268 Secrets From The Past

Shakky was the former Empress of Amazon Lily.

To Rayleigh, Amazon Lily was like family. If anything happened there, he would always step in to help.

And now, Weevil had dared to kill people on the island. If it weren't for Whitebeard, Rayleigh would have cut him down on the spot.

—

"Edward Newgate! You're Newgate!"

A sudden, hoarse scream broke the tension.

Ms. Bakin—who had been presumed dead—was awake.

She had been gravely injured and unconscious, or so it seemed.

In reality, she had regained consciousness when Weevil attacked Lynch for the second time. But knowing she was powerless, she chose to play dead, ignoring her foolish son and waiting for a chance to survive.

And now, that chance had arrived.

Ms. Bakin trembled as she forced herself up, dragging her charred body. She threw herself at Whitebeard, clinging desperately to his leg like a drowning person grasping their last lifeline.

"Newgate! You're holding your own child—your biological son! You can't abandon us!!!"

Whitebeard looked down.

A bald, burned face with no hair or eyebrows stared up at him.

His mouth twitched.

Is this true or false?

Did I really sleep with this woman when I was young and have a child with her?!

This old woman must be joking.

She's so ugly now she must have been ugly when she was young too. Even if I were blind, there's no way I would've fallen for her!

If it weren't for the fact that Weevil's beard looked so much like his own—and that the boy wore his emotions so openly Whitebeard would have crushed this ugly woman for daring to go against Lynch and Rayleigh.

But hearing the name "Newgate" again after so long made him pause.

These days, everyone called him Whitebeard.

"Newgate, you don't recognize me?"

Ms. Bakin grabbed a handful of dirt and rubbed it over her scorched face, trying to reveal her original features.

She raised her head with all the strength she had left, looking at Whitebeard expectantly.

"I'm Stussy. Buckingham Stussy!"

Whitebeard's eyes widened in shock.

"It's you!"

His expression stiffened as he finally recognized her beneath the burns and grime.

"You're not dead?! Why haven't I heard a thing about you in all these years?"

"Forty years… It's been almost forty years since we last met."

After confirming her identity, Whitebeard fell into deep thought, his expression complicated.

It wasn't his fault for not recognizing her—nearly forty years had completely changed her.

Back then, Ms. Bakin was in her prime, known as one of the three great beauties of the Rocks Pirates. She was breathtaking, admired by countless men.

Yet now, that once-stunning woman had become unrecognizably old and ugly.

Her once-flowing hair was now completely gone, leaving her bald.

Even more unbelievable how had a beauty who once stood nearly 1.9 meters tall shrunk to just 1.12 meters?!

Not even her skeleton should have shrunk this much!

And now, with her body burned black, Whitebeard could barely tell it was her.

He had been close to this woman once.

But later, he saw her true nature.

She was the kind of woman fit to be a mistress never a wife.

Over time, Ms. Bakin's growing ambition and selfish nature became unbearable, and Whitebeard eventually chose to part ways with her.

He still remembered their last conversation.

Looking back now, there were many details he had overlooked at the time.

Once, Ms. Bakin had asked him, "If I were pregnant with your child, would you accept me?"

Whitebeard had brushed off the question, unwilling to give a clear answer.

After that, she disappeared from his life.

Now, seeing her barely as tall as his knees, Whitebeard couldn't help but feel that anyone who didn't know better might mistake her for a pet Chihuahua.

Suddenly remembering something, Whitebeard's expression darkened as he glared at Ms. Bakin.

"If he really is our child, why didn't you let him come find me?"

At the mention of this, Ms. Bakin became agitated.

"Find you? And then what? Would you have given him special treatment?"

"I know you too well you wouldn't! You would've treated him just like your so-called 'sons'!"

"If he had even a bit of intelligence, I might've sent him to you to fight for the future of the Whitebeard Pirates."

"But he's a fool! How could he ever compete with your other so-called sons?"

Ms. Bakin's eyes widened, filled with hatred and pain. She looked like a desperate woman making her final stand.

"Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates? You're still so obsessed with power, Stussy." Whitebeard shook his head in disappointment.

"When will you understand? Status isn't what matters—family is."

"You should have let the child come to me."

"So what if he's a fool? If he's my son, that's all that matters."

"I won't promise he'd have the best life by my side, but I know for sure he'd be happier than he ever was with you."

Whitebeard's voice was calm but firm. Then, he looked at her and added:

"And you underestimated something."

He reached out his massive hands, helping Ms. Bakin to her feet and brushing the dust off her.

"You underestimated my sons."

"If they knew he was slow, they wouldn't bully him. They'd protect him. Not everything is about power, let alone competing to be captain."

"But maybe... a woman like you will never understand that."

Ms. Bakin stood frozen, her mouth opening slightly as if to say something but in the end, no words came out.

Ms. Bakin's face turned ashen.

At this point, nothing she said would change anything.

Just like before, she couldn't change Whitebeard's will.

Based on their past relationship, she might be able to walk away with her life this time but there wouldn't be a next time. Whatever kindness remained between them was now gone.

Meanwhile, Lynch, Nyonba, and Rayleigh were sitting on a bench, casually watching the drama unfold while munching on popcorn.

This family feud was too entertaining to miss!

"Damn it, Whitebeard had a love story like this? I have to share this with Gabban when he gets back," Rayleigh thought.

What a shame Roger wasn't around anymore this was the kind of gossip he would have loved.

"Rayleigh, want a soda?" Lynch handed him a bottle of cola, eyes still glued to the scene.

"Thanks," Rayleigh said, taking it without even looking away.

"Here, try my popcorn. It's good just grab some."

Rayleigh absentmindedly handed Lynch a small basket of snacks.

"That's enough, one handful is plenty." Lynch grabbed some, shaking his head.

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

It really did seem like Weevil might be Whitebeard's son.

Now this was getting interesting.

In the distance, Nyonba looked at Lynch and Rayleigh, utterly speechless.

One was the ruler of the West Blue, the other was the legendary Dark King Rayleigh—both were world-famous figures.

Yet here they were, gossiping like village aunties.

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TO BE CONTINUED

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