As Old Man's Will

Across a vast expanse of ice, with the Pure Gold Lanternfish—frozen in midair like a massive island—as the backdrop, a grand banquet for the thousand-strong Whitebeard Pirates was unfolding with boisterous excitement.

They sang to their hearts' content, devoured huge mouthfuls of meat, and drank their fill...

Their manners and bearing might have been far from refined, but they had displayed to the fullest the freedom and romance unique to pirates. The pirates were also as close as brothers, creating an atmosphere of joy and harmony!

Whitebeard, showing none of the physical decline he had previously worried about, displayed the boldness of a heavy drinker. He had practically gulped down nine wine jars nearly as tall as an ordinary person before letting out a satisfied sigh.

Whitebeard's gaze first swept toward Ace, who was being enthusiastically entertained by Marco, Jozu, Vista, and the other officers, yet wore an entirely ungrateful expression as though he were being forced to participate. Whitebeard could not help smiling faintly, but he paid no attention to Ace's resistance and awkwardness.

At this banquet, aside from Ace's resistance and awkwardness, Kong and Ying—who were attending such a special banquet for the first time—also felt extremely out of place.

Especially during the nearly two years that Kong and Ying had been swallowed into the Pure Gold Lanternfish's stomach, they had hardly had any chance to interact with strangers besides Olga.

However, the scene before them at the banquet completely changed Kong and Ying's impression of pirates.

In the past, after receiving Zephyr's teachings and experiencing Edward Weevil's attack on the training ship, Kong and Ying had instinctively believed that all pirates were heinous, cruel, and heartless bastards like Weevil. They had developed considerable hostility toward pirates as a group.

Now, Kong and Ying were seeing a harmonious