The Moby Dick, with its giant, whale-shaped bow, cut through the emerald waves. On its massive deck, the Whitebeard Pirates were in the middle of a grand feast. Barrels served as chairs, huge cuts of meat sizzled over open fires, and loud, boisterous laughter mixed with the sound of the ocean. It was a scene fit for one of the kings of the sea.
"Captains! Let's have another arm-wrestling match!"
"Jozu, you're getting stronger again!"
"Hey, look over there!" a lookout suddenly shouted, pointing to the sea in the distance. "The fish... I think they've gone crazy!"
Everyone rushed to the side of the ship to see what he was talking about. In the water ahead, thousands of fish were frantically swimming away from a nearby island as if something had terrified them. The surface of the water flashed with silver scales, and even a few young Sea Kings leaped out of the water in a desperate panic, creating a scene of total chaos.
Edward Newgate's iconic laugh boomed across the deck. It was so powerful that it wasn't drowned out by the crashing waves or the roars of the sea beasts. Instead, it acted like an anchor, instantly calming the nerves of his restless crew. He sat on his exclusive throne, holding his massive naginata in one hand. His sharp gaze cut through the chaos, focused intently on the jungle-covered island.
Kozuki Oden, the loud and adventurous daimyo from Wano Country, was happily eating a bowl of oden. He squinted at the island, picked up a piece of daikon with his chopsticks, and blew on it before mumbling to Whitebeard, "Hey, Whitey, looks like there's someone incredible on that island!"
There was no fear in his voice, only a building excitement.
Whitebeard's mouth curved into a wide smile, a silent agreement with Oden's assessment. To make every creature in the area panic and flee, the presence on that island had to belong to someone far from ordinary.
"Are you kidding me? Even the young Sea Kings are running for their lives. What kind of monster is over there?" Thatch grumbled, putting down his piece of meat. "Great, so much for tonight's seafood feast!" He turned to the crew's first commander. "Marco, you wanna fly over and take a look?"
Marco was hanging upside down from the ship's mast, his blue phoenix flames flickering gently. He lazily waved a hand. "Nah, that would spoil the fun."
As the Moby Dick drew closer, the scene on the island became clearer. From the island's jungle, countless massive beasts were roaring in terror, fleeing from the island's interior as if something even scarier than a predator was chasing them. They stampeded toward the beach, and some were so desperate that they threw themselves directly into the sea.
Thud!
Whitebeard set down the giant sake bowl he was holding. The sound of it hitting the deck was a dull thud that somehow cut through all the other noise.
"My sons, dock the ship!" he commanded briefly. His eyes were filled with the kind of deep interest a king shows only when he encounters another of his own caliber.
"Yeah!"
"Get ready to land! Let's go drag that guy out for a drink!"
Meanwhile, on the other side of the same island, the scene was completely different. Several Marine warships were beached crookedly on the sand, their masts snapped and their hulls covered in deep gashes. Hundreds of Marine soldiers were scattered across the ground, either unconscious or groaning in pain, their will to fight completely broken.
In contrast, the Roger Pirates looked almost bored, as if they had just finished a light warm-up. Some of them were even casually wiping their weapons clean on captured Marine uniforms, complaining that their opponents hadn't been very exciting.
Roger was holding a Marine commodore up by the collar with one hand, a carefree smile on his face.
"Hey, if you want to catch me, Gol D. Roger, you should send Garp or Sengoku to do it themselves!"
With that, he casually tossed the man aside. The commodore flew through the air like a sack of potatoes and rolled on the ground a few times before passing out. Roger clapped the dust from his hands, ready to call his crew together for a feast.
"Ship—! There's a ship!"
A sharp shriek suddenly cut through the relaxed atmosphere. Buggy was standing on a large rock, looking through a telescope. "Captain, it's a whale! A ship shaped like a whale! It's the Whitebeard Pirates!"
On the beach, the crew members, who had just been relaxing after their fight, all froze.
"Oh?" Rayleigh pushed up his glasses, his gaze sharpening. "Roger, we did just finish a battle."
But Roger was far from worried. He broke into a grin that was more excited than if he had just found a mountain of treasure. "Whitebeard? Kuhahaha! It's been too long!"
He turned his head and shouted toward the shadiest-looking coconut tree on the beach.
"Hey—! Kyle! Stop sleeping! The sun's still up! Get up and get to work!"
Kyle, who had been wearing sunglasses and enjoying the rare moment of peace, sighed helplessly. He took off his sunglasses and sat up as Roger's booming voice echoed across the beach. In a flash, Roger was beside him, wrapping a huge hand around his neck and pulling him close to whisper.
"Listen, Kyle, stay out of it later. That guy is mine. I want to have a good, clean fight with Newgate, and I don't want anyone getting in our way. This might be the last time we ever see each other."
Kyle just rolled his eyes. I knew it, he thought. The man has a terminal illness, and all he can think about is fighting and adventure.
"Yeah, yeah, Captain," Kyle said, not even trying to hide his lack of enthusiasm. "Whatever makes you happy."
Roger just had to charge in and use his Divine Departure without a second thought. Kyle, on the other hand, had a lot more to worry about.
Just as the two were talking, Buggy let out another shriek from his rock, this one even higher-pitched than the last. His voice was filled with pure disbelief.
"What... what is that?! Is that a samurai?! He's so fast! He's charging over here all by himself!"
Every member of the Roger Pirates turned to look toward the edge of the jungle.
A figure shot out of the forest like a cannonball. He had two famous swords at his waist and was dressed in the style of Wano Country. Even though he was wearing traditional wooden sandals, his speed was incredible, and he left a trail of dust kicking up behind him. The man's face was lit up with a wild, excited grin as he ran, and he was shouting at the top of his lungs.
"Hahaha! All I have to do is take your treasure, right!"
Behind him, members of the Whitebeard Pirates were struggling to keep up, their desperate shouts carrying on the wind.
"Captain Oden! Wait! Please stop!"
"Those are the Roger Pirates up ahead! They aren't just some small-time crew!"
But the samurai named Kozuki Oden paid no attention to his crewmates' warnings. His eyes were locked on the Roger Pirates. He drew the two swords from his waist—Ame no Habakiri and Enma—and pushed off the ground, somehow managing to run even faster.
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