The natural system started off strong, but the navy finally reached its peak!

Gern looked at the white-bearded man, who was suppressing his anger, but his eyes remained calm, and he repeated clearly and firmly, "..."

"Kozuki Oden. He died in Wano Country, about... about a month ago."

He paused, then looked at Whitebeard and added the most crucial sentence: "By the way, he lost a one-on-one fight to Kaido of the Beasts..."

"Impossible! After Oden finished his journey with Roger, his strength was worthy of his title of 'Invincible Under Heaven'!"

Even in a one-on-one fight, Kaido couldn't possibly kill him now!

"So! As long as we rely on the current Shogun of Wano Country, Kurozumi Orochi and..." Gern finished explaining the situation.

"In short, through their joint scheme, Kozuki Oden was ultimately executed by being boiled alive."

"Tsk, without the protection of some kind of powerful aura, a corpse can't withstand the high temperature; it's probably been boiled to a pulp."

(In the world of One Piece, once a powerful figure loses their life, their physical body is no different from that of an ordinary person, so it's possible that Kozuki Oden's body was boiled to a pulp.)

"Boom!!!" An even more terrifying aura erupted from Whitebeard's body, causing the ground beneath his feet to crack inch by inch!

His hand, gripping the Murakumokiri tightly, was so hard that his knuckles turned white and it trembled slightly.

Boiling punishment!

That man... the one he admired so much

That man who always called out "Baiji" and had such a bright, idiotic smile... died in such a tragic way...!

"Kaido!!!" Whitebeard practically spat out the name through gritted teeth, his overwhelming killing intent sweeping across the area like a tangible force, sending chills down the spines of everyone who sensed it.

His bloodshot eyes suddenly shot towards Gern, his voice low and menacing: "Why are you only saying this now?!"

Gern met his gaze, his voice still calm: "Three days ago, I said it, would you have believed me?"

What good would it do to tell you this while we're locked in a life-or-death struggle, other than drive you completely mad and make you my mortal enemy?

"I'm telling you now because the battle is over."

You have the right to know the truth.

Moreover…” Gern’s gaze sharpened, “the target of revenge should not be me.”

Whitebeard's chest heaved violently as he stared intently at Gorn, but ultimately, his devastating killing intent slowly subsided.

Instead, there was a bottomless, heart-wrenching grief and silence.

He understood what Gern meant.

But on one side was his former junior colleague from the Rocks era, and on the other was his own "brother."

Thinking of this, Whitebeard slowly closed his eyes, the immense pain making his face appear several years older.

After a long while, he opened his eyes again, the surging anger in them now suppressed into the coldest ice, buried deep beneath endless sorrow.

He didn't look at Guern again, nor did he say another word.

He simply turned around abruptly, hoisted the Murakumogiri onto his shoulder, and walked toward the Moby Dick with heavier and more resolute steps than before.

“Dad…” Marco stepped forward with concern.

Whitebeard raised his hand to stop him, his voice hoarse and tired, yet carrying an undeniable firmness: "Back to the ship."

All the members of the Whitebeard Pirates remained silent, immersed in the immense grief and anger brought about by the news of Oden's death, silently following their father.

This time, however, the atmosphere of the evacuation was no longer simply one of exhaustion and relief, but rather shrouded in an overwhelming sense of sorrow.

And... a sense of oppressive tension, like the calm before the storm.

Gern stood there, watching the Whitebeard Pirates' fleet slowly set sail and eventually disappear beneath the sea.

"Will you make a move, Whitebeard?"

After all, you're not old now, and you won't be finding out for years!

Chapter 262 A Silent Lament

On the high seas, the Moby Dick sailed in silence.

The deck was no longer filled with the usual noise and laughter; instead, there was a stifling silence and the occasional groans of pain coming from the medical room.

Sadness and anger, like a heavy fog, enveloped the entire flagship, making it almost impossible to breathe.

The captains silently tended to their injuries and clean up the mess, but their eyes kept drifting towards the tightly closed door at the stern of the ship.

That's their father's room, Edward Newgate the Whitebeard...

inside the room.

Whitebeard didn't sit on his large armchair; instead, he stood with his back to the door, in front of the huge porthole, gazing at the boundless sea outside at night.

The strongest man in the world, his imposing figure now appeared unusually heavy, his tattered coat still draped over his shoulders.

Marco stood quietly not far behind him, his worry and exhaustion clearly visible on his face.

After a long silence, Marco finally spoke slowly, his voice somewhat hoarse: "Father..."

Whitebeard did not respond, continuing to gaze silently at the sea.

Marco took a deep breath. He knew he had to keep going, even though it was incredibly difficult and might even provoke his father's anger.

“I know how you feel…we all feel the same way.” Marco’s voice was low and slow, each word carefully chosen.

"We cannot accept what happened to Oden. We all want to immediately return to Wano Country and make that bastard Kaido pay for his crimes in blood!"

The white-bearded figure seemed even more tense.

“But, Dad!” Marco’s tone shifted abruptly, becoming urgent and rational: “Not now! Please calm down and think about it!”

He stepped forward, trying to make his words more powerful: "We have just fought a three-day battle against Admiral 'Skyquake' Gern and his men!"

The brothers suffered heavy casualties. Jozu, Vista, Bramank... almost all the captains were seriously injured and need time to recover!

Many ordinary crew members have also perished! We are now...in a state of unprecedented weakness!

“And Wano Country…” Marco’s expression was extremely solemn, “That’s Kaido’s stronghold, which he has built up over many years. It’s easy to defend and difficult to attack!”

The surrounding seas have unpredictable weather and are full of undercurrents, which is extremely disadvantageous for a fleet like ours that needs to operate in large numbers!

Not to mention that Wano Country is closed off from the world, so we have no way of gathering any more intelligence.

He looked at Whitebeard's still silent back, his voice filled with deeper worry: "If we drag our exhausted army to Wano Country at this moment, we will be facing the Beast Pirates, who are well-rested and have the advantage of terrain and popular support!"

This is simply a war... a war in which there is no chance of victory!

Even if we ultimately win, it will be a Pyrrhic victory! Many more families will... be left there forever!

"And!" Marco emphasized, pointing out the most crucial point, "Why did Gern choose this moment, this juncture, to tell us about Oden's death?"

He could have easily kept it a secret, or chosen another time!

"He did this on purpose!" Marco's eyes sharpened. "He saw our weakness, and he also saw how much you value your family!"

He deliberately used Oden's death to provoke and enrage us! He wants us to go and fight Kaido right now!

"A battle that will leave both sides severely injured, or even result in mutual destruction!" Marco's voice trembled slightly. "Whether we ultimately cripple Kaido or Kaido destroys us, who will benefit?"

It's the Navy! It's the World Government! They're happy to see us fight each other so they can reap the benefits!

"Dad, we can't... we absolutely can't follow the script that Gern set!"

After Marco finished speaking, the room fell into a deathly silence once again.

The only sounds were the ship cutting through the waves and the increasingly heavy breathing of the white-bearded man, as if suppressing endless sorrow.

For a long, long time.

Whitebeard's statue-like figure finally moved slightly.

He turned around slowly, extremely slowly.

Marco saw his father's face.

That usually dignified and imposing face was now filled with deep weariness and an indescribable grief.

Whitebeard looked at Marco, his voice hoarse as if sandpaper was being rubbed: "Marco..."

“I know…” Whitebeard’s voice was low and slow, “I know everything you’re saying.”

He raised his enormous hand and placed it on Marco's head.

“Reason tells me… that going to war now… is foolish… is sending children to their deaths…” His voice was filled with helplessness and self-blame.

“That brat Gern… he succeeded… he inflicted unbearable pain on me, yet he prevented me… from seeking revenge immediately…”

“But… Marco…” Whitebeard raised his head, his eyes glistening with tears.

"That's Oden...that's my...brother!!!"

A low, suppressed roar, like the wail of a wounded beast, echoed in the room, filled with helpless anger and heart-wrenching pain.

Marco saw his father, whom he always relied on and who was invincible, in such pain for the first time, and his eyes instantly welled up with tears.

He opened his mouth, but found that he couldn't say any words of comfort.

Any language seems so pale and powerless in the face of the immense grief of losing a brother (family member).

Whitebeard gasped for breath, forcibly suppressing the grief and indignation that was almost overwhelming his reason deep within his heart.

He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the bottomless pain was forcibly frozen, leaving only a cold resolve.

He slumped back into his chair with a heavy sigh, as if he had aged considerably in an instant.

"Pass down the order." Whitebeard's voice regained its calmness, yet carried a heartbreaking weariness and coldness.

"Focus on treating the wounded. Fleet... turn around and return to Sphinx for rest."

He neither spoke of revenge nor of not seeking revenge.

But Marco knew that his father had made the most difficult yet most rational decision.

For the sake of my family who are still alive, I will endure this for now.

"Yes, Father," Marco replied in a low voice, his heart filled with mixed feelings, including relief and endless guilt and sorrow towards Oden.

He silently left the room and gently closed the door.

The white-bearded man sat alone in the empty room, his mountain-like figure now appearing somewhat hunched in the shadows.

Outside the window lay the endless sea, while this "world's strongest man" was swallowing the belated, heart-wrenching bad news and silent lament alone.

What Marco didn't know was that Whitebeard was also holding a naval intelligence document that Enel had sent through Gern.

The document clearly records the entire process of the Kozuki family's destruction.

The time travel during the Tianyue era was not recorded, so according to the documents, what was recorded was the true death of the entire family...

Chapter 263 Kizaru's Visit

One week later, at Naval Base G-10.

After several days of emergency repairs, the horrific traces left by the battle with the Whitebeard Pirates have been initially cleared.

But the broken walls and ruins everywhere, and the bottomless ravines on the ground, still silently tell the story of the horror and madness of that battle.

The naval soldiers at the base were exhausted, but their morale was high.

After all, they successfully repelled the "world's strongest" pirate crew and protected the outpost island of their base (albeit half-destroyed).

Just then, at the edge of the sky, a dazzling golden light streaked towards them at a speed beyond the perception of ordinary people.

The light pierced over the outpost island, heading straight for the central plaza of G-10 base.

Golden light shimmered, particles converged, and a tall, thin figure wearing a yellow and white striped suit, with a lazy and playful expression on his face, was about to solidify.

It was Admiral "Kizaru" Borsalino, one of the Navy Headquarters' top combat forces who came to G-10 base on Sengoku's orders.

"Oh~ How terrifying~ You've been beaten so badly..." Kizaru's teasing words hadn't completely faded, and his body hadn't fully condensed from the photon state.

Suddenly!

"Boom!!!"

A massive bolt of lightning struck down without warning, with almost pre-predictable precision!

Its speed is so fast that it even surpasses the speed of sound!