Whitebeard glared at Grimm, "What did you do to me?"
"Just preventing you from dying too soon. This sea would be very boring without a scoundrel like you. You should stay alive!" Grimm said carelessly.
"You brat!" Whitebeard glared at Grimm, choosing not to retort verbally. He turned and walked towards the Moby Dick, raising his hand and shouting, "Lads, we're heading back!"
"Oh!"
Nearly ten thousand members of the Whitebeard Pirates shouted in unison, waving their hands.
For them, this battle was enough as long as Whitebeard returned safely.
"Ding, congratulations to the host for obtaining the achievement [Breaking Limits]."
[Breaking Limits] Reward: Paladin strength and level attributes can break through original limits.
[Main Attributes]
WoW Paladin Strength: 105%
Apocalypse Level: 86 (Experience 21%)
Weapon, Ashbringer: 85% (Ash Awakening Sword Aura size and power +295%, controllable)
Weapon, Light's Justice: 35%
Haste (affects all speeds): 161%
Strength Level: Below Legend.
Grimm observed his attribute values through the system and was delighted to find that the WoW Paladin's strength had finally broken through 100%.
However, even so, there was still a gap between his strength and that of Whitebeard and Kaido.
This battle against Whitebeard consumed a full 8,963 revival coins. He was killed by Whitebeard more than eight thousand times. Whitebeard's strength was too immense.
"Grimm, how about a drink and a chat?"
Grimm glanced at Roger, understanding what Roger intended. After putting away his weapons, Grimm smiled, "That's perfect, I've run out of alcohol on my ship!"
"Excellent!"
Roger shouted to Rayleigh and the others, "Lads, let's have a feast."
"Oh!"
"Feast, feast!"
...
On the Moby Dick, after much persuasion from everyone, Whitebeard finally accepted treatment.
However, the nurses suddenly discovered that Pops' wounds seemed to have almost healed and were… still healing.
"That brat actually helped me heal. I owe him a favor!" Pops said with a laugh. "He's quite an interesting kid!"
"Pops, he's the one who killed Captain Drulcy!" Diamond Jozu said.
"Actually, if we look at the whole situation, it's not entirely Grimm's fault!" Marco suddenly said. "That Golden Octopus Pirates had a terrible reputation and disgraced Whitebeard's name. Grimm killing him could be considered cleaning house for us. Grimm didn't go all out to kill Captain Drulcy in their fight, so…"
Whitebeard grunted and said no more. The other members of the Whitebeard Pirates also fell silent. Izō, who was closest to Drulcy, seemed unhappy!
Just then, Little Teach, Whitebeard's most boastful son, suddenly grabbed a newspaper. "Pops, today's news is very interesting!"
Whitebeard took a barrel full of beer, squinted at the headline in Teach's hand, and after a long while, said with half-closed eyes, "Ancient Weapons? That Roger fellow…"
Meanwhile, half a day later, on a course opposite to Whitebeard's voyage, Grimm also received a copy of the same newspaper from Roger.
After reading it, Grimm crumpled the newspaper and tossed it into the sea, smiling calmly, "So, Roger, what did you want to talk to me about?"
Roger sat opposite Grimm. Many of the pirates around them were jumping and shouting joyfully due to the feast, clearly having had too much to drink.
The core members of the Roger Pirates sat in a quiet circle. Roger first scratched the back of his head and said, "Don't you have any curiosity, kid? Or should I ask first?"
"Forget it, Roger, you're not good at negotiations. Let me handle it!"
Rayleigh spoke directly. "You've been to the ruins of the Kingdom of Concordia before, right? You took that thing, didn't you?"
"Ah, that Poneglyph? Yes, it's indeed with me!" Grimm said frankly, as it wasn't something worth hiding.
However, Grimm's straightforward admission caught Rayleigh and the others off guard. Rayleigh coughed and said, "That Poneglyph records the secrets of the World Government and the location of the Grand Line's endpoint. According to our Roger Pirates' investigation, there are four in total!
We've found three of them over the years. The fourth one should be in your hands now!"
"You want it, right?"
Rayleigh explained, "It doesn't matter. We just need to see the contents. We want to go to the Grand Line's endpoint. That's Roger's and all of our dream!"
"You guys. Including the Devil Fruit you asked me to keep last time and the incident on Sabaody Archipelago, Roger, you already owe me two favors. Including this one, that makes three. How will you repay me in the future?"
Grimm tilted his head back and downed a mug of beer. Just as he was about to speak, Plank, sitting next to him, interjected, "How about this, Captain Roger? There's nothing in this world that gold can't solve. How about this: when you reach the Final Island, if you find treasure, give us half, what do you say?"
"Ah…" Roger scratched his head. "But I'm not sure if there's any treasure there!"
Grimm shook his head and forcefully patted Plank's back of the head. "I'm the captain. When is it your turn to speak? Drink your alcohol. Your mind is filled with nothing but gold all day!"
"Then…" Rayleigh continued to ask, "What will it take for you to give us that Poneglyph?"
"That's easy to discuss. However, I have a condition. I need Devil Fruits, ten of them. How about it? Ten Devil Fruits for this Poneglyph. It's a very profitable deal!" Grimm said, spreading his hands.
"Devil Fruits?" Rayleigh frowned. "What do you need those for?"
Grimm chuckled, "Because I want to expand my crew."
"Young people are great, they can do things without considering the consequences!" Rayleigh stroked his chin. Devil Fruits are troublesome things to acquire. Even with money, you might not be able to buy them.
This was indeed the case. The World Government was severely cracking down on underground exchanges. Under normal circumstances, Devil Fruits in the market were either confiscated by the Navy or hoarded by the Celestial Dragons.
After all, this era wasn't as chaotic as the Great Pirate Era, and local powers were relatively easier to manage.
"How about this? Three years. After we reach the Final Island, give me three years. I'll get you ten Devil Fruits from Sabaody Archipelago!"
"Is that so!" Grimm thought for a moment. "In that case, add two more. Twelve!"
"Deal!" Rayleigh slapped his thigh and said immediately.
Holy crap…
Grimm felt like cursing. Rayleigh's quick agreement clearly meant he was getting the better end of the deal.
Just then, Shikaru, the navigator on the crow's nest, suddenly spoke up: "Captain Roger, there are a large number of fleets approaching us from all directions!"
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