Weevil and Aramaki's fleet—seeing their own leader's forces either dead or fleeing—naturally lost all courage to remain and face "The Deep Sea King" Davy Jones.
Without even calling out to one another, they scattered in every direction. In no time, they completely vanished from the sea's surface without a trace.
Davy Jones didn't bother pursuing. Such small prey wasn't worth the trouble.
He turned and walked back toward the Terror Ghost, his black cloak billowing in the sea breeze.
Kuro followed behind, leisurely retracting his cat claws before placing them back into his tote bag. Then he pulled out a mirror and began fixing the pomade-slicked hair of his greased-back hairstyle.
Marco called for Buggy and had him help drag the corpses of the towering Weevil and the frail, scrawny Miss Bakkin onto the Terror Ghost's deck.
Throughout the negotiations, Buggy had grown closer to the "Whitebeard Remnants." He had also been serving as the communication bridge between Kuro and the remnants.
Naturally, he agreed to Marco's request without a word of complaint.
He was responsible for Bakkin's body. First, he removed all the vines wrapped around the old woman, and blood immediately gushed out.
Then, grimacing in disgust, Buggy lifted her from under the armpits, hauled her onto a plank, and dragged her all the way onto the Terror Ghost.
Marco's job was far easier. Though he looked lean, he casually lifted Weevil's massive body above his head with both hands.
After they stacked the two corpses at the front of the ship, a distant horn sounded.
Bwoo— Bwoo— Bwoo—
Everyone turned to see five ships speeding toward them.
"Those are our people," Marco quickly said, worried they might misunderstand. "A scout must've reported back. Ace and the others came to reinforce us."
That was indeed the case. As the five ships approached, the Whitebeard flag could clearly be seen flying.
Seeing that the Terror Ghost was intact, the ships slowed and drew closer.
"Fire Fist" Ace and "Diamond" Jozu leapt aboard the Terror Ghost. Before they could even ask what happened, the corpses on the deck caught their eyes.
"You guys took down Weevil and Miss Bakkin?" Ace removed his orange hat in shock, his black hair falling loosely.
Jozu was equally stunned.
He had lost an arm in the Paramount War and had been keeping it attached with diamond ever since. Right now, it shimmered brilliantly under the sunlight.
They knew all too well how troublesome Weevil and Bakkin were as opponents.
So the moment they learned Weevil's fleet had run into the Terror Ghost, they had rushed over immediately, leaving only "Flower Sword" Vista behind to guard the base in case of a surprise attack from the Blackbeard Pirates.
The Blackbeard Pirates' uncanny ambushes had traumatized them enough.
Yet when they arrived, the battle had long been over—Weevil and Bakkin, two of the Whitebeard remnants' most dangerous enemies, were already dead.
This was too fast.
Unbelievably fast.
"Captain Davy Jones is the one who took out Weevil," Marco explained, arms akimbo. "There was also a pretty powerful Marine officer present, but we drove him off."
"A Marine officer?" Ace thought for a moment, then realized, "Weevil and Bakkin have been bragging lately that 'Green Bull' personally invited them to become the new Warlords. That officer must've been Green Bull."
But hearing that actually made Ace and Jozu even more shocked.
Aramaki, "Green Bull," was rumored to be an admiral candidate—someone who could fill the vacancies left by Akainu and Aokiji. His strength certainly wasn't low.
Yet Davy Jones and the others managed to defeat Weevil and force Aramaki to retreat even when the two were fighting together?
They had practically swallowed Weevil's entire fleet whole.
Only now did Ace truly understand what it meant that Davy Jones had defeated Charlotte Linlin. It meant his power was already close to their "Old Man."
Davy Jones was now undeniably one of the three emperors who upheld the balance of the New World.
Thinking of this, having Davy Jones, Marco, Kuro, and Buggy defeat the enemy suddenly felt completely reasonable.
Each of the four was terrifying in their own right.
Even Buggy, now a pirate with a bounty of 695 million berries, was hardly weak.
Ace and Jozu stiffened. They suddenly realized they still hadn't greeted Davy Jones properly. They hurriedly bowed to him.
Davy Jones nodded in return. He cared little for etiquette—only the intent behind it—so he didn't mind.
"Captain Davy Jones, thank you again for helping us eliminate another enemy," Ace said earnestly. "Weevil's hands are stained with the blood of too many of our brothers."
Jozu added in his deep voice, "Many of our division commanders were killed by the Blackbeard Pirates and by Weevil. They can finally rest in peace."
Their respect for Davy Jones wasn't just due to his strength—there was deep gratitude as well.
Davy Jones had helped them during the Paramount War, and afterward, he had slain several of the Whitebeard Pirates' most hated enemies, taking a heavy burden off their shoulders.
Ace and Jozu's gratitude was sincere.
But Davy Jones had never been one to respond to warmth. He simply said calmly, "Take me to Whitebeard's grave. I owe him a drink."
"Of course. Please follow behind our ships," Ace replied.
His and Jozu's impression of Davy Jones improved even more.
The Terror Ghost followed the five Whitebeard ships as they slowly sailed toward a certain sea region.
Passing through a waterfall cascading down from a high mountain, the ships arrived at Whitebeard's homeland.
"Flower Sword" Vista and the other captains were already waiting at the port.
Some of them had originally been reluctant to let the Whitebeard Pirates merge into the Davy Jones Pirates.
But seeing Davy Jones defeat Weevil immediately upon arriving—avenging them—their opinions began to change, and they came to greet him together.
Perhaps Ace and Marco's proposal had been correct.
Doing this wasn't abandoning the pride of the Whitebeard Pirates—it was ensuring their survival.
They believed that if the Old Man were watching from above, he wouldn't object.
Many of their thoughts were shifting.
Not to mention, Davy Jones had always been an ally of the Whitebeard Pirates. He had slain Akainu Sakazuki, "Big Mom" Charlotte Linlin, and now the "Fake Whitebeard Jr." Weevil.
They had no reason to oppose him.
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