Facing Is's question, Whitebeard did not try to hide anything.
After all, it wasn't exactly a secret. Rocks making a comeback was only a matter of time.
"By the grace of fate, we all survived that battle."
Is smiled faintly and calmly sat atop a fallen tree before speaking slowly.
"So this time, Rocks sent you to assassinate me again?"
Before Whitebeard could answer, Hashirama had already caught onto something. The relaxed expression on his face instantly stiffened.
"You two are… enemies?"
"Of course," Is replied directly.
Hashirama immediately became vigilant, leaping backward to create a safe distance between himself and Whitebeard.
"Relax, I have no hostility toward you. Captain Rocks admires the strong. You have a grudge against the World Government, and we also have history with them. Why not cooperate and accomplish something great together?" Whitebeard looked straight at Hashirama as he spoke calmly.
At that moment, Is instantly understood everything.
Good grief. Whitebeard really wasn't here to kill him—
He had come to poach people right in front of him.
"Edward Newgate, that's a little too much," Is spoke again from the side.
"Is it? I'm merely extending an invitation to someone who shares the same ideals. Though I suppose a union of strong individuals would indeed be quite troublesome for your World Government," Whitebeard explained.
"Hahahahahaha—!"
At that moment, Is finally could not hold it in anymore and burst into loud laughter.
Apparently, the only person still unaware of the situation was Whitebeard himself.
Is slowly stood back up and said with a grin,
"I honestly think you should understand the situation before taking action. You're trying to poach someone right in front of me. Don't I have any dignity?"
…
Those words instantly woke Whitebeard up.
He stared at Hashirama in disbelief.
"You… you're one of his people?!"
Hashirama revealed a harmless smile.
"That's right. We're all part of the World Government."
"…"
Whitebeard suddenly felt extremely awkward.
Damn it. This really was a reckless mistake on his part.
The next second, he tightly gripped his naginata and looked at Is and Hashirama with caution.
"What? You want to dance, Edward?" Is said leisurely.
"I need to take some precautions for my own safety."
"There's no need. I'm not interested in your life."
Is spoke casually.
In truth, Whitebeard posed no real threat to him.
After all, Whitebeard's dream did not conflict with his own.
All Whitebeard wanted was to find a family upon these vast seas. Unlike Rocks, he had no ambition to conquer the world.
Of course, it wasn't impossible to take Whitebeard down now.
But defeating him in a short amount of time was practically impossible. The power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit was far too troublesome.
And more importantly, doing so would delay Is from enjoying his bath, eating delicious food, and spending a pleasant evening.
So in Is's opinion, there was absolutely no need to add an unnecessary life-and-death battle to his schedule.
Right now, compared to those things, Whitebeard's life honestly seemed rather insignificant.
"You really are impossible to figure out," Whitebeard muttered.
He rested the naginata back onto his shoulder once more.
Even though they stood on opposing sides, for some reason, he trusted Is's words completely.
If Is said he wasn't interested in killing him, then he truly wasn't.
"Still, I'll need you to pass a message to Rocks."
"What message?"
"Tell him he can either hide quietly for the rest of his life… or the moment he raises the banner of the Rocks Pirates and sets sail again, his countdown to death will begin."
Is's tone remained calm and indifferent.
…
Faced with those words, Whitebeard did not answer.
Instead, he simply turned around and left on his own.
Is merely smiled faintly.
Even without an answer, he knew Whitebeard would definitely relay the message to Rocks.
Watching Whitebeard's gradually disappearing figure, Is dusted off his clothes.
"Alright, Hashirama. It's getting late. Time for us to head back too."
"Mm, alright. Earlier, from the way you spoke to him, I actually thought you two were friends," Hashirama said with a chuckle.
"Friends?"
Is merely smiled without saying anything further.
Overall, this trip had been quite rewarding.
He had inherited Hashirama's Sage Mode and also learned that both Rocks and Whitebeard were still alive.
However, although the Rocks Pirates had not completely fallen, Is knew very clearly—
They would never return to their peak again.
Most of their officers were still locked inside Marine prisons, and they no longer possessed the power necessary to attack those prisons.
If they acted recklessly, they would only end up trapping themselves as well.
So Rocks would absolutely never attempt to rescue the others from Marine custody.
After returning to the Holy Land Mary Geoise, everyone except Madara had already come back.
Roz Minian had also prepared a lavish dinner.
After enjoying the meal, Is headed toward the artificial hot spring for a bath.
"Master, you trained hard all day. Allow us to help you."
Hearing the voice while relaxing in the pool, Is raised his head slightly.
Standing behind him were two maids, one of them being Roz Minian.
At the moment, both of them were wrapped in bath towels, their figures graceful and alluring.
"Why do I feel like you're here just to make me even more exhausted?"
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