Inside the hall, only Blackbeard's voice—thick with ambition and temptation—continued to echo.
The other commanders, including Shiryu and Devon, held their breath, their eyes fixed on Kuzan.
They all understood what was at stake.
If Kuzan nodded… the Blackbeard Pirates' power and deterrence would surge to an entirely new level in an instant.
But at the same time, it would bring unpredictable risks—and a complete upheaval of the crew's internal balance.
Kuzan listened quietly to Blackbeard's impassioned pitch.
His face remained expressionless, his fingers idly tapping against the thin layer of frost on the table.
Several seconds passed before he finally spoke, his tone as flat as ever.
"Partners? Equals?"
He raised his head slightly. Behind those small, round sunglasses, his gaze seemed to pierce straight through the lenses and settle on Blackbeard's eager face.
"Sounds nice."
A flicker of delight stirred in Blackbeard's chest.
But Kuzan's next sentence froze that smile in place.
"But Marshall D. Teach… why should I trust you?"
Tilting his head slightly, Kuzan's tone carried a faint trace of amusement.
"A man who could betray his own father—Whitebeard—and steal his power…"
"A man who can discard his own crewmates for profit…" His eyes flicked briefly toward Samuel's frozen figure. "…how much is your promise really worth?"
Blackbeard's expression shifted for a moment—but he quickly forced a grin back onto his face.
"That's because they weren't strong enough! Not worthy of sharing the future with me!"
He leaned forward, voice rising.
"But you're different, Kuzan! You're 'Aokiji'! Your strength alone earns my respect—and even my caution!"
"Working with us is the best choice—for both of us!"
"Oh?" Kuzan neither agreed nor disagreed. "The best choice…"
He paused, as if genuinely considering it.
"…Joining you—or working together—isn't impossible."
Blackbeard's eyes lit up.
"But," Kuzan raised a single finger, "I have conditions."
"First—I answer to no one but myself. I don't intend to wake up one day as a prisoner in my 'partner's' territory."
"Second—you don't control me. I act as I please."
"Third… and most important—"
Kuzan's gaze sharpened abruptly.
"I want to know what kind of connection you still have with the World Government."
"Especially… with the Five Elders. Or something even higher."
His voice dropped, cold as creeping frost.
"After attacking Enel and making a complete enemy of Gern Reginald Sigmar… what makes you think the World Government is still a potential 'ally'… or something you can 'use'?"
He leaned forward slightly, an unconscious chill spreading from his body.
"Don't tell me you mentioned them casually."
"Marshall D. Teach—you're a gambler. But you don't play hands you can't win."
"What cards are you still holding?"
Then he leaned back again, slipping effortlessly into his lazy posture.
"Tell me that…"
"…and maybe we can really start this 'conversation.'"
In an instant, the pressure shifted.
From Blackbeard… to Kuzan.
Especially that final condition.
It struck directly at the deepest layer of Blackbeard's secrets.
Blackbeard's grin slowly faded, his eyes turning dark and unreadable.
But just as quickly, the emotion vanished.
"No problem!"
He spread his arms wide, laughing.
"Welcome aboard!!"
—
The news that Kuzan had joined the Blackbeard Pirates hit the already turbulent seas like a depth charge.
The New World—already thrown into chaos by the Navy's independence—was shaken once more.
Details were scarce.
But the core truth was undeniable.
Former Admiral "Aokiji" Kuzan… had officially become a core commander of the Blackbeard Pirates.
A man who once stood at the very pinnacle of the Navy had now thrown his lot in with a crew led by a dual Devil Fruit wielder—and filled with the most dangerous criminals on the seas.
In an instant, every faction reevaluated the Blackbeard Pirates.
Their threat level skyrocketed—from a "Yonko crew requiring caution"… to a "destabilizing variable capable of reshaping the world order."
—
Cross Guild, Karai Bari Island.
"This is… unbelievable!"
Buggy the Clown clutched the newspaper, his hands trembling, his blue nose twitching—whether from fear or excitement, even he couldn't tell.
Beside him, Crocodile sat in silence, a cigar clenched between his teeth, his golden hook tapping lightly against the table as his expression darkened.
"Fufufu…" Redfield swirled a glass of wine elegantly. "The tides of this era are becoming… quite entertaining."
—
Red-Haired Pirates, aboard the Red Force.
Benn Beckman held a lit cigarette between his fingers, long forgotten. The ash had grown dangerously long.
Lucky Roux stopped mid-bite.
At the bow, Shanks stood alone, gazing out over the restless sea. The usual smile had vanished from his face, replaced by quiet gravity.
"Kuzan…" he murmured.
"So even he's stepped into the shadows…"
After a pause, his eyes sharpened.
"Looks like it's time for us to move as well."
—
Onigashima, Beast Pirates' stronghold.
"Worororo!!!"
Kaido downed a jug of sake in one gulp and smashed it to the ground.
"Aokiji?! That ice brat actually joined that mangy mutt Teach?!"
His grin widened, wild and feral.
"Interesting! This just keeps getting better!!!"
—
Totto Land, Whole Cake Island.
"Mama~ Mama~"
Big Mom devoured sweets, cream smeared across her lips.
"That greedy dog Blackbeard actually got himself such a powerful piece… what's that brat Gern been doing?"
She turned her gaze.
"Katakuri—what do you think?"
"Mother… the threat level of the Blackbeard Pirates has fundamentally changed."
Katakuri stood with arms crossed, his voice calm, his expression grave beneath his scarf.
"We need to reassess our stance toward them."
—
Across the seas, the shock rippled outward.
To the remnants of the old Navy, it was a "fallen star."
To pirates and opportunists, it was "a tiger gaining wings."
The world began to shift again.
And yet—
At the very center of this storm…
New Marineford.
Fleet Admiral's Office.
An unnatural calm lingered.
Of course… only on the surface.
"BANG!"
The heavy office doors were thrown open with brute force, slamming into the walls.
A tall, powerfully built old man strode in, his Marine coat draped over his shoulders, his chest bare.
His white hair framed a face stripped of its usual carefree grin—replaced instead by deep, simmering disappointment.
In his hand, he clutched a crumpled newspaper.
"Gern!"
His voice thundered through the room like a cannon blast.
No title. No formalities.
Just a name.
Behind the desk, Gern Reginald Sigmar looked up from the documents he had been reviewing.
There was no surprise in his expression.
It was as if he had been expecting this.
"Vice Admiral Garp," Gern said calmly, setting down his pen and leaning back slightly. "Have a seat."
"Sit, my ass!"
Garp strode forward and slammed the newspaper onto the desk with a deafening smack, the impact making even the solid wood tremble.
On the front page—
Kuzan's silhouette stood beside the emblem of the Blackbeard Pirates.
"What the hell is that brat Kuzan thinking?!" Garp roared, his chest heaving. "Joining Blackbeard?! That bastard who killed his own crewmate, betrayed his father, schemes for power, and devours everything in his path?!"
"Has he forgotten who trained him?! Forgotten the justice of the Marines?!"
Gern listened quietly, not interrupting.
He understood Garp's anger.
Garp, Sengoku, Zephyr, Tsuru…
They had raised that generation—Kuzan, Sakazuki, Borsalino.
The pillars of the Navy.
Kuzan's departure had already left a bitter knot in Garp's chest.
But now… instead of returning to a Navy that had gained independence—one that might have aligned more closely with his ideals—
Kuzan had joined one of its greatest enemies.
To someone like Garp, who valued bonds above all else…
That was betrayal.
"The leg he lost… Sakazuki took it," Gern said calmly after Garp's fury eased slightly.
"He brought that on himself!" Garp shot back, though his voice wavered just a little. "A fight for Fleet Admiral! Fair and square! He lost, he left—that's fine!"
"But this?! What is this?! Throwing himself into the gutter?!"
"People make their own choices, Vice Admiral Garp," Gern replied evenly. "Kuzan has his own judgment."
"Maybe… in his eyes, this Navy still isn't the 'justice' he seeks."
"Or maybe… there's something between him and Blackbeard we don't yet see."
"Bullshit choices! Bullshit reasons!"
Garp slammed his fist onto the desk.
"I don't care what excuse he has! He's gone down the wrong path—a dead end!"
He took a deep breath, his gaze locking onto Gern with iron resolve.
"I didn't come here to debate what's going on in that idiot's head."
"I came to tell you…"
Each word landed like a hammer.
"I'm taking leave."
"I'm leaving New Marineford—for a while."
Gern's eyes shifted slightly.
"To where?"
"To where?"
Garp bared his teeth in a grin—but there was no warmth in it. Only cold determination.
"Of course I'm going to pay a visit… to the Blackbeard Pirates' newest commander."
"That idiot Kuzan's lost his way…"
"…and someone needs to punch him hard enough to wake him up."
"To make him see exactly what kind of abyss he's standing on the edge of."
"Some mistakes can't be made. Some people… can't be followed."
"This is my justice."
"And my responsibility… as his teacher."
There was no room for argument in his tone.
Garp was going.
Personally.
To face the disciple who had once been the pride of the Marines… and now stood on the opposite side.
"Vice Admiral Garp… at your age, going solo like this is a bit—"
Sending Garp alone into the heart of the Blackbeard Pirates was undeniably dangerous.
It could easily spiral into an irreversible conflict.
But at the same time…
This was Garp's burden.
And the burden of many veterans within the Navy.
Stopping him outright… wasn't the right move either.
"A bit what?"
Garp frowned, turning back to glare at Gern.
"You wanna step outside and test that yourself?! Sounds like you've been eating too little rice lately!"
Back when I roamed the seas, anyone who heard 'Garp's here' would run for their lives!"
"You think I can't handle Kuzan?! Let me tell you—"
He plopped down into a chair, cracked open a bag of senbei—
And just like that, launched into a loud, nostalgic rant about his glory days.