Friction between the Four Emperors was nothing unusual.
None of them truly respected the others.
Jack's arrogant attitude had already annoyed many people, especially the division commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates.
"Heh."
Facing Edward Newgate and the commanders under him, Jack showed no fear.
He knew very well that he would not be killed.
If they intended to kill him, Renji would have done so at sea already.
The reason they brought him to the Moby Dick was obvious.
They wanted to use him as leverage against Kaido.
Among the Four Emperors, conflicts were common, but there were also certain unspoken rules among their high-ranking members.
If Whitebeard truly killed Jack, then the conflict between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Beasts Pirates would escalate into an all-out war.
No one wanted that.
So Jack continued acting tough.
"If you've got the guts, then kill me."
The next moment, however, flames suddenly appeared beneath his feet.
The temperature of the fire was terrifyingly high.
Even someone at Jack's level could not ignore it.
His expression twisted instantly.
"Weren't you acting pretty tough just now?"
A figure appeared behind Jack.
It was Marco.
His face carried a gentle smile, but that kindness was only on the surface.
His phoenix flames continuously burned Jack's body.
Jack's hair was burned away.
His skin began to blister.
The pain was unbearable.
Soon, the air was filled with the smell of roasted meat.
Because Jack was a fish-man, the scent carried a faint aroma of cooked fish.
"AAAAAH!"
After enduring it for two minutes, Jack finally screamed.
"Well done."
While Marco continued roasting what could jokingly be called a "grilled grouper," Whitebeard shifted his gaze toward Renji.
The more he looked at him, the more satisfied he felt.
Renji was strong.
His abilities were outstanding.
He treated the crew kindly, and everyone respected his leadership.
Now it had been revealed that his Devil Fruit ability resembled a lower-tier version of Whitebeard's own fruit.
This meant Renji had everything.
Character.
Strength.
Ability.
Support among the crew.
He was practically the successor Whitebeard had always hoped for.
"Thank you for the praise, Pops," Renji replied.
The battle between Renji and Jack had been extremely chaotic.
Both the Whitebeard Pirates' and the Beast Pirates' surveillance Den Den Mushi had been destroyed during the fight.
As a result, neither Whitebeard nor Kaido had seen the entire battle.
They had only witnessed fragments of it.
"It's all thanks to Pops' guidance," Renji added.
Whitebeard laughed.
"Nice flattery. I like hearing that."
Then his tone changed slightly.
"But don't try to sound so fake next time."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"Since your ability resembles my Tremor-Tremor Fruit, I'm quite familiar with that type of power. For the next few days, stop training the crew and stay with me. I'll personally help you develop your Devil Fruit ability."
Renji's eyes lit up.
This was Whitebeard personally training him.
Combined with his own insights and his attribute-collecting ability, his mastery of the Tremor-type power would grow rapidly.
Renji suppressed the excitement in his heart.
"Understood. Thank you for the guidance, Pops."
Meanwhile, on the other side of the sea.
In Wano Country.
Inside the territory of the Beast Pirates.
"How many days has it been already?!"
"Still no news?!"
Kaido was furious.
He smashed objects around him in anger.
Beside him stood King the Wildfire and Queen the Plague.
Neither dared to speak.
Three days had passed.
Three days earlier, the Den Den Mushi transmission had been destroyed during the battle between Renji and Jack.
Since then, Kaido had been unable to learn what had happened.
For three days he used every resource available to gather information.
But the Whitebeard Pirates had sealed the news tightly.
Even the spies planted within Whitebeard's territories could not obtain any information.
"Report!"
At that moment, several exhausted men were brought inside.
Judging from their clothing, they were survivors from Jack's Mammoth Pirates.
They had sailed day and night without rest just to return.
"Members of the Mammoth Pirates?"
Seeing them, Kaido finally relaxed slightly.
At least now he would know what had happened.
"Speak quickly. What was the result of the battle? Where is Jack?"
"Governor… this is what happened…"
The survivors described the battle between Renji and Jack.
"So you're saying Jack was captured alive?"
Kaido's expression froze.
Originally, he had assumed the worst-case scenario would be Jack getting beaten.
That was nothing unusual for Jack.
But he had never imagined Jack would actually lose.
"Damn it!"
Kaido slammed his fist into the ground.
Even the sake jug he loved shattered.
"That old bastard actually hid such a trump card!"
From Kaido's perspective, Renji was already strong enough to be a division commander.
Yet someone like that had remained hidden within the Whitebeard Pirates.
Naturally, Kaido believed Renji was a secret weapon prepared by Whitebeard.
"Damn it… I walked right into the trap."
Kaido had once served with Whitebeard in the Rocks Pirates.
He knew Whitebeard's personality well.
Bold.
Dominating.
Protective of his family.
But also extremely cautious.
"Newgate… I thought Blackbeard's betrayal was the beginning of your decline. Turns out it only revealed another blade you had been hiding."
Kaido's rage was useless.
There was nothing he could do.
Soon, the news of Jack being captured began spreading throughout the Beast Pirates.
"What? Something like that happened?"
Inside the office of the Tobiroppo, Who's-Who slammed his hand on the table.
"I told you Jack was unreliable! Now look at this. He got captured alive. How embarrassing!"
The newly joined member of the Beast Pirates, former Marine rear admiral and one of the Worst Generation supernovas, X Drake, frowned.
"The situation… is very complicated."