I am the Bandit King of the East Sea.

"Lord Im, this war is not just a simple case of the public execution plan failing completely; it has also exposed a huge problem."

“There’s a problem within the Navy,” he said decisively.

Following the emancipation of slaves, a rift had already formed between the World Government and the Navy due to the actions of Admiral Higuma alone.

The Marineford War was the World Government's last chance for the Navy, but unexpectedly, it ended in defeat!

Not only did they fail, but the war also exposed several traitors, including several Shichibukai, a CP0 member, and a Marine Admiral!

This is a serious dereliction of duty by Fleet Admiral Sengoku the Buddha, and also by the Five Elders.

"Remove Sengoku from his post and conduct a thorough investigation within the Navy and CP0." Im stated decisively.

"In addition, thoroughly investigate all individuals who have had close contact with Higuma, and do not let a single one escape."

“Sigurd’s ability is troublesome. He has a clone like Sun Bear, so why can’t he have a second one?”

These words made the five elders look at each other in bewilderment, and suddenly their hair stood on end.

Yes, that's terrible.

It can change its appearance, and the clone can last for ten years. Moreover, it can play a completely different character and infiltrate the high command of the navy without revealing its identity for ten years.

If even a Navy Admiral can be a clone of Siegfried, then what about other high-ranking officials...?

To this day, they still don't understand what kind of ability user Sig is, or what kinds of abilities he has.

And that's precisely the problem... Nobody knows how many surprises his abilities will bring to the World Government next.

After leaving the hall, the five elders' faces remained stiff and cold, the question still echoing in their minds.

Are there any traitors within the Navy, or even within the World Government?

"Do you think the Warring States period is a suspect?" the old man with the mustache suddenly asked.

"He fell so quickly, taken down by just a small slingshot..."

"Now that you mention it, I'm starting to think Garp might be a suspect too..." The long-bearded Five Elder stroked his beard and frowned.

The curly-haired Five Elders hesitated for a moment before speaking:

"Then Kizaru..."

After a discussion, the Five Elders realized that ever since they learned that Sieg could impersonate a general, they had become suspicious of everyone.

"Stop, this will never end." The Five Elders with Swords shook their heads.

"According to you, the Navy's high command isn't riddled with traitors? That's absurd."

................

The World Government acted swiftly, issuing the order to dismiss Fleet Admiral Sengoku on the same day.

Sengoku did not express any objection. The existence of General Higuma was indeed a serious dereliction of duty and a major scandal caused by his poor judgment of people.

The World Government has lost faith in the Navy. If it weren't for his great contributions, he probably would have been sent to Impel Down on the spot along with Garp.

Until a new admiral is appointed, Sengoku will temporarily continue to handle naval affairs while still under investigation...

That same night, a massive internal investigation to find the mole was launched within the Navy, and the person in charge was not from the Navy, but from CP0.

"A mole? That's absurd. How could CP0 be allowed to run rampant within the Navy?"

When the Warring States period learned of this, he was furious, but there was nothing he could do, as he was indeed in the wrong.

On the same night.

“Issou, we don’t have much time left,” Zephyr said solemnly to Fujitora.

"Yixiao, you don't understand the way CP0 operates..."

"If we don't leave in the next couple of days, we won't be able to leave later."

"You...you need to let me think about it some more." Fujitora sighed.

"If we choose to leave the navy and establish our own independent forces now, wouldn't that be letting ourselves be accused of being traitors?"

“If this continues, we will definitely be identified as the mole, as Sieg’s accomplice.”

Zefa paused for a moment, then shook his head.

"Stigmatization? That's no longer important."

"If we defect from the Navy, we will both be wanted criminals and will most likely become pirates in the eyes of the World Government."

"Pirates, bandits, and the navy—these are just labels in the eyes of outsiders. What difference do they make?"

He paused, then said:

"Justice is not something you casually utter or wear on your shoulders; it is something you keep in your heart."

“As long as one has a sense of justice, one can uphold justice regardless of whether one has this cloak or not,” Zephyr said deeply.

Fujitora was slightly taken aback.

These are words he himself said during a private conversation with Zephyr before the Marineford War.

Now, however, it is Fujitora who is wavering, and Zephyr has sent the words back to him verbatim.

“What you said…makes sense.” Fujitora’s eyes were half-open as he let out a long sigh.

...........

Another ocean, a new world.

The pirate fleet that escaped Marineford has arrived in the New World.

This fleet is composed of a diverse group, including bandits like Higuma, the Whitebeard Pirates and the resurrected Roger and Rayleigh, as well as the Revolutionary Army and Supernovas like Luffy.

Strictly speaking, the Supernovas led by Kidd are not on the same side as Siegfried and his group. After all, they were repeatedly beaten by Sunkuguma and were the weaker side that everyone bullied on the battlefield.

After Siegfried and the others made their great retreat, the Supernovas teamed up to seize a warship and escaped in the chaos.

Apart from them, most of the bandits, pirates, and revolutionaries successfully reached the New World and did not separate for the time being.

The next day, after the large fleet had rested overnight and arrived at the first island in the New World, they finally felt relieved.

"We've escaped Marineford!"

"Looking back, the day's events were truly bizarre, and yet we actually made it safely back to the new world!"

"The wounded have been treated, shouldn't we have a banquet next?"

"Let's have a feast! To celebrate the return of the Ace brothers, and of course, Old Man Sigurd too..."

"In short, our big family is complete again!"

Once things were a little safer, the first thing the Whitebeard Pirates thought of was having a banquet.

Whitebeard stood on the deck, quietly watching his sons' commotion, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Family reunions are a great joy, and banquets are a shared hobby of his and Roger's.

But before the banquet begins...

"Sigurd, so you did this on purpose?" Whitebeard turned to look at Sigurd beside him:

"Gulalalalalala... You've been hiding it really well."

"During the Battle of Fallen Island, you captured yourself, and took the opportunity to secretly infiltrate Impel Down to rescue Ace. Actually, I originally thought you would escape from Impel Down..."

"And you didn't. Was it because you couldn't find a suitable opportunity to escape from Impel Down? Or... did you deliberately want to reveal the truth on the battlefield of Marineford?"

Of course, "Mom" and the like are just jokes.

Higuma was an outsider to the Whitebeard Pirates, but he did more than enough as an outsider.

He saved Ace on the execution platform, later helped Whitebeard, and then the final beam of light from the sky... After seeing the hole that had opened up on the Red Line, every surviving pirate looked at Higuma with more awe and respect.

“That’s not true, don’t overthink it,” Sieg denied vehemently.

The white-bearded man chuckled and shook his head.

"You're still the same as before. But that's alright, with you by my side, I can finally take a break."

At this moment, the tension that had been building up inside him finally eased.

At this moment, his tall figure swayed, his vision blurred, and his white beard nearly collapsed to the ground.

He had always been ill, and the Marineford War was far too intense for an elderly man like him who was already seriously ill.

Chapter 1161 Oh, washing seaweed! 5k

"Dad!"

"Dad..."

Marco's sons, who were standing nearby, rushed over and looked at the old man with concern.

Ace, who had been eating heartily on the side, saw this and ran over with a big meat stick in his hand.

Although he underwent emergency surgery and temporarily recovered from his injuries, Whitebeard's serious illness was not so easily cured.

The ship's doctor, Marco, waved his hand, and pale blue regenerative flames enveloped Whitebeard's body as he began to examine Whitebeard's physical condition.

While the Phoenix Fruit's regenerative fire can accelerate wound healing for everyone except Marco, its effectiveness is greatly reduced.

After examining the area, Marco's expression grew even more worried.

Whitebeard was already a seventy-year-old man. Although he was six meters tall, he was not immortal like Kaido. He had fought for decades and had countless scars on his body.

The pain accumulated over the past decades, coupled with long-term alcoholism and a series of age-related diseases, have weakened his cardiopulmonary function considerably compared to his prime years. He also suffers from a host of chronic diseases such as cervical spondylosis and cardiovascular disease.

During the Marineford War, facing the combined attack of Blackbeard and others, he was no longer able to make any decent evasive maneuvers and could only rely on his body to withstand the attacks.

He didn't suffer from a terminal illness like Roger, but rather from a combination of age-related ailments and past traumas.

When you're young, you can rely on your strong body to fight back, but when you get old, that's just how it is.

Although it wasn't a terminal illness, Whitebeard's condition was beyond the capabilities of doctors like Marco and Crocus to solve.

Human strength has its limits, and no matter how skilled the doctor, they cannot save the elderly from gradual decline and death.

"Aging, illness, and death are the natural order of things. No matter how strong a person is, they cannot escape the passage of time. My father—"

Just as a touch of sadness welled up in Marco's heart, he suddenly remembered something, turned his head, and stared intently at Sieg.