“Tch!” Whitebeard didn’t say much more, just turned his head and shot Wang Zhi a disdainful glance.
Wang Zhi pretended not to see it, still munching on his pizza, a smug smile hanging at the corner of his mouth.
In the blink of an eye, two days had passed.
Ron and the others had long since arrived at the route provided by the Kuja Pirates, with the monotonous sound of waves slapping against the hull over and over again.
The waiting time was excruciatingly long, especially on such a cramped speedboat.
Even more critical was that they had run out of food a day earlier.
If they couldn’t spot the World Government’s warships soon, they would have no choice but to leave.
However, after these two days of interaction, Whitebeard’s attitude toward Ron had somewhat changed.
At first, he thought Ron was similar to those scoundrels like Golden Lion, but after chatting intermittently, Whitebeard found that Ron didn’t seem too bad a person.
“Well, well, well, it’s your turn, Ron,” Stussy said with a smile, looking at Ron with a hint of anticipation.
Bored out of their minds, Stussy had organized a game for everyone.
The rules were simple: each person took turns sharing their experiences and why they chose to become pirates.
Kaido went first, his story matching the original.
Whitebeard went second.
He didn’tt say much, only briefly mentioning the poverty of his hometown, the collapse of order, and the home he could never return to.
Whether it was Kaido or Whitebeard, their experiences were almost all filled with hardship.
It seemed that misfortune was the norm on these seas.
“Me?” Ron, hearing Stussy call his name, pondered for a few seconds before speaking slowly, “It’s similar to yours.
I never saw my father after I was born and was raised by my grandmother.
When I was 14, my mother was caught using drugs and sent to forced rehabilitation.
On visitation day, she asked me to borrow money.
I turned and walked away—that was the last time I saw her.
When I was 20, my grandmother and grandfather passed away, so I left to become a pirate.”
Ron didn’t know what the key points were; he simply summarized his twenty years on Blue Star in a few words.
The boat fell silent for a moment.
“Drugs?
Forced rehabilitation?” Kaido frowned, finding these terms quite novel.
He mulled them over for a while before suddenly cursing, “Ron, you’re not being honest!
You must be making up stories to fool us!”
“Hahahaha!” Ron burst out laughing.
As he laughed, he thought, yeah, that’s why he wasn’t sad at all about crossing over.
Not one bit.
“You…
really have no sense of sportsmanship,” Stussy complained with a pout, thinking Ron was just spouting nonsense to tease them.
Ron didn’t argue, just shrugged with a smile.
Whitebeard, however, kept his eyes fixed on Ron’s every move.
He didn’t speak, nor did he laugh.
“My turn next, I suppose,” Wang Zhi said with a grin.
“Get lost.
Who cares about your story?” Whitebeard spoke slowly, his tone dripping with undisguised disdain.
“Newgate…
you’re so heartless.
We’re supposed to be partners, you know,” Wang Zhi clutched his chest, putting on an expression of deep anguish.
“Partners?
Idiot, who’s your partner?” Whitebeard continued indifferently, “We’re just temporary collaborators who gathered together by cooperating with Rocks.”
As his words fell, the cabin fell silent once more.
But this time, the silence wasn’t due to Whitebeard’s words, but because everyone simultaneously noticed a massive silhouette appearing at the horizon’s edge.
At first, the silhouette was just a blurry black dot, like a speck of dust at the junction of sea and sky.
But as seconds and minutes passed, it grew clearer and larger, gradually revealing the imposing posture of a giant warship.
“Finally here?!” Kaido abruptly stood up, fists clenched, his eyes flashing with excitement.
He had waited two days, starving for a full day, and that pent-up frustration finally found an outlet.
Whitebeard glanced at the distant warship from the corner of his eye.
“Don’t celebrate too early.
Whether the intel from those Kuja Pirates is accurate or not remains to be seen.”
“Any battle plan, Newgate?” Wang Zhi’s tone grew more serious.
“Yes,” Whitebeard replied promptly.
“Everyone fend for yourselves.”
“…”
Kaido was stunned for a moment, then the corner of his mouth curled into a somewhat ferocious smile.
“Fine then, we’ll each rely on our own skills.”
At the same time, aboard the World Government warship.
The naval soldier in charge of reconnaissance raised his binoculars, his pupils suddenly contracting.
He rubbed his eyes and looked again.
After confirming, his expression changed drastically.
“Tap tap tap tap…”
A series of hurried footsteps echoed through the ship’s corridor.
“Reporting to Vice Admiral Garp, Admiral Sengoku!”
A booming voice sounded at the entrance to the ship’s hall.
“Enemy ships sighted ahead!
The enemies include Edward Newgate, Buckingham Stussy, Wang Zhi, apprentice Kaido, and…
the recently notorious ‘Cold-Blooded Butcher’ Ron!”
Garp, who had been sprawled out sleeping on the sofa, immediately sprang up upon hearing the report.
“Finally some action?” Garp grinned, clenching his fists.
“I almost thought this trip was a waste.”
With that, Garp strode out.
“Hey, Garp, wait!” Sengoku hurriedly called after him, frowning deeply.
“You’re too impatient!
The plan hasn’t been fully deployed yet.”
But Garp’s steps only paused slightly.
Without turning his head, he waved his hand dismissively.
“Plan?
Fists are the best plan!”
“You idiot,” Sengoku muttered, though he didn’t stop him.
After all, this mission’s plan was perfect—they had successfully deceived the Rocks Pirates.