Death

As the bullet struck Whitebeard right in the head, he sighed.

He sighed, and glanced wistfully at the sun.

And at that moment, just a few seconds away from his death, Whitebeard recalled his age-old memories with Roger. He guessed that this was his 'life flashing before my eyes' moment.

It was a pleasant day, that. Leaves from Cherry Blossoms were drifting in the air, giving it a beautiful feel to it. A small waterfall with sparkling white water gushed down from a height, spraying mist from a few paces away from where Edward and Roger were sitting.

Gourds of Saké were lying about them, and they each held a bowl of the same, chugging it down happily.

Frowning, Whitebeard asked, " Huh? What'd you say? You're gonna die, Roger?"

Roger, completely disregarding him, continued. " …Ah. It's been a long run. Would you like to know how to get to Raftael, Whitebeard?"

In reply, he exhaled and said, " Even if you told me, I won't go. Im not really interested in that."

"Never mind then. Do you know what the Government has been calling me lately?

'Gold Roger'. But that's not right! I am Gol. D. Roger, not Gold Roger!!!"

Whitebeard smiled and pondered. "Now and then I come across a few people with the name 'D'. Even in my crew, there's Teach. Just what is 'D'??"

"You wanna know? Then i'll tell ya…"

Snapping back into reality, Whitebeard muttered, " . . .You're not one of them!"

Hearing this, Blackbeard's heart jumped out of place. "Huh!? You're still alive?"

Marshall. D. Teach's body quirked with resent, and he shouted out, pointing his finger at Whitebeard.

"Kill him!!!"

At that moment, the rock hands of Avalo burst, and all the members of Blackbeard's crew took position, and fired.

Fired at Whitebeard.

He stood like a mountain; his body never even flinched once. Like a true unshakable monster, he really was worthy to be called the strongest. When all of the bullets struck him, even then, he never fell. His knees will never touch the ground, not when air still filled his lungs and life still clung to his body.

And not after his soul leaves his body, too, it seemed.

Yet even that barrage of bullet shots were not enough to take his life in one go.

Slowly, widening his mouth, he spoke. "The men Roger waits for…are a very rare few. And you… you're not one of them, Teach."

"What the . . . How the hell are ye still alive!??!" Blackbeard's rage grew by the second, and his frustration was doubled.

Wholly ignoring the traitor, Whitebeard continued. "Those who carry the Will of Roger… and now have also come to carry the will of the late Ace… Even though the bloodline has extinguished, the flame has yet to disappear. And in that way, even from far away and long ago, it has been continually passed down time to time again . . .!"

The numbers of the Marines had then dwindled from a raging flame to a mere candle, and now all of the crew of Whitebeard was focused on their captain, in anxiousness and in sadness.

"And one day, hundreds of years into the future, all of it will be written down into history. Those who came to fight for the world…!!

Sengoku. . . All of you . . . The government…. It's going to come!!! A Grand Battle that is going to engulf the entire world… it!s coming!!!"

Then, he lowered his voice, out of necessity, for the last reserves of his energy were slowly being depleted.

"Not that I care… but when someone finds that treasure, the world will return to surprise! Send someone to find it. The day will surely come, when…

The One Piece . . . It Exists ! ! ! "

And then, he transcended, to rest henceforth eternally.

The smell of the wide green sea hit him in the face, and he took a deep breath, taking in all that nostalgia. He was then sitting on a barrel, looking out to enjoy the view of the endless ocean . He had been so young, then. So young.

Absorbed in the blissfulness that the sea and the winds provided, Whitebeard did not realise

That he was being talked to.

Paulo, a fellow sailor, called out to him, seeking conversation.

"You're so weird, Newgate. A pirate who's not interested in treasure. Just what is it that you want? Well, Newgate?"

Edward Newgate, just then noticing that someone was talking to him, turned aside from the sea and gyrated to see the partying crew.

"There has been something that i've wanted ever since I was a kid…" said he, yet wistful.

His crewmates laughed out with eagerness. "Ooo! So there is something! Let's hear it!!"

Newgate sighed, and smiled. A smile with a satisfaction that could not be found anywhere else. A longing. "A Family", he said.

A family.

For that, he thought,

You have my gratitude. Farewell, my sons.

At that moment, all of the crew of Whitebeard stood still, and mourned for him greatly.

All had loved him dearly; Whitebeard had been more than a father to most of them. And when you witness your father's death right in front of your eyes…; that was exactly how they felt. Tears wetted the cold ground, and mixed with the blood.

The air was filled with languish, and regret.

Ace, transfixed, sat down on the ground as his legs gave. Sprawled spreadeagled, Ace glanced with dread at his father. He was in no mental condition to lose two of his fathers on the same day.

And then he fainted.

Even though he is dead, his body never gave up. . .He continued to mow his enemies down. That man, if anything, was a monster. . .

In this battle, he was slashed and stabbed 167 times.

His body was hit by no less than 563 bullets.

And as for cannonballs, he was hit by 37 cannonballs.

And in testament to his pride, upon the wide back of his body. . . Throughout the entirety of his lifetime as a pirate . . . Not a single wound of retreat scars it.

At the age of 72 , the man who crossed the seas like a King . . .!!!

The "Great Pirate" Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates, Edward Newgate, also known as "Whitebeard", in the outburst that occurred on the Marineford Beach, the Whitebeard Pirates VS the Marine HQ and the Shichibukai Alliance, at the climax of the battle,

Died.