The Most Shameless Excuse, Whitebeard's Approval!

The night sea breeze swept across the deck, carrying a faint salty tang of Seawater.

Even the air seemed to have frozen.

Marco, Jozu, and Vista—the three top commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates—stood like three insurmountable mountains, completely cutting off every route of retreat for Chen Ye.

The Crew Members around the meeting room stopped their clamor. They sensed the unusual oppression in the air, and countless gazes converged on him, filled with confusion and scrutiny.

"Chen Ye."

Marco's voice was calm, yet it carried an unquestionable pressure.

"Who exactly are you?"

"The power you've displayed isn't something a Newcomer like you should possess."

Faced with that crushing interrogation, Chen Ye's face showed not the slightest hint of panic.

He blinked. At first, pure bewilderment appeared on his youthful face, as though he truly could not understand what Marco was talking about.

Then, that bewilderment was swiftly replaced by an uncontrollable, almost fanatical excitement.

"Power?"

What power?

Chen Ye lowered his head and spread his hands. He clenched them tightly, then suddenly opened them, as though he were feeling out some novel toy.

"I don't know either, Brother Marco!"

He raised his head and looked at Marco excitedly, his tone brimming with the thrill of discovering a new continent.

"Ever since I came aboard the Whitebeard Pirates' ship, I've felt like my body has endless strength every single day!"

"Especially... especially when I was giving Pops a back massage!"

The more he spoke, the more excited he became. He even began gesturing wildly, and that innocent look made Marco's prepared follow-up questions stick in his throat.

Vista's brows furrowed slightly. He could not see a single flaw.

Jozu still stood with his arms folded, silent, but a trace of doubt had appeared in his deep-set eyes as well.

This kid's reaction... didn't look fake.

"Brother Marco, you're talking about Haki, right?"

As though he had finally figured something out, Chen Ye slapped his thigh and said excitedly.

"I get it! I get it now!"

He Took a Deep Breath. His little face flushed red as he shouted at everyone in a tone that was practically proclaiming the truth.

"I think it must be because Pops's King's Haki is too powerful!"

"That presence, that majesty—it's like the sun in the sky!"

"I follow Pops around every day, basking in Pops's Emperor's Haki, being cultivated by it... even a pig could be cultivated into a fierce tiger!"

That earth-shattering theory plunged the entire deck into an eerie silence.

Everyone was dumbfounded by his words.

He was crediting the awakening of Haki to being "cultivated" by someone else?

What kind of absurd nonsense was that?!

Yet they had no choice but to accept this nonsense, because of the core reason behind it!

That was their Pops!

Whitebeard!

Marco's eye twitched uncontrollably.

After living for so many years and sailing across the entire sea, he had never heard such a... such a shameless explanation.

And yet, Chen Ye's expression was so sincere, so matter-of-fact, as though what he had said was an unshakable truth of the world.

"So!"

Chen Ye gave them no time to think. He thumped his chest so hard that it boomed, his voice full of pride and arrogance.

"This tiny bit of strength of mine must have been 'bestowed' upon me by Pops! I've simply basked in Pops's glory!"

"Right! Or maybe... maybe I'm just exceptionally talented and can comprehend Haki in a short time!"

He nodded heavily, finding the final—and most perfect—explanation for his "genius" theory.

The entire deck fell silent.

Vista opened his mouth, but Couldn't Speak a Single Word.

Even cracks appeared in Jozu's eternally unchanged poker face.

Marco felt his Temples throbbing.

Just as he was about to speak and forcibly put an end to this farce—

A laugh like an Avalanche and Tsunami exploded behind them without warning.

"Gurararararara!"

That laughter was filled with unrivaled boldness and Haki, instantly scattering all the oppression and tension on the deck.

Everyone whipped around.

Whitebeard was somehow already standing there. With a massive Wine Pot in one hand, he laughed so hard that his whole body shook, tears nearly spraying from his eyes.

"Well said!"

Whitebeard strode forward with heavy steps, making the ground tremble with each one. He walked to Chen Ye's side, and his enormous shadow completely enveloped him.

"Gurarararara... As expected of my son!"

A fan-sized hand came down heavily on Chen Ye's shoulder.

"Bang!"

Chen Ye only felt an overwhelming force crash into him. He nearly got slapped straight into the deck, and every bone in his body let out a miserable groan.

Yet he endured the intense pain, and an even brighter, more honored smile appeared on his face instead.

"Pops!"

Whitebeard had clearly been amused by Chen Ye's shocking "Haki Cultivation Theory." He took it as an extremely amusing joke, as well as this new son's most straightforward expression of admiration for him.

He turned his head and looked at Marco, whose expression was still somewhat stiff.

"Marco."

"This kid is the son of Edward Newgate. Isn't it only natural that he has some talent?"

Though Whitebeard's voice carried laughter, the weight behind his words could not be questioned.

"Don't keep doubting and investigating my new son over such a trivial matter."

One sentence from Whitebeard!

That settled it.

Marco gave Chen Ye a deep look, then sighed helplessly and shrugged.

"Yes, Pops."

Since Pops had said so, the matter ended there.

Seeing that the crisis had passed, the surrounding Crew Members burst into laughter, and the atmosphere instantly returned to its usual ease and liveliness.

"Hahaha, so Pops's Haki is just too powerful!"

"That's right! We follow Pops every day, aren't we much stronger than the pirates outside too?"

"This new little brother is a real riot!"

A massive crisis that could have exposed Chen Ye's identity was resolved so lightly with the most shameless, most outrageous excuse.

Not only that, he had pushed all the "credit" onto Whitebeard. He had flattered him, concealed his secret, and invisibly made Whitebeard personally vouch for his "genius" status.

From this day onward, his identity as a Monster Newcomer had received the most authoritative and unquestionable certification.

Watching Whitebeard laugh as he turned and walked away, Chen Ye rubbed his aching shoulder and let out a long breath in his heart.

Chen Ye!

You bet right.