Chapter 25: Golden Lion, You Lose!

Lucas: "Your worry is reasonable, but my strength is my weakness. I can't just throw my life away to save your son, right?"

Whitebeard: "Damn it! That's not what you said when you accepted my red envelope."

Lucas: "It's true that I accepted your red envelope, but I also accepted Roger's! If I end up dying to Blackbeard while saving your son, then who will fulfil Roger wish?"

Whitebeard: "..."

Lucas continued, "And what about Fisher Tiger? If I die, who will protect Fishman Island for him?"

Whitebeard sighed in exasperation. "You're really something else. I don't even know how to argue with you."

Lucas grinned. "If you're that dissatisfied, I can always return the red envelope to you."

Of course, this was just talk.

The red envelope Whitebeard had given Lucas was meaningless to the old pirate himself. Even if his sons were in trouble, Whitebeard would never take it back. In fact, he'd probably offer even more help to Lucas, ensuring he had the means to take revenge should anything happen.

Whitebeard: "No need for that. Just hurry up and get stronger! @Golden Lion Shiki, how about giving Lucas the ability of the Float-Float Fruit?"

Golden Lion Shiki: "Hahaha! If you ask nicely, maybe I'll consider it."

Whitebeard: "Please."

Fire Fist Ace: "Dad..."

Lucas: "Golden Lion Shiki, remember our bet? If Black Arm Zephyr really defects, you agreed to give me the Float-Float Fruit's power."

Golden Lion Shiki laughed. "No problem! But on one condition—you have to use the Float-Float Fruit to cause some serious chaos here."

Lucas smirked. "Deal."

Shiki nodded. "Then it's settled. Whitebeard, don't think this has anything to do with you. Don't take it for granted."

Shiki's arrogance was undeniable.

Boom!

Just then, a deafening explosion rang out from the Marine Headquarters building in the distance, followed by a furious roar that unmistakably belonged to Black Arm Zephyr.

"Sengoku, are you serious?! You want HIM, the man who has slaughtered countless Marines, to become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea? Are you kidding me?!"

Zephyr's voice carried across the entire headquarters. Though he hadn't intentionally raised his volume, his sheer rage amplified it. After all, he had already made quite a scene earlier, and now, every Marine with Observation Haki was straining to listen in.

Meanwhile, in the chat group—

Lucas: "Tsk, tsk. Zephyr's defection happened even faster than I expected. Golden Lion, you lose."

Golden Lion Shiki: "Meh, a loss is a loss. No big deal. @Whitebeard, did you hear that just now? The reason Zephyr's pissed—it's incredible!"

Pirate King Roger: "I heard it loud and clear. So the World Government is appointing some pirate nicknamed 'Whitebeard Jr.' as a Warlord… Seriously? Another Warlord? Have they learned nothing? That position has already caused them enough headaches."

Lucas: "They don't have much of a choice. At this point, the World Government still needs the Seven Warlords to maintain the delicate balance of power."

Fisher Tiger: "Who is this 'Whitebeard Jr.'?"

Golden Lion Shiki: "Yeah, I'm curious too. Why is Zephyr so enraged? Lucas, you mentioned he might defect because of this. Care to explain?"

Lucas: "Whitebeard Jr.—Edward Weevil. A pirate with monstrous strength. He's the one who chopped off Zephyr's arm."

Pirate King Roger: "Wait, so Zephyr's anger is just personal vengeance? That doesn't sound right. That man isn't the type to throw away his career over something like that."

Roger knew Zephyr well enough. He wasn't the kind of person who'd turn his back on the Marine for personal reasons. There had to be more to it.

Lucas: "You're right! Zephyr doesn't hate Whitebeard Jr. just because he cut off his arm. It's because, when he did, he also slaughtered Zephyr's students—the ones he had trained for years. Only two of them survived."

Whitebeard: "So you're saying Zephyr's rage is because of his students?"

Lucas: "Exactly! After stepping down as an admiral, Zephyr dedicated himself to training the next generation of Marines. His feelings toward his students are much like yours toward your sons, Whitebeard."

Lucas: "Then, during a training mission, his recruits were wiped out—except for two survivors. Now the World Government wants to form an alliance with the man responsible for their deaths. Imagine how that must feel."

Whitebeard: "...I understand."

It was the equivalent of someone slaughtering Whitebeard's sons, only for the World Government to turn around and shake hands with the killer. If Whitebeard were in Zephyr's shoes, he would have already started a war. No questions asked.

Golden Lion Shiki: "Dedicating his entire life to the Marine, only to be treated like this… If Zephyr hadn't defected, I would've looked down on him!"

Though Shiki didn't fully grasp Zephyr's devotion to his students, he at least respected his decision to leave the Marine. If the World Government had treated him like a disposable pawn after decades of service, then defecting was the only dignified course of action.

Pirate King Roger: "Yet another reason why being a pirate is the smarter choice. The sooner we wipe out the World Government, the better."

==============================================

Support me at p@treon.com/goldengaruda and check out more chapter of this or more early access chapter of my other chapter.

==============================================