Chapter 3 : A New Journey

"Who's that kid? He's not here to assassinate the old man, is he?" Marco chuckled, then received a resounding slap on his head. "Fool, who would bring such a big package for an assassination attempt?" Whitebeard said angrily, a blue-haired, youthful figure with a crescent-shaped white beard.

"Look, he's here." Vista, standing nearby, smiled. Titch stopped in front of Whitebeard, his mere presence exuding immense pressure.

"Kid, what do you want?" Whitebeard looked at Titch and asked.

"Let me join your crew, old man." Titch smiled. "Huh!" The surroundings fell silent, everyone seemingly petrified. "He hasn't even been accepted yet, and he's already calling the old man 'Dad.' This kid's got thick skin."

Whitebeard stared into Titch's eyes, silent for a moment. Titch didn't flinch under Whitebeard's gaze. After a while, Whitebeard burst into laughter. "Gulalala, if you want to join, just come aboard."

Titch breathed a sigh of relief, followed by overwhelming excitement. Before growing up, the Whitebeard Pirates were undoubtedly the safest place to be, and he could grow better here.

Facing the new addition to the crew, the members of the Whitebeard Pirates were all very friendly, coming over to introduce themselves. Soon, Titch became acquainted with them.

Some went down to collect supplies, and the remaining crew members played on the ship to pass the time. "Hey, Titch, you're a swordsman too, right? Let's have a little sparring match." Vista looked at Titch, somewhat eager. He had noticed that Titch had two knives at his waist and a sword on his back when he joined.

As Titch was about to agree, Weevil spoke up, looking at Vista with unfriendly eyes. "Don't bully the newcomer, Vista. Titch, let's see your strength." Weevil said, then glanced at Marco, who was playing cards nearby. "Marco, as an intern, handle this match. Don't embarrass us."

Marco was taken aback; he hadn't caused any trouble. But he didn't refuse. He was still an intern and was curious about Titch's strength. To dare join the Whitebeard Pirates and get the old man's approval, Titch's strength couldn't be as simple as it seemed.

During this period, Weevil, the future Ice Witch, could be said to be the big sister of the Whitebeard Pirates, with a beautiful appearance and immense prestige in the crew.

Standing up, "It's troublesome, but since it's like this, I won't go easy." Marco said, walking up to Titch. The surrounding pirates formed a large circle, leaving a spacious area for the upcoming battle, with Titch and Marco in the center.

Titch smiled, unsheathing two knives from his waist. "Mutual respect. I won't let you underestimate me." The frequency of his breathing changed, and the air suddenly became hot. The two knives were pointed at Marco, and Titch rushed forward.

Titch's foundation in swordsmanship was very solid. Continuously changing his steps, he attacked Marco from precise angles. Marco's speed was extremely fast, abruptly retreating. Under Titch's relentless assault, dodging one blade meant another was coming immediately. Marco had no chance to counterattack.

"Hey, Marco, did you forget to eat?" "Fighting a newcomer like this, you won't ever become a full member if you keep it up."

The members around them laughed heartily. Marco, despite being young, was still relatively weak. However, with strong potential, he would grow quickly. But Marco truly rose to prominence after eating the Phoenix Devil Fruit.

Some strong individuals were somewhat surprised. Marco was being suppressed by Titch's swordsmanship. Others might not have noticed, but they could feel the intense heat radiating from the air, depleting Marco's stamina significantly.

Marco had high physical abilities and great speed, narrowly avoiding Titch's attacks each time. Onlookers could see clearly; if it continued like this, Marco would undoubtedly be defeated.

"Uh-oh, this isn't good." Marco's head tilted to the side, avoiding Titch's Hellfire. He glanced behind; there wasn't much room to retreat. "I must counterattack; otherwise, it won't look good on my face. They'll make fun of me for a long time." Thinking this, Marco became serious. His speed increased suddenly, kicking Titch's Raiya from his hand. Titch caught it steadily, but his balance was compromised. Seizing the opportunity, Marco appeared on Titch's right side. "Not good," Titch thought.

As Titch turned and swung Hellfire, Marco was already in front of him, delivering a kick to Titch's chest. Titch's body flew several meters but didn't fall. His knife embedded in the ground stabilized him. No further movement, but thoughts raced through Titch's mind. Lack of combat experience allowed Marco to exploit a vulnerability. Although Titch's basic swordsmanship was solid and he had battled mountain beasts, facing humans was entirely different, lacking the ease of using body techniques.

However, this was a good opportunity to refine swordsmanship. Titch's face revealed a smile as he withdrew his knife from the deck, sheathing the renowned blade Raiya. Despite being a dual wielder, Titch excelled more in single swordsmanship. Mastering dual wielding wasn't possible if one couldn't handle single swordsmanship.

The change in Titch caught the eyes of onlookers. "Proficient in single swordsmanship?" Moreover, single-handedly. This was different from the renowned dual wielders on the ship, like Gyukimaru and Vista. Titch's style was smoother.

"Ha ha, let's go again. I'll be serious this time; don't get yourself killed," Marco said, raising the temperature in the air even higher than before. Titch's hand turned red; flames accompanied his blade as he charged at Marco.

Was this a monster? Flames extended to the hilt, burning Titch's arm, but he remained composed. Even his sleeves, burned to ashes, didn't faze him. This posed a threat to Marco; even the surrounding pirates were on guard. No matter how robust the body, facing scorching flames was unnerving, except for monsters like Kaido and Whitebeard.

Marco felt somewhat helpless. Why was he fighting this monster? Nevertheless, he persisted.

Single swordsmanship was slower than dual wielding, but each strike was deadlier. Marco had to be on high alert. They tangled for over ten minutes, and neither could overpower the other. "Gulalala, lively performance, young ones. Consider this round a draw. Next time, fight again."

Whitebeard's voice rang out, and Titch promptly stopped, feeling some fatigue. However, the crew's eyes on him changed noticeably. Clearly, the previous battle had gained him recognition.

The Whitebeard Pirates didn't intend to linger on the island. After collecting enough supplies, they were about to depart. Shopping and transporting goods took only two hours. The crew members returned one by one, and the Moby Dick was about to set sail. Titch stood on the ship's deck, leaning against the railing, gazing at the town where he had lived for twelve years. The port was deserted; the powerful Whitebeard Pirates had scared most people away. The fear of the top-tier New World pirates was palpable.

Suddenly, Titch felt a familiar gaze, turning around based on instinct. In a corner of the town, the figures of Monica and Modi appeared. "Goodbye, Titch. You must come back; I'll be waiting for you," Monica shouted with hands forming a trumpet, tears glistening in her eyes.

Their eyes met, and Titch waved at them with joy. "I will come back. Uncle Modi, take care of Monica for me."

"Idiot, if you're not capable, don't bother coming back. Don't make my daughter cry," Modi shouted, clenching his fists.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha!" The town grew smaller, turning into a black dot until the island disappeared from sight. Only then did Titch retract his gaze.

Turning around, Titch's pupils contracted; his heart skipped a beat. Behind him was a large group of pirates, silently staring at him. "What the hell are you guys doing? You nearly scared me to death," Titch angrily exclaimed, experiencing a shock even in such a situation.

They paid no mind. Marco, with a gossipy expression, said, "Titch, we heard something. Monica, I'll be waiting for you to come back."

Others had similar curious expressions. "Titch, I heard you're only twelve. You already have a girlfriend?"

Listening to their comments, Titch felt speechless about their gossip. Crossing his arms and raising his head disdainfully, he spoke with a scornful tone, "So what? You bunch of singles, something you envy but can't have."

Like a bolt from the blue, everyone's hearts were dealt a heavy blow. Their mouths hung open. "Si-single..."

Seeing their reactions, Titch's inner self smiled slightly. So what if he had a girlfriend? From this perspective, he was already stronger than most.

Smiling without saying a word, they could feel Titch's scornful gaze. It was like an arrow piercing their hearts. Titch turned away, ignoring the people behind him. Their moods became gloomy.

It was just a joke; cultivation was the top priority. In the previous battle, Titch didn't exert his full strength, only using basic swordsmanship and the breath method of Flame Flow Sword Style.

Titch's true expertise was in body techniques, and Marco felt somewhat restricted due to Titch's fierce attacks. More importantly, both Titch and Marco lacked killing intent in their attacks.

In his room, Titch began his practice. His limbs were bound with heavy wrist guards specially crafted by a blacksmith, each weighing half a ton. He also wore two ankle guards on each foot. Although Titch's strength had greatly increased, wearing the guards required significant force, vastly increasing stamina consumption.

He had only started wearing them a month ago, and familiarity was still a work in progress.

In Titch's hands was a heavy sword. Each movement produced a faint breaking sound. Titch began practicing swordsmanship, constantly changing his breath, and his body started to heat up. His slightly long hair floated due to static electricity, and electric sparks flickered around him.

Titch didn't want to expose his true strength. He would eventually leave the Whitebeard Pirates, a crew that recruited powerful members. He didn't want to stay for over twenty years like in the original story, where it got comfortable and complacent after becoming one of the Four Emperors. Unlike the Beast Pirates, where competition was fierce, or Big Mom's crew, constantly expanding its power, even after Whitebeard's death, only Marco struggled to sustain the crew.

Feeling the breath of nature, Color of Observation Haki covered every corner of the room, always active. Although the range didn't expand, Color of Observation was always advancing, developing in more microscopic ways.

Yes, it was Color of Observation Haki, Titch's only cheat. When he arrived in this world, the fusion of two souls resulted in a significant boost in spiritual power.

Titch, awakened Color of Observation Haki, possessed an incredibly powerful innate talent for it. Over the six years, he consistently practiced, keeping Color of Observation Haki active to expand its scope. If not for Titch turning it off earlier, the crew wouldn't have surprised him.

As the sky gradually darkened, Titch's movements continued without pause. "Dong, dong, dong!" Knocking on the door echoed outside. "Titch, the banquet is about to start; come out quickly," Marco shouted from outside.

Hearing this, Titch stopped his actions, wearing a smile. "Wait a moment, I'll be right there."

Titch dipped a towel into a bucket of water, wiping himself down before changing into clean clothes. With a smile on his face, he opened the door. Although it was night, the ship was well-lit, filled with the aroma of delicious food and the scent of alcohol.

A new journey was about to begin.