Marco's face darkened when he heard Reno's words. Then, hearing the surrounding pirates' discussions, his face instantly turned as black as soot as he roared, "You lot got nothing better to do, huh? Get back to training, all of you! Nobody stops without my permission!"
"Ugh, more punishment training!"
"Fine, fine, off to training we go!"
The pirates surrounding Reno grumbled, but despite their words, they obediently scattered to train.
Marco, being one of the earliest members of the crew and incredibly strong, was highly respected among the crew. For minor matters, Marco's words carried more weight than Whitebeard's.
However, when it came to significant decisions, Whitebeard's word was law. Marco's authority mainly extended to managing the day-to-day affairs of the ship, which he had always handled.
After everyone left, Marco turned to Reno and asked, "Who exactly are you?"
Reno, knowing he'd be staying here for a while, decided not to make up stories and replied honestly, "I'm a civilian who had an accident at sea recently. That guy saved me, and since I've got nowhere to go, I'm tagging along with him for now."
Hearing this, Marco relaxed slightly. He then asked, "Why don't you go look for your family?"
Reno gave him a look that screamed, Are you dumb? and retorted, "Do you think someone my age could be out at sea alone?"
Marco immediately understood. Reno must have been out with his family, but he was the only one to survive the accident. There was no family to look for anymore.
Understanding this, Marco's expression softened, and a look of sympathy appeared on his face. He, too, had grown up without parents or relatives, so he could deeply empathize with the feeling of having nowhere to go.
Seeing Marco's expression, Reno knew exactly what he was thinking but didn't explain further. Maybe he could use this to stay on the ship a bit longer.
Thinking of this, Reno put on an innocent and pitiful face and asked, "I heard the Whitebeard Pirates are like a foster home. Could you guys take me in for a while?"
Marco's forehead veins started to pop out as he yelled, "Who told you the Whitebeard Pirates is a foster home?!"
Seeing Marco on the verge of exploding, Reno quickly put on a naive, angelic expression and replied, "It was Uncle Rayleigh from the Roger Pirates. He said your place is like a foster home and told me if I ever needed help, I could come here."
After hearing Reno's explanation, Marco's face turned black as coal, and he cursed loudly, "That bastard… Rayleigh!!"
"How dare he say that about the Whitebeard Pirates? Next time I see him, I'll beat the snot out of him!"
Marco didn't doubt Reno's words at all. He figured that a kid this young couldn't possibly make up such an elaborate lie, so he believed Reno completely.
As for Reno, he had no guilt about throwing Rayleigh under the bus. After all, they weren't kidding about getting back at him and the others for messing with a kid. If he couldn't beat them, he'd outwit them!
"What's going on over there, Marco?"
Whitebeard's voice rang out, loud enough for everyone to hear.
Roger also heard Marco's outburst, including the part where he cursed Rayleigh's name.
What on earth could have made Marco so mad? Could it be that little brat stirring up trouble again? Roger thought to himself.
Looking over at Reno, he caught a glimpse of the boy's mischievous grin.
Seeing this, Roger silently cursed, That brat just can't sit still for a second, can he?!
Marco quickly calmed himself and replied to Whitebeard, "Nothing's wrong here, Pops!"
After explaining, Marco turned back to Reno, bombarding him with questions about what other bad things Rayleigh had said about them.
Reno, of course, seized the opportunity. Not only did he thoroughly roast Rayleigh, but he also dragged several other Roger Pirates officers into the mess. One could only imagine how chaotic their next meeting would be.
Roger ignored Reno's antics and turned to Whitebeard, explaining, "That mischievous kid is a clever one. Back on my ship, whenever others bullied him, he always swore revenge. He's probably just talking smack about those people to Marco now."
"Gurararara…"
Whitebeard chuckled deeply and said, "Cut to the chase. What do you want to say?"
Whitebeard knew Roger wouldn't bother explaining something so trivial unless he had a reason, so he got straight to the point.
Roger, understanding Whitebeard's straightforward nature, said directly, "I'm here not just to chat with you, but also to ask if this boy can stay on your ship for a while. What I'm about to do isn't suitable for taking him along. Whether he stays here permanently will be up to you and him."
Originally, Roger had planned to find a safe island for Reno to live on and grow up slowly. But after seeing Reno's talent today, he decided to let him stay with the Whitebeard Pirates.
With Reno's potential, a safe island would only limit his growth. The Whitebeard Pirates provided both safety and opportunities for experience, making it the perfect place for him.
If Reno knew Roger's thoughts, he'd probably shout, I asked you to find me a home, not a dad!
Whitebeard studied Roger for a long time before finally saying, "We've got enough food to feed him. But whether he stays permanently will be his decision. I won't force anyone to stay."
The two captains were busy planning Reno's future, but Reno's mind was elsewhere. He was a man on a mission to raise his future bride. Staying here too long would delay his plans for finding troubled girls to nurture!
Seeing Whitebeard agree, Roger chuckled and said, "That's all I needed to hear. By the way, want me to tell you where Laugh Tale is?"
Whitebeard gave Roger a sideways glance and replied with a blank expression, "I've got my family. I don't need the Pirate King's treasure."
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