Squelch—

Sanjuan Wolf stared in disbelief at the bloody hole bored clean through his chest. The Terror Ghost Ship had already swept past his back.

It all happened in the blink of an eye — the “Colossal Battleship” had no time to react.

As death drained his strength, Wolf’s gargantuan body toppled forward, crashing into the sea with a tidal roar that surged against Marineford’s harbor!

The ice island clutched in his hands was sent flying high into the air, then began to plummet.

On the island, whether Whitebeard’s men, the escapees, or Blackbeard’s crew, all froze in shock. None had expected things to turn out this way.

“Hold on to Pops’ body!” Ace shouted suddenly.

Whitebeard’s corpse lost balance, starting to topple sideways. At once, the gathered division commanders, Ivankov, Jinbei, and Hack rushed together, catching the giant frame and steadying it.

Boom— The ice island slammed into the sea, sending up waves so towering they blotted out the downpour itself, falling like vast curtains upon them.

But in an instant, the waves halted as if frozen. Then, under the guidance of a trident, they spun into dragonlike torrents and swept back beneath the sea.

The wielder of the trident, Davy Jones himself, hovered above before descending slowly.

The Whitebeard Pirates and the Revolutionary escapees exhaled in relief and awe. In their hearts, they marveled — the reinforcements Rayleigh and Buggy had brought were truly terrifying.

Davy Jones landed once more upon the ice island. His gray-blue eyes fixed on the Blackbeard Pirates.

Sensing the danger, Teach swallowed hard, then bellowed:

“Retreat! Retreat!”

“Great Barrel” Vasco Shot hiccupped, reeking of liquor, his bleary eyes unfocused as he muttered:

“We’re leaving already? Captain, weren’t you going to seize Whitebeard’s fruit ability?”

“Didn’t you see how Wolf died?!” Teach snarled, fury masking his fear.

“When you can’t win, you run — that’s the pirate’s way. If we can’t get Whitebeard’s fruit this time, we’ll wait. It’ll reappear in this world eventually.”

He dissolved into black smoke, fleeing first.

With their captain bolting, the rest of his crew wasted no time, each using their own powers to escape.

The Whitebeard Pirates watched Blackbeard’s crew scatter and finally breathed easier, their hearts swelling with newfound reverence for Captain Davy Jones.

“Quick!” Marco finally returned, wings beating as he landed on the island. “We’ve seized a warship — get Pops aboard!”

Sure enough, a marine vessel now lay moored at the island’s edge.

The Whitebeard Pirates answered in unison. With help from the escapees, they lifted Newgate’s body onto the ship before boarding themselves.

But one warship wasn’t enough to hold everyone. They seized another, barely managing to fit.

Even so, staring at how few of them remained, grief overwhelmed the Whitebeard Pirates.

Most of their family had already fallen here at Marineford. They would never again see their homelands, their loved ones.

Yet now was no time to count the dead.

Marco gave the order to set sail at once.

As the ships pushed off, the Terror Ghost Ship glided alongside one of them. From deck to deck, eyes met.

Crocodile wiped the rain from his face, resting both hands on the railing, his gaze fixed on Whitebeard.

That man — the titan who once crushed him utterly, who had towered over the seas — now lay motionless, cold in death.

So even the strongest could not resist illness, age, or the bonds of men. A sigh welled in Crocodile’s heart. He looked down at his golden hook, then at his hand.

Even if he gained the strength to defeat Whitebeard, even if he seized the fabled “Ancient Weapon”… could he truly surpass the man Newgate had been?

Doubt gnawed at him. His eyes shifted to Davy Jones, who now leapt back onto the prow of his ship.

Marco, Ace, Jozu, and the others bowed deeply toward him.

“For your aid today, Captain,” Marco declared, “the Whitebeard Pirates will never forget. As long as we draw breath, we will repay this debt.”

“Go.” Davy Jones’ eyes fixed on Ace. “Once you leave these waters, your fate is no concern of mine.”

The Whitebeard Pirates exchanged looks. Eccentric though he was, none found it strange.

What great man was without his quirks?

They quickly steered their two captured ships toward the crescent bay’s exit.

Then, from the warship carrying Whitebeard’s body, the sound of weeping rose.

Marco and Ace glanced around in confusion — none of their own were crying.

Soon the pirates discovered, huddled in a corner, two navy soldiers clinging to each other.

“We didn’t clear out the marines properly?” Marco frowned, waving a hand. “Silence them.”

One of his men stepped forward, bloodied blade in hand.

The pair sobbed harder, despair etched on their faces.

They were none other than Koby and Helmeppo.

The two had never found a proper chance to join the battlefield. When the ice split, they were forced onto a marine ship, and through sheer misfortune ended up captured by Marco’s crew.

Though “captured” was hardly accurate — in truth, Marco had been too hurried to notice they were even aboard.

Now the boys cried in terror, tears and snot streaming, enough that even pirates found them pitiful.

“You’re spotless… not a scratch on you.” The pirate eyed them up and down. “Brats from rich families? Sent here to gild your names? Your parents sure are reckless.”

This is it.

Koby clutched his head, mind racing.

What do I do? Surrender? Would the Whitebeard Pirates even spare me? There has to be some way to live…

As the Terror Ghost Ship sailed abreast with their vessel, Koby’s eye caught sight of Davy Jones on its prow.

Terror struck him — but with it, a desperate hope.

I once helped him. He spared me then. If I can just appeal to him, maybe he’ll let me live again…

But at what price? His hand trembled over his mechanical right arm. Would he take my left this time?

No… no. There has to be another way. If I just talk to him, maybe I can keep both arms…

Shoving Helmeppo aside, panic driving him, Koby scrambled to the rail.

The pirate lunged to grab him, but he slipped past.

“You little brat!” the man cursed, giving chase.

Clutching the rail, Koby glanced back at his pursuer before shouting with all his breath:

“Captain Davy Jones!”

Hearing his name, Davy Jones turned — and his gaze landed on a vaguely familiar face.

Months had changed Koby. His features had matured; his torn arm replaced with steel. Only his eyes still held that trace of the boy from before.

At that moment, the ships crossed the crescent bay’s exit. On the curved shorelines, countless marines stood watching, too cowed to approach, forced to let the fugitives pass.

Koby could feel it — not just pirates, but marines ashore too, their eyes all upon him.

Summoning every ounce of courage he had, he fell to his knees, sobbing:

“Captain Davy Jones, I beg you — spare my life!”

At once, silence fell. Not just aboard the ships, but across the entire bay.

Davy Jones regarded him coldly, mistaking him for a nameless grunt. He asked flatly:

“And why should I save you?”

“I can… I can…” Koby stammered. But what use was he? What value could he offer? His mind blanked, words failing him.

The pursuing pirate sneered at Jones, then roughly grabbed Koby, pressing a blade to his throat. “Enough talk, brat.”

Jones lost interest and turned away.

Hope shattered.

The cold steel pressed his skin. Memories surged: the misery under Alvida’s lash, that stormy night when he met Davy Jones, the moment his arm was ripped away, the near-death battle at Reverse Mountain…

Why? Why must you all corner me? Do you really have to kill me? I just want to live…

Something inside him snapped. He shoved the pirate back, heedless of the blade scraping blood across his neck, and cried out:

“Davy Jones! Save me! I’ll—”

Bang!

Koby didn’t even understand what had happened until blood clouded his vision. His consciousness sank… deeper… and was gone.

He had wanted only to beg Davy Jones for mercy — to spare him and Helmeppo, to end the killing. But his words never finished.

A neat hole marked his forehead. His body toppled into the sea.

Helmeppo shrieked in horror, scrambling to the rail, screaming helplessly at the waves as they swallowed Koby whole.

He didn’t dare even glance toward Davy Jones, the man who had slain his father. His eyes were only for the ocean, where his friend’s body vanished beneath the foam.

Alvida lowered her smoking pistol with a smirk, blowing across the barrel.

“That kid’s still the same as ever — noisy to the end.”

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep