Take them under you

Facing curious eyes, Ethan calmly explained, "You can think of me as having a special ability to communicate with the dead. Whitebeard knows what happened at sea through me, and he also knows that you are facing Blackbeard's pursuit. He asked me to save you, and these abilities belong to him, for which he paid me."

[Note: "One Piece" is a world where Devil Fruits can grant various abilities, so Ethan claiming that he can communicate with the dead is not that strange, and Marco can be trusted.]

Marco, with tears in his eyes, asked hopefully, "If that's the case, can we communicate with our Father through you?"

Ethan's expression changed, and he replied warily, "What are you thinking? Let me make it clear in advance that I am not interested in being a messenger between you and Whitebeard and conveying those fleeting things for you."

Marco's expression froze, and he said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I took it for granted. Is there anything our Father wants to tell us?"

In the chat group, Whitebeard smiled and said, "These silly kids still want to chat with me? Ethan, tell them that I want them to work hard and become strong enough to survive in this sea."

Ethan replied, "Understood!"

He conveyed Whitebeard's message to Marco, who looked a little embarrassed. He patted his chest and promised to work hard to become stronger and live up to Whitebeard's name.

Ethan was surprised and asked, "You guys still want to sail the sea under the name of Whitebeard?"

The Marco people responded firmly, "Although Father is dead, the Whitebeard Pirates will not disappear, and we will carry on his legacy."

Whitebeard scolded in the chat group, "What's the point of these idiots clinging to the name of a dead person? Ethan, why don't you accept them?"

Ethan replied, "Are you sure? I don't want to impose my son's hobby on them."

Whitebeard explained, "It's not about accepting your sons; it's about making them your subordinates. The name of the Whitebeard Pirates is too well-known, and they can't bear it alone. They need your protection."

Ethan promised to consider it and asked the Marco people for their thoughts.

Outside, Ethan conveyed Whitebeard's suggestion to the Marco people, and they looked at each other in surprise.

Ethan said unhappily, "Do you suspect that I lied to you?"

Marco hesitated, "We're just a little confused. Why didn't Father let us sail under the banner of the Whitebeard Pirates?"

Ethan said casually, "Because he is a remnant of the old era. There is no banner for him in the new era."

Margaret's face darkened.

Ethan laughed, "Just kidding! It's mainly because the Whitebeard's flag is too heavy for your small body to carry. He asked you to take refuge in me because he wanted me to protect you."

Ethan looked at the Marco people and smiled maliciously, "Of course, protecting you is only one of the purposes. The other purpose is to train you well."

"Although I'd love to have you as my sandbags, I still find it a little troublesome to manage a team. Otherwise, I have a proposal. You keep the banner of the Whitebeard Pirates, but join me. Just like the pirates under the Whitebeard Pirates, I can protect you."

Lord Marco's eyes lit up, but he hesitated again soon and said, "Let the banner of father be put under the command of others…"

Before Ethan could speak, Whitebeard in the chat group couldn't take it anymore. He urged Ethan to stop and made them realize the reality. Poor parents all over the world, Whitebeard was afraid that Ethan would lose patience and leave them alone.

Ethan sighed, lit up his fists the size of sandbags, covered with Armament Haki, and said to Marco, "Your father is very dissatisfied with your indecisiveness. Let me help you see the reality."

All the people who were with Marco had their expressions change as Ethan ordered them to beat others in this manner. They felt helpless, unsure of whether to defend themselves or fight back.

Ethan seemed to sense their hesitation and said openly, "You don't have to feel burdened. Just defend and counterattack as you like."

Marco was surprised and asked, "Are you serious?"

Ethan replied, "Of course! If you don't resist, it'll be very boring. Don't worry about causing trouble for me; you don't have that ability."

Marco's expression became solemn, and he felt that this guy hired by his father was too arrogant. It was hurting his self-esteem.

The Whitebeard Pirates, filled with resentment, attacked, but they soon found themselves overwhelmed. They lay on the ground, defeated by Ethan with little resistance.

"The gap is too big!" Ethan shook his head. The remaining power of the Whitebeard Pirates was simply not enough to fight against the Four Emperors.

Marco was amazed. He realized that a beating was the most effective way to deal with their enemies.

Ethan gave the first order: "Let's take back the territory occupied by the Blackbeard Pirates first, and we'll talk about the rest later."

Meanwhile, at the Naval Headquarters...

Marshal Sengoku looked at the latest information from the New World, and his forehead wrinkled in concern.

The silver-haired Vice Admiral Garp approached him and asked calmly, "What's troubling you so much?"

Marshal Sengoku replied despondently, "As we suspected, the full-fledged Blackbeard Pirates have found the Whitebeard Pirates."

Vice Admiral Garp responded indifferently, "Isn't this a normal thing? There must be a rift between the two pirate crews. The Blackbeard Pirates won, right? The Whitebeard Pirates must have suffered heavy losses."

Marshal Sengoku said with a melancholic expression, "No! There was an accident, and the Blackbeard Pirates did not win. It was the Whitebeard Pirates who emerged victorious."

Garp was stunned and couldn't help but ask, "How could this be? A half-crippled Whitebeard Pirates, what could they possibly do against the Blackbeards?"

Marshal Sengoku covered his face and replied, "Because of us, we inadvertently created a powerful ally for the Whitebeard Pirates. He killed Blackbeard and helped the Whitebeard Pirates win the war."

"Us?" Garp was taken aback but soon understood what Sengoku meant. There were only a few people who could kill Blackbeard, "It's Ethan!"

Marshal Sengoku nodded, "That's right, it's him! According to the information from the New World, Ethan suddenly appeared when Blackbeard was attacking, completely killing him. This caused the Blackbeard Pirates to collapse."

Garp frowned, "He has Whitebeard's Shock Fruit ability, maybe he has something to do with Whitebeard."

Marshal Sengoku shook his head, "Not only the Shock Fruit ability, he also has the Mera-mera Fruit ability of Fire Fist Ace, captain of the second division of the Whitebeard Pirates."

Garp was stunned for a moment and then smiled wryly, "This is really big news! After Blackbeard Teach, who had a dual-fruit ability, now comes Ethan, who possesses a triple-fruit ability. How is he doing now?"

Marshal Sengoku responded, "The Whitebeard Pirates have joined forces with him and are recruiting in the New World. They have already taken back the territories they lost."

Garp was intrigued, "What is the reaction of the Big Mom Pirates and the Beasts Pirates?"

Marshal Sengoku replied, "So far, they have not made any moves, nor have they reacted to Ethan's appearance."

Garp suggested, "Should we try to provoke a conflict between them?"

Sengoku shook his head, "It's difficult. Since the Four Emperors system was established, there hasn't been a major conflict for over a decade. The Marines and the World Government are watching closely. Although Charlotte Linlin and Kaido are both crazy, they are not brainless."

Garp said with resignation, "Then, there is no other way. As long as someone can replace the Whitebeard's position as one of the Four Emperors, it doesn't matter who it is, be it Blackbeard or Ethan."

For the Marines and the World Government, as long as there is someone who can fill the vacancy of the Four Emperors, the stable trio of Marines, Four Emperors, and Seven Warlords of the Sea can be re-established.

What the Marines need most now is stability!

Only when the sea is stable will they have enough time and energy to solve their problems, such as quickly identifying the next Marshal Marine.

The candidate for Marshal Marine has not yet been determined. The main reason is the disagreement between the Marines and the World Government.

The Marines want to elect Aokiji to the top, but the World Government prefers Akainu. The two are at odds, with neither of them willing to give in.

Fortunately, the two have reached a consensus. They will fight each other and the winner will be qualified to command the Marines.

...

At this moment, Ethan rode on a coated boat and headed towards Fish-Man Island through the seabed while listening to Marco reporting the situation of Fish-Man Island. Ethan communicated with the undead in the chat group.

Whitebeard asked, "Is Fish-Man Island really under the Big Mom Pirates' flag?"

Fisher Tiger responded, "This is something that can't be helped. After all, the Whitebeard Pirates can't protect themselves. If you continue to hang the Whitebeard Pirates' flag, you won't be able to protect Fish-Man Island at all."

Whitebeard clarified, "Don't get me wrong, I'm not blaming Fish-Man Island. Instead, I'm grateful for Jinbei's help during the Summit War."

Golden Lion Shiki said, "Jiehahahaha! Fish-Man Island now has the Big Mom Pirates' banner, which means it's a subordinate of the Big Mom Pirates. Ethan, if you want to take Fish-Man Island away, you will definitely anger Charlotte Linlin. That mad woman is not a reasonable person."

Ethan responded, "It doesn't matter! With my current strength, do I need to be afraid of that mad woman Charlotte Linlin? What's more, Fish-Man Island is more important than you think. Even if it means fighting against the World Government, I have to get it away."

Golden Lion Shiki asked, "Fish-Man Island is so important?"

Ethan replied, "Of course!"

Fisher Tiger was concerned and asked, "That... can you tell me why Fish-Man Island is so important?"

Fisher Tiger had always thought that he had brought Ethan here. However, judging from Ethan's remarks, he seems to have a plan for Fish-Man Island.