The Greatest Disgrace in Marine History-Chapter 161 - 63: The Great Treasure

"The Poneglyphs contain the secrets and truths of history. And I discovered that four ancient red stones record the coordinates to that final island."

"I've taken to calling them... Road Poneglyphs. Only by finding all four can you uncover the path to the legendary end of the sea."

"And there..."

Roger's eyes sparkled with longing.

"...lies the One Piece."

But Whitebeard merely shrugged, unimpressed by Roger's excitement.

"So what?"

Roger stared at him in disbelief.

"What do you mean 'so what'!? Aren't you curious what's at the end of the Grand Line?!"

"That's the final island! Isn't that the whole reason we set sail in the first place—to find the truth of this world? That's real freedom... real dreams!"

Whitebeard rolled his neck and took another heavy gulp of sake.

"Roger, I don't give a damn about some so-called great treasure."

"If you want it, go find it yourself."

He turned his eyes toward the curious gazes of Marco and the others, who were peeking over from the nearby deck. Despite the alcohol haze in his eyes, a warm, gentle smile slowly crept across his face.

"I've already found my One Piece."

The sea breeze rustled softly. Under the golden sunlight, Whitebeard's long blond hair danced in the wind.

Roger gazed silently at him—at that content, satisfied smile. And for a moment, he had nothing to say.

"...I see."

After a long pause, he exhaled deeply, laughing softly.

"Damn... I envy you. You've already achieved your dream."

Whitebeard chuckled and looked away, though a faint red gleam flickered in his eyes.

"You should get going, Roger."

Roger nodded.

Through his Observation Haki, he could already sense them—two Marine battleships had entered the surrounding waters. Powerful, looming presences flickered aboard them.

Garp and Sengoku had caught up—with the full force of the Marines.

Roger raised his sake bowl with a dazzling grin.

"Well then! Next time we meet—let's have a proper, knock-down, drag-out fight!"

Whitebeard laughed, lifting the massive sake jug in return.

"No problem."

They locked eyes and smiled.

Clink!

The bowl and jug met midair with a resounding chime, echoing of freedom and dreams under the golden sun.

Both drank deep.

BOOM... BOOM... BOOM!

Suddenly, dull explosions echoed from the distance. Black cannonballs rained down into the waters around the two ships, blasting up towering columns of seawater.

"Enemy attack!!"

"Pops!! It's the Marines!!"

"Captain Roger! The Marines are here!!"

The sea roiled violently as both ships rocked hard. Crew members from both the Whitebeard and Roger Pirates shouted in alarm.

"Hahahaha! Newgate! Until next time!"

Roger laughed and stood tall.

Whitebeard rose from the deck as well, watching Roger step onto the gangplank with a smile.

"Don't let Garp catch you now."

Roger snorted over his shoulder.

"Catch me? Don't be ridiculous—I'm strong, remember?"

He flexed his bicep proudly.

"Oh?" Whitebeard grinned with amusement, his eyes narrowing.

"But didn't I hear you got your ass handed to you by some Marine brat? Lost your pants and everything?"

Roger's foot slipped on the gangplank and he fell face-first onto his own ship.

"Damn you, Newgate!! That never happened!!"

He leapt up, fuming, his face flushed green with rage.

Whitebeard chuckled and cast a glance at Roger's belt—secured by cheap plastic buttons.

"Looks pretty real to me."

"Damn it!! This isn't over!!" Roger howled, hand on his sword—only to be tackled by his own crew.

"Captain Roger! We need to leave!!"

"If we don't move now, they'll surround us!!"

Sweat poured down their faces as they held him back.

BOOM BOOM BOOM!!

The cannon fire grew heavier, water exploding all around.

Marco had already taken flight in his phoenix form, batting away shell after shell with blazing wings.

And from afar, Garp's voice thundered like rolling thunder:

"Roger!! Don't you run now!! This time you'll lose more than your pants—Bwahaha!!"

Roger's face turned pitch black with fury.

"Gu ra ra ra ra... Off you go, Roger."

Whitebeard shook his head with a laugh.

"I'll give you a little send-off."

Rayleigh quickly gave the order to pull up the gangplank.

Whitebeard turned, eyes fixed on the distant waves where the Marine battleships tore across the sea. His golden hair whipped in the wind.

On the lead ships, the silhouettes of Garp and Sengoku grew clearer.

"...It's not time to fight you yet, Garp. Sengoku..."

Whitebeard whispered with a smirk, then took a deep breath.

His fists clenched tightly, bulging with stone-like muscle as he crossed them before his chest.

"Pops... You're not thinking—" Marco's eyes widened in horror.

The crew scrambled, gripping onto the Moby Dick for dear life.

"Gu ra ra ra!! Marines! Here's a little gift for you!!"

Whitebeard roared. His eyes flashed with unstoppable force.

Both fists shimmered with a milky white glow. Then, he hurled them forward.

BOOM!!

His fists struck empty space—and the air shattered.

Cracks spiderwebbed across the sky like broken glass.

Time paused.

Then—

Before the shocked eyes of Garp, Sengoku, and the Marine elites, the ocean exploded.

A deafening roar rose from the deep, shaking the sea itself.

Tidal waves surged upward—hundreds, even thousands of meters high. Towering walls of water blotted out the sky.

Amidst the chaos, the Oro Jackson was flung skyward like a toy, vanishing into the clouds with pig-like screams trailing behind.

The sea howled. Thunder cracked. The world split open.

---

Three minutes later.

The tsunami finally calmed.

Debris and wreckage floated across the shattered sea. Broken masts, splintered hulls.

On two battered Marine battleships, barely afloat, soldiers lay collapsed—ashen and breathless.

"Damn it! They escaped again!!"

Soaking wet, Garp cursed at the empty sea.

The Oro Jackson and the Moby Dick had vanished—clearly using the tsunami as cover to retreat.

"If the Moby Dick didn't take the full hit, they might've avoided total destruction..."

Sengoku muttered, breathing heavily, frowning deeply.

"No telling where the waves carried them now..."

His aura was unsteady—clearly strained from withstanding the shock.

"So that's the power of the world's strongest man... terrifying."

A lazy voice spoke.

A golden light fell from the sky as particles gathered into a human form.

Borsalino appeared beside Sengoku, not even winded, stroking his chin with a smirk.

Sengoku glanced at the untouched Borsalino—and twitched.

---

Meanwhile.

In a ruined town along the Grand Line...

Corpses littered the ground. Buildings lay in flaming ruins, black smoke billowing skyward.

A bloodstained Marine boot stepped on a fallen pirate flag.

A towering young man in a black uniform, with golden hair and a savage grin, lifted a pirate by the neck with one hand.

"This guy? 80 million bounty?"

He scoffed, disappointment in his eyes.

"Too weak."

CRACK!

With a twist of his thick fingers, he snapped the pirate's neck clean. The head flew upward in an arc.

Blood sprayed like a fountain, staining the sky crimson.

It splattered across his face, making his grin even more twisted.

He let go of the corpse, letting it thud to the ground.

Then, sensing something, he turned toward the sea.

A Marine battleship was breaking through the waves—dead ahead.

"Marines, huh?"

Douglas Bullet licked his cracked lips, eyes gleaming.

"Perfect. I was just getting warmed up..."

---

To be continued...