Whitebeard? Newgate!

"Newgate, have a seat."

Carl brought a stool out of the room, then looked at the White Tiger.

"White Tiger, go catch us something to eat."

At Carl's call, the White Tiger glanced at Newgate, then ran deep into the forest.

It had liked the taste of yesterday's barbecue, too. It had never eaten cooked food before, so it could hardly wait to have some more.

Yesterday's meal might have kept it from needing to hunt for three or four days, but who ever complained about having too much food?

"Whitebeard? You mean me?"

Newgate asked in confusion as he sat down on the tiny stool.

His hair was golden now. How could anyone possibly mistake him for Whitebeard?

Carl smiled and explained, "Haha, no, no. You just look a bit like a friend of mine."

Newgate nodded. He must have mistaken him for someone else.

At the same time, he noticed the vitality radiating from Carl and found it intriguing. The strong often sensed something in one another.

Someone like Carl didn't seem like he could be a native of the island. Besides, the wooden cabin looked brand-new.

"Who are you?"

Newgate voiced the question on his mind.

Carl smiled faintly.

"The waves carried me here."

Newgate hadn't expected Carl to have been through the same thing as him.

"Gurararara! What a coincidence. That happened to me, too."

"Oh, really? That's quite a coincidence. Hahaha."

Carl hadn't expected Newgate to have been defeated by the waves, either!

"You're from a rare race, aren't you?"

For one thing, the vitality radiating from Carl was unusually powerful. For another, his skin seemed to give off a golden glow.

"That's right. I have Titan blood."

Carl could only make up an identity for himself.

"Titan?"

"Gurararara! I've never heard of that race before."

Then Carl and Newgate started chatting.

While they talked, the White Tiger had already caught a Titan Python.

It dragged its prey back happily, its whole body radiating triumph.

"Roar!"

The White Tiger let out a mighty roar and came running back with a python over twenty meters long in its jaws.

The huge wound at the Titan Python's neck showed that the White Tiger hadn't had to work very hard.

"Gurarararara! We're in for a feast today."

Newgate's laughter echoed over the island. After chatting for so long, he was getting hungry.

Carl set up the cooking rack with practiced ease, ready to cut the giant python into four sections.

Newgate took up a four-meter-long blade and helped him slice open the python with ease.

"It's a shame we don't have any wine to go with this."

Edward Newgate loved drinking.

He liked to enjoy fine wine along with good food, but unfortunately there wasn't a drop of alcohol on this deserted island.

"The two of us meeting here is reason enough to celebrate."

Carl replied without a care.

He wasn't impressed by the alcohol in Pirate World. He came from China, and compared with the liquor back home, the drinks in Pirate World were nothing special. He never expected that, later on, he'd end up brought down by that very "nothing special" liquor.

"By the way, since the waves carried you here, what are you planning to do now? You're not going to be stuck on this island, are you?"

Carl asked curiously. There wasn't a ship on the island, and since it was deserted, nobody was likely to come by.

Newgate gave an awkward smile. It was embarrassing for someone as powerful as him to have been beaten by the waves.

He pondered for a moment, then said, "Don't worry. My crewmates will find me soon. You don't need to worry about how we'll get off the island."

"Oh, good."

Carl was suddenly reminded that Pirate World had Vivre Cards.

"By the way, what year is it?"

Carl frowned slightly. He really wanted to know what point in time it was, whether the Rocks Pirates had been formed yet, and where exactly he was.

"It's 1480 in the Sea Circle Calendar."

1480. Didn't that mean Whitebeard, Newgate, had already joined the Rocks Pirates?

Carl hurriedly searched his memories. The God Valley Battle was supposed to happen in 1484.

Good. There was still time.

Since the Rocks Pirates still existed, he had to take part in the God Valley Battle. After all, his main quest was to throw the timeline of Pirate World into chaos.

And now that he'd traveled to this point in time, why not make the most of the opportunity?

"By the way, are you a pirate?"

Carl already knew the answer, but asked anyway to put Newgate at ease.

Newgate smiled and nodded.

"I'm with the Rocks Pirates. I'm the Second Division Commander."

Just as he'd expected, Newgate had already joined the Rocks Pirates at this point. The crew was probably at the height of its power.

The Grand Line was in turmoil, with all kinds of pirate crews sailing its waters.

Carl wanted to go out to sea with Newgate. He wanted to become a Division Commander aboard the Rocks Pirates' ship, but first he'd have to show Newgate what he could do. Only then would Newgate take him to Hachinosu.

"What do you think of me?"

Carl asked with a serious expression.

"What, you want to go out to sea?"

Newgate looked at Carl in surprise. It didn't take long for him to read the answer in Carl's eyes.

Carl didn't waste any time. He lashed out with his right leg like lightning.

Newgate saw the kick coming and raised his left hand to block it.

"Smack!"

Feeling the power behind Carl's kick, Newgate slid backward, a flicker of surprise crossing his face.

He hadn't expected such a young boy to have so much strength.

Taking advantage of Newgate's retreat, Carl sprang into the air.

Using his momentum, he swooped down and swung his right fist at Newgate's head.

Newgate stood and raised his right fist to block the blow.

But Carl's fist was incredibly fast, and a gust of force whipped around it. The instant Newgate raised his fist, Carl's blow slammed into his chest.

"Bang!"

The impact echoed across the island.

The punch sent Newgate flying. Sand billowed up as he traced a long arc through the air.

Carl spun once in midair and landed steadily on the beach.

His gaze was firm and confident, showing just how well he controlled his strength.

Newgate shook his head and got back to his feet. His chest was tingling, but his eyes were alight with excitement.

"Hahaha, well done! That's some incredible strength."

Newgate laughed, full of admiration for Carl. It was no small feat for a boy to impress him with his strength.

Carl laughed, too. They had both felt the other's power, and gained a deeper understanding of each other's abilities.

"Newgate, I'm strong enough to go out to sea with you, right?"

Carl spoke suddenly, his eyes filled with determination.

Newgate paused, then grew serious.

"If you want to go out to sea, I'll have to see whether you're strong enough."

Carl smiled and answered confidently, "Then let's find out."

"Fine. If you're that confident, let's give it a try!"

Newgate laughed. He hadn't gone all out just now, and he wanted to test Carl's strength, too.

So Carl and Newgate walked down to the shore, ready for a real spar.

They stood facing each other. Their intense standoff seemed to make the air itself grow heavy, and both were eager to see how the match would go.

In the blink of an eye, Carl's fist came flying. Before it even reached Newgate, a blast of air roared in front of him, forming a fearsome Shockwave that swept everything away like a gale.

In the time it took a spark to fly, Newgate's thoughts raced. He sprang into the air and swung his right hand.

They traded punches and kicks, each blow landing hard.

The earth beneath their feet cracked like a spiderweb. Rocks flew, and one crater after another blasted open.

Carl was actually lacking in battle experience and hadn't yet mastered his body. The only reason he could keep up was that he'd fused with the Titan Power.

But as long as he stood on the ground, his stamina recovered without end.