Sea Era, August 1498.
"Hello? Hello!"
"Newgate, what do you want with me?"
Hades was a little surprised. He had no idea why Whitebeard had suddenly called.
He and Newgate had not spoken in years.
After all, they had little to talk about.
They had taken entirely different paths.
The Whitebeard Pirates had no conflict of interest with the Pluton Pirates or the Kronos Kingdom.
In the end, Hades and Newgate's friendship belonged to the past. After so many years, it had faded.
Time could change many things. Most importantly, Hades was no longer a pirate.
He had even handed command of the Pluton Pirates to the next generation.
The one difference was that most of Hades's former comrades had become Newgate's enemies.
Hades alone was not at odds with them.
"Gurararara! Why not come have a drink? There's someone here who wants to see you."
Newgate laughed, wine cup in hand.
Aboard the Moby Dick, Newgate's children were buzzing with excitement. It seemed they might soon see the legendary Great Pirate, Hades the Pluton.
But the other end of the Den Den Mushi fell silent for a moment.
"Sorry, I don't have time to come over right now."
An uproar swept the Moby Dick. None of them had expected anyone to turn down their Pops's invitation.
After the setbacks they had suffered when the crew was first formed, the Whitebeard Pirates had made a name for themselves over the past few years.
They had defeated the John Pirates and the Silver Axe Pirates in succession, seizing more territory.
The Whitebeard Pirates' Squadron Captains had also proved their strength in bloody battles.
They were not looking for trouble. They had invited him for a drink out of goodwill, yet he showed the Whitebeard Pirates no respect.
Some of the more