"You actually didn't pass out?" Marco said in shock.
A person's first impression really was too important. Marco's first impression of Baichuan had been that of a thin, frail sickly guy, even though the two of them had already exchanged several rounds in battle.
Baichuan gave him a mysterious smile. Then an incredibly powerful burst of Conqueror's Haki swept over Marco's entire body for just an instant before vanishing, as if it had never happened at all.
"You actually have Conqueror's Haki?" Marco exclaimed. The shock in his heart was no less than an earthquake.
"What's so surprising about that? Why can't I have Conqueror's Haki?"
"Nothing. I'm just a little shocked."
Marco felt deeply unbalanced now. He himself had not even awakened Conqueror's Haki yet, and he did not even know if he ever would.
At that moment, he suddenly felt like Baichuan had outdone him.
"That kid on your ship really is something else," Kozuki Oden said in astonishment as he drank with Rayleigh and Gaban.
Although Baichuan's Conqueror's Haki had only flashed for a moment, none of the people still awake at this point were simple characters. Their senses were all extraordinarily sharp.
"If he keeps growing like this, then your ship is going to produce another terrifying figure."
Oden sighed with emotion.
At present, the Whitebeard Pirates only had two top-tier fighters: Captain Whitebeard Newgate and Second Division Commander Kozuki Oden. As for the others, like Marco and Jozu, they still had not fully matured.
But in another two days, the Whitebeard Pirates' top combatant lineup might be reduced to just Whitebeard alone.
After all, Roger's goal right now was to bring Kozuki Oden onto his ship, and the ones tasked with persuading him were Rayleigh and Gaban. Otherwise, the three of them would not be sticking so closely together all the time.
Another two days and two nights passed, and at last, the sounds coming from the other island finally ceased.
The battle that had lasted three days and three nights had finally come to an end.
"Bring the booze!"
At that moment, a deep, powerful voice reached the ears of everyone on the neighboring island.
It was Whitebeard.
"Oden, come over here too."
That was Roger's voice.
He did not know how much progress Rayleigh and Gaban had made in persuading Oden, so he intended to try for himself too, openly poaching someone right in front of Whitebeard.
Oden let out a helpless smile. Roger's intentions were obvious to everyone.
Then, carrying two large jugs of sake, he leaped over to that island.
The moment Oden arrived, what came into view were the two men sitting cross-legged on the ground.
Their clothes were already in tatters, and the blood flowing from their bodies had long since dried. They looked utterly battered.
"Pops, are you alright?" Oden asked.
Although Oden's strength was not much weaker than Whitebeard's, he respected Whitebeard immensely, because Whitebeard could be said to have been the one who guided him onto this path.
"I'm fine. Just a few small injuries. Nothing worth worrying about."
After saying that, Whitebeard burst into laughter, looking to be in an extremely good mood.
Could it be that Pops won this battle? Oden thought to himself.
"Oden, what do you say? Want to come stay on my ship for a while?" Roger invited him directly.
But before Oden could say anything, Whitebeard, who was sitting opposite Roger, spoke first.
"Roger, what do you mean by that?"
Whitebeard's eyes sharpened, and the aura around him made it look as if another great battle could break out at any moment.
"I mean exactly what I said. I want Oden to join my ship," Roger said with a grin, completely ignoring Whitebeard's pressure.
"That's impossible. Oden is my family. The entire Whitebeard Pirates are my family. I won't let them leave me."
"That's not for you to decide, Whitebeard. You should ask Oden what he thinks. Isn't that right, Oden?"
Roger and Whitebeard both turned their eyes toward Oden at the same time, making him laugh bitterly.
A long while passed, and when Oden still did not speak, Whitebeard finally asked in a heavy voice, "Do you also want to board his ship?"
From Whitebeard's tone alone, it was obvious how furious he was.
He was merely holding himself back with everything he had.
Then suddenly, Oden gave Whitebeard a formal bow of utmost respect.
He dropped to both knees, pressed his forehead to the ground, and placed both hands folded together in front of his head.
At the sight of that posture, how could Whitebeard not understand what choice Oden had made?
In an instant, the sky, which had only just cleared, grew dark once again.
Wave after wave rose over the sea, each one larger than the last.
The heavens grew darker and darker, and the thick clouds looked as though they were about to crush everything below them.
"What happened? Why is Pops this angry?" Marco stared at the other island with a grave expression. He could hardly wait to rush over and see what had happened.
But in the end, he held himself back.
In a situation like this, Pops probably did not want to be disturbed.
"So it really is because of Oden. Whitebeard's anger is something else," Rayleigh said calmly, a die rolling between his fingers.
Then the die dropped to the ground.
Six.
"Looks like my luck isn't bad."
"We're doomed, we're doomed! It's the end of the world!"
Unlike Rayleigh's calmness, Buggy was in a complete panic. Clutching his head, he ran around wildly. After sailing for so many years, this was the first time he had ever seen a scene like this.
The pressure of it all made Buggy feel as if he could barely breathe.
"Relax, Buggy. The captain's here," Shanks said as he grabbed Buggy by the clothes.
But to his surprise, Buggy's head and feet had already run off, leaving only his upper body caught in Shanks's hand.
Buggy ran around for quite a while before realizing his body was gone.
"Hey, Shanks, why are you holding my body?"
Only after a while, under the astonished gazes of everyone around him, did Buggy finally realize something was wrong. Looking carefully, he saw that Shanks was indeed holding his torso in one hand.
"Oh, it got caught on my hand while you were running around. I was just keeping it safe for you."
"Is that so? Thanks, Shanks."
Buggy reattached his body, then smacked Shanks on the head with one hand, and not gently either.
"Like hell I'd believe that."
Back on Whitebeard's island, Oden still remained kneeling there without moving.
"Pops, I'll only stay on Roger's ship for one year. One year later, whether Roger conquers the New World or not, I will come back."
"Fine."
After a long silence, Whitebeard finally spoke that single word.
"Pops, you agree?" Oden asked in surprise.
Roger was surprised too. He had not expected Whitebeard to agree so decisively. He had already been prepared to fight Whitebeard all over again if necessary.
"Yes. If a child has found his own dream, then I should support it."
As a father figure, Whitebeard truly was beyond qualified.
"Roger, I'm entrusting Oden to you. If anything happens to him after one year, I will never let you off."
Whitebeard looked at Roger as he said it.
If Oden really did suffer something on Roger's ship, Whitebeard truly might end up fighting Roger to the death.
"Don't worry. I'll take good care of him."
"Thank you, Pops."
Oden, who had just straightened up in excitement, bowed low once more.
In the end, the three of them came back from the other island together.
But Whitebeard's expression was ugly, while Roger was all smiles. When the time came to part ways, the two of them did not even say goodbye before leaving in opposite directions.
"Hey, Oden, our ship's this one!" Marco shouted when he saw Oden board the wrong ship.
"Set sail."
Whitebeard's voice rang out.
"But Pops, Oden, he..."
"Set sail."
Whitebeard repeated himself, and this time his tone was so suppressed it felt almost suffocating.
"...Alright. Set sail."
Although Marco did not understand, he still obeyed Whitebeard's order.
Standing aboard Roger's ship, Oden looked at the Moby Dick drifting farther and farther away, his eyes brimming with tears.
"Alright, everyone, let me introduce a new member. Former Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, Kozuki Oden. Give him a warm welcome!"
The moment Roger said it, the entire crew broke into applause.
"So it really worked. Looks like my words were pretty accurate after all."
Rayleigh recalled the six he had rolled earlier.
/-\
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