The three of them were chatting on the deck when a loud shout rang out from the Moby Dick’s crow’s nest.
“Pirate ship spotted five nautical miles ahead!” The crew members gathered across the deck immediately sprang into action.
Crates of cannonballs were moved into position, and everyone gripped their weapons, preparing for battle.
Five nautical miles was already close.
With both ships sailing toward each other, a fight could break out at any moment.
“Are we going to fight?” Teach asked.
“That’s up to Pops,” Vista replied confidently.
“We just need to be ready.
The moment he gives the order, we’ll charge over and deal with them.” He gave little thought to the still-unidentified enemy.
Aside from the handful of pirate crews they needed to treat with caution, the Whitebeard Pirates had no reason to fear anyone else.
The sea was vast, and the chances of encountering one of those few crews were extremely low.
Whitebeard emerged from the captain’s cabin with Murakumogiri in hand.
He strode to the bow and stared at the approaching ship.
“It’s the Red Wolf Pirates!” the lookout shouted as the ship drew closer.
“Their captain has a bounty of 230 million Berries!” For pirates, a bounty represented strength and status to a certain extent.
“Pops, should we take them out?” Teach asked as he approached Whitebeard.
“Gurararara!” “You decide.
If you want to fight, then fight!” Whitebeard looked at Marco, Teach, and the others gathered beside him.
They were his most outstanding sons—the ones who would shoulder the crew’s greatest responsibilities in the future.
They exchanged glances before Teach spoke first.
“Let’s fight.
We’ll take them down!” “It’s been too long since I had a proper fight!” Vista said, gripping his twin swords.
Jozu clenched his fists without speaking, but the eagerness in his expression was unmistakable.
Like Vista, Thatch wielded two blades, though no matter how one looked at them, they resembled kitchen knives.
He signaled Teach with his eyes, indicating that he would watch his back.
As the older one, Thatch believed it was his responsibility to look after Teach during his first battle with the crew.
Marco held a long sword in his right hand and sighed helplessly.
“Since all of you want to fight, then let’s fight.” Aside from Teach, Marco possessed the greatest talent among them, but his fighting spirit was not particularly strong.
That could be seen from his future decision to remain in Whitebeard’s homeland and work as a doctor after the Whitebeard Pirates were shattered by Teach.
If Straw Hat Luffy, whom Marco regarded as the inheritor of Ace’s will, had not become involved in a major conflict, Marco might have remained there and lived peacefully for the rest of his life.
Marco lacked the drive to become the strongest.
He was perfectly suited to being a second-in-command: calm, gentle, dependable, meticulous, and powerful.
However, in this chaotic sea, he was not suited to lead.
As the distance between the ships narrowed, the Red Wolf Pirates finally recognized them.
“Captain, it’s the great pirate Whitebeard!” The announcement caused an uproar aboard their ship.
Whitebeard was a terrifying man.
His name alone was enough to make his enemies tremble.
“Quick!
Turn around and run!” Red Wolf shouted in panic.
The Red Wolf Pirates desperately tried to reverse course, but it was already too late.
With Teach and the others hunting him like a pack of wolves, where could this lone wolf flee on the open sea?
“Boom!
Boom!
Boom!” The Whitebeard Pirates’ cannons opened fire.
They first suppressed the enemy with cannon fire, damaging their ship, crushing their morale, and preventing them from escaping.
As the two ships drew closer, the bombardment stopped.
Rakuyo swung his flail.
“I’ll go first!
Follow me!” As the second-strongest person aboard at present, he usually led the charge whenever Whitebeard chose not to fight.
However, it would not be long before several others surpassed him.
The chain in Rakuyo’s hand extended rapidly.
He hurled the flail’s jawed head onto the enemy ship, wrapping the chain around its mast several times.
The chain contracted, pulling him across the gap.
The moment he landed, Rakuyo swung his weapon and forced back the pirates rushing toward him.
“Let’s go!” Teach wore the three-clawed gauntlet on his right hand, with his revolver tucked into the back of his waistband.
He stepped back, gathered strength in his legs, and leaped onto the enemy ship, landing beside Rakuyo.
Marco and the others followed closely behind, jumping across one after another.
Most of them were still teenagers, with only Vista and Thatch being slightly older.
None had mastered Moonwalk well enough to use it in battle.
The ship possessed training manuals for the Six Powers, but they had only recently begun learning them.
“Hahaha!
Let’s slaughter them all!” Teach laughed arrogantly.
Those who had crossed first were quickly surrounded.
They stood back-to-back, facing the enemies closing in around them.
Whitebeard stood on the Moby Dick’s railing with Murakumogiri in hand, watching his surrounded sons.
He was in no hurry to intervene.
This battle was meant to train them.
If Whitebeard acted, he could shatter the enemy ship with a single punch, leaving nothing for his sons to do.
He merely watched.
If his sons found themselves in true danger, his overwhelming Conqueror’s Haki would immediately bring the situation under control.
“Quick, ram their ship!” “We need to get over there before they’re attacked from both sides!” The weaker crew members still aboard the Moby Dick shouted anxiously.
Unlike Teach and the others, they lacked the strength to leap across the gap and had to wait until the ships were closer.
“Whitebeard, I never provoked you!” Red Wolf shouted toward him.
“There’s no grudge between us.
Why don’t we pretend we never saw each other and go our separate ways?” He had no desire to fight.
The people who had boarded his ship already looked difficult to handle, and Whitebeard’s silent presence made him tremble with fear.
Whitebeard ignored him and continued watching his sons.
“Hahaha!
You’re too naive,” Teach mocked.
“This is how pirates live.
When we meet, we fight.
The winner takes everything, and the loser has nothing to complain about.” “What’s wrong?
Did seeing Pops frighten you so badly that you lost the will to fight?” “Brat!” Red Wolf gritted his teeth.
With a bounty exceeding 200 million Berries, he possessed considerable strength.
Yet an unknown brat was now lecturing him.
If Whitebeard had not been watching, he would have torn Teach’s mouth apart.
“I’ll give you all my treasure!” Red Wolf continued shouting at Whitebeard.
“Let me go this once!” “If we kill you, your treasure will still belong to us!” Teach tightened his grip on the gauntlet and lunged toward Red Wolf.
“Claw Strike!” The moment he attacked, the others also charged at the pirates surrounding them.
“Awooo!” Red Wolf released a long howl.
His body rapidly transformed, expanding as his face stretched into a muzzle.
Sharp fangs emerged from his mouth, his hands became claws, and bright red fur spread across his body.
In an instant, he had transformed into a red-furred werewolf.
He was clearly no ordinary Zoan user.
He possessed an Ancient Zoan, Red Wolf model, which granted a far greater increase in strength than an ordinary Zoan.