Whitebeard suddenly unleashed the Tremor-Tremor Devil Fruit ability, but he used his exceptional control to compress the energy fluctuations into a tiny space under his palm.
Even so, the power originating from the World's Strongest Man still spread quietly along the earth like ripples.
Not far away, the naval soldiers who were clearing land with the Sphinx people sensed the strangeness beneath their feet almost at the same time.
The moment the ground trembled, an experienced veteran turned around sharply, his gaze locking onto the mountain-like figure.
The moment he saw the Whitebeard, his pupils contracted sharply.
"Colonel! Whitebeard is here!"
A gasp silenced the bustling scene of labor. All the naval soldiers stopped their work, gripped their swords tightly, and stared in the same direction.
Colonel Leo put down his hoe, wiped the sweat from his brow, and looked over calmly.
In my sight, the legendary World's Strongest Man was sitting cross-legged on the ground. Gone was the oppressive aura of a king ruling over the sea; instead, he resembled a kind old grandfather surrounded by his grandchildren, a gentle smile on his face.
Especially after seeing Whitebeard easily clear a large area of soft soil for the children using the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power, Leo chuckled to himself and waved his hand, saying, "Don't be nervous."
"You've all seen the Whitebeard Pirates ' reactions over this period. Whether they've truly given up their pirate identity or not, as long as the Lord Marshal is stationed at Marine Headquarters, they won't dare to act recklessly."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the cheering children rushing towards Whitebeard, and continued, "Most importantly, this is Whitebeard's hometown. According to my intelligence, Whitebeard has been secretly supporting this land for decades. A man so devoted to his homeland would never start a war here."
As soon as he finished speaking, in another wasteland, the children who had been following the adults around, learning to farm but actually just playing in the mud, suddenly burst into excited shouts as if they had discovered a new continent, and rushed in groups towards the Whitebeard man with their short legs.
Wow! Grandpa with the Whitebeard!
"Wait for me! I need Grandpa Whitebeard's help too!"
In no time, the Whitebeard was surrounded by a large group of chattering children.
Upon learning that this tall grandfather could soften the ground in an instant, the children became even more excited and rushed over to him.
"Grandpa with the Whitebeard!"
Grandpa! You're so tall!
"Grandpa, can you pluck your beard?"
The clear, childlike calls of "Grandpa" left the Whitebeard dizzy and disoriented. He felt as if he were in a sea of cotton candy, his heart melting with sweetness.
That's not enough.
The bravest little girl crawled into his broad arms, blinking her innocent eyes, and looked up to ask, "Grandpa Whitebeard, can you help us too? I want to cultivate a piece of wasteland and plant watermelons!"
"Gurgle, gurgle... a little watermelon? I like it too!"
Whitebeard laughed heartily and agreed without hesitation.
Seeing this, the other children swarmed over. Those who couldn't squeeze into his arms simply hugged his thick thighs, while the bolder ones climbed up his arms and eventually sat steadily on his shoulders.
"Grandpa! Grandpa! It's me too!"
"Grandpa, I want to grow watermelons too!"
"Grandpa, I want to grow tomatoes!"
In an instant, the cries of "Grandpa" rose and fell. Whitebeard felt as if he were being overwhelmed by countless little kittens, completely captivated by the innocent and carefree shouts. No matter what strange requests the children made, he readily agreed.
Soon, this man who once made the world tremble was covered with all sorts of tiny things.
This scene made Marco, Vista, and the others, who had rushed over from afar for fear of causing trouble, stare wide-eyed.
"Father..." Marco opened his mouth, unable to utter a single word for a long time.
"Is this really the same old man we know?" Vista the Flower Sword rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was dreaming.
Just as the team captains were collectively bewildered, the children who couldn't squeeze into the Whitebeard's arms or cling to him suddenly changed direction and, like a swarm of bees discovering a new target, buzzed towards them.
Before Marco could react, he felt a weight on his leg.
Three children had already come to his side. Two of them each hugged one of his legs, while the third threw himself into his arms, looking up with his dirty little face and calling out in a childish voice, "Uncle! Can you help us? I have a piece of wasteland, but there are too many weeds there, and I can't cut them all by myself."
"Uncle!"
"Uncle, please help me!"
Those few "Uncle"s struck the softest spot in Marco's heart.
Looking at the children's innocent faces and expectant eyes, I felt like I was about to break down myself.
Finally, he sighed resignedly, picked up the child in his arms, and said simply, "Tell me, where is the wasteland you want to cultivate?"
One of the children immediately pointed excitedly to a patch of overgrown wasteland not far away.
Without saying a word, Marco leaped over.
As the Phoenix's azure flames rose, the weeds of that wasteland were instantly burned to ashes, turning into fertile ash.
Wow--that's amazing!
"It's blue fire!"
This impressive move drew envious glances from the other children.
Two of the little ones exchanged a glance, then immediately ran to Vista the Flower Sword, tilting their heads up and saying in sickeningly sweet voices, "Handsome uncle, could you help us too? There are so many trees in the land I need to clear, and my father and the others have been cutting them down all day and still haven't finished!"
"No problem." Vista was overjoyed to be called "handsome uncle," and with a nonchalant flick of his head, he said, "Watch this."
Before he finished speaking, he flashed forward, and his rapier was drawn from its sheath.
As dazzling sword energy burst forth, more than a dozen obstructive trees fell to the ground, leaving smooth, mirror-like cuts.
Watching this scene from not far away, Diamond Jozu felt a strange urge to join in, but the absence of any children made him feel disheartened.
Seeing Marco and Vista surrounded by children, Jozu was incredibly anxious!
After looking around, he couldn't help but puff out his diamond-like chest, trying to attract the children's attention, but the little ones were too busy marveling at the flames and swordsmanship to notice him at all.
Left with no other option, Jozu raised his voice and shouted, "Is there anyone who needs help? I'll clear a path through any obstacle!"
That shout finally had an effect.
A child immediately ran over, eyes sparkling, pointing to a huge, stubborn rock in the distance. "Uncle! Could you help me move that rock? My friends said there's treasure hidden under it!"
Jozu immediately perked up, patting his chest confidently, "No problem! Leave it to me!"
After saying that, he charged towards the boulder like a rhinoceros heading for a train!
boom--
With a deafening explosion, the boulder was smashed to pieces by Jozu in the most brute force.
Gravel flew everywhere, and dust billowed up.
The children were instantly drawn in, and then their eyes widened in unison.
"Wow--"
"Wow! Uncle, you're so strong! You actually smashed that big rock!"
"That's so cool! Even better than my dad!"
All sorts of praise bombarded Jozu like sugar-coated bullets, leaving him dizzy and overwhelmed.
In the end, Jozu also succumbed, feeling an inexhaustible surge of energy. He stood with his hands on his hips, brimming with enthusiasm, and loudly asked:
Is there anything else? Is there anything else?
"Uncle, I'm terrifyingly strong today!"
--
The ratings have plummeted these past two days. Could someone be maliciously manipulating the scores?
o(╥╥)o Is this a sign that my later years are in jeopardy?
Brothers, please give me a perfect score and keep it at 9.0. There are about 100,000 words left until the finale.