Chapter 169: Dragon × Big Mom × Broken Membrane!

Silence.

The entire area fell deathly silent.

Before swinging his sword, Whitebeard had indeed considered the possibility: Leo, as a dimensional merchant, might truly possess the strength to dismiss him. 

But he never anticipated this outcome!

At the peak of his power, a full-force strike was stopped by two mere fingers. And it seemed the opponent was holding back his true strength.

Whitebeard, who had stood at the top of the world for so long, found it hard to comprehend and even harder to believe.

Of course, the captains of the Whitebeard Pirates were equally stunned. 

Having followed Whitebeard for years, they were well aware of how formidable their father was, especially now that he was back in his prime. Yet, the father they considered invincible couldn't even match the opponent's two fingers. This reality was hard for them to accept, making the world feel strangely different.

After a while, it was Whitebeard who first regained his composure.

He let out a sigh, his expression complex, as he slowly lowered his naginata.

If the Whitebeard who had stood tall with his sword earlier was full of vitality and confidence, towering over the world, he now resembled a frog in the well, having just glimpsed the vastness beyond.

His face was filled with confusion and shock.

"Well? Do you still want to continue?" Leo asked with a faint smile, his eyes glinting as he looked at Whitebeard.

Whitebeard's throat moved as if swallowing something, then he grinned and shook his head.

"Gurarara, no, let's not."

"The gap between us is just too vast."

"I never thought that one day I, Whitebeard, would feel like a frog in a well."

He had hoped to gauge the depth of the dimensional merchant's strength, but all he saw was a vast ocean... 

Until he learned to swim in these depths, he wouldn't make such a ridiculous request again.

Whitebeard raised his head, looking at Leo with a hint of reverence for the unknown in his eyes.

Seeing this, Leo merely smiled.

In the world of pirates, level 90 seemed to be the highest limit a being could reach. Even a young Whitebeard was only at the peak of level 89.

Moreover, each level beyond 90 was vastly different from the one before.

To Leo, the [True World Limit], Whitebeard's strength was comparable to that of a primary school student who had yet to graduate.

However, Leo knew that his strength was built through transactions with high-quality customers like Whitebeard. 

Therefore, even though he possessed unparalleled power, he never looked down on anyone.

Especially not these valuable customers!

Leo smiled and said comfortingly:

"There's no need to be hard on yourself, Mr. Whitebeard."

"To possess this level of power under the world's constraints, your talent is already astonishing."

"If you ever get the chance to leave this world, I believe you will achieve even greater feats!"

"The... world's constraints?"

Hearing this unfamiliar term, Whitebeard seemed to grasp something significant. His eyes widened, and he asked humbly:

"What does that mean?"

"It's a protective layer that ensures the world's stability. You can think of it as the container holding the world," Leo explained with a laugh.

"In order to avoid being swallowed by the void, each dimensional world needs such a protective film. It shields the world from external influences." 

"But at the same time..."

"The world's constraints also limit the power of beings within it, preventing them from surpassing a certain level."

"Because once power surpassing the world's limit appears, it could pierce through the world's barriers, potentially leading to catastrophic consequences."

"But to put it another way,"

"If the world's constraint is compared to 100%, Mr. Whitebeard's strength has already reached 89%."

"Even reaching 100%, only a few beings among thousands of dimensions achieve this level..."

"So, Mr. Whitebeard should take pride in his strength."

"I see," Whitebeard replied absentmindedly, falling silent again.

If one looked closely, they could see the eyes of this seven-meter-tall man trembling.

World constraints? Thousands of dimensions?

These simple words made Whitebeard feel like a person who had always walked with his head down, suddenly looking up to discover a vast universe.

To be honest, the total amount of shock he'd experienced in his lifetime didn't match these past ten minutes.

And the cause of all this was the seemingly harmless yet mysterious and unfathomable dimensional merchant before him.

After digesting the information about the world's constraints, Whitebeard took another deep breath. His eyes glinted, and he finally voiced the question in his mind:

"May I ask, have you reached the limits of the world's constraints, Sir Leo?"

"Limits?"

Leo casually chuckled and explained:

"Every dimensional merchant, upon entering a new world, seals their power to an extremely low state to avoid causing unnecessary trouble in the new world."

"That's why I seemed so weak when I first arrived in the pirate world and was rescued by Ace."

Leo smiled and glanced at Ace.

The others immediately followed his gaze.

Ace, caught off guard, hit his palm with his fist in realization and said, 

"So that's why Brother Leo appeared so weak at that time. He was protecting our world."

"Indeed..." Leo chuckled and nodded before continuing:

"As time passes and we learn about the world, dimensional merchants gradually regain their strength until reaching the world's limit."

After saying this, Leo offered no further explanation.

Though he didn't directly answer Whitebeard's question, Whitebeard understood Leo's point:

The reason I am so strong is only because the world's limit allows me to be this strong.

In other words...

The true strength of Leo, the dimensional merchant, far surpasses the ultimate power this pirate world can contain!

With that thought, Whitebeard couldn't help but shudder.

Yet, instinctively guided by his decades of experience, he quickly put those thoughts out of his mind.

Aiming for unreachable goals would only exhaust a dream chaser.

Leo, having finished enlightening Whitebeard, clapped his hands, returning to his main agenda...

Or perhaps that had been his primary objective all along.

"Alright, Mr. Whitebeard, let's stop chatting."

"Let's talk business."

"Business!"

Whitebeard's spirits were immediately lifted.

After being surprised and overwhelmed by Leo's words, he was no longer indifferent about the deal's outcome.

With his thoughts now clearer, Whitebeard glanced at Ace beside him.

He had witnessed Ace's mysterious acquisition of new abilities and a power boost with the help of Pokémon.

The 40-year-old Whitebeard had reached the peak of his power.

This strength was indeed formidable, but it also made further progress challenging!

So, if he wanted to grow stronger and explore a broader world...

Perhaps Pokémon was the way!

As a VIP6 member, Whitebeard was already privy to a lot of product information. He knew that what Ace used was a combination of the power of bonds and the power of nature.

"Power gained through bonding with Pokémon?"

Whitebeard pondered, then smiled.

"Sir Leo, please recommend a suitable Pokémon for me!"

My dear sons, it seems I'll need to borrow some of the inheritance I intended for you first.

"A suitable Pokémon for you?"

Leo's deep eyes sparkled. Looking at Whitebeard's formidable physique, he immediately knew the answer.

With a snap of his fingers, Leo summoned a large, glowing virtual screen that appeared before Whitebeard. 

"I wonder if this Pokémon will be to your liking?"

Leo grinned.

Suddenly, a massive orange figure appeared on the virtual screen, wrapped in mysterious black lines.

- [Pokémon: Dragonite]

- [Type: Dragon, Flying]

- [Ability: Multiscale (Its body seems to be covered with thick scales, providing incredible defense.)]

- [Level: 85]

- [Price: 70,000]

- [Note: Affected by an unknown mysterious power, this Dragonite is 50 times larger than normal.]

Yes, the Pokémon Leo chose for Whitebeard was the giant Dragonite that once appeared at Bill's Lighthouse!

Standing at 100 meters tall, this Dragonite was undoubtedly among the most powerful. Even without counting legendary Pokémon, its strength was on par with some second-tier deities.

The enormous Dragonite was a perfect match for Whitebeard, whose own stature was anything but ordinary among humans.

Gazing at the mysterious image of Dragonite on the screen, Whitebeard's eyes narrowed.

"Dragonite?"

"Though I'm not sure what connection you have with that little dragon Kaido, well..."

"The choice is yours!"

While he didn't know much about Pokémon, he trusted Leo's judgment and made his decision without hesitation.

"To a successful partnership."

As Leo's voice rang out with a smile, a special Poké Ball materialized in Whitebeard's hand.

"A Poké Ball? It truly is a magical item!"

Whitebeard, already familiar with the use of a Poké Ball, wasted no time. He pressed the button and tossed it into an open space nearby.

"Come on out, Dragonite!"

"Welcome to the world of pirates!"

"ROOOAAARRR!!!"

A resounding dragon roar echoed, shaking the ground.

Boom!!!

The gigantic Dragonite landed with a thud, towering more than ten times taller than Whitebeard, instantly blocking out the sun.

A massive shadow loomed over everyone's heads.

Because Whitebeard acted so swiftly, the other captains, still processing what had happened, turned their attention to the colossal creature that had appeared out of nowhere.

"Is that... the Pokémon Dad just bought?" 

Fourth Division Captain Thatch licked his dry lips, his face lit with excitement.

After all, these were seasoned pirates who had seen a lot. While a 100-meter-tall monster might shock them, it wouldn't scare them.

After all, Little Oars Jr. was 380 meters tall!

This Dragonite, at just a hundred meters, almost seemed "small" by comparison.

Of course...

Maybe their opinion would change slightly once they witnessed the true power of Dragonite.

…

The gigantic Dragonite slowly lowered its head, its spotlight-like eyes scanning downwards to observe its new trainer.

From the moment it was summoned, Dragonite knew everything and naturally accepted Whitebeard as its trainer.

Acceptance, however, was one thing. Recognition was another.

"Roar~"

Dragonite groaned softly, then bent down, clenching its massive hand into a fist and swinging it toward Whitebeard.

The sudden punch made all the captains tense up again.

But before they could react...

Whitebeard let out a roar, planted his naginata into the ground beside him, clenched his fist, and swung it to meet Dragonite's giant fist.

Boom!!!

Two vastly different fists, one huge and the other small, collided and met evenly.

Whitebeard lowered his head, his crescent-shaped white beard trembling slightly.

The next second.

He raised his head with a broad, excited grin, as if answering Dragonite's challenge.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance!"

With just one punch, both man and dragon understood each other's strength.

Dragonite opened its mouth in a wide, innocent smile, seeming to acknowledge Whitebeard's power.

Whitebeard, having experienced Dragonite's strength firsthand, also understood why Leo had chosen this Pokémon for him.

Oddly enough...

From that single punch, Whitebeard sensed a profound loneliness within Dragonite. It was a feeling he knew all too well, one he experienced during his quest to find a family.

Was this what Leo meant?

Whitebeard glanced over at Leo, catching the mysterious merchant's thoughtful gaze.

The message was clear.

So, there are beings as lonely as me even in the Pokémon world.

Whitebeard thought silently.

…

For the next half-hour, the captains of the Whitebeard Pirates approached Dragonite one by one, welcoming this massive creature into their ranks.

Whitebeard exchanged more points with Leo for the power of bond and the power of nature.

As for other items like the Mega Keystone, he planned to wait until he returned to count their resources before exchanging them.

After concluding the trade, Leo, who always adhered to the principle of being thorough and efficient, chatted briefly with his two high-quality clients, Whitebeard and Ace, before taking his leave from Leah Island, citing other pressing matters.

Meanwhile, the captains of the Whitebeard Pirates were still busy marveling at Dragonite, seemingly having forgotten why they had come to Leah Island in the first place.

Only Whitebeard looked down at Ace and the Charizard beside him.

The two stared at each other for a moment.

Whitebeard suddenly grinned, his voice teasing:

"Do you still want to fight, kid?"

"I won't use Dragonite. If you can beat me, this island will be yours from now on."

"Or... you could become my son, and I'll give you all the profits from Leah Island."

"Gurararara!!!"

Whitebeard laughed.

"This old man!"

Ace, who had been taunted, glanced up at Whitebeard, then over at Dragonite in the distance, ignoring the older man's provocation.

He turned away, looking towards another part of Leah Island.

At that moment, the Spade Pirates, alerted by the commotion, rushed towards the coast.

Ace recalled Charizard, chuckling as he headed toward his crew.

"Since you just wanted to save me, I'll let you look after this island for now." 

His sun hat was pulled low, shading his eyes, but it didn't dull his sharp words:

"Just wait, Whitebeard Pirates!"

"Sooner or later, we'll stand at the top of the world."

"When that day comes, I'll return to finish this fight with you!"

"You're as stubborn as ever, kid."

Whitebeard watched Ace's retreating figure with a smile but made no move to stop him.

Even though he still didn't know if Ace was Roger's son...

But, really, did it matter?

As long as there were young men like Ace on the sea, that was enough.

  ...

  ...

"Boss!" 

"Ace!" 

"Captain!" 

The members of the Spade Pirates rushed over in a panic, having spotted the Whitebeard Pirates and Whitebeard himself, who was observing them from a distance.

Instantly, everyone in the Spade Pirates tensed up, their muscles coiled in anticipation, relaxing only when Ace came to the forefront.

"Let's go, let's get out of here," Ace said softly, coming to stand beside Deuce.

"Huh?" 

Deuce was stunned, glancing uncertainly at the distant figures of the Whitebeard Pirates. 

"But... the Whitebeard Pirates are here..."

The words had barely left his mouth before Deuce regretted them. He wanted to slap himself. Spending so much time around Ace had clouded his judgment!

Oh, my God! How could he say something like that? 

Deuce quickly looked at Ace, worried that his captain might suddenly decide to take on the Whitebeard Pirates because of what he had said.

Luckily, his fears were unfounded. 

Ace stopped, standing in silence for a moment. Just as Deuce thought Ace might be reconsidering a fight with the Whitebeard Pirates, Ace spoke:

"It's too soon." 

"We're not strong enough." 

"I need to make more deals to become stronger!"

"Huh?" 

Deuce, who had no idea what had happened on the shore, was confused.

But avoiding a direct confrontation with one of the Yonko could only be a good thing. 

He quickly said, "Yes, it's better if we leave. The strength of the Yonko Pirates is beyond what we can handle right now."

"Yeah, we should let the Whitebeard Pirates have this sea for now and find a place to build up our strength." 

"Exactly," Ace replied, surprisingly agreeing with Deuce's suggestion. 

"The territory of the Whitebeard Pirates isn't suitable for us to grow."

Relief washed over Deuce's face. It seemed like his captain was starting to mature.

But Ace's next words made everyone in the Spade Pirates' jaws drop:

"So, I've decided... let's go stir up trouble with the Big Mom Pirates!!!"

"Ehhh!!!???"

A fire ignited in Ace's eyes.

He had seen the power of the Yonko firsthand. 

Strong! Incredibly strong! 

Even though Leo had easily blocked Whitebeard's full-strength blow...

Just witnessing that strike had made Ace think about how he might fight against Whitebeard.

But no matter how hard he thought, he came up with only one answer...

He couldn't handle it!

He couldn't even imagine surviving an attack like that.

But it was precisely because of this that he needed to make a move.

Leo had already entered the New World.

No one could guarantee that Leo's next trade wouldn't be with another Yonko.

Ace had to act against the other Yonko before they could gain the power of Pokémon!

The Yonko were undeniably powerful, but with the bond evolution, he and Charizard weren't without hope of winning!

So, he had chosen the Big Mom Pirates, rumored to be the weakest among the Yonko, as his first target!

He needed to make more trades and become stronger; otherwise, he'd just be outpaced by these old figures with vast resources!

Whitebeard could easily produce 50 billion beli!

The other Yonko's wealth was surely no less than Whitebeard's.

Ace clenched his fists and looked toward the distant sky, his eyes blazing.

At that moment, he couldn't help but remember what Leo had said to Whitebeard.

"Break through the barriers of the world and travel to other worlds?"

Those words might have been Leo's way of flattering Whitebeard, but Ace had taken them to heart.

Maybe that goal was far off for him.

But Ace firmly believed that one day he would reach that level.

And when he did, he would go and see...

what kind of view lay beyond this world's borders!

(End of this chapter)