Be My Son!
New World, a certain sea area.
A massive four-masted warship drifted on the sea.
This four-gun warship is extremely large, resembling a small island, and its most distinctive feature is its white whale-shaped prow.
This ship is world-famous; it's none other than the Moby Dick, Whitebeard's personal vessel!
On the Moby Dick, many important members of the Whitebeard Pirates lived. On the deck, there was a tall chair.
A giant standing 666cm tall sat on it, his hair white, yet he still maintained an exceptionally muscular physique.
He was always shirtless, his chest covered with crisscrossing old scars, and his back bore a tattoo of the Whitebeard Pirates' skull and crossbones banner.
This man is none other than Whitebeard, the undisputed Strongest Man on the high seas!
At that moment, Whitebeard ripped the IV line off his arm, looked at the helpless Marco beside him, and asked, "Marco, shouldn't that Namur be back by now?"
Marco didn't respond immediately, but sighed helplessly, "Pops, the IV drip isn't finished yet—please don't pull out the tube like that again next time."
"Hahaha, that kind of trivial matter is nothing. Compared to that, Namur's situation is more important!"
Marco gave him a look that said, "I'm really at my wit's end. If nothing unexpected happens, Namur will be back today."
"Oh, by the way, I heard that one of the guys from Shadow Garden came back with him?"
Marco paused for a moment, "That's right, he's the Azure Dragon of Shadow Garden. On the way back, Namur encountered Drought Jack, who attacked us, and he helped us kill Jack."
"Hahaha, this kid's skills are really impressive. When I see him, I'll ask him if he wants to be my son."
"Uh, Pops, that's probably unlikely. He possesses Conqueror's Haki; he wouldn't give up on his dream."
Upon hearing about Conqueror's Haki, Whitebeard finally showed a look of surprise. "Not bad, kid. But we should give it a try. How will we know if we don't try?"
Splash----
The sound of ships cutting through the waves rose, and soon, the Shark, which looked tiny and adorable compared to the Moby Dick, came crashing in.
When the two were a hundred meters apart, Namur, standing on the deck of the Shark, excitedly said to Ivan, "Mr. Azure Dragon, please come with me, I'll take you to see my Pops."
Ivan nodded, and the two of them leaped out together, landing on the deck of the Moby Dick.
As soon as they landed, Ivan used his Observation Haki to warn him.
This is not a perception of hostility, but rather the instinctive vigilance of a strong person when facing other strong people.
Ivan glanced around and immediately recognized many familiar faces.
Squad leader and ship's doctor "Phoenix" Marco, Squad leader "Diamond" Jozu, and Squad leader "Flower Sword" Vista —all are powerful figures capable of dominating the seas.
Each of these individuals possesses the strength of Shichibukai. With so many powerful figures gathered together and led by the Strongest Man on the sea, this is the Whitebeard Pirates, one of the Four Emperors.
They are undoubtedly the strongest pirate crew right now!
"Pops, I'm back!" Namur said with a smile.
The Whitebeard Pirates are bound together by family ties; their core members are their brothers and sisters, their closest relatives.
Namur was overjoyed to return to the Moby Dick, as if he were coming home.
"Hehehe, it's good to be back. You've worked hard, Namur. By the way, is this the one from the Shadow Garden?" The Whitebeard turned his gaze to Ivan.
The moment the Whitebeard's gaze fell upon Ivan felt an immense pressure, like that of a mountain.
There's still some time before Luffy sail, and although Whitebeard's physical condition is starting to decline, he's nowhere near as exhausted as he was during the Paramount War.
He now faces a challenge from Ace, and he could easily defeat Ace, who possesses the strength of Shichibukai, with a single punch while he's asleep, which is truly terrifying.
If one lacked the strength, facing such immense pressure, one might tremble and be unable to utter a word, but clearly, this pressure was insufficient to pose a threat to Ivan.
He stepped forward, looked directly into Whitebeard's eyes, and said bluntly, "Whitebeard, the World's Strongest Man, truly lives up to his reputation after meeting you today."
"Hahaha, kid, you're a little monster too!" Whitebeard's heart stirred the moment he saw Ivan.
In his perception, there was a faint but real threat emanating from the brat Azure Dragon.
Although it wasn't much, it was enough to prove that this brat Azure Dragon was strong enough to injure one of the Four Emperors!
He has the potential to be one of the Four Emperors!
Ivan's lips curled slightly, but he did not refute.
He also felt that he was a monster, a monster even more terrifying than Whitebeard or Roger!
Seeing that Azure Dragon did not deny it and that Whitebeard looked serious, the other captains all took a deep breath.
For Whitebeard to consider the Azure Dragon a mere monster, his strength must be unimaginable!
His strength is likely to surpass that of an ordinary captain, and may even be comparable to that of Marco.
If even a single individual from Shadow Garden possesses such formidable strength, just how terrifying is the overall strength of Shadow Garden, and the strength of their leader, Shadow?
Perhaps, they really might overthrow the World Government in the future!
"Hahaha, what a vibrant generation!" the Whitebeard laughed. "Then, Azure Dragon, be my son!"
Ivan raised an eyebrow, surprised that Whitebeard had invited him to join the Whitebeard Pirates.
If anyone else were to say to him that he should become their son, Ivan would absolutely fly into a rage immediately.
But it's different if this person has Whitebeard.
He knew that Whitebeard wasn't being sarcastic, but genuinely wanted him to join the Whitebeard Pirates.
If he joins, Whitebeard is willing to pay any price to protect him, even risking his life against the World Government.
But Ivan has no chance of joining. Not only is the identity of Azure Dragon just a disguise, but he himself will not join any pirate crew.
Ivan shook his head. "I'm sorry, I really like my current organization. We work together for the same dream, and I can't betray them and leave prematurely."
Whitebeard wasn't disappointed either. "Guhahaha, Marco, you guessed right! How could a brat with Conqueror's Haki possibly give up on his dream!"
After laughing for a moment, Whitebeard's face suddenly turned serious. He stared at Ivan and said in a deep voice, "Since you don't want to be my son, I will not force you. Now you can tell me your purpose in coming to the Whitebeard Pirates!"
Silence fell upon hearing this.
Everyone knows that the appearance of the Shadow Garden is bound to cause great chaos, without exception.
So, what is Azure Dragon's purpose in coming to the Whitebeard Pirates this time?
As the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, Ivan smiled and said, "On behalf of the Shadow Garden, I wish to cooperate with the Whitebeard Pirates to fight against the World Government!"