“Who are those people?!” “Hey…
you two!!
Come back!!” The commotion from the pirates behind drew the attention of both Golden Lion and Roger.
They turned to look simultaneously…
but their reactions were completely different.
Roger froze for a moment, then a look of pleasant surprise spread across his face.
“That’s…” He realized it was Richard, that young friend he’d taken such a liking to.
To think we’d run into each other again here…
what a coincidence.
Golden Lion, on the other hand, furrowed his brows, scrutinizing the small boats as they drifted swiftly closer.
Each one bore a majestic, solemn throne.
Richard sat upright, one leg crossed elegantly, his expression calm and composed.
From Black Rose to this place had taken nearly a month or two, giving Mihawk plenty of experience to grow.
Both brothers looked somewhat weathered…
Richard had grown some stubble, and his face was no longer so fair.
But he looked even more like a true hero.
He unclipped the wine gourd from his waist and tossed it over to Roger on the Oro Jackson.
Plop.
As he caught it, Roger could feel the coolness of the liquid within.
“Well…
a man like you, showing up here…
are you here to pledge your allegiance to me?” “No…
just wanted you to try some new wine.” It wasn’t easy to find a good drinking companion.
Roger and Richard had talked a lot that day…
about freedom, about responsibility.
And about adventure and comrades.
As someone who would single-handedly destroy a nation for the sake of his crewmates…
whether Roger was good or bad aside…
being his friend was a comfortable experience.
And since Richard was traveling anyway, and the timing of the Edd War was approaching, he figured he might as well come directly here to drink with him.
“But I’ve got a problem right now…
you see this lineup?” Roger pointed ahead and behind them.
Golden Lion, watching from the front, swallowed the words he had been about to say.
He decided to see what this young brat would do.
He wasn’t old, yet he gave off such a mature vibe…
so strange.
Richard glanced back at the people behind him and said calmly: “Them?
Nothing to worry about.” Another blunt, unguarded statement.
And those skilled in Observation Haki heard every word.
“What?!?!” “That guy!!
What an arrogant prick.” “Damn it…” The captains who had followed all the way from the Blue Sky Sea suddenly had veins bulging on their foreheads.
Being dismissed as “nothing to worry about” by someone so young was more than a little humiliating.
Crocodile, clad in a large black fluffy cape, widened his eyes, but a slight smile tugged at the corner of his mouth…
whether it was a laugh or a sign of anger was unclear.
In any case, a surge of rage ignited within him.
“You know I’m here…
you know I just challenged you…
and you still brush it off so casually, you little brat.
I’ll make you pay for this.” Thud.
He flickered…
blurring like a breeze sweeping into a house…
and in the blink of an eye, he was standing on the deck of the Oro Jackson.
Richard boarded the ship, his younger brother Mihawk following behind him.
With a black top hat perched on his head, Mihawk had also matured significantly.
And Richard, as always, remained unruffled…
even in the presence of Golden Lion, one of the sea’s three great legends.
“Your strength has grown again,” Roger couldn’t help but remark.
It was as if Richard was some kind of monster, growing stronger every single day.
By now, Rayleigh, Gaban, Bullet, and the others had all come over to greet him.
Only Shanks stole a few glances at Richard before running over to Mihawk, slapping him on the shoulder and saying casually: “Hey…
you came to save me when I was in danger!
I didn’t expect you to be so loyal!!!” “Alright then…
I’ll acknowledge you as a friend!!!” “Tehehe…” Shanks grinned widely.
In a time of crisis, seeing Mihawk again was truly heartwarming.
“I just…” Mihawk scratched his head.
“Came out traveling with my brother.
I didn’t know we were coming here either.” “Come on, come on,” Shanks stood on tiptoe and threw an arm around his shoulder.
“We’re already friends…
no need to be shy.” Mihawk’s face flushed slightly.
He stole a glance at his brother, and seeing that he didn’t scold him for such an informal gesture, he relaxed a little and went off to the side with Shanks to hang out with Buggy.
“And you’re still in the mood to play!!!
Shanks, I beg you to grow up already…
you’re such a handful!!” Buggy’s loud voice came from the other side of the deck.
“No…
those enemy ships definitely have treasure maps on board.” “Eeeh!!!” Buggy’s expression instantly froze, after all, treasure maps meant treasure!
“Hmm…
you’re right.
We should find a way to take down a ship and loot the treasure!
Mwehahaha…
Lord Buggy is joining the battle!” Mihawk: “…” Richard overheard this and burst out laughing.
With Mihawk’s personality…
stuck with those two wild ones…
it must have been quite a headache for him.
“Hey!!!
You brat!!” Golden Lion, aboard the towering Admiral’s Flagship, stared down at Richard with a displeased expression.
“Now’s not the time for you and Roger to play house with your childish personalities!
Get a grip on reality…
or you’ll end up dead at sea, and you’ll have no one to blame but yourself.” He suddenly grinned maliciously.
“Wouldn’t your parents be worried, you poor child?” Richard smiled calmly.
“Ah…
if I had any, they probably would be.” If I had any… What a…
heartbreaking thing to say.
If he did have parents, he probably wouldn’t have turned out so gentle and dependable, Roger thought.
Just as the word “gentle” was being etched onto Richard’s character in Roger’s mind…
He moved.
His left hand pushed against the hilt of Shintei…
a spark of gold light appeared.
His right hand gripped the handle, and with a single forward stride, he swung in one sweeping motion.
BOOM!!!
But it was two sword beams.
One shot toward Golden Lion’s flagship…
the other toward the escort vessel beside it.
SHINGGG!!!
The towering, sky-rending blade-light cleaved through their ships, slicing a perfectly smooth cut straight across.
But because the flagship was so massive, the cut only went a third of the way through before triggering a massive explosion, sending a cloud of smoke and debris billowing upward.
The smaller escort vessel, however, was bisected cleanly by a green flash from Yoru.
At that moment…
Across the entire Edd Sea…
there was absolute silence!