章 26: Chapter 26

Title: The Sea's Turbulence: Whitebeard's Defeat Echoes

"Jie Jie... Jie Jie..."

Blackbeard's sinister laughter echoed like the low cry of a Shinigami, capturing everyone's attention.

Fear was evident on the faces of some, unable to hide their emotions.

But the most astonished of all was Whitebeard.

Having fought alongside Rocks for many years, he was intimately familiar with the sound of his voice. This suppressed and ominous laughter seemed to be carved from the same mold.

However, during the original Battle of God Valley, Whitebeard had witnessed Xilan's "Dragon" strike that crushed Rocks' head.

He was 100% certain that Rocks was dead.

"Is this just a coincidence?"

Whitebeard's heart eased as he stared at Blackbeard with unkind eyes. He believed it was best to execute this man swiftly, and whatever changes awaited could be dealt with later.

"Teach, you committed the grave crime of killing your comrades on my ship, and now I shall execute you with my own hands."

Raising the long knife with his powerful arms, Whitebeard's murderous intent intensified. Just as he was about to strike, Blackbeard curled the corner of his mouth and sneered.

"Killing comrades? You've done plenty during your time on my ship."

"Newgate~~~"

.....

At the port of the G0 base, warships arrived in succession, passing by Xilan one after another.

He was highly satisfied, the corners of his mouth upturned.

Did people think these passing ships were mere weapons? How vulgar.

This was the walk of berries!

Xilan took inventory, counting exactly 50 ships. The beating on Sengoku earlier had proven effective. This time, Xilan had decided to change the buyer, selling them all to Kurozumi, the ruler of Wanokuni.

Sengoku: "Does it make a difference?"

Even with weapons, ammunition, and warships bundled together, the total came to 12 billion berries.

Whirring whirring...

As a strong wind blew, Xilan's graying silver hair danced in the breeze.

He looked up at the sky and stretched his neck comfortably. "The wind is quite boisterous today."

His good mood was evident, with the small sum of money growing like a snowball, steadily increasing.

"Master Xilan!!"

Chitong's voice sounded from nearby, filled with eagerness.

Xilan turned his head to look. "What is it, Chitong?"

The girl didn't speak but handed him a newspaper to read.

Xilan took a cursory glance at the newspaper, but his eyes widened suddenly, and he exclaimed, "Wah! Whitebeard was defeated? Are you kidding me?!"

Indeed, the news in the newspaper reported Whitebeard's defeat. There were even several gruesome pictures showing him injured, his body severely charred, with a ghastly knife wound on his chest, and corpses scattered around him.

The one who defeated him, surprising Xilan, was none other than Blackbeard, whom he had sold for 2 billion just a few days ago.

"No, can Blackbeard be that formidable?"

Xilan expressed skepticism. He had fought against Blackbeard in Dressrosa's auction house before and had nearly overwhelmed him with his overwhelming advantage. His combat prowess had not yet reached the level of the Four Emperors.

And Whitebeard's strength also ranked as the top among the Four Emperors. Although he was advanced in age, he was more than capable of dealing with Blackbeard. Now, he had inexplicably suffered a defeat. Could it be that he was truly growing old?

"No, there must be some unknown secret behind this."

Xilan's eyes gleamed with intensity. No matter how he considered it, with his current power of only one Devil Fruit, he couldn't have defeated Whitebeard. Even during the Summit War, the battered old Whitebeard had managed to bring Blackbeard down.

Blue blue!

Chi tong's phone bug rang, and as she took it out to check, her pupils froze for a moment.

It was a call from Marine Marshal Sengoku.

"Go ahead, I suppose that old guy is trying to take advantage of others again," Xilan secretly scoffed, knowing that Marines often engaged in such tactics.

"Xilan here." Xilan answered the phone bug, and Sengoku inquired first, "Have you acquired all the battleships?"

"Thank you, Marshal." Xilan's face held a smile.

"So... have you recovered from your injuries?" Sengoku asked leisurely, implying that Xilan's strength should have also recovered.

"Cough cough cough... I am slightly stronger than before. I will proceed to attack Doflamingo immediately." Xilan offered amicably, "This time, that kid won't be able to escape."

Sengoku's face turned ashen, as Doflamingo had already fled by then.

Xilan would undoubtedly use the excuse of being unable to locate Doflamingo.

"Let's set aside the matter of Doflamingo for now."

Sengoku took a deep breath and stated directly, "Read the newspaper. The old man Whitebeard is truly showing his age, as he was defeated by Blackbeard. It's quite surprising."

"I truly didn't expect that, even in his old age, Whitebeard possessed the strength of a tiger. Such defeat is quite peculiar."

Xilan inquired, "Will Marshal Sengoku order me to lead troops to attack the Whitebeard Pirates?"

"Indeed!" Sengoku exclaimed with excitement. "The Whitebeard Pirates have been defeated, and Whitebeard himself is seriously injured. If you can find him, you will surely be able to defeat him."

Although the Summit War plan had failed, if they could successfully kill or capture Whitebeard this time, it would be a significant victory for the Marines.

"Let me give it a try."

As Xilan gazed at the warships in the distance on the sea, he couldn't help but feel that there are no free lunches in the world, and all this mess is part of the world's complexities.

...

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