Bonfires blazed, and the aroma of grilled meat and wine filled the air.
"Wahahaha! Newgate, long time no see, you're still as strong as ever!"
Roger, acting overly familiar, slung his arm around Whitebeard's shoulder, his face red from drinking, breathing hot air into the latter's ear.
"But what's with your receding hairline?"
With that, he brazenly lifted Whitebeard's captain's hat, his face full of exaggerated surprise.
The Whitebeard Pirates: ...
Whitebeard's eye twitched, a throbbing vein appearing on his forehead. He gritted his teeth and said,
"Long time no see, and you're still as deserving of a beating as ever, Roger."
He shot a sour glance at the loud, laughing man before him, then suddenly smirked and said,
"I heard your pants were taken off?"
The smile on Roger's face froze.
"That was an accident! It was an accident!"
He immediately jumped up, waving his arms and blushing furiously as he shouted in protest.
Whitebeard, having scored a point, laughed heartily.
"Really? But I heard that little Marine almost wiped you all out during the Battle of Edd War?"
Roger's pirate crew: ...
Seeing their frustrated faces, Whitebeard felt his mood lighten considerably and chuckled,
"But that little Marine really is a troublesome one..."
"I've suffered a loss at his hands too."
At the mention of a certain person, everyone from the two legendary pirate crews fell silent.
They had sailed the seas for many years, fighting countless strong enemies and clashing with the Marines more times than they could count.
But only in the hands of the so-called "King of the North Blue" had they all suffered such painful lessons.
"Forget it, let's not talk about that. Newgate, I want to discuss something with you."
Roger suddenly shook his head, his eyes darting about before he smiled sheepishly.
"No way!"
Whitebeard looked at him blankly.
Roger's smile stiffened, and he snapped,
"Hey, hey, hey, I haven't even said anything yet, and you're already refusing?"
Whitebeard gave him a look that said he knew exactly what Roger was thinking and sneered,
"Every time you open your mouth, it's never anything good."
"Don't say that..."
Roger said a little embarrassedly.
"It's just a small favor."
Whitebeard narrowed his eyes.
"Go ahead and say it."
Roger's eyes lit up. He suddenly pointed at Kozuki Oden, who was sitting nearby, munching on meat.
"I want to borrow Oden! Let him join my ship!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Kozuki Oden looked up, confused, his one arm still holding a piece of roast meat suspended midair.
"Impossible!"
Whitebeard's face darkened instantly, and he said with absolute firmness,
"Roger, what are you thinking? Oden is my sworn brother!"
"I can agree to anything else, but not this. Never!"
Seeing Whitebeard's unyielding stance, Roger's expression changed.
He and Whitebeard were old rivals. He knew the man's character very well—once Whitebeard decided on something, no one could change his mind.
But for Roger to complete his final voyage around the world, he needed someone who could decipher the ancient text on the Poneglyphs.
Thinking of this, Roger gritted his teeth.
Under the stunned and shocked gazes of both pirate crews, he suddenly dropped to his knees with a heavy thud.
"Newgate, I'm begging you!"
"Just for one year—only one year! I promise Oden won't be in any danger!"
"I'm already terminally ill. With the time I have left, I want to reach the end of the world... and I can't do it without Oden!"
"Please, Newgate!"
At that moment, the world's strongest, most fearless, and most free pirate bowed his proud head deeply to his lifelong rival, all for the sake of a dream he had chased all his life.
Everyone was stunned!
...
New World, Pleasure District.
A hotel, top-floor suite.
A soft bed, with torn clothes scattered all over the floor.
A naked beauty lay sprawled across the bed, cheeks flushed, breath warm, and her slightly curly golden hair damp with a sheen of sweat.
Behind her, a pair of black bat wings, symbols of mystery and ancient lineage, quivered with her trembling body... and slowly folded away.
"Queen-sama, are you already at your limit? I thought Mythical Zoan types had much stronger endurance..."
Daren lounged on a leather sofa, casually draped in a loose bathrobe, legs crossed. He held a glass of chilled whiskey in one hand and bit a lit cigar with a faint smirk.
From his angle, he had a perfect view of the Queen of the Pleasure District's slender, porcelain waist, her two deep waist dimples especially alluring.
Stussy rolled her eyes in annoyance, pulling the quilt up with a hazy look in her eyes to cover her mature and sensual figure, and huffed,
"The strength of the vampire form isn't about brute force! Even an awakened Mythical Zoan might not be able to match your 'Indestructible Body'!"
Thinking back on the shameful positions she'd been forced into moments ago, Stussy felt her skin tingle like it had been electrocuted. She couldn't help but shoot a fierce glare at the damn Marine.
Daren laughed.
He had to admit, seeing the famed Queen of the Pleasure District in such a state gave him a strong sense of accomplishment.
It had already been three days since the operation to capture Bullet.
After resting for just a day to recover, Bullet had scavenged weapons and equipment from a warship to rebuild a small submarine, then quietly slipped away from the main fleet.
Daren hadn't tried to stop him. After all, the Shichibukai enjoyed considerable autonomy, and unless under special circumstances, the Marines rarely intervened in their actions.
After Bullet's departure, Daren handed command of the ten warships over to Borsalino and immediately made his way to the Pleasure District.
Well, officially, it was for intelligence gathering.
"Didn't you say you were here to gather intel?"
Stussy caught the smirk tugging at Daren's lips, gritting her teeth in frustration.
This bastard, knowing her secret identity as a double agent, used it to manipulate her relentlessly, tossing out lines like "You don't want your secret getting out, do you?" all day long.
Yet she had no way to fight back.
She couldn't beat him, couldn't hurt him.
The worst part was, Stussy could feel her body gradually becoming addicted to him, unable to resist at all!
"Gather intel? Oh, right, now I remember. I do need to gather intel."
Daren patted his head with a light chuckle.
Stussy: ...
"Find out where the people on this list are, their strength, battle records, backgrounds... I need every piece of information you can get."
Daren pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his uniform pocket and handed it to her.
Stussy took it, her expression growing serious as she examined it.
The deeper her understanding of Daren grew, the more clearly she realized what kind of man he was.
Every move he made was carefully calculated.
His true danger didn't lie in his strength alone—but in his ambition and meticulous planning.
If these names had caught his attention to the point that he was willing to mobilize her intelligence network, they had to be special.
However, as her eyes scanned the list, a flicker of confusion crossed her face.
Because... she didn't recognize a single one of them!
Dracule Mihawk.
Fisher Tiger.
Gecko Moria.
Boa Hancock.
"Who... are these people?"
Stussy narrowed her eyes and stared at Daren.