Teach slowly returned to the cabin alone.
No matter what happened, he had no intention of leaving the ship.
“Pops, Teach…” Thatch began hesitantly.
As an orphan himself, he wanted to help Teach and persuade Whitebeard to take him in.
“Silly son.
I know.” Whitebeard placed his enormous, fan-like hand over Thatch’s head.
He watched Teach’s retreating figure with a smile, recalling the boy’s unyielding determination in the face of death earlier.
That brat is truly exceptional.
He has the potential to become a leader among my sons.
Whitebeard was a devoted father.
He knew that he would eventually grow old, while his sons would still be young.
Given the Whitebeard Pirates’ fearsome reputation, how could they protect themselves from the countless ambitious people eyeing them without a top-tier fighter?
Among his current sons, only Marco—who had followed him from a young age, remained by his side the longest, and was one of his most beloved—had even a slight chance of becoming a top-tier powerhouse in the future.
However, Whitebeard understood that Marco’s personality was not suited for it.
He lacked the fierce ambition needed to become a monster on Whitebeard’s level.
A person’s potential could be improved with the right Devil Fruit, but their fundamental nature was much harder to change.
That nature often determined the heights someone could reach.
Strength was closely tied to one’s spirit, and the three forms of Haki were the clearest examples.
Teach’s sudden appearance pleased Whitebeard greatly.
For now, he wanted to observe whether the boy was truly worth nurturing.
Teach lay on the bed, replaying his conversation with Whitebeard and considering his future.
One thing was certain: now that he had boarded the Moby Dick, he was not getting off.
Unless Whitebeard personally punched him overboard, Teach would stubbornly cling to the ship.
As he rested, he used Observation Haki to sense what was happening at the dock.
The islanders were in high spirits, selling their limited supplies to the Whitebeard Pirates in exchange for money while waiting for the next merchant ship to arrive.
Teach remained in bed until nightfall, sensing his wounds heal rapidly throughout the day.
“Teach, there’s a feast on deck.
Do you want to join us?” Thatch suddenly appeared at the cabin door.
He already regarded Teach as a future brother.
Although he did not know exactly what Pops was thinking, he was certain Teach would eventually join them.
“Sure.” Still wrapped in bandages, Teach followed him outside.
The deck was bustling with activity.
Several familiar faces Teach had not seen during the day had now appeared.
“Marco, another drink!” A man with dreadlocks—who reminded Teach of someone named Jack Sparrow from his strange memories—raised his mug.
“Bring it on.” The pineapple-headed young man never turned down a challenge and drained a large cup in one gulp.
Teach studied these familiar strangers with great interest.
They were all so young.
“Teach, come over here.” Worried that Teach might struggle to fit in, Thatch pulled him toward the group holding a drinking contest.
He began introducing everyone one by one.
Whitebeard, seated at the head of the feast, silently approved of Thatch’s actions.
In fact, he had been the one who told Thatch to bring Teach over.
“These are Marco and Jozu.
They’re the ones who pulled you from the water.” Thatch pointed toward the two young men.
“And this is Rakuyo, the strongest among us after Pops.” He gestured toward the dreadlocked man who had challenged Marco to drink.
“His weapon is interesting.
It’s a flail that can move on its own.” Teach already knew who Rakuyo was.
At twenty-five years old, he was currently the eldest of Whitebeard’s sons.
Most of the others were still teenagers, making Rakuyo the strongest among them for the time being.
“Teach, have a drink!” Rakuyo threw an arm around Teach’s neck and handed him a large mug of beer.
Although Pops had not officially accepted Teach yet, inviting him to the feast made it clear that he would soon become one of their brothers.
“Zehahaha!
Fine—cheers!” Teach disliked having another man so close to him, and he disliked casual physical contact even more.
What he wanted was for others to fear and revere him, not treat him with such familiarity.
However, he did not yet possess the strength to command that kind of respect.
After Teach finished his drink, Thatch continued leading him around the feast.
“This is Whitey Bay, our big sister and the most beautiful woman in the entire crew!” Someone immediately interrupted.
“She’s the only woman in the crew.
Doesn’t that automatically make her the most beautiful?” “Bang!” Whitey Bay punched the talkative man to the deck.
Thatch quickly pulled Teach away and lowered his voice.
“You’d better not provoke Whitey Bay.
She’s terrifying.” After thinking for a moment, he added, “Mostly toward outsiders, though.
If one of us offends her, the worst we’ll get is a beating—just like Vista over there.” Teach shrugged without replying.
In a sea dominated by men, a woman who was not fierce would inevitably be the one who suffered.
The two continued moving through the feast.
Nearly all the future division commanders were present.
Among the captains who would later lead the Whitebeard Pirates’ allied crews, however, Teach had only seen Whitey Bay so far.
Kozuki Oden—the extraordinary man who would one day become Whitebeard’s brother—had yet to appear.
“There’s also a man named Squard who’s affiliated with the Whitebeard Pirates,” Thatch continued diligently.
“He leads his own crew, so he usually doesn’t sail with the Moby Dick.
He only returns at set times to hand over treasure.” Squard, the Great Eddy Spider?
Teach’s lips curved into a faint smile.
That simple-minded man was interesting.
Perhaps he could be useful someday.
After introducing everyone, Thatch brought Teach back to his usual circle, which consisted mostly of the future leading division commanders.
The Whitebeard Pirates already had many members.
Although they all gathered around Pops, smaller circles had naturally formed among them.
“Marco, Jozu, this drink is for you!” Teach raised his mug toward the two men who had rescued him.
A broad, friendly smile appeared on his face—an expression no one on Bass Island had ever seen.
This was his first step toward taking control of the Whitebeard Pirates in the future.
First, he would drink them all under the table and conquer them at the banquet.
The Whitebeard Pirates had come to Bass Island to replenish their supplies.
After living frugally for some time, everyone naturally wanted to enjoy themselves now that food and alcohol were plentiful again.
The feast continued until midnight.
Teach wandered through the crowd carrying a barrel of alcohol, drinking with everyone he encountered.
Whether they had met him before or not, none of them refused.
Most pirates were like that.
They could never resist alcohol and lived by enjoying the present.
By midnight, only Teach and Whitebeard were still standing.
Whitebeard possessed a tremendous tolerance for alcohol.
Teach, meanwhile, remained mentally alert no matter how much he drank.
Alcohol alone could not make him lose consciousness.
“Pops, thank you for saving me!” Teach raised his barrel toward Whitebeard.
Whitebeard did not object to being called Pops and drank deeply from his own barrel.
He looked down at Teach.
In the darkness, his expression was difficult to read.
“Teach, what is your dream?” “My dream?” Teach grinned.
“I’d call it an ambition.” “To become the strongest.
Does that count?” He wanted to inherit everything Whitebeard possessed, so naturally, he had to become the best.
There was no point in hiding it.
Revealing the right amount of ambition would only make Whitebeard value him more.
“Gurararara!
That’s quite an ambition!” Whitebeard laughed loudly, though Teach could not tell whether the answer had satisfied him.
Their conversation ended there.
Once they finished their drinks, Whitebeard called Teach over and had him help carry the unconscious crew members back to their cabins one by one.
Whitebeard had observed Teach throughout the feast.
He neither approved nor disapproved of Teach’s ambition to become the strongest.
Every true powerhouse possessed such a desire—and needed it.
Whitebeard himself was no exception.
In truth, he had already accepted Teach.
Asking him to help carry the others back to their cabins was proof enough.
Only a single sentence remained before their relationship as father and son became official.