Chapter 513: The Whitebeard Pirates' Banquet
With the arrival of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the distant battle finally erupted.
On the Eternal Ship, the air trembled faintly with each clash.
"Captain, the Seven Warlords have already started fighting off our flank."
Najenda walked to the rail, Susanoo already looming behind her like a silent guardian. Clearly, she had not gotten her fill from the earlier skirmishes. With a battlefield of that level right next door, her fingers were practically itching.
"Should we move too?" she asked.
"If they keep stirring things up out here while we are on the island, it could get annoying."
"If you want to go have fun, then go," Ryuunosuke replied, stretching lazily.
"But if we go pay them a visit, we might not be able to land together."
He paused, then suddenly tilted his head, as if hearing something only he could sense.
"Looks like we do not have a choice this time."
"We might as well enjoy it properly."
"Call everyone over."
After Ryuunosuke finished speaking, he vanished back into the cabin.
A short while later, the core members of the Dragon Hunter Pirates were gathered on deck.
"Captain, are we heading out to fight?"
"Can we pick our own opponents this time?"
"Finally, another mission?"
Everyone spoke at once, faces bright with excitement.
On Ryuunosuke's ship, rules were loose.
Most of the time they were more like companions than strict subordinates. Order existed, but it never crushed the feeling of being crewmates.
"Yeah," Ryuunosuke nodded.
"Keshia and Krul Busurud have both shown up."
"Feng Yue, who disappeared after last time, has also appeared in these waters."
"Pick whoever you like and fight however you want."
"When the time comes…"
He did not even get to finish.
The deck was suddenly empty.
Only one figure was left standing there in a daze.
"Damn it, those guys ran off early again. Shameless."
Ban cursed, then blurred and vanished as well.
"Brother Ryuunosuke, are we not going?"
Akame looked up at him, puzzled.
With Guardians and Evictors of that caliber arriving, it felt only natural that Ryuunosuke would step onto that battlefield himself.
"No."
"Let them handle things this time."
"We will take a break and go pay Uncle Whitebeard a visit instead."
Ryuunosuke smiled.
Since he had said he was not going, Akame did not press the issue.
Soon, Ryuunosuke, Akame, and Kuina crossed the water and arrived at Whitebeard's ship.
As for the Eternal Ship, with Gaino, Nojiko, Kobayashi, and the dragon maids on guard, there was nothing to worry about.
…
On the Eternal Ship deck, chaos of a different flavor was unfolding.
"Kobayashi, looks like all the cooks are busy today."
"I made you a grilled dragon tail. Do you want to try it?"
"Miss Nojiko just tasted it and she said it was delicious."
Kanna appeared in front of Kobayashi, tray in hand, eyes shining with expectation.
"Kobayashi, you are amazing."
"This is the first time I have eaten this kind of meat," Nojiko added honestly.
At her words, a vein throbbed on Kobayashi's forehead.
"Nojiko, do you know where this meat came from?"
"It is Kanna's."
Kobayashi grabbed the hem of Kanna's skirt and lifted it without mercy.
The severed tail swayed into view.
Nojiko froze on the spot.
A second later, she clapped a hand over her mouth, bolted for the rail, and started retching.
"Kanna, if you keep this up, I am going to…"
"Awoo."
Before Kobayashi could finish, Kanna, who had been quietly standing to the side, chomped down the roasted tail and the tray in a single bite.
"Kanna!"
"You…"
"That was something I specially prepared for Kobayashi. She was really looking forward to it."
Kobayashi silently clutched her forehead.
In her heart: I was not looking forward to it at all.
"Kanna's meat is delicious," Kanna said earnestly, cheeks puffed, eyes innocent.
"No one asked you if it was delicious. This is…"
Their bickering echoed across the deck.
Ryuunosuke, hearing the commotion as he left the Eternal Ship, could only rub his temples.
He suddenly felt deeply sympathetic toward Kobayashi.
Living with such a powerful dragon maid clearly required an unshakable mind.
Nojiko, who was currently clutching the rail and retching, was proof enough.
It was hard to imagine how Kobayashi survived her daily life.
Every morning probably started like a new kind of nightmare.
…
By the time he had sorted out his mood, Ryuunosuke had already landed on Whitebeard's flagship.
"Uncle Whitebeard, long time no see."
Ryuunosuke strode over and greeted him with a grin.
"Ryuunosuke, you brat… no, I should be calling you Captain Ryuunosuke now."
Whitebeard laughed, his massive frame looming over everyone as always.
"The strength of your Dragon Hunter Pirates has already surpassed my Whitebeard Pirates."
"Gurararara."
He laughed heartily, but behind the laughter there was a trace of awkwardness.
He had sounded confident when talking to Morgans over the Den Den Mushi, saying it was no big deal.
Now that Ryuunosuke had come in person, that confidence did not feel quite as solid.
At the very least, he did not feel as relaxed as Morgans had painted him to be.
"Uncle Whitebeard, you are joking."
"You are Ace's old man. That makes you my senior."
"Who uses honorifics for a junior?" Ryuunosuke smiled.
"Just call me Ryuunosuke."
"Oh, right. I brought some good wine. Let us drink together."
He reached into his storage and pulled out a massive wine vat.
The moment he cracked the seal, a thick, mellow fragrance flowed out, curling across the deck.
Even a single breath was enough to make people feel pleasantly lightheaded.
"Gurararara."
"As expected of Ryuunosuke. You are just as I imagined."
"Then today, I will drink properly with you."
Whitebeard laughed again and grabbed one of his giant bowls.
It was his special drinking bowl, which he broke often.
Fortunately, the Whitebeard Pirates had more than one.
Around them, the division captains finally allowed themselves to relax.
If Ryuunosuke had come looking for trouble, none of them felt they would be of much use.
Most likely, they would only contribute extra blood splatter to his coat.
"Captain Ryuunosuke, do we get a share of that wine too?"
Jozu walked up with an expectant look.
They were pirates.
They loved good meat and good alcohol.
A few days without a proper drink already felt like suffering for this lot of heavy drinkers.
"How could I leave you out?"
"Let us have a banquet."
"I brought plenty of food as well, so everyone can eat their fill."
"And a banquet without entertainment would be boring."
"Let me show you something interesting."
Ryuunosuke snapped his fingers lightly and gave Gaino a signal.
A moment later, a large projection appeared above Whitebeard's ship.
The image split into several panels.
In one, Najenda was locked in a fierce clash, Susanoo towering at her side as she fought.
In another, Chrollo of the second division was trading blows with a terrifying enemy whose aura alone could shake the sea.
Every division's frontline battle could be seen clearly.
"Oi, is that…"
"So the Seven Warlords are there too?"
"Wow, I want to jump into that kind of fight!"
"Forget it. You would just get your jaw rearranged."
The Whitebeard Pirates argued back and forth as they watched, eyes shining.
Ryuunosuke looked at their noisy excitement and could not help but laugh.
"Uncle Whitebeard, living like this must feel pretty good."
"So why drag them into this kind of mess?"
He took a leisurely sip of wine as he asked, smile still on his face.
Whitebeard paused for a moment, then slowly placed his bowl down.
"Some things will not leave you alone just because you decide to stay out of them."
"And Ace needs to do this."
"Otherwise, he will never truly be able to move forward."
There was a helplessness in Whitebeard's voice that a man of his size rarely showed.
"It is fine."
"Just wait and see."
"Ace has his own path to walk, even if he was influenced by you, Uncle Whitebeard."
"But in the end, all of them will find their own road."
Ryuunosuke took another long drink.
The projection above flashed with light from distant clashes, laughter rose from both crews, and two of the most powerful pirates in the world quietly shared a bowl of wine.
It was hard to tell what Ryuunosuke was really thinking behind that easy smile.
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