Barn climbed out of Laboon's blowhole. He had heard the conversation between Golden Lion and Whitebeard just now. He no longer felt like commenting on the nickname "golden retriever"-Leonard had told him about it back in Impel Down-but running into Whitebeard here had still caught him by surprise.
"Guhahahaha! Barn, what's the matter? You never used to call me that."
Despite his imposing appearance, Whitebeard was a perceptive man. To sum him up in a single line:
"A tiger in his heart, yet he paused to smell the roses."
That was the kind of man Whitebeard was. He had noticed the change in how Barn addressed him. Back aboard the Moby Dick, Barn had always called him Newgate. Now it was Whitebeard.
"Ah, you noticed. Whitebeard, I can't call you what I used to because I promised Sengoku I wouldn't be a pirate anymore."
Barn said it with a smile. This time, it wasn't just Whitebeard who was surprised. Everyone in the Whitebeard Pirates stared at him in astonishment, and even Golden Lion looked at him with a trace of bewilderment.
"Have you forgotten what your old captain, York, told you?"
At the mention of Captain York, Barn's smile vanished. His expression grew earnest, and a hint of gravity settled over his brow as he spoke.
"No, Whitebeard. I've never forgotten Captain York's words."
Barn turned his back on Whitebeard and "looked" up at the sky, as though he could see York there. Then he continued.
"Captain York told me to live freely and happily. At first, I planned to be a carefree pirate, too. But!"
Barn turned back around, his eyes fixed on Whitebeard. His unfocused gaze became especially piercing at that moment as he spoke.
"I realized I was wrong! During my years in the Sabaody Archipelago, I heard about all kinds of things, mostly involving the Celestial Dragons. Almost everything I heard about them pissed me off, so Fisher Tiger and I went to Mary Geoise and freed the slaves there. I also remember Captain York saying that he set sail to spread happiness."
Barn pointed at his heart and raised his voice even further.
"If I live as a pirate, I might be happy, but other people won't be! The most direct and fundamental way to solve that problem is to change the world order!"
Barn spoke with such conviction that everyone present found themselves recalling why they had first set sail. Treasure? That meant little to them now. Glory? If they wanted glory, why not join the Navy? It was freedom! Every pirate set sail in pursuit of freedom, longing for that carefree life upon the sea!
Barn's words left Whitebeard deep in thought. A long time passed before he spoke.
"Change the world order? Barn, how do you intend to do that?"
Barn merely smiled and "looked" toward Whitebeard and Golden Lion.
"Shiki, Whitebeard, come with me."
With that, Barn jumped down from Laboon and left with Fitz.
Golden Lion used his power to fly after him.
Whitebeard gave his children a few instructions, then followed as well. None of the three spoke. In silence, two walked and one flew until they reached Island 14, where a small bar stood...
"Pardon the intrusion."
Barn pushed open the bar's door and went inside. Despite being a bar, it didn't have a single customer. Behind the counter stood a woman smoking a cigarette. Her face bore no adornment, yet she was still pleasing to the eye. In front of her sat a scruffily dressed middle-aged man, drinking.
The scruffy man drinking there was none other than "Dark King" Rayleigh, who now lived in the Sabaody Archipelago. The woman was his wife, Shakuyaku.
Shakuyaku had never met Barn, so she offered a perfunctory "Welcome" when he came in. But when she saw the other two men following him, she lost her composure and nudged Rayleigh with her elbow.
"Barn, Shiki, what brings you here with so much time on your hands? And you've brought a friend?"
Rayleigh drained the liquor in his glass, then turned around.
"Rayleigh?"
Whitebeard was rather surprised to discover that this man was the "Dark King," Rayleigh.
When Rayleigh saw that Whitebeard had come with Barn, his eyes widened slightly as well. Then he spoke.
"It's been a long time, Edward."
"It has. I heard about Roger, too, Rayleigh..."
"It's all right, Edward. I'm happy for Roger. He turned himself in so he could do something he'd always wanted to do. He told you about it before, didn't he?"
Rayleigh raised a hand to interrupt Whitebeard before saying those words.
"Yes..."
Whitebeard remembered what Roger had once told him on an island filled with drifting cherry blossoms.
Meanwhile, guided by Fitz, Barn had already taken a seat at the counter.
Barn snapped his fingers and spoke.
"A glass of rum, please."
"Make that two!"
Golden Lion sat beside Barn as he spoke.
Shakuyaku glanced at Rayleigh. Only after he nodded did she bring Barn and Golden Lion their drinks.
Barn kept swirling his glass of rum as he spoke, almost as though talking to himself.
"Rayleigh, can we talk?"
Golden Lion and Whitebeard also glanced at Rayleigh. He paused in surprise, but silently nodded.
"Oh! I forgot there are rats in the liquor storeroom!"
Rayleigh was a clever man, and his woman was no fool either. Shakuyaku tactfully went to the storeroom to catch rats, and kept at it for several hours...
That was how long Barn and the others talked. By the time they finished, dusk had fallen. Golden Lion and Whitebeard were the first to come out...
"Roger's gone. Looks like this era will bear your name now, Whitebeard!"
Golden Lion stroked his chin as he spoke to Whitebeard.
Whitebeard raised his eyebrows and replied.
"If you're going to spout that sort of nonsense, I can send you straight back to Impel Down. Have you got any feet left to cut off, Golden Lion?"
Golden Lion merely shrugged and spoke.
"Consider those feet my repayment for the Navy's hospitality during my stay. You're as infuriating as ever! Still, that puts my mind at ease. I'm planning to disappear for a while. When I return to these seas, I'll show this cozy little era what Golden Lion can do!"
Golden Lion's words startled Whitebeard.
"Golden Lion, about what Barn said..."
Before Whitebeard could finish, Golden Lion raised a hand to cut him off. He waved and said one thing.
"Don't you think this world is too dull?"
With that, Golden Lion used his power to fly away, disappearing over the horizon...
Just then, Barn came out as well.
He spoke.
"Shiki left?"
Whitebeard nodded silently, then gave a grunt of agreement.
"Whitebeard, you'll help me, won't you?"
Whitebeard turned and gave Barn an earnest look before answering.
"I will."
"Puhahaha!"
Barn laughed loudly, then turned his back on Whitebeard and spoke.
"Thanks, Newgate."
Whitebeard was puzzled to hear Barn stop calling him Whitebeard and return to his old way of addressing him as Newgate.
Then Barn turned around and held out his fist.
"That's as a friend, Newgate!"
"Guhahahaha!"
Whitebeard happily bumped fists with him.
The two returned to Rayleigh's bar and brought out two barrels of liquor, then drank together beneath the star-filled night sky...
"Where are you headed now, Barn?"
"Fish-Man Island. There's another old friend I need to see. What about you, Newgate?"
After finishing his drink, Whitebeard gazed up at the sky and spoke softly.
"I'm going to the East Blue. I wasn't there to see Roger off when he left. Now I want to go take a look, and stop by your guild while I'm there."
The next day, on the shore of Island 14, Barn stood atop Laboon while Whitebeard stood aboard the Moby Dick. They parted with a simple wave. Barn jumped into Laboon's blowhole, and Whitebeard set sail.
"Pops, what did you and Mr. Barn talk about yesterday?"
Marco asked curiously.
Whitebeard merely smiled and shook his head.