After Ray released the power of Tenseiga, Whitebeard's true condition manifested clearly before his eyes.
Even he couldn't help but feel some admiration for this old Emperor.
Despite his massive 6.66-meter-tall body being covered in disease-causing imps, this man still stood straight with vibrant energy.
'Truly worthy of being called the Strongest Man In the World,' Ray thought.
An ordinary person would likely be bedridden, coughing up blood, if just two or three of these little demons attached to them.
Yet Whitebeard? He had at least 300 of them clinging to his body!
They were densely packed, overlapping like barnacles on a ship's hull.
It was a miracle he could even move, let alone fight.
Ray took a shallow breath and immediately began swinging Tenseiga.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
After three precise swings, the invisible connection was severed.
All the imps shrieked silently and vanished into smoke.
Ray sheathed his sword with a click, turned around and prepared to leave.
This series of actions left the Whitebeard Pirates' division commanders completely bewildered.
'What the hell was that?'
'He just swung his sword at the air three times and called it a day?'
'We didn't see anything! Is this guy pranking us?'
Even Marco was stunned.
His powerful intuition usually told him everything, but right now? It was blank.
He couldn't sense any change in Ray.
'Such a man... shouldn't be mentally unstable... right?'
If he wanted to understand the situation, he could only look at one person—his Pops.
When Marco shifted his gaze to Whitebeard, he saw the old man taking a deep breath.
Marco's eyes widened and he suddenly understood.
"What a remarkable ability," Marco murmured.
Then he shouted, "Ray! Please stay and have a meal with us!"
When Cavendish heard the Commander of the First Division inviting them to eat, he immediately became excited!
'Yes! Dinner with the legends!'
But when he turned to look at his boss... damn.
Ray was already walking away.
'What should I do? Such a perfect opportunity to show off and be cool...'
'Well, what can I do? Wherever the Boss goes, I have to follow.'
He sighed dramatically.
'I chose this life... after all.'
Just then, Whitebeard suddenly burst into laughter.
"GURARARARA! Kid! Have a drink with us!"
"Since we've decided to cooperate, making friends is always good, isn't it?"
Marco joined in, leaning over the railing.
"That's right, Ray-yoi. We'll also tell you about the identities of those two spies we caught earlier."
To Marco, since this person had helped his Pops so much, it would be truly ungrateful not to offer something in return.
Hearing their words of persuasion, Ray paused his steps.
In that instant, Cavendish's spirits lifted again!
...
Ten minutes later.
Standing on the deck of the White Horse as it sailed away, Cavendish wore an expression of utter despair.
He looked like a puppy left in the rain!
"Boss... it was just a meal..."
Only Ray's cold gaze responded to him.
Under that stare, Cavendish immediately stood straight, zipped his mouth and saluted.
Indeed, Ray still choose to refused Whitebeard's banquet invitation.
One of his goals was to heal Whitebeard, sure.
But that didn't mean he was willing to be buddies with these people.
Even when Luffy and the others held banquets, Ray would often choose to sit alone on the roof or the mast.
How would such an introvert enjoy a rowdy pirate banquet with strangers?
For Ray, achieving his goal was enough.
He hoped the now-healthy Whitebeard would be able to pull his weight when the war started.
...
On the Moby Dick.
Whitebeard and his "sons" watched the White Horse gradually sail away into the distance.
Jozu, Vista, Izo, and the other division commanders were all speechless.
They felt kinda rejected.
Jozu rubbed the back of his shiny head, looking quite displeased.
"That Ray guy is really arrogant. Does he think he's too good for our booze?"
POKE!
Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his ass.
It was Vista poking him with the tip of his sword.
"You should shut up, Jozu. If it weren't for that person's warning, we might have been completely wiped out later."
"Yeah," Izo added, checking his makeup. "We really need to thank Ray. Both for warning us and for helping Pops recover his health."
"That guy has made us Whitebeard Pirates owe him an enormous favor."
Marco leaned against the ship's railing, sighing as he spoke.
Then he looked at Whitebeard with a hopeful expression.
"Pops... are you really alright now-yoi?"
Whitebeard flexed his massive arm.
He was feeling exceptionally good at the moment; it had been too long since he'd felt this comfortable, this... light.
"Gurararara! Your Pops feels great! Like I've gone back 30 years!"
He grinned, looking at the horizon.
"That kid is really mysterious and has quite the personality."
"What a shame. If he were willing to sit down and drink with us, I'd want to make him my son."
Hearing Whitebeard's words, all the division commanders stared in stunned silence.
They collectively screamed internally.
'POPS! You might not be afraid of him fighting you, BUT WE ARE! Don't bring that monster on board!'
Slightly panicked by the thought, the commanders rushed to the interrogation room to vent their emotions.
They dragged the two spies out and beat them relentlessly—even the ship's doctor couldn't stop them.
In the end, the two spies left this world without even getting a chance to speak.
If anyone could see their souls floating away, they'd definitely hear them complaining.
"Damn bastards! At least give me a chance to confess! Every time I tried to speak, you punched me in the face and said my attitude wasn't sincere!"
"Is the truth really that unimportant to you maniacs?!"
If the commanders could answer, they would definitely say:
"Who sent you doesn't matter at all! Because we're about to attack Marine Headquarters anyway! We don't care about the details!"
After the violence ended, the Whitebeard Pirates began their feast.
First, to celebrate their Pops' miraculous recovery.
Second, as a farewell banquet before the upcoming Marineford War.
During the feast, all members of the Whitebeard Pirates were curious about one thing.
Why would someone as aloof, powerful, and solitary as Ray join a rookie crew like the Straw Hat Pirates?
What's so special about that kid called Luffy?
...
Two days later, on the Grand Line.
Everyone aboard the Thousand Sunny—except Luffy—was currently facing a difficult choice.
They were staring at a skeleton with an afro, sipping tea.
"This skeleton..."
"Luffy, do you really want him to join?" Nami whispered, horrified.
"Hehe! I actually think Mr Skeleton is quite interesting!" Robin laughed.
"Robin! What are you saying? He almost scared this beautiful young lady to death just now! Right, Chopper?" Nami turned to the reindeer.
Chopper was hiding behind Zoro's leg while shaking.
"Yeah! It was really scary!"
Usopp nodded frantically, hiding behind Sanji. "I agree with Chopper!"
Only Luffy was excitedly looking at the skeleton with stars in his eyes.
"You have to become my crewmate!"
"By the way... what's your name?"
Hearing that Luffy wanted this skeleton to join without even knowing its name, the crew members reacted with various emotions—some were speechless, some distressed, some angry, and some just wanted to laugh at the absurdity.
But then, the skeleton's response shocked them all.
"Yohoho! Ah, thank you for the invitation, Captain. I accept."
"By the way, my name is Brook. What's your name, Captain?"
Before Luffy could respond, Zoro, Nami, Sanji, and Usopp began complaining loudly with exasperated expressions.
"Wait! You two don't even know each other?!"
"You decided to become crewmates without even knowing names?! Luffy, are you crazy?!"
"Luffy! Think this through properly!"
"Yeah, Luffy! He's a yokai! He might eat people!" Usopp screamed.
Upon hearing Usopp's complaint, the others all stopped and showed strange expressions.
They looked at Usopp, then at each other.
Luffy grinned mischievously. "Problem with yokai?"
Sanji glanced sideways, lighting a cigarette. "Yokai eat people?"
Chopper bared his teeth, trying to look tough. "Yokai are scary?"
Nami looked completely astonished, pointing at Usopp.
"Usopp... you actually just said Ray is scary and eats people?"
Seeing everyone's reactions, Usopp was momentarily speechless.
Then he suddenly remembered a certain silver-haired demon and immediately shouted in panic!
"Don't frame an innocent person! How would I dare to say that about him! I value my life!"
Brook, listening nearby, tilted his skull confusedly (though he had no brain to be confused with).
"Yohoho? Who is Ray?"
Luffy explained cheerfully.
"Ray is our companion! We'll introduce you to him later—he's really powerful! And fluffy!"
But Brook's reaction made the smarter members of the Straw Hat Pirates realize something was wrong.
Zoro, Robin, Sanji, and Nami all exchanged sharp glances.
Given Ray's recent fame now, this self-proclaimed pirate skeleton had no reason not to know him.
Even if he had been drifting, news birds travel everywhere.
'Could there really be something wrong with these waters?'
...
Meanwhile, the very person the Straw Hat Pirates were thinking about was heading toward his next destination.
On the White Horse, Frieda was unusually excited, clutching her camera.
She was clearly anticipating big news happening soon!
Cavendish, however, seemed somewhat nervous.
He was pacing the deck, looking at the charts.
"Boss..." Cavendish swallowed hard. "Are we really going to that place called 'Hell'?"
"Are we going to Wano Country?"