The pirate replied in a low voice, "Bakin... Bakin has disappeared. We found an underground laboratory where she lived."
"She... she left?!" Whitebeard furrowed his brows. "Doesn't she know that betraying the Rocks Pirates is an unforgivable crime?"
"The Pirate Code shows no mercy to traitors..."
"Even if I pleaded with Rocks, Bakin would definitely still be punished. Why did she act so recklessly? Shouldn't she have discussed it with me first?!"
The Pirate Code was an extremely popular set of rules among pirates, but it served only as a guideline. Regardless, no pirate would tolerate a crew member fleeing on their own.
That was tantamount to betrayal!!
It was one of the crimes a pirate captain could least tolerate!
The pirate's face was filled with hesitation. After stammering for a long while, he said, "C-Captain... you should go to the laboratory... and see for yourself."
"See what? I don't understand that stuff. Just tell me!" Whitebeard looked displeased. He knew his subordinate still had something to say.
The pirate lowered his head and bit his lip before murmuring, "Th-They... Bakin's experimental equipment... it was all, all... all related to genes. Specifically... hereditary genes in offspring."
"What?!"
Newgate was struck as if by lightning, freezing on the spot.
Memories of his time with Bakin involuntarily flashed through his mind. He then recalled how, every time he had done that with Bakin, she would find an excuse to leave afterward.
Back then, he had so desperately wanted to hold her in his arms and warmly tell her about how, if they ever had a 'son,' they would...
But now...
This news.
"That woman... that woman... what did she want to do with my genes?!"
Whitebeard's eyes dimmed. He was not someone who would easily accept love, but once a man like