Chapter 13: A New Member Joins
With Blackbeard Teach's current whereabouts unknown, this was the only viable method of tracking him down.
Thankfully, Ryū still remembered enough of the One Piece storyline to know where Teach would head after eating the Dark-Dark Fruit. Without that knowledge, a ten-day time limit to find one man in an entire world would have been—
Well, a needle in a very, very large ocean.
After a brief pause, Ryū continued. "Intercepting him along the route to Fish-Man Island, or waiting for him at Fish-Man Island itself, is our best shot."
Whitebeard considered this carefully, then nodded with a decisive expression.
"If that's the Admin's assessment, then we move immediately. Set course for Fish-Man Island!"
Whitebeard had no idea where Teach might have fled. In a situation like this, the only person he could trust was the one who knew the future — the Admin.
And in Whitebeard's mind, the man who held the title of Dimensional Chat Group Admin had to be someone deeply reliable.
So he chose to trust Ryū unconditionally.
Standing nearby, the division commanders — Marco, Ace, Jozu, Vista, and others — watched in bewildered silence as their old man conversed with two complete strangers.
What had their jaws on the floor was the fact that Whitebeard had called the young man "Admin-dono." A term of deep respect.
This was Whitebeard. The Whitebeard. Using an honorific for someone.
And he'd called the young woman "senpai." Another honorific.
One of the three legendary pirates of the old era. One of the current Four Emperors of the New World. The man the World Government branded the "Strongest Man in the World."
And he was showing deference to two strangers who looked younger than Ace.
The division commanders nearly dropped their eyeballs.
Even Marco — who'd been with Whitebeard the longest out of anyone — had absolutely no idea what was going on. When had their old man picked up two mysterious "old friends"?
And this pair of teenagers was supposed to be old friends?
That didn't track. At all.
The commanders exchanged bewildered glances. Every pair of eyes reflected the same shock and confusion. Some of them half-wondered if they were dreaming.
But they held their tongues.
This was one of those moments where silence was the only correct response.
If their old man said these two strangers were his friends, then as his sons, all they could do was stand there quietly and watch him talk.
The Moby Dick was an excellent vessel, but the shipbuilding technology of the One Piece world couldn't hold a candle to modern engineering. As a result, their sailing speed was respectable but far from blazing.
Fortunately, the Whitebeard Pirates' navigators were veterans of the New World. They skillfully skirted around storms, squalls, and other brutal weather systems, keeping the voyage as smooth as possible.
"Mmm… this cuisine has quite a distinctive flavor. Nothing like what we have in Gensōkyō. The chef's skill is easily top-tier."
Yukari dipped a slice of sashimi into a dollop of sauce and slipped it past her lips with practiced elegance, chewing lightly before swallowing.
She offered genuine praise: "Almost on par with Ran's cooking."
Then she turned to Ryū, a flicker of concern crossing her face. "Admin-dono, it's been three days now. If we can't complete the Group Quest within the time limit… there won't be some kind of penalty, will there?"
Ryū dabbed at his mouth with a handkerchief and shook his head. "No penalties. If you can't finish within the deadline, you just don't get the reward, and you get sent back to your own world automatically."
He gazed out at the endless ocean stretching to the horizon and genuinely wondered: why did so many people choose to become pirates?
Three days on the open sea had already bored him half to death. And actual pirates spent months drifting like this.
Did they just… never get bored?
Whitebeard studied a nautical chart, then spoke up. "At our current speed, we should reach the waters directly above Fish-Man Island in two or three hours. The Moby Dick is faster than anything Teach could manage alone — we'll beat him there. We just need to find a place to anchor nearby."
"Or better yet, find someone to coat the Moby Dick first. Then we can descend directly into Fish-Man Island and wait for Blackbeard Teach to come to us."
Whitebeard had spent decades on these seas. He might not have been a professional navigator, but reading a nautical chart was child's play for him.
Ryū nodded. He was about to say something when a familiar chime echoed through his mind from the Dimensional Chat Group.
And it wasn't just him. Yukari and Whitebeard heard it too — the unmistakable notification sound.
Yukari's chopsticks paused mid-air. "Admin-dono, something's happened in the chat group… it seems a new member has joined."
Almost simultaneously, Whitebeard added, "Indeed — a new member. Their name is… 'Crazy Diamond'? What a peculiar username. Don't tell me it's one of my sons — Diamond Jozu?"
Hearing the words "Crazy Diamond," Ryū visibly stiffened.
Because that name sounded extremely familiar.
Was it really Diamond Jozu from the Whitebeard Pirates? Could two people from the same world — the same ship — the same crew — both join the Dimensional Chat Group?
It wasn't impossible, technically…
But that seemed like way too much of a coincidence.
Same world was already a stretch. Same ship? Father and son?
No way.
Crazy Diamond…
Crazy Diamond…
Where had he heard that before? The memory was fuzzy, right on the tip of his tongue.
Ryū dove into the Dimensional Chat Group. Sure enough, a new member notification was waiting.
DING!
[「Crazy Diamond」 has joined the Dimensional Chat Group!]
Staring at the hauntingly familiar username, Ryū wracked his brain for a few seconds.
Then it hit him like a Stand rush to the face.
"Crazy Diamond… don't tell me that's Josuke Higashikata from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 4 — the guy whose hair looks like a seat??"