Before they knew it, it was evening, and Lin Yuan and the Whitebeard Newgate had finally finished discussing the main matters.
As they left the room, seeing the squad leader still waiting there, Lin Yuan couldn't help but admire their loyalty to the old man with the Whitebeard!
" Pops, is your injury any better?"
"Haha, much better! At least I won't need medication anymore!"
"Really? That's wonderful!"
"Alright, Thatch —oh, I almost forgot, Thatch's injured. Kids, spread the word: the banquet is ready."
"Oh!"
Upon hearing that Whitebeard Newgate had recovered, all the members of the Whitebeard Pirates smiled with excitement.
Although Thatch was injured, the other squad leaders had already prepared food for him.
At the banquet, Lin Yuan sat with Whitebeard Newgate, and Kureha was also there. Thatch, who had been injured, was much better after Kureha gave him a few acupuncture treatments.
After the banquet began, everyone was celebrating Whitebeard Newgate's recovery, and Lin Yuan could sense that they were all sincere.
The main characters at this banquet were not Lin Yuan and Whitebeard Newgate, but Kureha.
Led by Marco, Whitebeard Newgate's sons all came forward to offer their thanks and toasts.
When they heard that Kureha was 140 years old, they were even more astonished.
Kureha happily accepted their thanks, accepting all offers and enjoying the wine with everyone.
After Whitebeard Newgate recovered his health, the captains of the affiliated pirate crews all came to congratulate him.
Lin Yuan also met many familiar faces, such as the Ice Witch Whitey Bay and the Squard.
Although these people's strength didn't particularly impress Lin Yuan, they still possessed the strength of a Rear Admiral or Vice Admiral in the Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral.
Lin Yuan didn't intend to tell these people that the Whitebeard Pirates had been incorporated into the " Abyss " Merchant Guild; instead, he used a different phrasing.
"Children, this is the Hidden Emperor Lin Yuan. I believe you all know who he is. Even your Pops is his defeated opponent, but he also healed my life!"
"So from now on, when you see the Hidden Emperor, it will be as if you were seeing me! Do you understand?"
The captains of the pirate crews under Whitebeard Newgate were also very curious about Lin Yuan, as they knew that their Pops had a particularly good relationship with him.
They are living such a good life now only because of their Pops's relationship with the Hidden Emperor; otherwise, they would still be busy collecting protection money all day long.
Unlike now, where you only need to collect once a year, and it's delivered by the local people.
"Lord Lin Yuan, thank you for curing my Pops. If you ever need anything in the future, I, Whitey Bay, will have no hesitation in fulfilling my duties!"
Looking at the smiling and confident Whitey Bay, Lin Yuan was also in a good mood. As expected of a girl, she speaks so sweetly. Lin Yuan smiled while giving Marco and the others a disdainful glare.
"Good, good, good. As expected of the Ice Witch, you speak so pleasantly, unlike your brothers, who all act so arrogant."
Marco and the others looked at Lin Yuan in astonishment, wondering why he was suddenly looking down on them.
"Well, since you're the old man with the Whitebeard's daughter, I should also show my appreciation. Here, take this!"
As Lin Yuan spoke, he took out a Devil Fruit from his ring. Although it wasn't a particularly rare one, it was still one that he had carefully selected and kept.
Whitey Bay stared in disbelief at the Devil Fruit in her hand, gasping for breath.
Although the Whitebeard Pirates very strong, not everyone in them possessed Devil Fruit.
"This Devil Fruit is one I picked out; it's pretty good. You can eat it!"
Whitey Bay looked at Lin Yuan, then at the Whitebeard Newgate, and only after seeing his Pops nod did he smile, thank him, and accept the gift.
Whitebeard Newgate and Marco exchanged a glance. Everyone present envied Whitey Bay for receiving Lin Yuan's reward, but only they heard Lin Yuan's words clearly.
"Choose some? Just how many treasures does this guy have?! Aren't Devil Fruit be treasures of the sea? How can this guy even pick some out?!"
Whitebeard Newgate secretly guessed that Marco had the same thought.
Soon, Whitey Bay, having eaten the Devil Fruit, emanated a chilling aura that instantly froze the surrounding drinks. Had it not been for the fact that the captains present were all quite strong, they would likely have been frozen solid.
Even so, they couldn't help but shudder.
"It's Paramecia Fruit, the Chill-Chill Fruit! What a powerful Devil Fruit ability!"
Whitey Bay stared at her hands in disbelief, her smile widening.
"Haha, Whitey Bay, keep developing this, maybe one day you can even freeze the lava of Marine Admiral!"
Whitebeard Newgate laughed heartily, teasing his goddaughter for a moment, while thinking to himself, "Anything produced by Lin Yuan is bound to be a masterpiece!"
Seeing Whitey Bay's burst of energy, the other 42 captains couldn't help but show expressions of envy, but they didn't have any other ill intentions.
Lin Yuan's Observation Haki had been active all along, allowing him to discern the thoughts of these people long ago. It must be said that, apart from Teach, these people were truly loyal to Whitebeard Newgate.
"Alright, there's something else I want to talk to you about. Although you're all my good children, I'm getting old, so there are a few things I need to discuss with you."
Upon hearing this, everyone except Marco and his two companions turned to look at Whitebeard Newgate, wondering what their Pops was going to say.
Whitebeard Newgate recounted to everyone what he had discussed with Lin Yuan beforehand.
When they heard that their weaker subordinates were being allowed to reunite with their families, they looked at each other, speechless for a moment.
"Of course, I know many of you yearn for freedom, so if you'd like, you can come and keep this old man company."
"If you don't want to, you can make your own arrangements, but you can't plunder anymore. Lin Yuan has promised to give you some of the island's revenue."
At this moment, everyone understood that Whitebeard Newgate wanted to recruit all the strong individuals into his pirate crew and would even give them good treatment, except that they could no longer plunder.
" Pops, has something happened? Why did you make this decision?"
As the 43 allied pirate crews under the Whitebeard Pirates, they were all under the protection of the Whitebeard Pirates, so naturally they would not refuse Whitebeard.
"Yes, I am getting old after all. Once I die, you will all be held accountable. As your father, I naturally have to consider your future."
Lin Yuan watched Whitebeard Newgate's performance with a calm expression, but inwardly he was overjoyed.
These pirates are all uncultured; they only know that they owe their current status to the protection of Whitebeard Newgate.
Upon hearing these words, everyone was deeply moved, and a few of the more sentimental ones even burst into tears, including several squad leaders led by Jozu.
Knowing the inside story, Marco, Vista, and Ace couldn't help but twitch their faces.
"Alright, I've already discussed it with Lin Yuan. Even if I die, he will continue to protect you. The Whitebeard Pirates will never perish."
Whitebeard Newgate stood up, unleashing a terrifying aura that drew admiring glances from all the division commanders and pirate captains.
Ultimately, all the captains agreed to Whitebeard Newgate's proposal without much trouble, except for one request from the Squard.
"Lord Lin Yuan, would you be so kind as to let us witness your strength?"