The moment Roger's request was spoken, the cheerful, drunken atmosphere around Whitebeard vanished. It was replaced by a suffocating pressure, as heavy and silent as the deep sea. Roger's words had been clear, each one echoing over the giant mushroom, but they seemed to fall into a bottomless pit, met with no response.
"Gurararara…"
A low rumble started deep in Whitebeard's chest. It sounded like his signature laugh, but there was no joy in it. Instead, the sound made the air feel thick and heavy.
Smash!
He casually crushed the bottle in his hand, sending shards of glass and splattering liquor everywhere.
"Are you joking with me?!"
Whitebeard's roar was like a sudden crack of thunder. He slammed his massive hand down on the mushroom cap beside him. A violent shockwave erupted from his fist, and spiderweb-like cracks spread across the incredibly tough surface of the mushroom, making the entire platform shake violently. The noise from the party below seemed to be swallowed by his rage. From his perch in the tree, Kyle could clearly see arcs of white energy shattering the air around Whitebeard's fist.
A powerful surge of Conqueror's Haki, filled with pure fury, shot toward the sky, tearing the clouds apart.
"Roger!" Whitebeard slowly rose to his feet. His mountain-like body seemed to grow even taller, casting a huge shadow that completely covered Roger and Oden. "Are you trying to steal my family from me?!"
He bit down hard on the word "family," and each syllable seemed to carry enough force to split the sea in two.
Roger stood his ground, not moving an inch against the immense pressure. He understood Whitebeard's anger—he had even expected it—but he couldn't back down.
Kozuki Oden, however, was feeling something completely different. He was still lost in the magnificent world that Roger's words had revealed. His mind was racing. The Final Island… the secret code passed down through the Kozuki family…
Why can I read these texts? Why did I leave the borders of Wano Country, and how did I end up meeting these men on this very sea? Is this… my destiny?
A powerful sense of purpose surged up from deep within his heart, hot as a volcano, making his blood burn with excitement. He looked at Roger, then at the furious Whitebeard, and an impulse he couldn't control took over.
"Whitey…" Kozuki Oden said, his voice trembling with anticipation.
He turned sharply to face Whitebeard, his eyes shining with a brilliant light. "Let me go! I want to see it! I have to see what that Final Island truly looks like!"
Whitebeard's massive body went rigid. He slowly turned his head, looking down at his "brother." The anger in his golden eyes burned hotter, but his expression was twisted with a look of deep hurt, as if Oden's words had struck him like a physical blow.
"How could you say that?!" his voice was a low growl. "Oden! You and I are brothers!"
Oden met his intense gaze without flinching. "It's just for one year, Whitey!"
"Not even for a day!" Whitebeard roared. He clenched his fists and swung them down at his sides, and two shockwaves tore through the air with a deafening boom. He turned his head away, as if he couldn't bear to look at the pleading excitement on Oden's face. "On my ship, family doesn't get off halfway!"
The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Roger didn't say a word. He just watched quietly. This was a private matter between Newgate and Oden; an outsider had no right to interfere. All he could do was wait for their decision.
Oden looked at Whitebeard's back, which was as solid and unmoving as a mountain. He took a deep breath, then dropped straight to his knees. His forehead hit the cracked surface of the mushroom with a loud thud.
Bang!
"Please, Whitey!"
His plea was filled with all of his sincere desire to go, but also with his guilt and love for the man who was like an older brother to him.
Whitebeard's broad back trembled. He did not turn around.
Time stretched on. Above the giant mushroom, the only sound was the whistling of the wind. The distant noise of the party slowly began to drift back up, making the silence between them feel even heavier.
After a long, long time, the world-shaking anger pouring off of Whitebeard slowly faded away like a receding tide.
He never said a word. He didn't agree, but he didn't refuse again either. He simply took heavy steps to the other side of the mushroom, leaped off, and landed with a heavy thud back in his camp. His actions had said everything.
Roger let out a long sigh of relief, and a genuine smile spread across his face. He walked over and put a hand on the shoulder of Oden, who was still kneeling. "Let's go, Oden. Don't keep Newgate waiting too long."
Oden looked up, his eyes a little red, and nodded firmly.
Up on his branch, Kyle hid a smirk. Phew, what a tsundere.
A short time later, the news that Kozuki Oden would be sailing with the Roger Pirates for a year sent a shockwave through the Whitebeard Pirates. The farewell, however, wasn't sad. It felt more like a wild send-off party.
"Captain Oden! You better not die out there!"
"You idiot! If you don't come back in a year, we'll come to Roger's ship and drag you back ourselves!"
Marco, his hands casually in his pockets, handed Oden a small package. "This is some special wound medicine from our ship's doctor. It works really well, so don't waste it."
Jozu just grunted and gave Oden a hard pat on the back. "Make sure you write down everything you see! We want to hear all about it when you get back!"
Thatch pushed a huge bento box into his hands. "This is Sea King leg meat I just grilled! It's enough to last you for two days!"
Oden laughed and joked with them all, bumping fists with every brother who came to hug him and promising to remember all of their instructions. Finally, carrying his two legendary swords, "Ame no Habakiri" and "Enma," he walked toward Roger's ship, the Oro Jackson, surrounded by his family.
He looked back one last time, but he couldn't see the familiar, massive figure of his captain among the crowd.
"Hey, where's Pops?" someone whispered.
"He's sitting over there."
Everyone followed the man's gaze and saw Whitebeard sitting alone on a specially made, enormous chair in the center of the camp. His back was turned to them all. He said nothing, simply pouring sake down his throat as if nothing in the world was happening. He was still sulking.
Oden paused for a moment, a flash of sadness on his face, but he quickly replaced it with a smile. He bowed deeply toward that stubborn back, then turned with resolve and stepped onto the deck of the Oro Jackson.
Only after Oden's figure had disappeared inside the ship's cabin did the Whitebeard Pirates gather around their captain.
"Pops, aren't you going to see Captain Oden off?"
"Hmph," Whitebeard snorted, taking another big gulp of sake.
Just then, a crew member ran over, his face glowing with excitement. He was carrying a huge treasure chest.
"Pops! Pops! Look at this!" He threw the chest open to reveal glittering piles of gold, Berries, and jewels. "That Roger guy said this is a thank you gift for us! He gave us a ton of treasure! And so much food and good wine, too!"
The crew members around him gasped and started cheering.
Whitebeard's drinking suddenly stopped. He turned and roared at the crewmate who brought the news, his voice so loud it made everyone's ears ring.
"What are you just standing there for?!"
The crewman flinched, confused by his captain's anger.
Whitebeard snatched a large wooden barrel filled with grilled meat and fruit from the ground beside him. He pointed it forcefully toward the port where Roger's ship was docked and yelled, his face red with anger.
"Get this food back to them, now! Those bastards don't know how to take care of anyone! What if Oden gets hungry?!"
"Yes, sir!"
----------------
You can read advanced chapters here: patreon.com/GregariousLion