He was nominated by everyone to succeed the Whitebeard Pirates as captain.
Of those present, only Ace did not react.
He knelt beside the Whitebeard body, head bowed, his hands gripping his trouser legs tightly.
I don't deserve it.
Ace's voice was terribly hoarse.
"I'm the one who killed my Pops."
If I hadn't chased Blackbeard, if I hadn't been captured, Pops wouldn't have come to save me, Oars wouldn't have died, and so many brothers wouldn't have died.
What qualifications do I have to be a captain?
Marco crouched down, grabbed Ace by the collar, and pulled him up from the ground.
Look at me, Ace.
Marco's eyes were bloodshot, but his voice was unusually calm.
" Pops chose to save you not because you are Roger's son, but because you are our family."
You know the Whitebeard Pirates ' rules better than anyone—if your family is in trouble, you'll risk your life to save them.
" My Pops's greatest pride in his life is us sons."
He chose to die in Marineford, not because you killed him, but because it was his own choice.
"There's only one thing you need to do now—survive, and live on with the family your Pops left you."
Ace's tears fell again.
But he didn't say anything more about "not deserving".
Vista walked over and patted Ace on the shoulder:
" Ace, Pops trusts you, and we trust you too. That's enough."
Jozu also walked over and gently touched Ace's chest with his diamond-like fist.
We'll listen to you.
One by one, the other captains stood up and surrounded Ace.
Looking at these familiar faces, at these brothers who had followed him for years and their Pops for decades, Ace finally gritted his teeth and nodded forcefully.
"I will protect the family my Pops left behind with my life."
His voice was still trembling, but every word sounded as if it had been carved from bone.
"This is my promise to my Pops."
Roy stood at the cabin door, listened to the whole story, and didn't go in to disturb them.
With the fleet's coating complete, Ace, suppressing his grief, mustered his strength to bid farewell to Rayleigh and Luffy.
Whitebeard's fleet slowly sank to the bottom of the sea.
Sphinx Island —the homeland of Whitebeard, a tiny island that can't even be found on a map.
The island is not large; it takes only half an hour to walk from east to west.
There is only one small village on the island, with a few dozen households and a few hundred people.
Whitebeard came from here; a poor boy who, through his fists and courage, gradually became the World's Strongest Man.
The island's residents had already received the news.
When the Moby Dick docked, the whole village stood at the harbor waiting.
No one spoke, no one cried out; everyone simply watched silently as the tall body was carried off the ship.
An elderly woman with white hair stepped forward and tremblingly reached out to touch her Whitebeard face.
" Newgate, you're home."
As she said this, tears rolled down her wrinkled face.
The funeral was conducted simply and swiftly in accordance with the Whitebeard's last wishes.
There was no ornate tombstone, no extravagant ceremony. Just a pit, a wooden coffin, and a group of people who came to see him off on his final journey.
Ace personally placed Whitebeard's body into the coffin, closed the lid, and scooped up the first handful of soil, sprinkling it onto the coffin.
Then it's Marco, then Vista, then Jozu.
One by one, the sixteen squad captains stepped forward, each scooping up a handful of soil to add the final layer to their Pops's grave.
The island's residents lined up, taking turns to offer flowers and soil.
Roy stood at a distance, not approaching, but simply watching everything quietly.
The funeral lasted a full day, and by the time the last bouquet of flowers was laid, the sun had already sunk below the horizon.
Ace stood before the tombstone, looking at the simple inscription...
The stone tablet bearing the name "Edward Newgate " no longer has tears in its eyes.
Roy walked over to Ace.
" Ace, you are now the captain of the Whitebeard Pirates. I plan to establish a military alliance between Hachinosu and the Whitebeard Pirates."
Ace turned his head and looked at Roy.
Roy knew this wasn't the time to talk about these things, but he spoke up anyway.
" Ace! I don't want to recruit or absorb the Whitebeard Pirates."
The Whitebeard Pirates retained their designation, their territory, and their flag.
But when facing the World Government and the Navy, I hope we can stand on the same side.
What do you think?
Ace did not answer immediately.
He glanced back at his captains— Marco nodded at him, and Vista also nodded slightly.
" My Pops once said that you were the most terrifying guy in the New World, but you were also his only trusted ally."
Ace turned his head and looked directly into Roy's eyes.
I agree.
Roy reached out his hand.
Ace gripped it.
The two captains, an old man from the New World and a young man from the New World, shook hands once at Whitebeard's grave.
This handshake will change the landscape of the entire New World.
On the distant sea, the setting sun finally sank completely below the horizon.
The last rays of sunlight shone on the Whitebeard's tombstone, turning the simple eight characters into gold.
" The World's Strongest Man rests here."
And with the passing of this strongest man, a new era has officially begun.
Hachinosu.
Roy returned from Sphinx Island three days later.
As soon as he stepped onto the cobblestone path of the port, Stella came to greet him, carrying a stack of documents in her arms, her expression a mixture of helplessness and acceptance.
" Roy! The World Government and Navy have begun issuing a statement to the world condemning our 'terrorist attack' at Marineford."
"They're all burned."
Roy kept walking. "Anything else?"
" Big News Morgans made seven phone calls, saying he was willing to trade his freedom of the press for the rest of his life for our exclusive footage of the Paramount War."
Roy stopped in his tracks, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"That's a good idea. Let him come to Hachinosu."
When Big News Morgans arrived at Hachinosu, he was trembling all over.
It wasn't out of fear, but out of excitement.
The giant bird-man rushed towards Roy as soon as it landed, its wings flapping loudly.
"Image!
Where is the video?
I brought the best equipment!
The most professional team!
This news will absolutely blow the world away!
Roy tossed him a Visual Den Den Mushi).
It was a complete video record collected from various parts of the battlefield, starting from the moment the Ark Maxim descended over Marineford.
From Whitebeard's solo battle against the Three Admirals to Roy personally beheading Saint Saturn,
Every key shot is crystal clear.