"Hmph, don't think I don't know what Shanks is up to! This isn't something I'll just agree to by delivering a letter!" Whitebeard warned sternly.
Although Whitebeard was long past the age of treasure hunting and believed that Shanks was just looking for treasure and wouldn't use it as a pretext for attacking others, Whitebeard still wouldn't easily agree to Shanks's conditions!
Why?
I'm a pirate!
How could I possibly agree so easily to let another group of pirates sail on my territory?
"The letter only said that Captain Edward should come to Hakunnos on March 1st next year so we can have some talks." When talking about "serious business," Sig always referred to him as "Captain Edward."
Hakunnos remains a "no man's land"—although the Rocks Pirates disbanded more than 30 years ago, considering that three of the current Four Emperors were once members of the Rocks Pirates, no one has directly occupied this symbolic island.
It actually became a good place for "negotiations"...
"Kid, do you know what you're saying?" Whitebeard stared at Sig and asked again to confirm.
Whitebeard's statement, "He won't agree just Shanks Sig an invitation, he'd likely get a beating. However, Sig still extended the invitation, essentially telling Whitebeard, "Let's give it a try."
However, Jack, who had already been displeased with Whitebeard's gaze, immediately retorted when he saw Whitebeard speaking to his older brother with a veiled warning, "Can't you understand human language?"
Whitebeard, Sig:...
Fortunately, Whitebeard's sons were not around at that time, otherwise a fight would have broken out immediately.
Even now, Whitebeard were throbbing. "You three have guts! Then take three of my strikes head-on! If you can still stand and talk, I'll go check on that brat Shanks and see if he's as arrogant as his own men!"
As the Whitebeard spoke, he lowered his center slightly, the coat draped over his back billowed up, revealing him to be completely bare-chested, his right hand gripping the "Cloud-Cutting Blade" (a legendary sword).
His sons, seeing him from afar, hurried over, wondering what Siegfried had done to anger his Old Man... But considering that Siegfried could anger his Old Man in this way, it doesn't seem so unusual, does it?
"Jack, that's so rude!" Sig scolded him, though not too harshly.
At the same time, Weevil, full of fighting spirit, asked Sig for instructions, "Big brother! I'll go first!"
Sig made a quick assessment, then nodded. "Very well, it'll be good to have the Old Man give you some pointers."
Then Weevil stepped forward—he was a head taller than Whitebeard, and even though his physique was relatively normal, he was still not as well-proportioned as Whitebeard. His legs were still a bit short, and... his head was still disproportionately large.
"I, Sig Weevil, will first test the power of the man hailed as 'the World's Strongest Man'!"
As he spoke, Weevil slammed his right-hand Sky-Cutting Blade heavily onto the ground. The force of the impact created a circle centered on his feet. He then assumed a defensive stance, clearly indicating that he wouldn't leave the circle!
Sig:...
Sig didn't know either, it was time for him to change his last name.
However, Edward's surname was originally given to him by Miss Buckingham, so changing it wouldn't be a big deal. But... who told him that "Sig" was a surname?
Whitebeard now knew what this "Whitey Bay" was all about. After all, he had already met Miss Buckingham, and hearing Weevil refer to himself as "Sig Weevil" still made him inexplicably unhappy.
The next moment, Whitebeard swung his Cloud-Cutting Blade, aiming it at Weevil... no, it should be said that he "pressed" it down!
Whitebeard's attack wasn't about how sharp the Cloud-Cutting Blade was, or how strong the Armament Haki surrounding it was, but rather that the air around the Cloud-Cutting Blade vibrated violently, forming a shockwave.
Weevil then lowered his blade to his right side, then suddenly swung it upwards to meet Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor attack!
Vibration vs. Vibration!
A violent shockwave erupted around the two, and from where they stood, concentric rings of earth crumbled and exploded outwards...
Any Whitebeard Pirates combatant with slightly lower combat skills who dared to approach at this moment would likely have their eardrums ruptured.
Trusting him, Sig pulled Jack along and retreated with his sons who had rushed over.
"Siegfried! What are you planning to do now?"
"Damn it, I'm definitely not going to let you get away with this!"
"A fist the size of a sandbag, did you see that?"
The sons, who already disliked Sig, began to threaten him.
Sig said very kindly, "The Old Man was just giving pointers to a kind-looking junior. Why are you all so agitated?"
Seeing Sig's unbreakable and indestructible stance, none of his sons made a move without Whitebeard's orders.
At this moment, Sig looked towards the epicenter with slight worry. He saw that the smoke and dust in front of him had not yet dissipated, and then there was another tremor... as if the entire island had jumped!
After a brief lull, a third wave struck, this time a continuous, downward-moving shockwave...
Dust and smoke filled the island, obscuring the epicenter to the naked eye. However, a corresponding hole appeared in the clouds in the sky!
Of course, Sig could still sense what was happening inside, otherwise he wouldn't have remained so calm.
As the dust settled, the Whitebeard stood tall and proud, while Weevil, who had been a head taller than him, was now nearly kneeling, his body lurching forward, barely managing to stay upright by clinging to the sword he was leaning on the ground...
However, Whitebeard's expression was not one of pride at this moment; on the contrary, his "favorability" towards Weevil increased dramatically!
Because...
Weevil leaned forward to absorb the impact. Following his seemingly powerless legs, which were about to kneel, one could see two short but extremely deep furrows plowed into the ground beneath his feet, his boots sinking deep into the earth—his raised heels resting precisely on the edge of the circles he had drawn earlier!
Although he was blasted so hard that his eyes and nose were bleeding and one eardrum was completely ruptured,... Weevil did not fall down or retreat outside the circle.
Sig could tell what Whitebeard was planning just by looking at his expression!
Really...
"Not bad, you haven't let me and the Tremor-Tremor Fruit down... Be my son!" Whitebeard then extended his hand to Weevil.
Weevil was already somewhat mentally exhausted—in a normal fight, he could have exchanged a few more blows, but in a head-on clash, he was nearing his limit after three moves. He could barely hear anything anymore, but in his dazed state, seeing the Whitebeard's outstretched hand and hearing his lips move, Weevil still mustered all his strength and let out a "tsk"...