In the New World, on the broad deck of the Moby Dick.
The atmosphere was nothing like its usual boisterous revelry...
Whitebeard, Edward Newgate, hailed as the "World's Strongest Man,"
sat in his enormous custom-made chair, a thin blanket draped over him for once.
The broad back that had once shouldered an entire era now seemed slightly stooped.
Several nurses in pink uniforms stood quietly nearby, but most conspicuous of all was the IV bottle hanging beside him, slowly feeding medication into his body.
Beneath the symbol of Whitebeard's continued invincibility, another cruel truth stood plainly revealed.
This man, who had risen in Rocks's era and forged a Legendary Era alongside Roger and Golden Lion,
was growing irreversibly weaker.
"Heh..." Whitebeard held a copy of the World Economy News Paper between his rough fingers, his deep eyes unable to hide their fatigue as they swept over the front-page headline and its striking photograph.
Only after a long while did he let out a low laugh.
"Gurararara... That Red Hair brat from Roger's ship needed to be taught a lesson after all!"
"Gern... He clawed his way out of our era, after all.
Heh, Red Hair still underestimated what the remnants of the 'old era' were truly capable of!"
Beside him, Marco watched Pops with worry on his face, because he had noticed
that Pops had recently stopped using Haki even in battle.
Still, setting his worries aside, he glanced at the newspaper, then at the tubes keeping Whitebeard alive, and could not help speaking up.
"Pops, that may be true... But Red-Haired Shanks is still one of the Four Emperors.
Gern crushed him so decisively this time, even humiliated him. Could this completely reshuffle the balance of power in the New World?
We..."
"It won't." Whitebeard cut Marco off and