Chapter 350: Sanctuary Camelot

Master Zefa raised his hand, making a grasping motion in the air, his voice low and filled with resolve:

"A tide that will sweep across the entire world is about to arrive; everyone's fate will be caught up in it, and this is also our opportunity—the opportunity to pursue true justice!"

"The name 'G-5 Branch' is something I've heard far too many times, until my ears have grown calluses from it."

"We are the Navy of the new era."

"We are..."

"The Neo-Navy!"

Fujitora did not know what direction this world would take in the future.

But with people like Gao Wen and Master Zefa existing,

the future surely would not be too bad.

Recalling what he had heard from Master Zefa regarding Gao Wen's judgment on this world and on the Great Pirate Era ignited by Roger, he couldn't help but feel curious once again.

When the World Government brings out the Ancient Weapons as a new pressure valve, breaking through this point, where exactly lies the key pivot to reshape this era?

A long time passed.

Fujitora lifted his head, striving to widen eyes that had long since lost their light, gazing toward the distant Master Zefa, yet he could see only emptiness.

Gripping the Shusui in his hand, feeling the will within the blade, he spoke with a tone that was both firm and decisive:

"We are the Neo-Navy!"

The wind picked up again at the port.

That abandoned warship was covered in patches of rust left by the erosion of time, and in dents left by countless guns and cannons, scars like medals on the body of an old soldier.

It had grown old.

It could no longer set sail.

They had not yet grown old.

They still possessed enthusiasm and will that burned like flames, ready to clash with the hardest things in this world.

At that same moment,

in the New World,

within the Whitebeard Pirates,

an unprecedentedly heinous case was unfolding.

When the people on the ship found the Fourth Division Commander, Thatch, he was already lying in a pool of blood, a dagger having pierced his heart from behind.

Thatch's strength was not weak; among all the division commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates, he was surpassed only by a mere handful of individuals, including Ma Erke and Diamond Jozu.

For someone to be killed in a single strike without any resistance, only Whitebeard on this ship could accomplish such a feat.

Clearly, this was the work of one of their own.

At this moment, the deck had already gathered quite a few people, all looking at Thatch's corpse with solemn expressions.

Whoosh—!

A roll of muffled thunder moved across the sky; Whitebeard pushed aside the subordinates in front of him, walked to Thatch's corpse, his face ice-cold, his entire body radiating a chilling killing intent.

The Conqueror's Haki throughout his body stirred uneasily; the thunder rolling in the sky seemed to lower its volume at this very moment, as if fearing a king enraged to the extreme.

Whitebeard swept his gaze around and asked:

"Where is Teach?!"

"He said something urgent came up and has already left on a spare small boat; oh, and he said he bid farewell to Oyaji before departing."

The speaker was a cadre in charge of logistics for the Whitebeard Pirates; although not a division commander, his authority was by no means small.

Moreover, the style and conduct of the pirates under Whitebeard were very loose, so no one had pursued matters like these in the past.

But now, looking back on it, it made cold sweat break out all over his body.

"That's right!"

This pirate's eyes widened, and he cried out in alarm:

"I once heard Thatch mention that during that previous operation, he obtained a special Devil Fruit, yet after searching through every encyclopedia, he could not find the true name of that fruit."

"He never ate it."

A bad premonition vaguely arose in Whitebeard's heart:

"Search!"

Ace stood to one side, opening and closing his mouth.

In his heart, he still could not believe that Teach would make a move against Thatch.

Both were veterans on the ship, their seniority nearly equal to Ma Erke's, and Blackbeard had always maintained the image of an honest man; the possibility of him doing such a thing was not great.

And yet.

Looking at the expression in Whitebeard's eyes, Ace ultimately did not dare to speak.

He kept his head down, led people into the ship's cabin, and pushed open Blackbeard's door, only to see a floor covered in chaos.

Everything of value had been taken away; on the desk remained only a Devil Fruit that had been bitten once, its effects now lost.

"That guy Teach actually..."

Ace stood in the cabin for a long time; it was only when Whitebeard entered, expressionlessly grabbed the half-eaten fruit, and slumped onto a stool that he came back to his senses.

Having weathered wind and frost, fighting for decades, yet still recognized as the strongest man, Whitebeard seemed to have aged greatly in this moment.

His back was somewhat hunched, carrying a few more traces of vicissitudes, and bearing a deeper shadow of old age.

Watching this scene, Ace felt as though his heart were being cut by a knife.

Teach was his subordinate, Thatch was his friend, and Whitebeard was the father he truly acknowledged, yet now...

Blackbeard had killed Thatch, breaking the iron rule established by Whitebeard that one must never lay hands on a comrade.

Anger burned within Ace, but doubt and confusion dominated even more.

He still remembered that battle clearly—the scene where Blackbeard had taken a bullet for Thatch, then offered him guidance.

He simply could not connect that kind-hearted man with the murderer who had personally plunged a dagger into a comrade's chest.

He decided to go and demand an explanation.

"Pops, Teach is my subordinate; I will take responsibility for this matter!"

With that, Ace pushed aside the comrades trying to block him, ignited flames around his body, boarded his small boat, and departed.

Night had already fallen; on the distant sea surface lay only endless darkness, sufficient to swallow everything.

Compared to that, the sun burning in the sky was nothing more than a fleeting brilliance.

By the time Whitebeard reached the deck, Ace's fiery glow had already vanished beyond the distant horizon.

Waves rose and fell, yet they could hardly shake the massive, sturdy Moby Dick; yet for some reason, Whitebeard now felt nothing but deep unease.

What difference did tonight's events make to him compared to having a blade stabbed into his own heart?

An emotion never before experienced surged within Whitebeard; a trace of panic even appeared on his face.

He had already lost one son; he could not lose a second!

"Bring Ace back!"

Ma Erke, realizing the situation belatedly, pulled Ace's Den Den Mushi from his pocket and activated it.

Buru Buru—!

The urgent ringing echoed across the deck, but no one answered.

Jozu, standing nearby, could not help but step forward to offer comfort:

"Pops, Ace's strength is formidable, far surpassing Teach's; nothing untoward should happen to him."

"Even taking the worst-case scenario, even if he cannot win, retreating unharmed would pose no problem for him whatsoever."

Whitebeard offered no reply; he merely stood on the deck for a long while until dawn approached, then gripped his sword in hand and walked step by step back into the cabin.

No matter what, no matter how dire things become, I still have this sword in my hand; now, no one can be my match, no one will dare harm my sons!

His waist straightened once again.

He waved toward Ma Erke and the others behind him, his tone calm:

"If he wishes to go, then let him go."

"He bears the Whitebeard Pirates' flag; Teach must also pay the price for his actions."

"On my ship, the only iron rule is: never raise a hand against your comrades!"