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The scar in the heavens left by the clash of Conqueror's Haki had not yet fully healed, but on the decks of the two legendary pirate ships, all tension had vanished. Planks were laid across the gap between the vessels, and the crews moved back and forth as if they were visiting neighbors.
A massive bonfire burned brightly, the flames roasting several huge Sea Kings. The aroma of sizzling meat and dripping fat mixed with the rich scent of alcohol, permeating the night air.
"Hey! Red-Nose! That roasted leg is mine!"
"You idiot, Shanks! It belongs to whoever grabs it first!"
In a corner of the deck, Shanks and Buggy were wrestling over a piece of meat. Nearby, the pineapple-haired Marco watched their antics with his chin in his hand, a lazy smile on his face. He seemed to find the two clowns far more entertaining than their earlier battle. Not far away, Jozu was arm-wrestling a burly member of the Roger Pirates, his diamond-hard arm gleaming in the firelight. Buggy kept glancing over, his mouth practically watering at the sight of the living treasure.
Kyle leaned leisurely against the mast, a fresh glass of orange juice in his hand. He caught the eye of Vista, who was looking flustered as his crewmates teased him. Kyle kindly raised his glass in a mock toast. Vista became even more embarrassed, abruptly turning his head away to pretend he was admiring the vast, starry sea.
At the center of the feast sat two monstrously powerful men, cross-legged before wine bowls larger than buckets.
"Kuhahaha! Newgate, your crew is full of spirit!" Roger boomed, lifting his wine bowl and taking a massive gulp.
"Gurararara⌠Your ship has its fair share of interesting brats, too," Whitebeard rumbled back, his gaze sweeping over his "sons" with a fondness that softened the hard lines of his face.
After three rounds of drinks, the atmosphere was roaring. Roger suddenly nudged Whitebeard with his elbow. "Speaking of which, Newgate," he asked without hesitation, "I've always wondered. Why would a man like you agree to serve on Rocks's ship back in the day?"
The boisterous noise of the feast seemed to dim in that instant. While most of the crew continued their revelry, those closest to the two captainsâRayleigh, Jabba, and several of Whitebeard's senior commandersâinstinctively fell silent, their attention fixed on the two legends.
Whitebeard's drinking motion paused. A complex, unreadable emotion flashed in his eyes. He didn't answer right away. Instead, he drained the remaining liquor in his bowl in one go, letting out a heavy sigh.
"GurarararaâŚ" He set down the bowl, his deep laugh sounding less boisterous and more self-deprecating than usual. "Because he defeated me."
The answer seemed to stun Roger for a moment.
"I was still wandering the seas on my own back then," Whitebeard recounted slowly. "Rocks found me. He attacked without a word, and I lost, fair and square. Then, he invited me to join his crew." He paused, his gaze becoming distant. "I told him I was searching for the meaning of my journey at sea. He laughed so hard he nearly fell over, saying that such a thing was the most boring and fragile idea in the world. But then he said he could help me find something far more valuable."
Kyle listened quietly, his ears perked. 'So that's how it was,' he thought. 'Rocks baited him with a grand, vague promise. A classic manipulator's trick.'
"Rocks's ship was a gathering of the most unruly monsters from all over the world," Whitebeard continued, his tone devoid of nostalgia, holding only the cold indifference of experience. "Everyone had their own ambitions. Everyone wanted to climb over everyone else's heads. So-called 'comrades' were just tools to be used and discarded. You never knew if the man drinking with you would stab you in the back the next second."
His description sent a shiver down the spines of the younger pirates who were listening in.
"The longer I stayed, the more I understood," Whitebeard said. "The 'meaning' Rocks spoke of was just fuel for his own ambition. But what I wanted⌠what I truly wanted has never changed."
At this, Whitebeard's voice trailed off. He turned his head and looked out across the deck. Marco was being dragged into a drinking contest. Jozu, having lost an arm-wrestling match to Jabba, was defiantly demanding a rematch. Vista had finally mustered the courage to seriously discuss swordsmanship with another one of Roger's crew. They were noisy, naive, and proudâeach one so vibrant and so real.
At that moment, the look in Whitebeard's eyes was incredibly gentle. It wasn't the gaze of the world's strongest man, but that of a father looking upon his most precious treasures.
"GurarararaâŚ" He laughed again, this time with heartfelt satisfaction and pride. "But now, I have found it." He raised his wine bowl, toasting his sons from afar.
Roger watched him, and a wide, signature smile spread across his face. He didn't offer any grand speech. He simply raised his own bowl and clinked it heavily against Whitebeard's.
"Kuhahaha! It's good that you found it! That's something more precious than any treasure!" Roger laughed loudly and drained his wine. "As for me, Newgate, my reason for setting sail is also very simple!" He stood up, faced the sea breeze, and spread his arms as if to embrace the entire world. "I want to see what lies at the end of this great sea! The hidden history, the truth of the worldâI want to witness it all with my own eyes! That's why we're preparing to sail the Grand Line one last time and go to that Final Island that no one has ever reached!"
His voice was filled with an unparalleled charisma, as if he weren't announcing a distant dream, but stating an undeniable fact. The crew of the Oro Jackson, young and old, all mirrored the look of adventurous longing on their captain's face.
Whitebeard listened quietly, an approving smile on his own. "Gurararara⌠That's just like you, Roger. However, the place we're heading next might be in the opposite direction."
"Oh?" Roger turned his head curiously.
"We're going to a reclusive country called Wano," Whitebeard said. "I hear they have good sake there, and some interesting people."
'Wano CountryâŚ' Kyle's eyelid twitched. A closed-off nation of powerful samurai. If Whitebeard was going there now, it could only mean he was about to meet that man.
The feast lasted deep into the night. It wasn't until the first hint of dawn began to lighten the eastern sky that the grand party finally came to a close.
"Hey! Roger! The next time we meet, I won't lose again!" Whitebeard stood at the bow of the Moby Dick, his voice booming across the water.
"Kuhahaha! I'll be waiting! But next time, remember to bring that good sake from Wano!" Roger yelled back, his hands on his hips.
The two giant ships slowly parted as the crews waved goodbye, their shouts and blessings mingling in the morning air.
"Red-Nose! Next time you dare to steal my meat, I'll definitely get you back!"
"Just you wait, Pineapple-Head! Next time we meet, this great me will pry a piece of diamond off Jozu for sure!"
"Flower Sword! Next time we spar, I won't hold back!"
"The name's Vista! And I'll be waiting for you, Orange Juice Bastard!"
Kyle smiled and shook his empty glass at the distant, disgruntled Vista. He watched as the massive, whale-shaped figurehead of the Moby Dick gradually disappeared into the morning light. He turned and saw Roger still leaning against the rail, gazing in the direction Whitebeard had departed, a smile lingering on his face for a long, long time.
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