Newgate looked at the scene before him.
A group of people with completely different personalities…
Yet all gathered around the same table, sharing food and laughter.
Something deep inside him stirred.
He remembered his wandering past.
He remembered why he had first set sail.
Wasn’t this exactly what he’d been searching for?
A family.
People he could trust with his back.
People he could feast and drink with.
People worth risking his life to protect.
A single hot tear slipped down his rugged face without warning.
It fell into his bowl.
It wasn’t sorrow.
It was the emotion of finally finding a place to belong.
“Gurararara…” Newgate lowered his head, wiping his face with one enormous hand before letting out a quiet chuckle.
Then he looked toward the little chef who was only eight years old…
The boy who had conquered his soul with a single meal.
Next, he looked at the captain whose wild ambition inspired even the strongest warriors to follow him.
He made his decision.
“Hey…
little chef.” His voice was slightly hoarse.
Ryne looked up calmly.
“Your cooking…” “…is incredible.” A broad smile spread across Newgate’s face—warmer and freer than ever before.
“I’ve decided.” “I’m joining you.” His declaration struck the deck like another thunderbolt, no less shocking than the battle he’d just fought with Rocks.
Gatz froze halfway through stuffing a crab leg into his mouth.
His jaw dropped.
Dorum’s brief happiness at repairing part of the ship instantly vanished.
One Rocks was already enough to push this ship to its limits.
Another monster of the same caliber?
The vessel would probably sink tomorrow.
Even Silver paused while polishing his spear.
His sharp gaze shifted between Rocks and Newgate, silently evaluating what this decision would mean for the crew.
The smile disappeared from Rocks’ face.
He simply stared at Newgate.
His expression revealed nothing.
Only the bubbling stew…
And the waves against the hull…
Broke the silence.
Newgate ignored everyone’s reactions.
He calmly took another sip of soup before looking directly at Rocks.
“But let me make one thing clear.” “I’m not joining as your subordinate.” “I, Edward Newgate, will never stand beneath anyone.” “I acknowledge your strength.” “And I like the atmosphere aboard this ship.” “We can be comrades.” “Allies.” “We’ll drink together.” “Fight together.” “And turn the whole world upside down together.” “But my crew will be my family.” “I’ll protect them.” “Our relationship is one of equals.” His words rang with unwavering conviction.
He wasn’t asking to become someone’s follower.
He was proposing an alliance.
It was confidence bordering on pride.
When Rocks heard Newgate’s declaration…
The seriousness on his face vanished.
Then he burst into laughter louder than ever before.
“WAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” He stood and walked over, slapping Newgate’s shoulder with tremendous force.
“Well said!” “I’ve never wanted a pack of obedient lapdogs!” “What I need…” “…are kings capable of standing beside me.” His eyes blazed with unconcealed ambition.
Looking directly into Newgate’s eyes, he spoke one word at a time.
“I don’t care whether you call yourself a subordinate…” “A comrade…” “Or family.” “As long as we share the same destination…” “As long as we can still sit around the same table eating meat and drinking together…” “Then we’re all on the same ship.” “From today onward…” “Edward Newgate…” “You’re the number two man of the Rocks Pirates.” “GURARARARA!” “Then it’s settled!” Two men destined to stand atop the era reached an agreement that would one day reshape the world.
There were no elaborate ceremonies.
No solemn oaths.
Only two massive, battle-scarred sake bowls crashing together.
“Cheers!” “Cheers!” Strong liquor burned their throats.
Their spirits soared.
“YES!” “We’ve got another drinking buddy!” Finally recovering from his shock, Gatz enthusiastically grabbed his barrel of liquor and rushed toward Newgate.
Before he even got close…
The overwhelming aura Newgate naturally emitted nearly knocked him flat on his face.
“Kid…” “You’ve still got a long way to go.” Newgate laughed.
Rather than getting upset, Gatz scratched his head sheepishly.
“Of course!” “Big Brother Newgate…” “No…” “Big Brother Whitebeard!” “Please take care of me from now on!” Looking at Newgate’s distinctive white mustache, he casually coined the nickname on the spot.
“Whitebeard?” Newgate stroked his mustache.
“It does fit.” “Gurararara…” “Call me whatever you want.” Nearby, Dorum looked ready to cry again.
Notebook in hand, he frantically calculated the vessel’s maximum weight capacity while sketching increasingly absurd reinforcement plans.
“No…” “I have to get lumber from the Adam Tree…” “Otherwise this ship’s going to fall apart from the shockwaves every time those two exchange punches…” “And maybe reinforce the hull with Seastone…” “What if they get drunk and start using Devil Fruit powers on board?” “And our food stores…” “With another bottomless pit aboard…” “Head Chef’s going to need a much larger cold storage room…” The shipwright’s constant muttering became an unintentionally hilarious backdrop to the celebration.
Meanwhile, Ryne quietly handed the last piece of bread to Silver before beginning to clear away the dishes.
For him…
One more crew member simply meant preparing one extra meal each day.
Besides…
Newgate’s body was extraordinarily powerful.
His vitality burned like a blazing furnace.
He was the perfect subject for testing the limits of the Way of Food.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Ryne’s lips.
It resembled a scientist discovering the perfect research specimen.
The celebration welcoming their newest crewmate lasted well into the night.
Empty plates littered the deck.
Barrels lay scattered everywhere.
Gatz finally succeeded in challenging Newgate to a drinking contest.
The outcome…
Was exactly as expected.
He drank himself unconscious and fell asleep hugging the anchor chain, mumbling, “One…
more…
barrel…” Rocks and Newgate sat side by side beneath the stars.
Talking.
Drinking.
Occasionally laughing.
After a while, Rocks asked, “Why did you become a pirate?” Newgate took another drink.
His gaze drifted toward the horizon.
“My dream’s simple.” “I want a family.” He looked at the sleeping figures scattered across the deck.
A gentle smile crossed his face.
“A family I can laugh with.” “Drink with.” “And give my life to protect.” Rocks was silent for a moment.
Then he scoffed.
“What a boring dream.” He drained the last of his drink.
Yet his voice became surprisingly resolute.
“But…” “Since you’ve boarded my ship…” “I’ll help you make that dream come true.” “From this day forward…” “Everyone aboard this ship…” “…is your family.” Newgate turned to look at the man whose face overflowed with ambition and arrogance.
After a long silence…
He nodded firmly.
“Gurararara…” “You’re one hell of a bastard…” “But every now and then…” “You really know what to say.” The laughter of the two men echoed far into the quiet night.
That evening…
Over food and liquor…
A legendary partnership that would one day make even the World Government tremble was born.
Whitebeard Edward Newgate’s arrival transformed the already extraordinary pirate ship.
The most obvious change…
Was daily life becoming far livelier.
Every morning, the crew no longer woke to the sound of Dorum hammering away at repairs.
Instead…
They were awakened by the terrifying rumbling produced whenever Rocks and Newgate trained together on deck.
They never actually fought seriously.
Yet even the occasional clash of their Conqueror’s Haki made the entire ship tremble.
More than once, Gatz jolted awake believing they’d sailed into another storm.
Gatz also became Whitebeard’s biggest admirer.
He no longer followed Rocks everywhere.
Now it was, “Big Brother Whitebeard this…” “Big Brother Whitebeard that…” He constantly asked Whitebeard how to make his punches heavier.
Whenever Whitebeard happened to be in a good mood…
He offered a few pointers.
Those simple lessons alone dramatically increased Gatz’s destructive power.
Silver, meanwhile, had found the perfect sparring partner.
He challenged Whitebeard almost every day.
Every single attack…
Was effortlessly stopped with a single finger.
Yet training before someone overwhelmingly stronger deepened his understanding of spear combat.
His thrusts became faster.
More deceptive.
More lethal.
Dorum entered a different kind of bliss.
He discovered that despite Whitebeard’s rough appearance…
The man possessed almost animal-like instincts regarding ships.
He could hear which planks were straining.
He could sense the weakest point of the keel.
From then on…
Dorum followed him around endlessly.
“Lord Whitebeard…” “Does this mast sound healthy to you?” “Lord Whitebeard…” “Could you check whether this replacement plank’s watertight?” Whitebeard was endlessly annoyed.
Still…
Seeing the shipwright’s almost obsessive love for ships…
He patiently helped inspect everything.
One asked questions.
The other answered.
Somehow…
A future Emperor of the Sea and a shipwright ended up holding detailed discussions about ship maintenance.
And at the center of it all…
Was Ryne’s kitchen.
With someone like Whitebeard aboard—a man whose appetite and energy requirements bordered on monstrous— Ryne’s cooking gained a much larger stage.
He began experimenting with bolder…
More ambitious dishes.
For example…
He combined electrically charged eels with a numbing flower that stimulated the nervous system to create— Lightning Mapo Tofu.
The dish dramatically increased reaction speed for a short period.
Another experiment involved boiling the shells of deep-sea volcanic crabs into a mineral-rich broth before adding finely ground iron ore to create— Iron Wall Seafood Porridge.
For ordinary people…
Such dishes would have been outright poisonous.
But for monsters like Rocks and Whitebeard…
They functioned like extraordinary enhancement potions.
Under the influence of the Way of Food, the overall strength of the Rocks Pirates continued snowballing at an astonishing rate.
One afternoon…
Ryne was cleaning a giant deep-sea octopus he’d just caught.
Suddenly…
A familiar notification appeared before him.
Ding!
Crew member Edward Newgate has formed a deeper bond with the host and the crew.
His powerful life force has resonated with the Way of Food.
Exclusive Ability Upgraded: Way of Food (Resonance Version) Way of Food (Resonance Version): Dishes prepared by the host now provide moderate permanent physical enhancement to allies.
Additionally, there is an extremely small chance that a special energy will be deposited within the eater’s body, lying dormant until a critical moment, when it will automatically activate.
Ryne paused.
A moderate permanent enhancement…
And dormant special energy?
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