On the Whitebeard Pirates' ship, the Moby Dick, several division commanders sat in a circle at the center of the deck.
Marco held an intelligence report, his brows knitted tight.
"The Marines can steal Devil Fruit powers?"
Jozu snatched the paper, read it twice, then tossed it back.
"Bullshit."
"Once someone eats a Devil Fruit, that's that. How could anyone take it away?"
"But this came from several major sources in the underworld. It doesn't sound made up."
Vista stood with his arms folded around his swords, his voice grave.
"Pops."
Marco turned toward Whitebeard, who sat at the head of the group. "What do you think?"
Whitebeard lifted his bowl of sake and took a drink.
He had listened to Marco read the report without so much as raising an eyelid.
"Don't care about that."
He set down his bowl, his voice low and rough. "There's only one thing I want to know right now—where's Ace?"
The mood on deck turned heavy at once.
Marco put away the report and drew a deep breath. "According to the latest news, Teach captured Ace and handed him over to the Marines."
"They should be taking him to Impel Down now."
Whitebeard fell silent for a moment, tapping the rim of his bowl twice.
"That bastard Teach."
Jozu slammed a fist into the ship's rail, splitting the wood.
"We save him." Whitebeard said nothing more.
"Pops, the Marines must have a trap waiting for us," Vista said with a frown.
"I know."
Whitebeard raised his eyes and looked over everyone on deck. "That's why we're all going."
Marco nodded. "I'll make the arrangements."
As for the news that the Marines could steal Devil Fruit powers, no one in the Whitebeard Pirates mentioned it again.
They had more important things to deal with.