“Pops, look over there!
Someone’s being chased by a Sea King.” A young man with a few tufts of blond hair clung to the mast and gazed into the distance.
“Should we save him?
He looks like he’s about to give out.” A towering man sat in a chair at the center of the deck.
He had long, wavy blond hair and wore a captain’s hat.
His most striking feature was the crescent-shaped white mustache beneath his nose—the same one depicted on the ship’s pirate flag.
This was the great pirate Teach had spent years waiting for.
Edward Newgate—Whitebeard.
Whitebeard rose and walked to the edge of the ship.
Standing more than six meters tall, he could clearly see Teach fleeing for his life in the distance.
“Should we help him?” asked a youthful, beautiful woman with blue hair.
“He’s fighting a Sea King in the middle of the ocean.
That’s impressive!” “I think he’s trying to escape…” Several young crew members gathered around Whitebeard and discussed the situation.
“Gurararara!” “What a spirited brat!” Whitebeard burst into laughter.
He could tell that Teach was still young, perhaps even younger than some of his sons, yet he had managed to hold out against a five-hundred-meter Sea King.
The sight made Whitebeard itch to act.
“Let’s save him, Pops,” the blue-haired woman said.
“Fine.
It would be a shame for such an interesting brat to die here.” Whitebeard’s gaze sharpened.
A terrifying aura erupted from his body and surged toward the Sea King pursuing Teach.
The young crew members surrounding him remained completely unaffected.
Meanwhile, Teach continued swimming desperately toward the shallows.
“I can’t die yet!” He gritted his teeth and forced his wounded body onward.
Several deep wounds covered him.
The creature behind him seemed to be in no hurry to kill him, as though it were playing with its prey.
“Roar!” Seeing Teach nearing the shallow waters, the Sea King suddenly increased its speed and opened its enormous jaws once more.
Teach sensed it through his Observation Haki.
His expression hardened.
He could not keep running.
Nor did he want to.
Teach abruptly turned around and swam straight toward the gaping maw behind him.
“Bang!” The Sea King’s rows of sharp teeth snapped shut.
At the final moment, Teach slipped inside its mouth before its jaws fully closed.
The enormous maw contracted, trying to force him against its razor-sharp teeth.
Teach grabbed one of the inward-facing teeth and struck it with his fist.
“Bang!
Bang!
Bang!” Ignoring his injuries, he punched with all his strength.
“Crack!” The tooth finally broke.
Teach seized it and wielded it like a weapon, swinging wildly and destroying everything around him.
Blood soon poured into the Sea King’s mouth, rising past Teach’s waist.
“Ptooey!” Overwhelmed by the pain, the Sea King spat out Teach along with a torrent of blood.
“Come on!” Teach floated on the surface, clutching the broken tooth as he roared defiantly.
His fighting spirit burned fiercely as he prepared for a battle to the death.
Then the Sea King’s bloodshot eyes suddenly went blank.
Its massive body convulsed, its eyes rolled back, and it lost consciousness.
Seeing the unconscious Sea King before him, Teach finally relaxed.
The wounds covering his body had continued bleeding throughout the chase.
His vision blurred, and he soon lost consciousness as well.
Before darkness claimed him, two thoughts echoed through his mind.
Did I awaken Conqueror’s Haki?
Finally, I can get some sleep!
Even after losing consciousness, Teach’s body remained afloat.
He had no idea how long he was unconscious.
In a daze, he felt someone feeding him.
Teach slowly opened his eyes.
His vision was blurry, and a throbbing pain in his head made him instinctively raise a hand to his forehead.
Is this a side effect of awakening Conqueror’s Haki?
“You lost too much blood.
That’s why your head hurts,” said the person feeding him.
“Don’t worry.
A few days of rest should be enough.” A headache from blood loss?
Didn’t I awaken Conqueror’s Haki?
Teach focused his vision and studied the person sitting beside him.
The man had orange hair styled into a pompadour and wore a chef’s uniform.
He appeared slightly older than Teach and looked strangely familiar.
Noticing Teach’s confusion, the man introduced himself.
“My name is Thatch.
I’m a chef with the Whitebeard Pirates.” Teach’s eyes widened, and his heart began pounding.
“The Whitebeard Pirates?
As in the Whitebeard whose name echoes across the seas?” “You don’t need to worry.
We may be pirates, but we won’t hurt you.” Thatch smiled.
“Our captain—Pops—thinks very highly of you.” Thatch assumed Teach was frightened.
That was hardly surprising.
Whitebeard was a man whose name alone was enough to terrify countless people.
Whitebeard thinks highly of me?
Teach laughed inwardly.
The man he had waited so many years for had finally appeared—and already held him in high regard.
Things could not have gone any better.
Teach looked at Thatch with mixed emotions.
“Were you the one who saved me?” “Not exactly.
Pops used Conqueror’s Haki to knock out the Sea King.
Marco and Jozu were the ones who pulled you from the water.” So it wasn’t my Conqueror’s Haki after all?
“Well, I should still thank you for feeding me.” Thatch gave him a hearty smile.
“Don’t worry about it.
I’m a chef.
Taking care of everyone’s meals is part of my job.” “Is that so?” Teach murmured.
“I want to meet the great pirate Whitebeard.” Thatch did not refuse.
He put away the bowl and utensils before standing.
“Follow me.” When they reached the deck, Teach saw crew members carrying supplies back and forth.
He glanced around and realized that the ship was docked at Bass Island’s only port.
The moment Teach stepped out of the cabin, he saw Whitebeard standing by the railing with his back to him.
He was tall, imposing, and awe-inspiring.
Even beneath his coat, Teach could sense the explosive power contained within that enormous body.
Could I survive one of his punches?
Teach instinctively compared their strength.
As I am now, he could probably reduce me to pulp with a single blow.
“Pops, he’s awake,” Thatch announced.
“Gurararara!” Whitebeard laughed heartily as he turned around.
“Brat, are you from this island?” Teach looked up at Whitebeard’s face and briefly fell into a trance.
Yes.
That was the laugh.
Pops’s laugh.
Zehahahaha!
Teach laughed wildly in his heart.
I’ve finally found you again, Pops!
This time, I won’t betray you.
I’ll become your most filial and outstanding son—and personally see you off!
“Pops asked you a question,” Thatch whispered, nudging him from the side.
Teach’s reaction did not surprise him.
Most people were overwhelmed by Whitebeard’s presence when meeting him for the first time.
“Yes.
I’m from this island.” “What’s your name?” Whitebeard asked.
“Marshall D.
Teach!” “D…” Whitebeard regarded him thoughtfully.
“Where are your parents, brat?” Teach hesitated.
Is he hoping I’m an orphan?
“They’re dead,” he answered without emotion.
A trace of sadness appeared on Thatch’s face.
All of Whitebeard’s sons aboard the ship were orphans who had grown up without parents.
That was part of Whitebeard’s greatness.
He had gathered these abandoned children, helped them survive in this chaotic world, and eventually became the strongest.
“Hmm…” Whitebeard considered him for a moment.
“We’ll be staying here for a few days.
You can remain aboard the ship for now and have the doctor change your bandages.” “Thank you,” Teach replied.
Why didn’t he invite me to join immediately?
Teach was confused, but he was not in a hurry.
Whitebeard clearly bore him no ill will.
Thatch had also said that Whitebeard thought highly of him, and Teach had already revealed that he had no parents.
There was no way Whitebeard would refuse to accept him as a son.