Be My Son

Tensa Zangetsu pierced Whitebeard's abdomen at just the right angle, causing no fatal wound.

But Marco, Jozu, and the other commanders were beside themselves with fury, all worried about Whitebeard's injuries. If not for their respect for their old man's wishes, they would have charged in together long ago.

"Got you... brat!" Whitebeard's pitch-black palm seized Yake's solid body, preventing him from turning into lightning and escaping.

Yake: Those words sounded strangely familiar. Brothers, I'm GG.

Kizaru: What a coincidence. That was exactly what I thought back then.

Whitebeard drew back his right fist, surrounded by a white halo, and punched toward Yake's face.

Yake hurriedly raised his darkened arm to shield his face.

At that moment, Yake's expression surpassed everyone else's.

Whitebeard's punch completely shattered Yake's expression, nearly knocking him unconscious with the shockwave. Yake had still underestimated Whitebeard's strength.

"Gurararara, what a troublesome brat!" Whitebeard calmly pulled Tensa Zangetsu from his abdomen. Blood immediately gushed out without stopping. Only Whitebeard himself knew that sword could have pierced his chest.

Thatch, Vista, and several other commanders immediately gathered around Whitebeard.

"Old man, are you alright?" "Old man, are you hurt badly?"...

"Gurararara, I'm Whitebeard!!!"

This was the strongest man in the world: Whitebeard—Edward Newgate.

"Cough, cough. What a monster, Whitebeard. I'm not dead yet!"

Yake staggered to his feet and shook his head, seemingly trying to fling away the intense dizziness.

"Again, Whitebeard!" Lightning gathered around Yake once more as he charged at Whitebeard.

But Whitebeard's commanders stood in Yake's path.

"You want to dance too?"

"Get out of my way, you foolish sons! This is my fight!" Whitebeard sent the sons blocking his way flying as though swatting chicks aside. The dazzling white light gathered around his right fist collided with Yake's fist, and a powerful aura suddenly erupted.

"OOOOOHHHHH!"

Veins bulged across Yake's body. The skin on his arm cracked, blood constantly seeping from his pores and forming droplets.

One could imagine just how fierce his clash with Whitebeard was.

"Old man, you can't keep fighting! The Moby Dick is about to split apart!" Marco shouted anxiously. He had noticed that directly beneath Whitebeard and Yake's point of collision, the hull had begun to crack. If they continued, the Moby Dick would really be destroyed.

Yake and Whitebeard seemed not to hear him, the force in their hands still increasing.

Suddenly, Yake's Observation Haki sensed movement aboard the Eternal Truth, and he could not help turning toward the ship.

The Eternal Truth struggled to hold on amid the tsunami that seemed ready to devour it, wave after wave crashing against its hull.

"Brat, you dare get distracted while fighting me!" Whitebeard angrily pulled back his fist. After suddenly releasing his force, he immediately threw an even more terrifying punch toward Yake's head.

Yake had only just reacted when Whitebeard's fist came again. He was sent flying like a kite with its string cut, landing on the Moby Dick's deck, his fate unknown.

Eternal Truth.

Although the situation at sea was terrible, Robin had been keeping watch over Yake.

"It's over, it's over! The captain got sent flying by one punch! We're going to die..." Perona observed the battle through her ghosts. Yake lay motionless on the ground, looking as if he were dead...

"Go save the captain, quickly! Pull the ship alongside them!!!" Robin clenched her teeth, her face filled with worry.

"Robin, leave it to me." Reiju looked grave as she spun the helm wildly.

The battle had ended, and Yake still had not risen.

"Gurararara, that brat is really quite strong. His Devil Fruit ability combines power and speed, and he's trained his physical skills well too. In a one-on-one fight, none of you would be his match." Whitebeard took a drink as he spoke. His wound was not fatal, and with his monstrous physique and Marco's treatment, he was basically fine.

It seemed Whitebeard's illness had not worsened. Compared with how he would be two years later, he was in far better shape.

"What did you do to our captain?!" Robin crossed her hands and assumed an attacking stance.

Reiju had already put on her battle suit. Ghosts surrounded Perona as well, while Anna, though frightened, had electricity flickering across her furry body.

"Gurararara, that boy really is blessed with women." Whitebeard could not help teasing when he saw Robin and the others arrive aboard the ship.

"Don't worry. Your captain merely fainted. He's fine," Marco said blandly.

"However, your captain failed in his challenge against our king. Have you prepared yourselves for dea—"

Robin magnificently ignored Marco, squeezing past him to check on Yake. When she saw that he was still breathing steadily, she immediately let out a sigh of relief. Though Yake looked rather miserable, based on Robin's understanding of him, as long as he still had a breath in him, he was basically fine.

"I'm deeply sorry that our captain has caused you such great trouble. I am willing to compensate you for your losses." Robin spoke gracefully, lowering her head and bowing to Whitebeard in apology.

"It seems your captain is dearly loved! As the loser of this challenge, we could have killed your captain. But the old man cherishes talent. As long as you are willing to join our Whitebeard Pirates, we will be family. So this—" Marco said rather proudly, only to be interrupted by Robin once again.

"Absolutely! Impossible! Our captain is a man who will overturn this world. How could he ever live under someone else's roof? This is the one thing that is not open to negotiation." Robin's words rang with conviction, even though enemies capable of easily killing her surrounded her.

Reiju, Perona, Anna, and Robin formed a protective circle around Yake from four directions, confronting Whitebeard's crew. The atmosphere immediately grew tense.

"Gurararara, what a bold little girl. We'll talk after your captain wakes up. You aren't the captain, after all!" Whitebeard looked approvingly at Robin and the others. This pirate crew unexpectedly had quite the feeling of a family.

Whitebeard's crew understood their old man's meaning and dispersed, leaving only a few people behind to watch Robin and the others.

Yake had been awake for some time already. That old bastard Whitebeard had no martial honor at all, launching a sneak attack. Yake had originally planned to get up and fight Whitebeard for another three hundred rounds, but seeing Robin arrive, he decided against it.

Whitebeard had to worry about the impact his power would have on the environment at sea, so he definitely would not go all out. The fight would not be satisfying anyway. Besides, Yake had already cut Whitebeard open and let him bleed, so admitting defeat would not be too embarrassing.

Moreover, Robin and the others had come aboard too, so Yake did not dare use his abilities over a wide area. Forget it. He would treat it as the price of befriending Whitebeard. Yake simply rolled his eyes back and went to sleep!

The Eternal Truth had been lashed alongside the Moby Dick, and they traveled together. Some shipwrights were repairing the damage caused by Yake and Whitebeard's battle. Robin had already moved Yake to the Eternal Truth to rest, and the girls sat around him, hoping he would wake soon.

The next morning, Yake felt a little short of breath and was forcibly awakened.

Only then did he discover several people beside him. Robin was on his left, Reiju on his right, and Perona slept leaning against the bed. Even worse was Anna, curled up on Yake's chest like a ball of cat fur. The real culprit had been found...

It was no surprise that he was still alive. Whitebeard cherished talent. Even when Crocodile lost his challenge, Whitebeard spared his life and gave him a chance to become his son. Unfortunately, Crocodile had refused.

Wait, was it going to be his turn next? Yake could already imagine what it would look like when he went to meet Whitebeard.

The image was too vivid. Yake no longer felt sleepy.

He looked at the sleeping girls around him. Every one of them was a peerless beauty, and after taking the Beauty Pill, they had become even more charming. Yake quietly watched his adorable crewmates.

He had told them to stay behind and guard the ship, yet they had still come aboard the Moby Dick. Robin's words had touched the softest part of Yake's heart. Perhaps this was the true One Piece.

"Captain, you're awake! Aaaaaah!" Perona had already woken up and screamed excitedly.

"Perona, don't be so noisy. Let me sleep a little longer~" Robin was still somewhat groggy as she nestled her head further into Yake's arms.

"Yake, you're awake!!" Reiju opened her eyes, and seeing that Yake looked fairly well, she could not help smiling happily. Her curled eyebrows seemed to curve even more.

"Ah, Yake-sama, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!"

"Then get off me already! You're crushing the breath out of me!"

Only after a round of utter chaos did peace finally return.

Anna prepared a hearty breakfast. After eating and drinking their fill, Yake brought Robin and the others to meet Whitebeard.

"Gurararara, brat, I thought you would just run away!" Whitebeard was still somewhat pleased to see Yake arrive.

"Failure isn't frightening. What's frightening is running from failure. So, here I am." Yake looked up at Whitebeard. The surrounding commanders were all watching the show with smiles on their faces, as though welcoming a new member, including Teach with his "honest and simple" expression.

"Gurararara, well said!"

Whitebeard rose to his feet and extended his hand, like a famous painting come to life.

"Be my son!"