"Those two idiots are challenging Whitebeard again."
"Seriously? Weren't they badly hurt last time?"
"Who knows? There's clearly something wrong with both of them."
"You mean with their heads, right?"
The moment word spread that Ace and Luffy were going after Whitebeard again, people across Sky Island rushed over to watch.
There had been little else happening lately, and everyone was growing restless.
Most people capable of reaching Sky Island were far from ordinary.
Aside from the small number who had come with hidden motives, nearly all of them had enough strength to make a name for themselves on the sea.
People like that were hardly known for sitting around peacefully.
More importantly, their opponent was Whitebeard.
His arrival on Sky Island had caused an enormous commotion at first, with everyone speculating about why one of the Emperors of the Sea had appeared there.
But after arriving, Whitebeard had done almost nothing. Ordinary people rarely even saw him, so the excitement gradually died down.
Now that two reckless brats had begun challenging him, no one wanted to miss the spectacle.
…
"Newgate, those two kids are coming again!"
Shiki laughed loudly.
Whitebeard glanced sideways at him.
"There's nothing else to do here anyway. Those two brats…"
He remembered their last challenge two days ago.
The moment he offered to take them as his sons, both boys had completely lost their tempers.
"There's nothing special about them." Linlin's muffled voice came from nearby.
Despite only being on Sky Island for a short time, an endless supply of sweets had already restored her to something close to her old appearance on Whole Cake Island.
The wrinkles that had become so prominent after she lost weight had faded considerably.
She sat before an enormous cake, shoveling pieces into her mouth with both hands as drool occasionally ran down her chin.
She had little interest in Ace and Luffy.
The two boys had some talent, but Linlin had seen plenty of people who were stronger at their age.
Boom!
Whitebeard abruptly rose.
"I've found something that interests me, so neither of you interfere."
With that, he headed outside.
"I couldn't care less about those brats."
Shiki snorted as Whitebeard left, then turned toward Linlin.
"Crazy woman, you've mostly recovered your strength, haven't you?"
Linlin's hands stopped.
She whipped her head around and glared at him.
"Don't look at me like that. With my ability, no one can stop me from leaving. There's no one watching us closely right now. Want to take the chance and escape? You should understand that we may not get many more opportunities."
"Mamamama!"
Linlin suddenly burst into laughter.
"You really are a coward. No wonder you were the first to run away back then. What's wrong? Afraid Cyrus will kill you?"
Shiki's face darkened.
His body floated into the air as he glared at her.
"What? You want to fight me, Golden Lion?"
Linlin looked at him with open contempt.
If Shiki had time to prepare, she would still need to be cautious.
But after losing both legs, his strength had already fallen considerably.
He had also spent his time in Impel Down unable to make proper use of the Float-Float Fruit's greatest advantages.
In a direct fight here, Linlin was confident she would win.
Provided he did not simply flee.
"Don't forget that I only ended up fighting that man because of you."
Shiki's voice was hostile.
"Hah!"
Linlin sneered.
"You came on your own. I never begged you for help. Weren't you the ones who wanted to see how strong he was?"
Shiki's expression stiffened.
He slowly returned to the ground, sat down, and refused to say anything else.
In truth, he understood the situation perfectly well.
Unless he escaped and hid somewhere forever, he would eventually have to face Cyrus again.
Running now would change very little.
Seeing that Shiki had quieted down, Linlin did not continue provoking him.
She understood their position too.
Even if they managed to leave Sky Island, there was nowhere safe for them to go.
…
A small town had recently been built in the forest outside the examination grounds.
It had no ordinary residents. The entire settlement served as the Hunter Guild's branch on Sky Island.
Whitebeard was currently treated as half guest and half prisoner.
The Guild placed no restrictions on him beyond forbidding him from leaving the island.
Ace and Luffy approached the town from a distance, followed by a large crowd trying not to look too obvious.
Neither brother paid any attention to the spectators.
When they spotted Whitebeard's enormous figure ahead, they exchanged a glance and hurried forward.
"Have you two decided to become my sons?"
Before they could reach him, Whitebeard spoke from where he sat cross-legged on the ground, drinking from an enormous bowl of sake.
"Whitebeard! I came to beat you!"
Before Ace could say anything, Luffy raised a fist and shouted.
"Gurararara! You lost last time, and you lost badly."
Whitebeard laughed, though there was no mockery in his voice.
Someone of his strength and status had no need to belittle two children.
Luffy's face turned bright red, and he glanced at Ace.
"You two brats should become my sons."
Whitebeard extended one massive hand toward them.
Far behind the gathered crowd, Cyrus sat on a thick branch of a giant tree, leaning against the trunk.
Seeing Whitebeard reach out, the corner of his mouth twitched.
"Who would agree to become his son?" Zoro muttered, convinced Whitebeard had something wrong with his head.
"Quite a lot of people, actually."
Cyrus glanced at him.
"Nearly everyone in the Whitebeard Pirates was accepted as one of his sons."
"Huh?"
Zoro knew Whitebeard's name, but he had never heard much about the structure of his crew.
"People really agree to that?"
Kuina stared in disbelief too.
"He was once known as the strongest man in the world, a legendary pirate who fought Pirate King Roger as an equal, and one of the Emperors of the Sea."
Cyrus's point was that Whitebeard possessed more than overwhelming strength.
His fame, prestige, and reputation made him an idol to countless pirates.
"But he still lost to you, didn't he?"
Kuina turned toward Cyrus with a sly smile.
The effect would have been better without the large, shiny lump still swelling on her forehead.
"That was then. The current me is already invincible."
Cyrus looked up at the sky, wearing the lonely expression of a man who had reached the summit and found no worthy opponents.
Zoro clenched one fist, forcing down the urge to attack him.
He already knew how that would end.
He would get beaten again.
"They've started."
Kuina raised a hand and pointed toward the town.
"Gum-Gum…!"
Luffy braced one fist against the ground.
Waves pulsed through his skin as his body turned bright red, almost like a boiled shrimp. Steam leaked from the corners of his mouth.
"Oh?"
Surprise appeared on Whitebeard's face.
Luffy had not used that technique during their previous fight.
Had he only just learned it?
"Luffy!"
Ace shouted and shot forward.
Both fists were coated in Armament Haki as he lunged toward Whitebeard's face.
"BAZOOKA!"
Now in Gear Second, Luffy threw both arms far behind him.
They stretched to their limits before snapping forward at tremendous speed, slamming toward Whitebeard's chest.
Boom! Boom!
Two heavy impacts rang out.
Whitebeard did not move.
He took Luffy's attack directly to the chest, then casually swatted Ace away from his face.
"Put a little more strength into it. I can take it."
Whitebeard waved one hand after sending Ace flying.
Ace flipped through the air and landed. Before he could fully steady himself, he heard Whitebeard's words.
Without hesitation, he and Luffy attacked again from opposite sides.
The spectators struggled to follow their movements.
Whitebeard, meanwhile, still had enough attention to protect the bowl of sake in his hand while dealing with both boys.
"I thought this was going to be an actual fight."
Zoro clicked his tongue in disappointment.
"Whitebeard is incredibly strong," Kuina reminded him. "He used to be the strongest man in the world."
"He seems to be enjoying himself. Though I suppose that's normal for Whitebeard."
Cyrus rubbed his chin as he watched.
Calling this a battle was generous. Whitebeard was simply entertaining two children.
A man who loved playing family might genuinely enjoy this sort of thing.
"Why don't you try fighting him?"
Zoro turned toward Cyrus after hearing his comment, staring at him expectantly.
"Me?"
Cyrus pointed at himself.
Zoro nodded.
"Whitebeard isn't my opponent anymore."
Cyrus shook his head.
They had already fought. There was no point doing it again.
Besides, Whitebeard was busy trying to adopt new sons. Why would Cyrus interrupt that?
"Aaaaaah!"
In the distance, a rubbery body spun wildly through the air, flying directly toward their tree.
"He found us."
Cyrus stood and caught the approaching Luffy by the neck.
Although his neck stopped, the rest of Luffy's body kept flying backward, stretching it thinner and thinner.
As the force finally faded, his body snapped back into place.
"Thanks, old man!"
Realizing Cyrus had stopped him, Luffy immediately thanked him.
Old man?
Cyrus froze.
He stared at the boy in his hand, who could not have been much older than twelve, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
Kuina covered her mouth and began laughing.
"Old man, huh?"
Cyrus smiled at Luffy.
"Yeah! Now let go! I still have to help Ace beat that huge guy!"
Luffy failed to notice the danger in Cyrus's voice. When he could not wriggle free, he began shouting.
"Heh."
Cyrus gave a cold laugh.
He swung the arm holding Luffy, then hurled him like a baseball.
Boom!
The air exploded.
Visible ripples spread through the atmosphere, and the enormous tree beneath them shook violently, shedding leaves in every direction.
Boom!
Another tremendous impact followed.
Whitebeard staggered.
Luffy's entire body had collided headfirst with Whitebeard's forehead before bouncing away and tumbling across the ground.
"Luffy!"
Ace was startled and immediately ran after him.
Whitebeard steadied himself, then glanced toward the distant tree and bared his teeth.
That bastard really held a grudge!
Cyrus had taken revenge on the spot just because the kid called him old.
Luffy finally stopped rolling near the crowd, completely dazed.
The spectators hurriedly backed away.
Who had done that?
Even someone with poor eyesight could tell another person had interfered.
Luffy and Ace had been completely incapable of moving Whitebeard before. Anyone could see the old pirate was merely playing with them.
Yet that last impact had knocked Whitebeard sideways.
At the same time, Luffy did not appear seriously injured.
Whoever threw him had used an extremely peculiar degree of force.
Someone capable of producing an attack like that could not possibly be ordinary.
"Gurararara! If you waited any longer to show yourself, the three of us might have left."
Whitebeard rose and laughed.
"I gave you a chance to leave. You chose not to take it, so don't blame me."
A voice answered from the distance.
Whitebeard started to reply, then frowned and looked back toward the town.
After a moment, he turned toward Ace and the recovering Luffy.
"Take the Hunter Exam. If you pass, come become my sons!"
With that, Whitebeard turned and headed back into the town.
The spectators stared after him in confusion.
What had just happened?
Who had he been talking to?
"Who agreed to that?!"
Ace's forehead filled with veins.
He had already decided to take the Hunter Exam, but that did not mean he had agreed to become Whitebeard's son afterward.
Luffy sat up and rubbed his head, still dizzy.
"Luffy, what happened?"
Ace hurried over the moment he saw him recover.
"Some old man threw me."
Luffy gagged twice after answering, clearly still disoriented.
"An old man?"
Ace looked puzzled, but Luffy was in no condition to explain. He grabbed him and quickly left.
The crowd immediately erupted into discussion.
Their main topic was no longer the brothers' challenge, but the mysterious powerhouse who had appeared and attacked without showing himself.
Cyrus had already entered the town with Kuina and Zoro.
"Chairman!"
The Guild members working inside immediately sprang to their feet when they recognized the familiar face, unable to hide their excitement.
Not everyone reacted, of course.
The artificial Germa staff continued working without expression.
They had been created without individual emotions and cared about nothing beyond carrying out their assigned duties.
"Get back to work."
Cyrus waved them off.
"Yes, Chairman!"
The Hunters obeyed, though they continued staring at him with open admiration.
Every one of them seemed to be a devoted fan.
Even Cyrus found their intense gazes slightly unsettling.
---------
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