"Tch." Whitebeard did not say much. He only turned his head and looked at Ochoku with open disgust.
Ochoku pretended not to see it and continued gnawing on his pizza, a smug smile still hanging from his lips.
In the blink of an eye, two days passed.
Ron and the others had long since arrived at the route provided by the Kuja Pirates. The dull sound of waves slapped against the hull again and again.
Waiting was extremely long, especially on such a cramped speedboat.
Even worse, the food they carried had run out a day ago. If they still did not see the World Government warship soon, they would have to leave.
However, after spending these two days together, Whitebeard's attitude toward Ron had changed somewhat.
At first, he thought Ron was similar to bastards like Golden Lion. But after casually chatting with him here and there, Whitebeard discovered that Ron did not seem too bad.
"Hey, hey, hey, it's your turn, right, Ron?" Stussy looked at Ron with a smile, anticipation in her eyes.
Because they were too bored, Stussy had organized everyone to play a game. The rules were simple. Each person would take turns telling their experiences and why they chose to become pirates.
Kaido went first, and his situation was the same as in the original story.
Whitebeard went second.
He did not say much, only briefly mentioning the poverty of his homeland, the collapse of order, and the home he could never return to.
Whether Kaido or Whitebeard, their stories were almost all full of hardship.
It seemed that such misfortune was the norm on this sea.
"Me?" Hearing Stussy call on him, Ron thought for a few seconds before slowly saying, "Similar to you guys, I guess. I never saw my father after I was born, and I was raised at my grandmother's house. When I was fourteen, my mother was arrested for drug use and forced into rehab. On visiting day, she told me to borrow money. I turned around and left. That was the last time I saw her. When I was twenty, my grandmother and grandfather passed away. After that, I came out and became a pirate."
Ron did not know what the main point was. He had only casually summarized his twenty years on earth.
The boat fell silent for a moment.
"Drug use? Forced rehab?" Kaido frowned. Those words sounded fresh to him. He chewed over them for a moment, then suddenly cursed, "Ron, you bastard, you're not being honest! You're definitely making up a story to fool us!"
"Hahahahaha!" Ron immediately laughed. As he laughed, he thought, 'Yeah. That's why after crossing over, I'm not sad at all. Not one bit.'
"You really have no game spirit," Stussy complained coquettishly, thinking Ron was just spouting nonsense to amuse them.
Ron did not argue. He only smiled and shrugged.
Whitebeard, however, watched Ron's every movement the entire time. He did not speak, nor did he laugh.
"It's my turn next, right?" Ochoku said with a grin.
"Go away. Who cares about your experiences?" Whitebeard spoke slowly, his tone full of undisguised disdain.
"Newgate... you're truly heartless. We're clearly partners." Ochoku clutched his chest, pretending to be heartbroken.
"Partners? Idiot, who is your partner?" Whitebeard continued flatly. "We're just temporary collaborators gathered together because we cooperate with Rocks. That's all."
As his words fell, the boat fell silent again.
But this time, the silence was not because of Whitebeard's words. It was because everyone had noticed at the same moment that a huge outline had appeared at the edge of the horizon.
At first, that outline was only a blurry black dot, like a speck of dust where the sea met the sky.
But as time passed, it grew clearer and larger, gradually revealing the oppressive form of a massive warship.
"It's finally here?!" Kaido shot to his feet, fists clenched, excitement bursting from his eyes. He had waited two days and gone hungry for a full day. That pent-up frustration finally found an outlet.
Whitebeard glanced at the warship in the distance. "You're happy too early. Whether the Kuja Pirates' information is accurate remains uncertain."
"Do we have a battle plan, Newgate?" Ochoku's tone became more serious.
"Yes," Whitebeard answered. "Everyone fend for themselves."
"..."
Kaido froze for an instant, then grinned fiercely. "Fine. Then we'll each rely on our own ability."
At the same time, aboard the World Government warship...
The Marine soldier responsible for scouting held up his telescope, and his pupils suddenly shrank.
He rubbed his eyes and looked again. After confirming it, his expression changed drastically.
Tap, tap, tap, tap...
Urgent footsteps echoed down the cabin corridor.
"Report to Vice Admiral Garp and Admiral Sengoku!"
A loud voice rang out at the entrance to the hall.
"Enemy ship spotted ahead! The enemies include Edward Newgate, Buckingham Stussy, Ochoku, apprentice Kaido, and... the recently infamous 'Cold-Blooded Butcher,' Ron!"
Garp, who had been sprawled on the sofa asleep, immediately sprang up after hearing the report.
"Finally got work to do?" Garp grinned and clenched his fist. "I almost thought this trip was for nothing."
After speaking, Garp strode out.
"Hey, Garp, wait!" Sengoku hurriedly called after him, brows tightly furrowed. "You're too impatient! The plan hasn't been fully deployed yet."
But Garp only paused slightly and waved without turning back. "Plan? Fists are the best plan!"
"You idiot," Sengoku complained. Still, he did not stop him. Overall, the plan this time was perfect. They had successfully deceived the Rocks Pirates.