"Huh? Did I just imagine that? That kid... when did he get here? And he actually took one of Pops' attacks head-on without a scratch?"
"Who is this guy? He's incredible!"
"That lightning strike looked terrifying, and after taking Pops' blow, he drew all that lightning into himself like it was nothing. Plus, he only looks like a teenager... is he even human?"
The deck of the Moby Dick was alive with astonished murmurs and shocked exclamations.
Even Whitebeard himself, for the briefest moment, showed a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
Marco, however, just smiled and gave a casual introduction. "That kid right there—he's the one I was telling you all about. His name's Takumi."
"But I thought you said he'd show up later in the evening?" Marco asked, turning to Takumi.
Takumi cast a quick glance at Enel, who still looked bewildered. "If I hadn't come when I did, he'd be a goner."
Enel blinked, frowning. "You underestimate me…"
"Takumi's assessment is accurate," Marco said with a wave of his hand. "Pops wasn't holding back with that strike. Even in your elemental form, he could've seriously injured you. So, you should probably thank your captain for saving you."
Enel's expression soured as he turned to Marco. "Is this old sick man really that powerful?"
Takumi, his face neutral, replied, "He's the strongest among the Four Emperors."
"F-Four Emperors?" Enel stammered, suddenly recalling the words of Garp, who had once mentioned that any one of the Four Emperors could easily crush him. His forehead began to bead with sweat.
What kind of reckless nonsense had he just pulled?
"Hmph!" Whitebeard grunted, his deep voice rumbling like thunder. "You think you can just walk away after trying to hurt my family?"
"Apologize," Takumi said calmly.
The command wasn't directed at Whitebeard but at Enel.
Enel's eyes widened as he realized what was expected. Taking a deep breath, his face contorted in discomfort as he muttered, "I... I'm sorry."
The moment the words left Enel's mouth, Takumi's mind was flooded with the system's long-delayed notification.
[Ding! Engaging in a clash with Whitebeard has increased your Sign-In progress by 20%. Current total progress: 30%. Reward: Conqueror's Haki level increased by 1. Current Conqueror's Haki Level: Lv. 5]
A surge of power erupted from within Takumi, and he inwardly groaned. Great, just what I needed...
When a Haki level increases, there's always a brief, involuntary burst of Conqueror's Haki.
And though it only lasts a moment, it's enough to knock out anyone nearby who isn't strong enough to withstand it.
In an instant, the deck of the Moby Dick was littered with unconscious bodies—all except for Whitebeard, Marco, Enel, and Takumi himself.
Because Whitebeard had given most of the crew a day off, more than half of the ship's crew, including the other division commanders, were already ashore in Water 7.
"Uh…" Marco wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. "Takumi, that was a bit much, don't you think?"
Enel, still reeling from the impact of Takumi's Haki, was stunned in more ways than one. It dawned on him that, despite how distant and detached Takumi might seem, the captain was fiercely protective of those he considered his own.
Takumi had come early, all for him.
He'd ordered him to apologize but then leveled the playing field by knocking everyone else out with a show of dominance.
If that wasn't loyalty, what was it?
Enel was overwhelmed with emotion, but as usual, Takumi maintained his cold, aloof demeanor.
Well, the damage is done. Might as well deal with it. Takumi thought, accepting the situation with his usual stoic resolve.
"Heh, you've got guts, kid," Whitebeard growled as he yanked the IV tubes from his arm and stood, towering over the deck. Gripping his mighty weapon, Murakumogiri, in one hand, he swung the massive blade at Takumi without a second thought.
Takumi's expression hardened. Without hesitation, he drew Lake Toya and met Whitebeard's attack head-on.
The moment their blades clashed, a shockwave of immense power exploded from the point of impact.
A loud crack echoed across the ship as the Moby Dick's entire railing shattered. The force of their clash splintered the deck and sent spider-web cracks crawling across the ship's masts and walls. Only the deck itself remained intact, and that was purely due to Whitebeard's control.
Takumi's brow furrowed as he stared up at the towering figure of Whitebeard.
No wonder they called him the strongest. Not only did Whitebeard unleash such incredible power, but he could also control the aftermath with precision.
Takumi wasn't yet at that level.
Soon, the force of Whitebeard's strike began to drive Takumi's feet into the deck. Beads of sweat broke out on his forehead—an extremely rare sight.
Meanwhile, Whitebeard stood there, perfectly at ease.
"What's wrong? Feeling the pressure already?" Whitebeard taunted, his grin widening. "My crew isn't something you can just trifle with."
Enel's body began to crackle with electricity as he prepared to intervene.
Marco, noticing this, moved to stop him.
But Takumi spoke first. "Stay back."
Enel froze in place, his mouth opening to protest before closing again. He stood his ground, though it was clear he wasn't happy about it.
"Hmph, at least you've got some backbone," Whitebeard sneered. But his grip on Murakumogiri tightened as he poured even more power into the clash.
A devastating wave of sword energy surged through their blades, cutting through Takumi's defenses and slamming into his body.
Despite using his healing technique in advance, it only mitigated some of the damage. Takumi held on for a solid ten seconds before the pressure became too much. Blood welled up in his throat, and he spat it out onto the deck.
It was the first time he had been injured since arriving in the world of pirates.
"Takumi!" Enel shouted, panic flooding his voice.
Marco's eyes widened. "Pops, that's enough! He's just a kid."
Whitebeard, seeing Takumi cough up blood, lowered his weapon. His expression shifted to one of grudging respect. "Gurararara! Impressive. Looks like Marco wasn't wrong about you. To take that strike and stay standing as long as you did… Your strength is something to be reckoned with, even on the Grand Line. But if you want to survive in the New World, you've got some growing to do."
Takumi sheathed Lake Toya and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.
Enel rushed to his side. "You okay?"
Takumi shook his head and wordlessly pulled his feet free from the deck's wooden planks.
In a pure swordsmanship contest, losing to Whitebeard was nothing to be ashamed of. He accepted it.
"Takumi," Whitebeard grinned, his voice booming. "Be my son."
Takumi: "…"
"I refuse," he answered flatly.
"Gurararara!" Whitebeard roared with laughter. "Marco told me you were a strange one. I hear you want to be a traveler?"
Takumi gave a curt nod.
Whitebeard's grin widened. "My crew isn't like any other pirate crew out there. To me, my crew members are family—my most precious treasure. I'll protect each and every one of you with everything I've got. Takumi, you're still young, with a lot of room to grow. There are plenty of people out there who are stronger than you, especially in the New World. But if you become my son, as long as I'm around, no one will dare lay a hand on you. And you'd have complete freedom—you wouldn't even have to sail with me if you didn't want to."
"That won't be necessary." Takumi's response was as cold as ever. "I don't need a father, and I certainly don't need anyone's protection. I appreciate the offer, but I'll pass."
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!"
************
Please support me on Ko-fi at ko-fi.com/gered to read up to chapter 190!
您可能也喜歡