30 Years in Whitebeard’s Crew, I Became Invincible

"Watch your step?"

Charlotte Linlin was still a bit confused and looked down at her feet.

Katakuri's expression suddenly changed dramatically.

He activated his Observation Haki, and a vision of the future flashed before his eyes. In an instant, he saw a scene in his mind: a towering explosion of flames engulfing all of them.

"MAMA, MOVE! THERE ARE EXPLOSIVES BURIED BELOW US!!!" Katakuri shouted in alarm.

Boom!

Just as he spoke, a deafening explosion echoed through the sky. Even the departing marines heard the blast and turned around to see black smoke and flames shooting into the sky.

"Looks like Charlotte Linlin got blown up just like we did," Kizaru remarked.

"That guy clearly has such terrifying strength, but still resorts to such despicable methods. He really is a pirate," Akainu said through gritted teeth.

"His methods may be underhanded, but he won this war," Vice Admiral Tsuru said calmly.

"If we kept fighting, who knows how it would have ended!" Akainu replied, unconvinced.

"At what cost to the entire Marines? Charlotte Linlin won't hesitate to kick us while we're down," Tsuru countered.

"I was against clashing with them from the start. The Whitebeard Pirates are different from other crews. They've never harmed innocent people," Aokiji added.

"You really believe what he said?" Akainu asked.

"We can investigate and find out," Aokiji replied, staring at him.

The two glared at each other, clearly at odds.

"What are you two doing? The priority is getting the wounded out of here," Kizaru stepped in to smooth things over.

Vice Admiral Tsuru watched them, unsure what to say. This battle had cost the Marines dearly.

The war's failure would demand a scapegoat, and the World Government would never take the blame.

So, who else but the Marine would be left to take the fall?

And who better to shoulder it than Fleet Admiral Sengoku?

An old man ready for retirement.

But the deeper issue gnawed at her: the growing ideological rift between the Admirals. The Marines' internal fractures now seemed more dangerous than any external threat.

Vice Admiral Tsuru sat on a crate with her legs crossed, thinking about what Roy had said earlier.

What is the true nature of this world? What role do the Marines truly play?

Where do pirates come from? Can the system ever change?

….....

Meanwhile, back on Egghead Island, the explosion had engulfed the Big Mom Pirates in fire.

Roy looked at Whitebeard with dissatisfaction.

"Why did you warn them? Just because of some sense of honor?"

Faced with Roy's sharp questioning, Whitebeard hesitated, discomfort flickering across his face.

Yet he truly believed battles should be fought with honor, not by setting traps like Roy had done.

To Roy, Whitebeard's attitude was naive. He didn't understand the consequences.

"Remember, you kill the enemy to protect your family. Every enemy left standing is another blade aimed at your loved ones."

"I know your sense of honor is making you hesitate. But you'd better turn around and look at your family."

"If even one of them dies because of your warning…"

"That's your failure as captain. Besides, did you really think that explosion could kill Charlotte Linlin?"

"You'll have your chance to fight. My main target was the Homies."

Whitebeard was being scolded by Roy, and others found it hard to listen, especially the younger allied pirate crews.

Who did Roy think he was, lecturing their captain? On a pirate ship, the captain's word should be law.

"Roy's going too far. How can he talk to Pops like that?" Squard said angrily.

"He has every right, he's our Big Bro and the Vice Captain," Marco replied.

"And he's not wrong. Big Bro always said one thing, maybe you've heard it too: 'Mercy to the enemy is cruelty to yourself.'"

"If the Big Mom Pirates are our enemies, then we should kill them using the most ruthless methods, not honorably on the battlefield."

Marco firmly supported Roy's methods.

Because, like Roy, he was a doctor.

Sure, fighting was exhilarating, but doctors were the ones who had to deal with the aftermath, hearing screams and seeing corpses.

If they could reduce casualties on their side, why fight fair?

Only a fool would think otherwise.

Even so, many still weren't convinced. To them, the Whitebeard Pirates belonged to Whitebeard. Roy had no right to meddle.

Even if he was the Vice Captain, even if he was powerful, he couldn't win their full respect.

Even Roy's own son, Loxus, found his tactics dishonorable.

As a warrior of the sea, he believed in fighting with honor, showing strength on the battlefield.

"I don't like Dad's methods," Loxus said quietly to Whitey Bay.

"You're still young. In a few years, you'll understand," White Bay said, rubbing his son's head.

If it were twenty years ago, Roy might have agreed with everything Whitebeard did.

But once a man has a family, he has bonds to protect.

Whitebeard wanted to pass the crew on to Roy, and Roy had to take responsibility.

If he didn't care about the crew's well-being, he could've just left with his family and lived a peaceful life somewhere.

Different roles bring different perspectives.

Like Garp, who bears the burden of "Justice", those characters weigh on him, constantly reminding him of his duty.

That's why Ace never held the same place in his heart as Coby.

Maybe it was about conflicting loyalties, but when Roy saw Garp go to Blackbeard's base just to rescue Coby, he truly felt Ace didn't deserve the outcome he got.

"NEWGATE!!!"

Flames began to fade as Charlotte Linlin emerged from the fire.

Prometheus was gulping down the flames in huge bites.

The Big Mom Pirates had suffered. Aside from a few top officers, over 20,000 Homies had been destroyed.

Of her 100,000 Homie army, 20,000 were gone. It wasn't crippling, but still a blow.

"Disappointing, the results weren't what I expected," Roy shook his head.

"Linlin!"

Whitebeard ignored Roy, gripping his naginata and stepping forward.

"You would stoop to such dirty tactics?" Charlotte Linlin said.

"It was me. It had nothing to do with our captain," Roy replied.

She stared hard at Roy, whose head was still wrapped in bandages.

"So it was you… I knew Newgate wouldn't do such a thing. You… I think I've seen you before," she said, narrowing her eyes.

"At God Valley. I took one of the Devil Fruits there," Roy nodded.

"So it was you. What a shame, it wasn't the fruit I was after, or I'd have killed you back then," she said.

Roy said nothing. He remembered catching only a glimpse of her back then. She'd been chasing Kuma and the others and hadn't noticed him.

"Since it was you… You deserve to die!"

She raised her hand, and the sky darkened with clouds. A bolt of lightning came crashing down toward Roy.

...

If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.

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