Chapter 32: Beat Up Whitebeard's Son

Lucas used the power of the Float-Float Fruit to leave Marineford from the air.

In the chat group, Golden Lion expressed dissatisfaction.

Golden Lion Shiki: "No, are we just going to let them go? Didn't we agree to make a big scene?"

Lucas: "So what do you want?"

Golden Lion Shiki: "Didn't you touch the land of Marineford? You could've used the power of the Float-Float Fruit to lift it into the sky and drop it into the sea."

Lucas: "Yoho~ Since you joined the chat group, your IQ has been rising. If you had thought of this when you broke into the Marine Headquarters, you might've actually saved Roger."

Golden Lion Shiki: "Stop talking nonsense. Are you going to do it or not?"

Lucas: "No!"

Golden Lion Shiki: "Why?"

Lucas: "Because it's pointless. Any Marine with decent strength has mastered the Six Powers. With Moonwalk, they can easily escape. Your move would be meaningless."

Golden Lion Shiki: "Eh? That makes sense."

Lucas: "Even if I did this, it would only hurt the weaker Marine soldiers. At best, Marineford would be reduced to ruins. It's a thankless task. Why should I bother?"

Golden Lion Shiki: "But I'm still upset. Destroying Marine Headquarters isn't a bad idea!"

Lucas: "It does nothing for me. I refuse."

Lucas easily saw through the consequences. If he destroyed Marineford, the Marine's prestige would suffer an even greater blow, throwing the world into chaos. Though he aimed to overthrow the World Government, he wasn't interested in meaningless destruction that didn't benefit him.

Moreover, such reckless behavior would immediately provoke the wrath of the World Government and, more importantly, Imu. Since One Piece had yet to be completed when Lucas arrived in this world, he lacked sufficient knowledge about Imu. He wasn't about to take unnecessary risks against an unknown force.

Pirate King Roger: "What a pity! you couldn't beat Akainu to death. Such a waste of an opportunity."

Whitebeard: "I agree!"

Lucas: "With the three admirals, Sengoku, Garp, and other high-ranking officers watching, you think I could've taken down Akainu? You're overthinking it. We'll talk about it when the time is right."

Fisher Tiger: "Where are you headed now?"

Lucas: "Whitebeard's hometown—where the Whitebeard Pirates are stationed. Since Zephyr won't be joining me, I have no choice but to go beat up Whitebeard's son."

Whitebeard: "What the hell?!"

Lucas: "I wanted Zephyr to leave with me and serve as my sparring partner, but he refused. So I'll have to settle for your sons instead."

Whitebeard: "Gurararara! I see. No need to be polite. As long as you don't kill them, beat them as much as you like. I've been too lenient with them over the years—this won't do. Without my protection, they need to grow strong enough to protect themselves."

Whitebeard generously granted Lucas permission to spar with his crew.

Children won't amount to much unless they endure hardships. If his sons wanted to survive in the brutal world of piracy, they needed strength.

More than that, Whitebeard saw an opportunity. Through Lucas, he could observe the outside world and guide his sons one last time before his inevitable demise.

Fisher Tiger: "Um… Mr. Lucas, can I ask you for a favor?"

Lucas: "Speak."

Fisher Tiger: "Your Float-Float Fruit ability lets you lift entire islands into the sky. Could you bring Fishman Island to the surface? I'd like to give my people a safe place to live under the sun."

Lucas: "That's easy. No problem. But first, I need to deal with the Whitebeard Pirates. Fishman Island will be fine for now, but the same can't be said for Whitebeard's crew."

Lucas decided to delay Fishman Island's relocation and focus on resolving the situation with the Whitebeard Pirates. If he was too late and only Marco remained to lead them, Whitebeard would be furious.

Whether Whitebeard lost his temper or not was secondary. The real issue was reputation. If Lucas wanted to leverage the remnants of Whitebeard's forces for his own goals, he needed to maintain a certain level of credibility.

Fisher Tiger: "That's fine. I'm not in a hurry. Fishman Island has waited hundreds of years—what's another couple of days? Besides, it wouldn't be easy to gain the trust of the fishmen just by showing up."

Fisher Tiger: "But if someone from the Whitebeard Pirates vouched for you, things would go much smoother. The Whitebeard Pirates have protected Fishman Island for years. The people trust them."

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