One Piece: A Guide for Ordinary Players

Whitebeard's eyes twitched a few times: "I didn't tell my sons before because I was afraid they would have some prejudice against Ace. After all... I fought against his father as enemies for so many years, but now, Ace is also my son. He only has this one identity! Is there anything that his family can't know!"

Shanks' voice was deep: "Ace is the son of my old captain, the Pirate King Roger. After the captain was executed, Ace was born. His mother entrusted him to the captain's lifelong rival, the Marine hero Garp, to raise. Garp then fostered Ace with a female bandit in his hometown."

The Whitebeard members around him were all core members, and they were all shocked to hear that Ace was Roger's son. But then they were confused by the complicated relationship described by Shanks. On the contrary, Robert's thinking was clear and he didn't feel confused at all.

"What's so hard to understand? It's just that Li Lu and Jia Liang divorced, and Tianxin was awarded to Zhou Shuyi."

Chapter 48: The Bearded Gentleman Commits Suicide at Maicheng?

Ignoring the astonished expressions of the others, Whitebeard stared intently at Shanks, wanting to hear a definite answer from him.

Shanks seemed to have made up his mind: "I will lead men to help you hold off any enemies that stand in your way, but I will not fight the Navy with you."

Whitebeard laughed heartily: "Even if you wanted to get involved, I wouldn't agree. My family, of course, we'll rescue them ourselves!"

Shanks put down his gourd: "I was hoping to have a good drink with you, but it seems unnecessary now. I suppose you all have a lot to prepare, and I also need to give some guys a heads-up. Goodbye."

Whitebeard didn't try to stop him, leaving Robert standing there for a moment. After thinking it over, he turned around and followed Shanks as he left.

"Kid, you can't leave!"

When the white-bearded voice came, Robert stopped in his tracks.

"If you're bringing false information, then someone like you who dares to incite us to war with the Navy must be punished."

"And if you bring true news, we will certainly appreciate your friendship as Ace's friend, risking your life to cross the Red Line to deliver this message."

Shanks had already reached the railing of the Moby Dick, turned back and smiled at Robert: "I only promised Morgans to bring you here, not to send you back. Since Mr. Edward wants to keep you here, you can stay."

He leaped off the ship's side, no longer caring whether Robert lived or died.

Robert frowned: "I'm just here to inform everyone to prepare early and not be led by the nose by the Navy. You can all hold back for now and wait for the Navy to release official information before making a decision, but I'm definitely leaving. I have my own plans."

The other Whitebeard members surrounded him, and Whitebeard laughed loudly, "You mean your so-called plan to go and rescue Ace yourself?"

Robert nodded: "I can't make decisions for others; I can only control myself."

Whitebeard shook his head: "Stay. I've said it before, we should go and save our own families."

Robert was in a dilemma. He still had many contingency plans to make, and if he stayed on Whitebeard's ship, he would really be wasting his time.

But if they insist on leaving, it really does seem like they've lied and are trying to escape because they feel guilty.

"I'd like to speak with you privately for a moment!"

Robert stared into Whitebeard's eyes, his tone firm, and Marco and the others immediately glared at Robert with hostility.

Whitebeard laughed loudly, "You can all leave now. Do you think this brat can hurt me? I'd really like to hear what he wants to talk to me about alone!"

On the Moby Dick, Whitebeard's words were law and no rule. Although the crew still distrusted Robert, the messenger who had suddenly appeared, they still followed Whitebeard's wishes and left the deck.

"Kid, give me that jug of wine Shanks brought. They always keep an eye on me and won't let me drink. This is a good opportunity."

Robert picked up the flask and handed it to the white-bearded man, who gulped down several mouthfuls before waving his hand dismissively at Robert, saying:

"Now, let's talk about those things that can't be heard by others."

Robert took a deep breath: "Ace had actually been recommending that I join the Whitebeard Pirates, but I didn't agree."

Whitebeard looked at Robert with interest: "What, would it be a disgrace to you to be my son?"

Robert stared unwaveringly into Whitebeard's eyes: "You are the undisputed strongest man in the world, and the best father on this sea, but you are going to die. I don't want to board a ship destined to sink!"

Without realizing it, Robert had stopped using honorifics to address the other person, and Whitebeard seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world:

"How interesting, who in this world can kill me?"

Robert pointed a finger at the white beard: "You."

Whitebeard squinted and took another swig of wine, staring at Robert without saying a word, wanting to hear his explanation.

“You always say you’re a remnant of the old era, and that there’s no ship in the new era that can carry you. I think you’re just looking for death.”

"Now that Ace has fallen into the hands of the Navy, they will definitely make a big deal out of it and lure you out to rescue him. If they dare to spread the news that Ace has been captured, then they are definitely prepared to fight you head-on."

"A confident white-bearded man is the strongest man on the sea, but a white-bearded man who keeps saying that there is no ship that can carry him is probably not going to come back alive."

The white-bearded man laughed and scolded, "You brat, you're spouting nonsense! You haven't even grown all your hair yet, and you dare to pontificate in front of me!"

Robert said, "Of course you can be determined to die and make a romantic exit in battle, but have you thought about your sons? What will happen to them when you die?"

"I bet you that the Whitebeard Pirates will fall apart the moment you fall. None of your sons will be able to shoulder the responsibility, and the enormous wealth you've built will become a source of trouble for them!"

Whitebeard's breathing quickened: "You weakling, how dare you underestimate my sons? Any one of Marco or his men could take you down!"

Robert nodded in agreement: "I'm just a newbie who's been at sea for less than a month. What's so great about killing me? What about Kaido? What about Charlotte Linlin? What about the other powerful enemies you've provoked before? You don't think they'll go easy on these juniors who control the area closest to the One Piece in the New World, just because of past relationships, do you?"

Whitebeard took a big gulp of wine, then suddenly threw the wine jug on the ground: "This red-haired brat, not only did he try to fool me with a jug of cheap wine, but he also only brought this little bit, and on top of that, he brought along a bastard like you to ruin my mood!"

Having said everything he wanted to say, Robert regained his respect and sat down on the deck, saying:

“I was seriously injured before, and I barely managed to have surgery on both legs, which is why I was able to come and deliver the message. I hope you won’t mind that I’m sitting down while talking to you.”

Whitebeard said irritably, "Marco will treat you in a bit. The Whitebeard Pirates will never mistreat their benefactors."

"Can I leave after I'm healed? I really have my own plans regarding rescuing Ace. He considers me a brother, and I can't just leave him unattended."

The white-bearded man smiled and said, "You can't just come here and criticize me, then leave without offering a solution, can you?"

Robert laughed and said, "You're only in your seventies, the perfect age to take risks. As long as you don't seek death, you can save Ace and run away. Who in this world can stop you? And as long as you live, everything I just said will be nonsense. No one in the world will dare to mess with the Whitebeard Pirates."

Whitebeard lowered his voice: "What if I told you that I don't have long to live?"

Robert: Then what are we waiting for? Let's quickly pack our bags and head back to Gao Lao Zhuang!

Chapter 49 Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun

If Whitebeard wasn't bluffing, then all his hallucinatory behavior during the Marineford War makes perfect sense.

First, he didn't participate in the battle at the beginning, waiting until his sons like Little Oars Jr. were almost all dead before he made his move. Then, he didn't kill Akainu and Blackbeard completely.

He must have known that even if he held back, the other party would not spare his sons after his death out of consideration for their past relationship.

That leaves only one explanation: Whitebeard already had very little fighting power when he participated in the Marineford War, so he didn't have the ability to participate in high-intensity battles from beginning to end.

Even if you gain a temporary advantage over the enemy, you have to pause for a while before you can make another move, which gives the enemy a chance to catch their breath and counterattack.

Therefore, Robert really can't blame Whitebeard for anything. Given his current situation, dying like a hero in a world-shaking battle like Marineford would be the best outcome for him.

"First, you need to identify a successor, whether it's Marco, Ace, or any of your sons. You need to identify someone to carry on your legacy before you die!"

The crown prince is the foundation of the nation.

After Whitebeard's death, it was only mentioned that Miss Bakkin led Whitebeard Jr. in a frenzied massacre of the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates. In reality, could Whitebeard Jr. have single-handedly wiped out so many of the Whitebeard Pirates' top fighters?

He was later killed by Green Bull, an admiral recruited from the World Military Draft. If we draw a similar analogy, wouldn't the Navy only need to have other high-level combatants hold off Whitebeard, while a single admiral could wipe out all the Yonko crews?

Marco later single-handedly defended against Kizaru, while Vista faced off against Mihawk during the Marineford War. Even though Mihawk and Kizaru were both seasoned veterans who were just coasting along, the fact that they dared to pretend to be held back by these two without fear of being criticized by the World Government shows that their strength was indeed enough to be used as a shield.

In addition, with so many well-known squad leaders like Jozu and Izo, there's absolutely no way that Haku II could have taken them all down by himself if they hadn't been defeated one by one.

Therefore, the biggest reason for the Whitebeard Pirates' sudden collapse was that after Whitebeard's death, the crew was leaderless and no one could step forward to lead the team.

Whitebeard remained noncommittal, and it was unclear whether he had listened or not, so Robert could only continue speaking.

"Ace's identity and the plan to rescue him should have been announced to everyone before we set off. If we only tell everyone after we arrive at Marineford, it will inevitably cause people to become disloyal. If even a small number of people have ulterior motives at that time, it will be devastating to the team."

Whitebeard nodded casually, signaling Robert to continue.

"Of course, the most important thing is to find them another backer. This backer can't be too weak, otherwise it won't be able to deter other forces, but it can't be too strong either, otherwise your godsons will be directly incorporated into the organization. Anyway, it's very complicated."

Whitebeard laughed heartily: "There's no such thing as a perfect situation in this world. What you said sounds reasonable, but this world never follows logic, and my pirate crew has never been maintained by what you're talking about."

Robert was speechless for a moment. He hated this kind of stubborn old man the most, especially since this kind of old man also held the power to overturn the world.

"Alright, I won't stop you from leaving, but I have one condition: you have to join the Whitebeard Pirates and become my son."

No one knows how Robert answered; Marco and the others only know that the two talked for a long time until Whitebeard shouted:

"Marco! Come and heal the newcomer's wounds!"

Marco, who had been waiting to answer the call, leaped up from the lower deck and walked over to Robert, scrutinizing him.

“This guy was recommended by Ace. He’ll be your brother from now on. He injured his leg before, so help him get it treated.”

Blue flames erupted from Marco's body as he leaned down and pressed his hand against Robert's leg.

Law had performed surgery on him before, but the leg bones were only pieced together by the power of the Op-Op Fruit. Law also said that his legs were not fully healed and he could not endure a hard battle.

Marco's healing power has now perfectly solved this problem. Robert's high stamina attribute has already enhanced his recovery ability. Now, with the Phoenix's healing fire igniting it, his legs felt numb and itchy, and then quickly recovered to their original state. He even felt that his leg bones were more resilient than before.

Whitebeard beckoned, and Marco shouted to gather all the officers onto the deck.

Whitebeard smiled and said to Robert, "Now let me teach you how our Whitebeard Pirates handle problems."

"Notify everyone! Assemble! We're going to fight Kaido and Linlin!"

Robert nearly choked. Whitebeard's thought process was truly baffling. All he could think about was how to avoid conflict through negotiation and prevent Kaido from flanking and attacking his home base again when the Whitebeard Pirates stormed Marineford.

If we could free up Shanks' crew, even if they didn't take the initiative to attack, just patrolling around Marineford would force the Navy to dedicate most of its forces to guarding against Shanks.

As it turns out, Whitebeard is now thinking of fighting Kaido and Big Mom ahead of time, beating them into submission, and using force to prevent them from making a move at the crucial moment.

Such a leader does have personal charisma, and as long as his banner stands, he can indeed use force to subdue all sides. However, it is precisely because of this domineering style that his power became the target of everyone's criticism after Whitebeard's death.

Watching the massive war machine of the Whitebeard Pirates begin to spin around Whitebeard, quickly enlivening the entire Moby Dick and then radiating across the entire sea, Robert, though disagreeing with this approach, was still swept up in a surge of excitement.

"See that, kid? You joined last, so I'll personally demonstrate for you. Sometimes, no amount of trickery or schemes can compare to crushing your opponent with sheer strength. If you want to become the king of this sea, you must learn to rely on real power."

Robert laughed from the bottom of his heart: "You're right. My methods were too soft before. There's no time for any appeasement now. I have to go. You need to subdue Kaido and Big Mom, and I also have someone to beat up!"

The white-bearded man leaned back in his chair: "Go ahead, I'll consider what you said."

Robert bowed slightly, then vanished into thin air like lightning.

When they came here, they had to beg and plead because they didn't know the exact location of the Whitebeard Pirates. Now, returning to the Sabaody Archipelago is much easier; they just need to keep teleporting according to the direction of the Eternal Pose.

In just a few minutes, Robert, who had been traveling at full speed, had returned to the Red Line.

This time, Robert didn't need to go through Mary Geoise. Instead, he chose a deserted area on the Red Line and returned to the first half of the Grand Line without any trouble.

Meeting Whitebeard did not improve Robert's strength at all, but it brought about a complete change in his mentality.

Why should I be nice to a little punk like Kidd? It's your good fortune that I'm working with you!