157 Reunion!

New World, an island with towering trees.

The island seems to have just experienced a great battle, as all the animals on the island are hiding.

"Roger, the Marines seem to be probing more frequently lately."

Rayleigh, with his sword resting on his shoulder, expressed some concern to Roger.

"It's quite normal. After all, that fellow Golden Lion seems to be as mad as ever. Speaking of which, I feel like that Golden Lion guy is more diligent than the Marines themselves."

Roger, holding a Marine officer draped in a cloak of justice in his hand, turned to Rayleigh.

Then, he addressed the Marine in his hand, "Can you tell me why the Marines have been acting so unusually lately? Mister Marine?"

cough cough

After a couple of coughs, the Marine officer, covered in blood, forced his eyes open and looked disdainfully at Roger. For other pirates, the mighty Roger might be a dominant force on the seas, but for him, pirates were always pirates.

"Wanna know? Dream on!"

"Oh, forget it then."

With that, Roger released his grip, letting the Marine officer fall to the ground.

"Captain... Captain Roger, the Moby Dick of the Whitebeard Pirates has been spotted on the other side of the island."

Buggy, holding a spyglass, shouted to Roger from a distance.

"Whitebeard, huh? It's been a while."

Roger's face lit up with a smile upon hearing the news of the Whitebeard Pirates. He then reached out and placed his hand on Shanks, who was squatting nearby, eating Marine rations. He took the captain's hat off Shanks' head and put it back on his own.

"Shanks, I'm not dead yet, but you're already itching to be captain?"

Before Shanks could respond, Roger turned to his crew behind him.

"Our old friend Whitebeard is ashore. Let's give him a 'warm' welcome!"

...

"Hehe, I didn't expect someone to be even more enthusiastic than us. It seems that Whitebeard's crew has gained an interesting new member."

Looking at the figure leaping from the Moby Dick, Gaban chuckled as he spoke to Rayleigh.

"That should be the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, the powerful swordsman Kozuki Oden, I heard."

Rayleigh's glasses gleamed as he mentioned Oden's strength. As the second-in-command of the Roger Pirates, he was determined to help Roger achieve his dream. The opponent's king was Roger's rival, and Rayleigh's job was to suppress the opponent's second-in-command to prevent interference in Roger's battles.

"Wait, Commander Oden! The enemies this time are completely different. That's the Roger Pirates! Don't act rashly!"

Apparently, someone from Whitebeard's ship had also realized the identity of the pirate group on the island and spoke up in alarm.

"Oden, Two-Sword Style, Gun: Modoki!"

As Oden spoke, a member of Roger's crew who had charged forward was instantly sent flying.

Seeing his attack hit the enemy but not causing the immediate death he was accustomed to, Oden was surprised. He rarely encountered opponents who could withstand his attacks head-on. Even many pirates with bounties exceeding a billion had fallen beneath his blade.

He had never expected to be bested by a member of the Roger Pirates.

"What an amazing guy, knocking out two of our comrades with just one move. Quickly, stop him! We can't let him continue causing trouble."

Gaban, wielding dual axes, also spoke seriously to Rayleigh.

"Wait! Don't worry, I'll protect you guys!"

Just as Rayleigh and Gaban were about to take action, a strange voice suddenly came from behind them. Then, a figure rushed past them.

"Hey samurai, Devine departure!!!"

From Oden's perspective, he had just finished off two small fries with his two-sword style and was about to find their captain when suddenly, a weird guy rushed out of the crowd and swung a sailor's knife at him. Before he could react, he was sent flying.

…

"Looking good, Roger."

With his captain's hat on, golden hair cascading, and a distinct crescent-shaped white beard, Whitebeard stood tall, looking down at Roger.

"Long time no see, Newgate."

Then, both of them spoke in unison, "Hand over all your valuables!"

After saying that, they both realized the situation and burst into laughter.

Gurarararara

Wahaha

Then came the time for greetings.

…

"Gaban, are those two interns?"

Sitting on a rock, not joining the exchange, Marco looked at Shanks and Buggy curiously and asked Gaban.

"Yeah, those two have been on Roger's ship for a long time now. They don't seem that strong, but they look very arrogant."

Seeing Marco's evaluation, Gaban couldn't help but scoff.

And Marco agreed with Gaban's assessment. It wasn't easy to make the honest Gaban feel someone was arrogant.

"Hey, Shanks, have you seen that guy over there with the hat?"

"Yeah, why?"

"For the past few nights, he seems to have never slept."

"Yeah? Why's that?"

"Apparently, he hasn't slept a wink since birth."

"Eh, really? Well, isn't that twice as happy as others?"

Hearing his companion's strange focus, Buggy got angry. He hadn't expected his companion to be so unreliable.

"Idiot, that means that guy's a monster! Don't you get it? A monster!"

"Oh."

As Buggy was about to say something more, he suddenly noticed that Rayleigh, Gaban, and others all stood up, their gazes wary as they looked toward the direction of the coast. The Whitebeard Pirates also stopped their conversation and looked in the same direction.

Seeing the sudden silence amidst the previously cheerful atmosphere, Buggy was taken aback.

"Uh, what's going on with everyone..."

As Buggy spoke, he saw Shanks next to him nervously grip his shoulder and say, "He's here."

"He's here? Who's here?"

With Buggy's words, a figure slowly appeared from the direction of the coast, carrying a huge gourd on his shoulder.

"Yo, everyone, are you welcoming me? That's very polite of you."

Seeing the members of the Roger and Whitebeard Pirates, Nicholas flashed a brilliant smile.

"Nicholas, what are you doing here?"

Marco was the first to speak, with caution toward such a dangerous figure not being unwarranted.

"Huh? I'm just here to catch up with Roger. Do you believe me?"

Nicholas then waved his hand toward the people behind him.

"Sasuke and Naruto, long time no see, (Roger and Whitebeard)."

Gurararara

Wahahaha

Then followed the time for greetings.

At the center of the island, three men sat cross-legged. And at this moment, Nicholas finally got to use a basin-sized wine cup in front of the two men.