"Extortion?"
When you sent a Yonko-commander to test me earlier, you didn't seem worried about whether I would be angry.
Hearing Kaido's accusation, Edward Newgate burst into hearty laughter.
"Gurararara!"
After laughing for a moment, Whitebeard looked directly at Kaido.
"No, no, Kaido. You're mistaken. This isn't extortion, it's a threat. The first billion for Jack is what I deserve to take, and the other billion is the price for the trouble Jack would cause your Beast Pirates if he ended up in the Marines' hands."
Whitebeard paused there deliberately.
Just as Kaido was about to explode with anger, he continued, "Of course, you're free to ignore it."
"New—gate!"
Kaido spoke the name word by word, his teeth grinding.
But his fury did not move Whitebeard at all.
"Fine. Very fine. Go get the money."
Kaido finally yielded.
He had no other choice.
The Marines had already been showing increasing interest in the New World and had recently begun reinforcing their forces there.
If Jack fell into Marine custody, they could easily use him as an excuse to attack the Beast Pirates.
If Kaido responded with war, he would face the full strength of the Marines.
If he did nothing, the Beast Pirates' reputation would collapse and his credibility would be ruined.
Either option would destroy his standing as one of the Four Emperors.
"You old man have hidden quite a few things," Kaido said as his expression slowly calmed. "This time, I admit defeat. But I hope your Whitebeard Pirates don't run into any trouble in the future."
Three months passed after the Yonko negotiation between Kaido and Whitebeard.
Kaido's defeat did not cause much turbulence on the seas.
Across the world, whether Marines or pirates, almost everyone held Whitebeard in extremely high regard.
Even the other Yonko could not compare with him.
Even though the Whitebeard Pirates had suffered Blackbeard's betrayal, Whitebeard's position had hardly shaken.
The uncrowned king of the seas was expected to stand at that level.
On the deck of the Moby Dick, Renji was currently sparring with Marco.
During the past three months, the seas had been full of turbulence.
Blackbeard's betrayal had caused many forces to eye Whitebeard's position.
But after Kaido's failure, those ambitions were quickly suppressed again.
Over these three months, Renji had followed Whitebeard and learned directly from him. Combined with his attribute-picking system that occasionally collected "Devil Fruit growth experience" from Whitebeard, he gradually grasped the essence of the Gura Gura Fruit.
He still had not reached the level of awakening.
But his control had reached a level that no one could ignore.
"Wow, your growth is a bit ridiculous," Marco said.
He looked down at his right leg.
Renji's punch earlier had shattered it instantly.
Blue flames ignited.
Marco's leg regenerated immediately.
Then he turned his gaze back toward Renji.
[You picked up 1 Devil Fruit Growth Experience!]
"That's only natural," Renji said calmly while collecting the dropped attributes. "This is the result of three months of personal teaching from Pops."
Even so…
This level of improvement was absurd.
Marco felt speechless.
Whitebeard training his commanders personally was not unusual.
All the division commanders had received that kind of special guidance before.
But no one had ever improved like Renji.
Three months.
Just three months.
Renji had leapt all the way to the peak of Yonko-commander level strength.
What kind of talent was that?
"Looks like the most talented person in the Whitebeard Pirates might shift from Ace to you," Marco said.
"That's not necessarily true," Renji replied as he shook his head. "After everything Ace went through, his understanding of life will deepen. Once he deals with Blackbeard, his strength will definitely grow rapidly."
As he spoke, cracks began appearing around Renji's hand.
Before those cracks could spread, he compressed them tightly around his fist.
This was the result of his three months of training under Whitebeard.
Gura Gura compression.
This was no longer the crude imitation Renji had attempted before.
It was the true technique refined from Whitebeard's decades of experience.
It allowed the vibration power to remain hidden in his fist to amplify his strikes, and it could also be released instantly upon contact so that the destructive force acted directly inside the opponent's body instead of dispersing in the air.
According to Whitebeard, even Admirals or Yonko would be stunned by such a punch.
"Gura Gura: Fracture!"
The energy condensed.
Renji's eyes flashed.
He dashed across the deck in an instant and appeared before Marco, his fist aimed straight at Marco's head.
"Good grief."
Marco's expression turned serious as he gathered the flames of the Phoenix.
"You really look like you're trying to kill me."
BOOM!
Their fists collided.
The sea roared.
The sky trembled.
Cracks that seemed capable of tearing apart the heavens and the blazing flames of the Phoenix erupted outward violently.
[You picked up 1 Armament Haki Insight!]
[You picked up 1 Devil Fruit Growth Experience!]
Renji continued collecting attributes as he spoke casually, "You can't die anyway, so I might as well fight seriously. Besides, my teaching philosophy is simple—better to accidentally kill a teammate than hold back against an enemy. As the 'Whitebeard Pirates Instructor,' I have to lead by example."
"..."
Marco clicked his tongue.
The title "Whitebeard Pirates Instructor" had been personally granted by Whitebeard after Kaido left.
It was not just a title.
Its authority was equal to that of a division commander.
During special situations, Renji could mobilize personnel and resources from the entire Whitebeard territory.
It was both a reward for Renji's achievement and recognition that he truly fit the role.
After their attacks clashed, the two separated quickly.
Marco looked at him and said with a grin, "You're a pretty strict instructor."