"Kaina… by any chance in life, aren't we near an island with some kind of hallucinogen?" Salazar asked without taking his eyes off the imposing Whitebeard, surrounded by his loyal crew, full of confidence and carefree attitudes.
Kaina simply shook her head, arms crossed.
"I'm afraid not. I suppose you already know him…" Kaina said with a raised eyebrow, Jinx walking behind her like a lost child, staring in awe at the gigantic Whitebeard.
"He's huge!" Jinx shouted, prompting Kaina to finally turn to look at her with a tired expression.
"That's what she said," Salazar commented almost instinctively, Kaina glancing between the two before giving up.
"Why do I even bother…" she rubbed her temple in exasperation, Salazar finally realizing he had been ignoring Whitebeard, clearing his throat as he approached him.
"My apologies… I think you'll understand that coming back and finding myself face to face with one of the Four Emperors isn't exactly the kind of surprise I'd like to receive…" Salazar said, speaking to Whitebeard, arms crossed and meeting his gaze.
His crew was watching him. Even if this man crushed him under the sole of his foot, he had to stand firm—on equal footing, a conversation between captains.
Whitebeard noticed this and laughed, intrigued.
"Gurararara… I've heard about you, Prophet. You've got a gift with words." He rose from his seated position, towering more than four meters above Salazar, leaning on his trusted weapon, looking down as Salazar looked up at him.
"I like to think I understand people more than anything else. You make it sound like I'm some kind of manipulator." His voice did not falter, nor did his posture. On the ship, despite the obvious difference in level, everyone saw a confrontation of equals.
"I never said that, boy. But if it were true, you wouldn't deserve your crew's loyalty…" The air on the ship grew tense as Whitebeard stopped smiling. There was no need to release his Conqueror's Haki; his mere presence was enough to place immense pressure on everyone, along with his now serious crew.
Salazar only had a small bead of sweat on his cheek, but he remained firm, unmoving.
"With all the respect I hold for a living legend like you, if you came here only to question my crew, then I want you off my ship."
Silence reigned for a moment. Everyone thought the same thing, disbelief written on their faces.
Did he just kick Whitebeard off his ship!?
The Emperor's gaze turned serious, dark, and threatening. Everyone on the New Dawn Pirates' ship swallowed nervously in fear, but seeing their captain's straight back, unyielding under Whitebeard's stare, they slowly began to draw their weapons—extremely nervous, yet in the end all of them stood behind their captain with weapons in hand. Kaina included, drawing her rifle, and Jinx, who didn't quite understand what was happening, raising her pistols and preparing explosives.
Whitebeard's entire crew witnessed this, astonished, a glimmer of respect in their eyes as they looked at them all. The intimidating Whitebeard remained still, radiating an imposing air.
A captain's confidence was the most important thing in a crew. As long as the captain does not retreat, no one who follows him will.
"Gurarara…" A booming laugh burst from Whitebeard, breaking the tense atmosphere as he sat back down, laughing at the top of his lungs with genuine amusement.
"You brats are truly brave!" That was Whitebeard's honest assessment, as the confused crew members lowered their weapons, including Kaina and Jinx, who leaned in to whisper to Kaina.
"Ummm… what just happened?" she asked, surprisingly accurate for someone like her.
"I wish I knew," was Kaina's tired reply. She just wanted a few minutes of rest.
Salazar visibly relaxed, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, a bead of sweat sliding down his cheek.
While he knew Whitebeard and understood he wasn't someone who would attack without reason, the pressure he exerted with his mere presence was overwhelming, and his intent had seemed almost real.
(I guess it's years of experience on the high seas as a pirate of his caliber. He knows how to instill fear when necessary.)
Salazar deduced thoughtfully as Whitebeard finally stopped laughing, looking at Salazar with a wide smile.
"Salazar… be my son!" The declaration left everyone—including his own crew—in genuine shock. Not even Salazar himself had expected that.
(Okay, this is new.)
He thought, bewildered, but realized everyone was waiting for some kind of response from him.
He thought about it for a moment, but in the end his answer came quickly.
"I refuse…" was his firm, conclusive reply. Everyone expected Whitebeard to be angered, while his own crew, who knew their captain, believed he would insist.
"Why?" None of their assumptions were correct. He simply asked calmly for the reason behind the refusal.
Salazar remained silent for a moment, but finally spoke with conviction and determination.
"Because my goal goes beyond being a pirate. This is the path chosen for me—for all of us here. You should already know that. We are not like you, Whitebeard." The imposing figure listened and understood exactly what he meant. Everyone here were former slaves, now hunted simply for wanting freedom. His grip on Murakumogiri tightened with rage as he whispered the name of those responsible.
"Celestial Dragons…"
"I can protect you from them. Be my sons, and no one will ever harm you again. That is my promise…" Whitebeard said in a serious, committed voice, every word filled with sincerity. Once they became his family, Whitebeard would gladly die for any of them.
Salazar fell silent for a moment before staring directly at the man.
"That's us. But what about the slaves who remain? Suffering every day—the ones being enslaved now, and those who will be in the future simply for falling into their hands…" Salazar clenched his fists, black smoke rising from them due to the explosions he was unconsciously causing.
Whitebeard remained silent. The message was clear—he couldn't save everyone, no matter how much he wanted to. He was strong, yes, but not strong enough for such a feat.
Everyone behind Salazar shared his opinion, clenching their teeth in anger and sorrow as they remembered the hell they had escaped. Kaina, who had witnessed their treatment in the cells, sympathized with them.
Meanwhile, Jinx looked at everyone and wondered who they were, and why they seemed to hate to death the ones the giant man had called Celestial Dragons.
Jinx's imagination ran wild, and she pictured a gigantic, colorful lizard with a cruel face, flapping its wings and hurting people.
Salazar then raised his voice so that everyone present could hear his next declaration.
"This crew was formed to survive! But our goal is only one! To rise above all things and create a new dawn where there is no fear of being a slave!" he shouted, raising his arms as his entire crew widened their eyes in surprise, but soon smiled and shouted, raising their weapons as if offering them to their captain in his struggle.
"For a new dawn!" they all shouted in unison, including Kaina and Jinx, everyone supporting their captain.
Whitebeard's crew listened to everything, astonished by such an objective, believing it impossible—only for Whitebeard to laugh.
"Gurarara! It seems we're witnessing the birth of something great! Roger! I wish you were alive to see this!"