Return to Crescent Moon Island, the Straw Hat Crew Arrives

"Hey! Teach! I called you over to help, not to steal ingredients for dinner!" Thatch slapped Teach's guilty little hand that was reaching for the cherries away, then glared at Teach angrily. "If you keep stealing, we won't have enough ingredients to make Cherry Pie!"

Teach reluctantly withdrew his hand, but his eyes remained fixed on the large plate of cherries on the table! "Hehehehe! Don't be so serious, Thatch! It's just a few cherries, it's just eating, isn't it?"

"Ha, who knows what you'd be like if there wasn't Cherry Pie for dinner!" Thatch rolled his eyes. He had no doubt that Teach would go crazy if there wasn't Cherry Pie on the table!

"By the way, where are Ace and the other guy?" Thatch suddenly noticed that the usual duo of scavengers seemed to be missing one person, and looked at Teach, wanting an answer.

"Tch, those two guys went fishing at the back of the boat! Ace, that ungrateful bastard, actually abandoned me all by himself!" Teach said angrily. Before, when Thatch cooked, he and Ace would always come over together to steal a bite, but now, ever since Yamato boarded the ship, Ace seemed to have lost interest in the food!

"Tama! Bring me the eggs!" Thatch called out to the little girl beside him. When they left Onigashima, they were surprised to find that the Beast Pirates had not sent any pursuers! So they slowed down and even went back to Amigasa Village to take the poor little girl with them!

As for her so-called master, ha, that man's real name is Kozuki Sukiyaki, a complete coward! He was the former shogun of Wano, unlike Kozuki Oden, who, no matter what, was still willing to grasp some hope for the common people of Wano, even if it was foolish, he did it!

But Kozuki Sukiyaki is different! He's just a bastard trying to save his own life. As a monarch, he's undoubtedly a failure! Mediocre in martial arts and cowardly, this kind of guy should just stay a commoner for the rest of his life!

"Huh? Where's the roast meat I just made?" Thatch simply turned around to catch an egg, and when he turned back again, the freshly roasted meat had vanished! He slowly looked at Teach, who solemnly declared that he hadn't done it! Of course, it would have been even better if he'd removed the bulging cheeks and grease from the corners of his mouth!

"Damn it Teach! Sine! Thunderclap!"

"Smi-ma Sain..."

Two more days passed

Crescent Moon Island, the Whitebeard Pirates' headquarters

"Gurararara! You must be Yamato! Hmm, it seems Ace had good taste!" Whitebeard sat on a huge chair, with Teach and his crew who had just returned Teach in front of him! As for the newly joined Tama, Whitebeard considerately arranged some dispensable tasks for her. As a result, the extremely proud Tama completely joined the Whitebeard Pirates and became an apprentice crew member!

"Hahaha! Pops, why don't I see the other captains? And the island is rather deserted today!" Teach clearly sensed something was wrong. In the past, when he returned, not to mention others, Laffitte and the others would definitely be there to greet him early. But this time was different. Not only Laffitte and the others, but even the number of ordinary crew members had become sparse!

"You mean them? They've all gone to the arena to watch! Mihawk came to visit this morning, wanting to spar with your subordinate Shiryu! And now, everyone's gone to watch the spectacle!" Whitebeard sipped his drink, seemingly unconcerned about such matters.

"What? The Great Master Swordsman Dracule Mihawk? Hahaha! Looks like he's itching for a fight and wants to find an opponent who can rival him!" Teach vaguely remembered that during the Paramount War, Mihawk and Shiryu fought to a standstill! As the World's Greatest Swordsman, Mihawk was undoubtedly lonely, and he desperately needed a powerful opponent! And Shiryu was the perfect candidate!

"Let's go, let's go take a look!" Ace said excitedly. After saying goodbye to Whitebeard, the group left his room and headed towards the Whitebeard Pirates' arena.

Although they were still some distance from the arena, everyone could clearly hear the shouts coming from the direction of the arena, and the sounds of metal clashing were also incessant. It seemed that they had caught up with the climax of the battle!

"Hahaha! This is quite a spectacle!" Teach's height, far exceeding that of ordinary people, allowed him to see the scene on the battlefield very clearly. Moreover, the Whitebeard Pirates' arena was very large, and although there were many pirates present, everyone could see the battle taking place.

"Yo! Teach, you're back!" "Deputy Captain Teach!" "Captain Thatch!" "Captain Ace!" Gradually, people noticed the returning group. They greeted them with smiles, then turned their attention back to the battlefield! After all, most of them were swordsmen, and watching the battle between two peerless swordsmen naturally benefited them greatly!

"Captain Teach! You're back!" Fakyu noticed the commotion, turned around, and there stood his beloved captain.

"Hahaha! I never expected to see such a grand battle as soon as I returned! I didn't expect that Shiryu's swordsmanship to have improved again!" Looking at the two evenly matched opponents, Teach keenly noticed Shiryu's increase in strength! Although the increase was not significant, for a powerhouse of his level, how easy was it to achieve even a slight improvement?

As if noticing Teach's return, Shiryu's swordplay became even more ferocious, and the two fought for another half hour before ending in a draw!

After it was over, Mihawk left, his steps slightly hurried, indicating that he had gained quite a bit from this battle!

"Captain! When did you get back?" Shiryu immediately noticed Teach in the crowd. Suppressing his excitement, he quickened his pace.

"Hahaha! I didn't expect you, Shiryu, to have improved again! It seems that your long time in prison has suppressed your progress! Not bad, you've really given me a big surprise!" Teach patted Shiryu on the shoulder and said with a look of certainty!

"Haha, Dracule Mihawk's strength is indeed formidable! Fighting such Great Master Swordsman is my greatest wish! It seems that deciding to follow you was indeed a brilliant idea!" Shiryu pulled a whole cigar from his clothes and handed it to Teach. The Blackbeard Pirates were just about to enjoy the joy of their reunion when an alarm sounded at the dock!

"What's going on?" Teach's eyes suddenly turned cold. This alarm meant someone had entered their territory!

A large group of pirates grabbed their weapons and headed towards the dock with murderous intent. Upon arrival, they saw a small pirate ship, its flag flying, docked at the shore.

There's an unwritten rule among pirates: if you're visiting a powerful figure, you must lower your pirate flag (the small pirate flag at the top of the mast)! If it's flying high, it means you're challenging them or that you consider yourself to be of equal status!

On the high seas, which pirate crew dares to claim they are on par with the Whitebeard Pirates?

Upon seeing the familiar Straw Hat Pirate Flag, Teach was first taken aback, then roared angrily, "You ignorant brat! I'll teach you a lesson! Fire!"

The next second, shells were launched like a meteor shower!