Heaven's Favor, Direct Encounter (Seeking Flowers)

The next day, they woke up.

Patri Vic sat up, stretched, then roused Whitebeard, who had been sleeping beside him.

They hadn't forgotten their purpose for coming to the first half of the Grand Line—everything was aimed at Byrnndi World.

Patri Vic glanced at Rayleigh and the others, still asleep, then grabbed a few bottles of fine wine and left with Whitebeard.

Roger was still sound asleep, and Patri Vic didn't want to wake him.

The two left the tavern and headed to the coast of Sabaody Archipelago, where their ship was moored.

At that moment, the navigator sat on the ship with red-rimmed eyes. Whitebeard had ordered him not to leave the vessel.

So he hadn't eaten or drunk anything for a full day and night, afraid to leave the ship or even sleep.

"Here." Whitebeard tossed a bottle of fine wine to the navigator.

The navigator, who hadn't eaten or drunk in a day and night, caught the wine and stammered, "Th... thanks..."

With that, he gulped it down.

"Set sail for the North Blue." Patri Vic sat back on the ship and instructed.

They trusted that Roger wouldn't feed them false information, so Byrnndi World should be in the North Blue now.

"Y... yes." The navigator finished the wine and steered the ship toward the North Blue.

To reach the North Blue, they had to cross the Calm Belt, so even in the first half of the Grand Line—a place without many strong fighters—

Patri Vic stayed alert, because the Calm Belt was teeming with Sea Kings. If their ship was destroyed, it would be a huge hassle.

Patri Vic and the others hadn't reached the Calm Belt yet, but they spotted a figure on the sea.

"Wait... is that Byrnndi World?" Patri Vic suddenly sat up.

He saw a familiar silhouette on the water—it was Byrnndi World. But wasn't he supposed to be heading to the North Blue?

How had he not even crossed the Calm Belt yet?

In the distance, a massive wooden plank floated beneath Byrnndi World. It looked like his ship had been destroyed.

"Whitebeard?"

From afar, Byrnndi World also noticed the figure on the ship ahead—it was Whitebeard, a cadre of the Rocks Pirates!

"Damn it, did they chase me all the way to the first half of the Grand Line?" Byrnndi World cursed under his breath.

He had offended the Rocks Pirates, and then they'd hunted him relentlessly in the New World.

It had gone on for months.

To escape the pursuit, he'd even fled to the first half of the Grand Line, but the Rocks Pirates were like a persistent ghost, chasing him all the way here!

He'd originally planned to head to the North Blue, but on the way, he'd run into a swarm of Sea Kings, and they'd destroyed his ship.

All that was left was a huge plank. He'd intended to return to Sabaody Archipelago to build another ship.

But he never expected to run into trouble so soon.

"What a narrow encounter."

Whitebeard froze for a moment when he saw Byrnndi World, then laughed.

He hadn't expected to run into Byrnndi World so quickly either.

"Two cadres?"

As the ship drew closer, Byrnndi World realized there were two cadres of the Rocks Pirates on that small vessel.

If it had just been Whitebeard alone, he might have chosen to fight, but with two, there was no point.

Victory was impossible.

"Moa Moa Fiftyfold Speed!"

Byrnndi World applied his ability to the plank beneath him, boosting its speed fiftyfold, then used his hands as oars to paddle.

He wanted to escape this place as fast as possible.

"Did you think we'd let you go?" Whitebeard sneered.

"Crack!"

Whitebeard grabbed the space in front of him with both hands, and several fissures appeared, warping the air itself.

The surrounding sea changed in an instant. The once-calm surface erupted into waves dozens of meters high.

And those waves were surging straight toward them.

Byrnndi World, who had been trying to paddle away, found his path blocked by the towering waves.

He was a Devil Fruit user—if the seawater swallowed him, he'd die without a doubt.

"Damn you, Whitebeard!" Byrnndi World snarled, veins bulging on his forehead.

He changed direction, paddling with his hands, and charged straight toward Whitebeard.

He was forced into a corner—if the waves swallowed him and dragged him into the deep sea, he would surely die.

But if he made it onto the ship behind him and fought Patri Vic and Whitebeard, there was still a sliver of a chance to survive.

Bam!

As the plank neared the ship, Byrnndi World didn't hesitate. He leaped onto the deck, smashing a hole through the wood.

Crack!

Just as the towering wave was about to swallow their ship, Whitebeard's arm bulged with veins. He once again used the power of his Devil Fruit, forcibly reversing the wave's direction.

Boom!

The dozens-of-zhang-high wave didn't engulf their ship. Instead, it shifted course and crashed into another stretch of sea.

Whitebeard looked at Byrnndi World, who had landed on the deck, and smiled with confidence.

"You bastard," Byrnndi World snarled, his face dark with rage.

"You're the bastard," Whitebeard replied coldly, gripping Murakumogiri.

"Do you really think your chances of surviving a fight with us are better than being swallowed by the waves?" Patri Vic stood up, asking with amused interest.

"Won't know until I try. I'm Byrnndi World!"

Byrnndi World savagely tore off his shirt.

It revealed a chiseled, muscular body covered in countless scars—proof of the many brutal battles he'd endured on the seas over the years.

"Let's take him together, Edward. Finish this quickly and head back to the New World," Patri Vic said calmly, pulling off his own shirt.

"Wouldn't that be too unfair to him?" Whitebeard laughed as he shed his coat.

"Don't underestimate me, you bastards!" Byrnndi World roared.

"Moa Moa Tenfold Speed!"

Byrnndi World's movement speed multiplied tenfold. A terrifying, shadow-like speed—incredibly fast—and in an instant, he appeared behind Whitebeard.

"Die, Edward!"

His arm coated in Armament Haki, he swung hard at Whitebeard's head.

Bam!

But before his fist could land, his body was sent flying, crashing onto the deck.

Patri Vic, his entire body wreathed in purple steam, appeared in midair behind Whitebeard and punched Byrnndi World away with a single blow.

Whoosh!

A bullet coated in Armament Haki shot toward Whitebeard at high speed, suddenly expanding fifty times in mid-flight.

Shing!

Whitebeard's arm veins bulged as he swung Murakumogiri, cleaving the massive bullet cleanly in two.

Thud!

The severed halves continued flying forward before finally plunging into the deep sea.

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