who have faced life and death together. He is indeed the son of the Pirate King, Gold Roger, but that was before he was even born. He has never even met Roger. You all know in your hearts what kind of person Ace is! I admit, I am grooming Ace to be my successor, because I am already old. In a few years, the world will change drastically. If Ace can grow into a formidable powerhouse capable of standing on his own, then you children can continue to stay together. That is my true wish!"

Whitebeard spoke word by word, not to move Squard, but because he genuinely believed it.

His words were also directed at everyone present!

He was waiting for their response!

—

?Bleach World?

Hueco Mundo, Las Noches—

Aizen’s gaze was sharp, staring intently at Whitebeard on the screen.

He felt that Whitebeard’s level of control and charisma was practically on par with his own in their respective worlds.

In Aizen’s eyes, betrayal was something that could never be tolerated.

He held onto a single conviction: he would rather betray the entire world than let anyone betray him!

Out of all the characters, the one he respected the most was Whitebeard. Thus, seeing Whitebeard get sneak-attacked, his body exuded a terrifying wave of hostility.

The Espada sitting beneath him felt this aura, and they all trembled in fear, knowing this was a silent warning from Aizen.

—

『 Everyone was speculating whether Whitebeard would unleash a bloodbath.

However, the murderous intent radiating from Whitebeard gradually began to disperse.

He suddenly roared, "What an incredibly foolish son!"

Son?

Squard had already addressed him as Whitebeard, yet Whitebeard still referred to him as his son! 』

『 .....』

?Dimensional livestream, Chat Room?

[ Ainz Ooal Gown (Overlord): "Even though he already betrayed him earlier, he still uses that term of address?" ]

[ Tartaglia (Genshin Impact): "Is he... going to forgive this guy?" ]

[ Whitebeard (One Piece): "Gurarara! After all, I am their father." ]

[ Whitebeard (One Piece): "When my own child makes a mistake, I, as the father, also bear some responsibility." ]

[ Squard (One Piece): "White... Father..." ]

[ .....]

『 "To actually listen to the words of the enemy, you really have no brains!" Whitebeard reached out his massive hand, swinging it directly toward Squard.

The scene looked incredibly terrifying.

Whitebeard’s palm was almost as large as Squard’s entire torso. If this strike landed with even a bit of force, Squard would be heavily injured if not killed on the spot.

However, the actual turn of events was completely different from what everyone had imagined. Instead, it was incredibly peaceful.

Whitebeard did not strike him down. Instead, he pulled Squard tightly into a warm embrace!

"Even so... I still love you!"

The pain from his wound caused sweat to pour down Whitebeard’s face, but his eyes were filled with nothing but tenderness.

Squard was completely frozen!

He had imagined countless possible outcomes, but he had never expected Whitebeard to treat him like this!

Tears gradually blurred his vision, and he stared up at Whitebeard before him with eyes full of tears!

At this moment, he finally understood the truth.

Yet, his heart found it incredibly difficult to accept the fact that he had horribly misunderstood the situation.

With a trembling voice, he stammered, "Stop joking around... You clearly wanted to betray us!..." 』

『 .....』

( Translator-kun: Y’all can say whatever you want about Whitebeard, but to me, he’s a respectable man and definitely wins Father of the Year, just next to Rocks... )