"(Present) Luffy: Ah, Ace, I just saw the video of your death. It was really sad. I never thought that our path as pirates would end in such tragedy. Fortunately, we didn't make that choice back then."
"(Present) Ace: Yeah, was that really the freedom we wanted? I don't see any freedom in that at all—just endless misery."
"(Present) Sabo: It wasn't just personal tragedy either. Choosing to become pirates caused a massive war, leading to the deaths of countless people."
"(Present) Ace: Exactly. I was used as bait, and even though I was surrounded and beaten by the Marines, the pirates who came to rescue me suffered just as much. Whether they won or lost, the Marines still took heavy losses. No one truly won."
"(Present) Luffy: Right? I still don't understand what Sengoku in that world was thinking. Commissar Ron's decision was definitely the right one. I remember that in our world, when we fought Whitebeard, we didn't wait for him to attack—we went straight to his base, blocked him at his doorstep, and fought him there."
"(Present) Sengoku: Commissar Ron was right. Wars should always be fought on the enemy's turf. Look at my counterpart in the other world—he made the Marine Headquarters the battlefield. After the fight, the place was in ruins! There was no way to rebuild it, and they had to relocate the base."
Sengoku from the original world scowled. He had no rebuttal—because the logic made sense.
At the time, he had been confident in his decision to hold the battle at Marineford. But now, watching the destruction from the video, he couldn't help but question himself.
Why had he been so foolish? The Marine Headquarters was supposed to be their stronghold. Setting the battlefield there was like inviting destruction upon themselves.
It was a disaster.
But then, another detail caught his attention.
"(Original) Sengoku: Wait a minute—you said you fought Whitebeard at his base? You actually blocked him in his own territory and still won? That's impossible."
"(Present) Sengoku: Listen to yourself. Why wouldn't we win? The Marines control the entire sea. Do we really need to throw everything we have at just one Emperor? If we needed our full forces just to handle Whitebeard, how could we maintain order across the world?"
The original Sengoku's face twitched. He had never thought the Marines were weak before. But now, listening to his other self, it sounded like he had been completely incompetent.
Yet, he had a counterargument.
"(Original) Sengoku: You're acting like you're so much better than me. But in the end, isn't it the same? You still had to use all your forces to win. The only difference is the battlefield location."
"(Present) Sengoku: 'All our forces'? Oh, come on. How can the Marines justify using their full strength against just one Emperor? No way, no way."
"(Original) Sengoku: Don't try to act superior. If you didn't use your full forces, how did you trap Whitebeard at his own base and defeat him? What, were you fighting Brownbeard, Bluebeard, or Pinkbeard instead?"
"(Present) Sengoku: Let me put it this way—I, Garp, Akainu, Kizaru, Aokiji, and even Zephyr, none of us went."
The original Sengoku was stunned.
"(Original) Sengoku: This is ridiculous. You're telling me your main Marine force didn't even go? Then who the hell did you send—kids?!"
"(Present) Zephyr: Stop spreading nonsense. I never defected from the Marines. Say that again, and I'll come over there and personally beat you up."
"(Original) Zephyr: The Marine Corps betrayed you, killed your family, cut off your arm, and let the person responsible become a Warlord of the Sea! And you still stayed with them? How is that worth it?"
"(Present) Zephyr: With Commissar Ron in charge, things are different. Oh, right—you don't have a Commissar Ron, do you?"
"(Present) Sengoku: Anyway, getting back to the point—you're right. We really did take down Whitebeard's forces with a group of kids."
"(Original) Sengoku: You're kidding. Don't make a fool out of me."
"(Present) Sengoku: I can't say too much due to restrictions, but let me put it this way: that battle gave birth to the first generation of what we now call the 'Marine Boys.'"
"(Original) Sengoku: What the hell is a Marine Boy group?"
"(Present) Sengoku: They were young, barely teenagers at the time. But now? They are Admirals, world-famous swordsmen, and top officers of the Peace Alliance. That battle made them legends."
The original Sengoku was left speechless.
A group of kids…?
It sounded absurd.
"(Original) Sengoku: You're telling me that a bunch of teenagers blocked Whitebeard in his own home and defeated him?"
"(Present) Sengoku: Yep. I'd say more, but I'm already pushing the limits of what I can reveal."
"(Original) Sengoku: Do you think I'm an idiot? If I believed you, I'd be a disgrace to my title as 'The Resourceful General'!"
"(Original) Whitebeard: This entire conversation is an insult to me! Do you think anyone can just waltz into my base and defeat me? My fortress is impenetrable. Even if the entire Marine force attacked alongside Roger himself, they wouldn't make it back alive."
Whitebeard was confident in the defenses of his home. He had built his base to be an unbreakable stronghold. The idea that a group of kids had managed to storm it and win was beyond ridiculous.
"(Present) Whitebeard: Shut up. The more you talk, the harder you'll be slapped in the face later."
As the argument continued, the original Sengoku couldn't shake the feeling that there was a lot more to this other world that he still didn't understand.
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