บท 142: Chapter 142: Water 7 – Whitebeard’s Request
Takumi decisively turned down Whitebeard's generous offer to "adopt" him into his family.
He had thought that maybe this interaction would complete some part of his sign-in progress.
But after waiting a while, the system remained silent.
Whitebeard, however, wasn't the least bit upset by Takumi's refusal. Instead, he let out a hearty laugh. "Gurararara! As expected from a kid with some real backbone."
"Takumi," Marco chimed in. "You do realize Pops doesn't extend an invitation like that to just anyone. You should think it over carefully. Just having the Whitebeard Pirates' name alone could serve as your shield."
Takumi's expression was flat as he responded, "I don't need a shield."
"Hahaha, still as stubborn as ever." Marco chuckled, "You haven't changed one bit from the brat you were four years ago."
Whitebeard returned to his seat, his gaze never leaving Takumi. "Kid, come over here and drink with me."
Takumi didn't mind at all. Despite their earlier clash, there were no hard feelings. After all, he had been the one to knock out half of Whitebeard's crew with his Conqueror's Haki. Besides, Whitebeard hadn't gone all out—he'd clearly been testing Takumi. If Whitebeard had been serious, the fight would have turned into a true battle, and though Takumi could escape, defeating Whitebeard would still be a challenge.
Whitebeard wasn't just strong; he was also the wielder of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
This Devil Fruit could cause devastating vibrations in both the atmosphere and the sea, giving it immense destructive power. Even Fleet Admiral Sengoku had referred to it as a power capable of "destroying the world," and it was widely regarded as the strongest of the Paramecia-type Devil Fruits.
During their duel, Whitebeard had only used raw strength—his Devil Fruit ability hadn't even come into play.
If it had, the destruction would've been on an entirely different level.
Takumi walked over to the deck near Whitebeard and sat down. He unhooked the gourd of wine he carried at his waist.
Whitebeard grinned widely and raised his enormous flask.
Takumi, too, lifted his gourd.
They didn't need to say a word. A single glance between them was enough to understand what the other was thinking. With an unspoken agreement, they clinked their drinks together and began to drink.
"Gurararara! I've heard you can hold your liquor, kid. Care to put that to the test?" Whitebeard challenged with a booming laugh.
Marco, watching the scene, sighed in exasperation. "Pops, you really shouldn't drink so much. It's bad for your health."
"Gurararara! A little bit of wine isn't going to hurt me!" Whitebeard scoffed, thoroughly unconcerned. "Come on, Takumi, let's keep going."
He eagerly extended his flask toward Takumi again.
Takumi met him halfway with his gourd, and the two clinked their drinks once more before continuing their impromptu drinking session.
Marco shook his head, clearly troubled. "Takumi, you're still injured. Should you really be drinking like this?"
Takumi, taking a swig from his gourd, replied calmly, "I'll be fine."
Marco threw his hands up in defeat. "You two are impossible."
"Well, I'll leave you two to it." Marco turned to Enel, adding, "Enel, right? If you're free, come with me back to Water 7. We'll need to check on the ship's repairs at Dock One. These two don't know when to quit... Let's go find a shipwright."
"Uh... Do I have to?" Enel muttered, clearly reluctant.
Marco smirked. "What else are you going to do? Join Pops and Takumi's drinking contest?"
Enel glanced over at Whitebeard and Takumi, who were both thoroughly enjoying their drinks.
Nope. He definitely didn't want to get involved in that.
Enel looked around at the fallen crewmates scattered across the deck and asked, "What about them?"
"They'll be fine," Marco waved off his concerns. "They just got knocked out by the Conqueror's Haki. They'll wake up soon enough."
"Conqueror's Haki?" Enel repeated, curious. It was the first time he had heard the term.
"Come on, let's go." Marco released his flaming phoenix wings and took to the sky, heading toward Dock One.
Enel gave Takumi one last glance before muttering, "Guess I'll go with him then."
Takumi replied with a simple, "Go ahead."
With that, Enel transformed into a bolt of lightning and zipped off after Marco.
"Gurararara! Tell me, kid," Whitebeard boomed, turning to Takumi. "You sixteen yet?"
Takumi responded coolly, "I'm fourteen."
"Gurararara! Fourteen and you can already take one of my blows head-on. You've got some real talent, kid," Whitebeard said, taking another deep swig from his flask. "I heard Garp tried to recruit you for the Navy."
"He did," Takumi said, nodding as he took a drink from his gourd. "I turned him down."
"Oh? And why's that? Garp's not the type to give up easily. For him to back off, there must've been a reason."
"I'm not interested in the Navy," Takumi said bluntly. "Nor am I interested in becoming a pirate or joining the Revolutionary Army. I just want to be a traveler, free from any obligations."
Whitebeard's eyes were sharp as they fixed on Takumi, but his smile never wavered. "So, you promised him you wouldn't join either side, and that's why he let you go."
"Even if I hadn't promised, I wouldn't have joined," Takumi said nonchalantly.
"You crave freedom, no attachments. How is that any different from being a pirate? Pirates are the freest people on these seas. And if you're worried the Navy might come after you, with me at your back, they wouldn't dare."
Takumi lifted his head, meeting Whitebeard's gaze without fear. "I know what I'm doing. I'm not afraid of making enemies. Being a traveler is my choice. The only way to be truly free is to do whatever you want, whenever you want, with no one telling you otherwise."
Whitebeard's expression darkened. "So no matter what, you won't become my son?"
Takumi remained completely unfazed. "You're not the kind of man who forces others to do what they don't want to do."
"Hmph! Don't think you can read my mind, kid!" Whitebeard barked.
"I'm not," Takumi said, raising his gourd of wine. "I'm just being honest. 'Live for the moment and drink while you can'—that's what they say, right? Let's keep drinking."
Takumi's rare display of initiative caught Whitebeard off guard, but after a moment, the older man chuckled.
"Gurararara! You've got guts, kid. I like that. Fine, if you don't want to be my son, I won't force you. But on one condition—you have to promise me that whenever you see the Moby Dick, you'll come drink with me! No hiding, no running away!"
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