With the strongest bloodline, it’s not too much to have more children, right?

The second half of the new world.

Sphinx Island.

This is a small island located in the latter half of the New World. There are not many people on the island, and the armed forces are even weaker.

But the people on the island have always lived a simple, quiet and happy life.

The villagers knew that there was a stranger who had been providing their island with daily necessities and treasures. It was also this stranger who had ensured that this island in the New World had never been invaded by pirates.

No one pointed it out, but everyone knew it.

That stranger was probably Whitebeard, one of the Four Emperors of the New World.

Today, for the first time, pirate ships appeared on an island that had never been visited by pirates, and there were even more than one.

The villagers hid in their houses and silently watched the pirates who suddenly appeared through the windows.

A half-burned flag was flying on the pirate ship. Although it was damaged, the iconic Whitebeard was still clear.

Immediately afterwards, four men got off the boat, carrying a huge jade coffin on their shoulders.

Behind the coffin bearers followed a large number of pirates of various sizes, most of them were injured. All of them looked at the coffin in front of them with sad eyes and followed silently. The atmosphere seemed depressing and heavy.

The line was very long, leaving a long line on the village road.

No one spoke, everyone walked silently. This was the hometown of their beloved father, the place he had guarded all his life, and they didn't want to disturb anyone.

squeak...

The wooden door opened, and a white-haired old man walked out of the house with a cane. His cloudy eyes were filled with tears as he slowly walked to the sides of the road.

Looking at the coffin in front of him, he knew that the stranger who had protected them for decades was dead, and the child who had always missed his hometown had returned.

The old man loosened his grip on the crutch with his skinny hands and knelt on the ground tremblingly.

He knew that all this was meaningless, but at least he didn't want to disappoint the man who had protected them all his life.

As the old man knelt down, the sounds of doors opening rang out one after another, and one villager walked out of the house.

No matter they were very old, men and women in their prime, or even ignorant children, they all knelt on both sides of the road at the signal of their parents.

"Mom, why do we have to kneel down? Are they important people?" a little boy asked in a daze.

The woman next to the little boy knelt on the ground and said to her child, "My child, you must remember that the man in the coffin is not only the strongest man in the world, but also the great benefactor of our Sphinx Island. Now that he is back, he deserves the respect of all of us."

The little boy nodded ignorantly. Although he still didn't understand why everyone had to kneel down, he felt the sad atmosphere in the team and his heart ached. Tears filled his clear eyes.

The members of the Whitebeard Pirates were shocked by the villagers' spontaneous kneeling, but no one said anything and they continued to follow Whitebeard's coffin silently.

It's all worth it for Whitebeard.

"Pirates protect civilians, while the World Government persecutes them. This world is truly strange."

Carmen sighed.

He, Kronos, and the members of the Red Hair Pirates followed at the end of the team, keeping a distance from them.

"Isn't this perfectly normal? Aren't you from the Adrian Kingdom also pirates? You're spreading your 'justice' everywhere."

Beckman exhaled a large cloud of smoke, with an inexplicable meaning in his eyes.

"It's just following my heart," Carmen replied.

Shanks also sighed, "Follow your heart? That's true. The word justice is too vague. The heart is more convincing."

Glancing at the villagers kneeling on either side, Shanks suddenly asked, "Carmen, what do you think Whitebeard wants? A big family? A beautiful hometown? Or... becoming the Pirate King?"

"I'm not sure about the first two, but the last one is definitely not."

Carmen paused and guessed, "Maybe it's family affection, or maybe it's protection."

"guard?"

"Protect my sons, protect my hometown, and protect the civilians in my sea."

Shanks smiled and said, "That doesn't sound like something a pirate would do. Whitebeard is one of the Four Emperors after all."

Carmen gave him a meaningful look, "My dad is also a Four Emperor, but do you think the Adrien Kingdom is a pirate group?"

Shanks' smile faded.

"What is a pirate?"

Without waiting for Shanks to answer, Carmen continued, "Those who are enemies of the World Government are pirates."

After saying that, Carmen quickened her pace and caught up with the main group.

Shanks paused in thought for a moment, only coming back to his senses when Beckman patted his shoulder.

"Shanks, you are our captain. It's not good to be swayed so easily." Beckman shook his head helplessly.

Shanks smiled, looked at Carmen and the other two walking away, and said in a very weak voice: "Unfortunately, Zel is not the person the captain said."

………………

The bright sunshine shines through the sparse clouds and softly falls on the green hillside. The breeze blows, and a large number of pink petals flutter, embellishing the sad atmosphere.

There are two cherry trees at the highest point of the slope, decorating the monotonous scenery.

In front of the cherry tree, bright flowers surround a tombstone engraved with "Grave of Edward Newgate".

There is a bunch of blue roses above the tombstone, with a naginata stuck in the center of the roses. A tattered white cloak hangs on the naginata's blade holder, fluttering in the wind.

A torn pirate flag was tied to the hilt of the naginata, fluttering in the wind, and the iconic white beard revealed his identity.

At the bottom of the slope, the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates stood on both sides, looking at Whitebeard's tombstone with sadness in their hearts.

Oden, Marco, Jozu, and Vista stood at the front of the team.

"Marco, this incident is all my fault! I will avenge my brother!" Oden said with tears in his eyes.

Marco looked at Oden calmly. Oden had just woken up and was very excited.

In comparison, Marco's mentality has eased a lot. After all, the Whitebeard Pirates family still needs him.

"How do you plan to take revenge?"

"Of course, I killed Sengoku and Sakaski!"

"And what else? Cap? Kuzan? Borsalino? All the vice admirals? All the navy members who participated in the Battle of Marineford?"

Marco's voice was calm, but it carried a sense of oppression.

Oden was much stronger than Marco, but he was still suppressed by his aura.

"You are not strong enough. Even if the people from Wano Country join us, there is no way to avenge your father." Marco said.