OP69

Boa Hancock: "The Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates is going to face death soon?!"

Ulti: "Hahaha, that's great. I always said the Whitebeard Pirates were nothing compared to the Beast Pirates."

Black Maria: "Arton really has revealed something significant."

Shyarly: "With Ace's death, Whitebeard won't just sit back."

Yamato: "Fake, this can't be true! Damn, I need to leave here, I can't waste any more time!"

Kozuki Hiyori: "How could this happen to the Whitebeard Pirates?! Why? Who could the traitor be?!"

Hiyori was born on the Moby Dick of the Whitebeard Pirates.

She has deep feelings for the Whitebeard Pirates.

Even though she had never met Ace, she didn't want to see Ace die and Whitebeard hurt.

"Alas, even if I wanted to do something now, I can't."

Hiyori looked around at her surroundings, thinking about her situation, and sighed deeply.

Meanwhile, in Totto Land, Whole Cake Island.

"Unexpectedly, we got such explosive news from Arton before the party ended."

"Sister, what do you think?"

Charlotte Cinnamon turned her head to look at one of the Sweet Four Generals, Charlotte Smoothie, and asked.

"Fire Fist Ace is a strong man."

"There aren't many in this sea who can take his life."

"If we limit it to within the Whitebeard Pirates, then even fewer."

"I'm really curious, who will take Ace's life in the future."

Charlotte Smoothie smiled.

"Could it be, one of Phoenix Marco, Diamond Jozu, or Flower Sword Vista killed Ace?"

Charlotte Galette frowned as she spoke.

"How could that be, those three have been with the Whitebeard Pirates for so long."

"How could they possibly kill Ace?"

Charlotte Custard shook her head, speaking up.

As one of the older members of the Big Mom Pirates, Custard naturally had a deeper understanding of their rivals, the Whitebeard Pirates.

She did not believe that Vista, Marco, and Jozu, who had followed Whitebeard for many years, would betray him.

Though reluctant to admit it,

Charlotte Custard knew that the bond between members of the Whitebeard Pirates was even stronger than the bond between crew members of the Big Mom Pirates, who were connected by blood.

"Then who could it be?"

"Within the Whitebeard Pirates, besides Whitebeard himself, only those three have the power to kill Ace."

Galette's eyebrows were tightly furrowed as she asked.

"Could it be a newcomer who will join the Whitebeard Pirates in the future?"

Custard uncertainly stated.

"Fufu, as Arton mentioned, it was a veteran who led to Ace's end."

"So, it couldn't be a newcomer."

"No need to guess further."

"If Arton doesn't say, our guesses will lead nowhere," Charlotte Smoothie shook her head and continued,

"I'm somewhat curious if Ace dies, what actions will Whitebeard take?"

"With his personality, he definitely won't let the traitor off."

Custard nodded, taking over the conversation,

"Indeed, Whitebeard would take such action."

"Besides, Garp wouldn't just stand by either, Arton mentioned that three of the Four Emperors will be replaced in the future."

"I wonder if Whitebeard will be one of those replaced because of Ace's death."

Hearing Custard's words, the Charlotte family members all silently nodded in agreement.

Although Whitebeard is known as the strongest man in the world, if Garp attacks the Whitebeard Pirates out of rage over Ace's death, Whitebeard might indeed lose his seat as one of the Four Emperors. (t/n: not sure about this…)

"I'm becoming increasingly curious about the future."

"If Garp decides to attack Whitebeard, perhaps not only will Whitebeard lose his emperor's throne, but he might also end up dying alongside Garp," Smoothie said with a smile.

Imagining the losses the Marines and the Whitebeard Pirates might face due to the Ace incident excited Smoothie.

At that moment, the long-silent Charlotte Pudding finally spoke up, saying lightly, "I wonder if there are any journal owners within the Whitebeard Pirates."

"If someone has a journal, they'd definitely go back to Arton for a clear explanation."

Galette shook her head and said, "I've never heard of any beautiful pirates in the Whitebeard Pirates."

"If Arton's journal truly was only given to beautiful women, it's unlikely anyone in the Whitebeard Pirates would have one."

After speaking, Galette looked towards Smoothie, wanting to see her opinion.

"The Whitebeard Pirates, huh? If I had to choose someone who might have a journal… that Ice Witch, who has now become one of the captains of the Blackbeard Pirates' ship, Whitey Bay, might possess a journal," Smoothie said, taking a sip of her orange juice made with her Devil Fruit powers.

After a moment, she raised her eyebrows, a sharp light flashing in her eyes,

"This Whitey Bay was once a crew member of the Whitebeard Pirates' main ship."

"Now, she has become one of the big fleet captains."

"If there's someone who could betray Whitebeard and might have the capability to kill him, she would be one," Smoothie mused.

"If that's really the case, and she does possess a journal, Arton revealing this now could really bring about massive changes in the future," Custard remarked.

"The future may not necessarily change, only that Whitey Bay would seek out Arton for power before killing Ace."

"She's not by Whitebeard's side right now, she has the absolute freedom to search for Arton."

"That's something we, unable to leave Totto Land, lack," Smoothie said, feeling a tinge of envy.

Even as one of the Sweet Commanders, she couldn't leave Totto Land on her own, let alone head to the distant East Blue.

If not for that, she would have already set off to find Arton in the East Blue.

She believed that with her abilities, she could definitely get Arton to take many photos of her and record many videos.

This way, she could earn a vast amount of points to strengthen herself.

She even thought, if she could earn points, she might become even stronger than her mother.

Imagining such a future, Charlotte Smoothie couldn't help but lick her lips.

"If I could become stronger than Mother with Arton's help, Whitey Bay could also become stronger than Whitebeard through Arton."

"If she's truly ambitious enough to kill Ace for her goals, she'd surely do anything to gain points and character templates from Arton."

"Even if it means offering herself, serving Arton as showed in his doujinshis, that'd probably be no issue for her," Smoothie thought, growing increasingly envious of Whitey Bay's freedom to sail the seas.

However, while Charlotte Smoothie and the others correctly guessed Whitey Bay owning a journal, they misjudged her as the future murderer of Ace.

Chapter 69.5 – Whitebeard wants a son-in-law

2 hours ago

In the New World.

An unknown sea area.

A pirate ship with a skull emblem on its mast and sail sped swiftly through the waters.

At the prow stood a woman in a short blue dress, revealing her white fleshy thighs.

Wearing black stockings, the woman was trembling as she looked ahead. With a crisp snap, she actually cracked the ship's railing in front of her. This woman was Whitey Bay, known as the Ice Witch.

"Damn it, who betrayed Dad!?" Whitey Bay suppressed her voice, growling quietly like an angry lioness.

She scanned her mind through the faces of the Whitebeard Pirates' seasoned members, trying to discern who would betray Whitebeard and kill Ace. But, despite her efforts, she couldn't pinpoint anyone.

This was no surprise.

Whitey Bay had always seen the members of the Whitebeard Pirates as her family, believing in the genuine bonds between them, especially those who joined early on.

Under such circumstances, identifying someone who might betray Whitebeard in the future was nearly impossible.

If it weren't for the mysterious power of Arton's diary, and the repeated confirmations of Arton's knowledge of the past and future, Whitey Bay would never believe in the possibility of someone betraying Whitebeard.

"Should I go to Dad?" she pondered. "No, I can't speak of the diary to others, nor can I openly mention much of its content." And even if she did tell Whitebeard, he wouldn't believe in a betrayal.

"Damn it, how can I find out who the traitor is!" Frustrated, Whitey Bay clenched her teeth and slammed her palm against the ship's railing. "Wait, there's still a way. If Uta managed to make Arton inadvertently reveal the cause of her death by meeting him, I can do the same. By finding Arton, he might unintentionally reveal who betrayed Dad."

Determined, Whitey Bay turned to her crew. "Everyone, change course. We're heading to the East Blue at full speed!"

Although the crew was puzzled by their captain's sudden urgency to go to the East Blue, they quickly got to work.

"Arton, wait for me," Whitey Bay murmured to herself, touching the Den Den Mushi in her pocket. After a moment of hesitation, she dialed the number for Whitebeard. Soon, a robust voice came through. "Gurararara, what is it, Whitey Bay?"

Hearing Whitebeard's ever-vigorous voice, Whitey Bay slightly relaxed. "Dad, um... have you noticed anything unusual lately?"

"An anomaly? No, why do you ask?"

"Actually, um!"

Just as Whitey Bay was about to cautiously bring up the diary, a familiar sense of death enveloped her, causing her to sigh and abandon the idea of telling Whitebeard about Arton's diary.

"What's wrong, Whitey Bay? You sound a bit off?"

"Nothing, Dad. I just wanted to tell you I need to make a trip to the East Blue."

"The East Blue? That's quite far from you. What for?"

"To meet a man."

"To meet a man?"

"Yes!"

On the Moby Dick, Whitebeard was taken aback. He had never expected the Ice Witch of his crew to speak of meeting a man. The other members around Whitebeard were also surprised, and curiosity filled the air. After all, Whitey Bay had earned her title of the Ice Witch not just for her combat style and attire but also for her lack of interest towards men over the years.

Now, the notion of the Ice Witch herself seeking out a man, crossing vast distances to the East Blue, was astonishing to Whitebeard and the Whitebeard Pirates.

"Whitey Bay, are you planning to bring back a son-in-law for Dad?" Ace stepped forward, intrigued, and spoke into the Den Den Mushi.

On the other end, hearing Ace's voice, Whitey Bay fell silent, unsure of what to say.

"Wouldn't it be something if you really did intend to marry?" Initially jesting, Ace's surprise was evident in his disbelief.

As Marco, Vista, Jozu, Teach, and others began to ask, Whitey Bay finally responded, "… It may not be impossible."

If finding Arton could help identify the traitor in advance, preventing Ace's death and sparing Whitebeard from the consequences, even if it meant marrying him, Whitey Bay was willing.

"No, really!?" Disbelief marked Ace's voice as he couldn't fathom Whitey Bay considering marriage.

Marco, Jozu, Vista, and even Whitebeard shared in the astonishment.

"Guuuuurararara, wonder which lad has caught your eye," Whitebeard laughed joyfully, welcoming the notion of marriage within the crew as a grand celebration.

Whitebeard was reminded of Oden, who had once married and had children aboard his ship, and the prospect of witnessing another birth in the Whitebeard Pirates filled him with immense joy.

However, Whitey Bay couldn't share in the happiness, not due to any contempt for Arton but because of the bleak future that loomed, preventing her from genuinely smiling.