Chapter 79: Eyes on All Sides
"Roger, huh?" Whitebeard let out a sigh. "He's the kind of guy who's flashy no matter what he does."
"What do you mean?" Luo Han asked curiously, wondering if "flashy" meant physically or personality-wise.
"You could say he's extremely narcissistic," Whitebeard replied with a chuckle.
"Huh?" Luo Han was stunned. That didn't match his image at all. In his memories, Roger was always smiling, fearless in the face of death—the Pirate King! How was that narcissism?
"Haha! Luo Han," Whitebeard smiled slightly, "you'll understand once you meet him."
"Alright then," Luo Han shrugged. After all, they were bound to meet in a few days. He had a feeling this time nothing would go wrong.
"But Brother Newgate," Luo Han turned serious, "how strong is the Roger Pirates?"
"As for their strength," Whitebeard said with rare gravity, "every single one of them is at least Vice Admiral level. None of them are weak."
"That strong?!" Luo Han was shocked. If every crew member was Vice Admiral level or higher, even in an elite-style crew there would be a dozen of them, right? Just imagining five or more Admiral candidates, plus three Admirals… What kind of force was that? No wonder they could go toe-to-toe with the Rocks Pirates in the New World. Without that level of strength, they would've been crushed by Rocks' might long ago.
"Strong?" Whitebeard grinned. "The real strength lies in Roger himself. That guy's power, like his ego, constantly defies expectations."
"Ugh…" Luo Han was speechless. That strong? He always thought Roger just ran fast, which was why he hadn't been wiped out by the Rocks Pirates. Wasn't the future Pirate King supposed to have been chased around by Garp nonstop?
"So, the battle against the Roger Pirates is going to be tough. Leave it to me," Whitebeard said seriously.
"Are you serious?" Luo Han looked at Whitebeard in disbelief. With the Roger Pirates' strength, you think you can take them on alone?
"Your Sister Shao can handle Rayleigh, you'll deal with Jabber, and the rest... just have Cole fly high enough," Whitebeard replied with a small laugh after a moment of hesitation.
"Alright, fine. Worst case, I'll just mess with them from ten kilometers away." Luo Han sighed. But the mention of Rayleigh and Sister Shao? His eyes lit up with gossip. Looks like those two really have something going on.
Luo Han chuckled to himself.
…
At the same time, on a remote island in the New World, Golden Lion's fleet was resting.
In the dense forest, Golden Lion, Kyo (Silver Axe) , and the others were casually sitting or leaning against trees. A fire blazed in the middle, and nearby, Ochoku (Wang Zhi)carefully polished his greatsword with a handkerchief.
"Hey, Golden Lion! The Roger Pirates should be at Line Island by now, right?" A cocky voice came from the dark forest. "Let's go finish them off tomorrow. We can't let the reputation of the Rocks Pirates be challenged anymore."
Golden Lion frowned slightly. He looked into the shadows where seven or eight figures stood, clearly displeased. He knew these were original members of the Rocks Pirates, and they were strong, but after several battles with Roger's crew, shouldn't they have some awareness of what they were up against?
"We know what you're thinking, Golden Lion," said a towering five-meter man in the shadows with a playful tone. "But don't worry. Whitebeard will arrive tomorrow. The Roger Pirates won't escape this time."
"Whitebeard, huh…" Golden Lion paused, then muttered in a less-than-pleased tone, "Well, he'd better hurry. I'm not waiting."
"With Whitebeard, Golden Lion, and us together, the Roger Pirates are done for," Ochoku (Wang Zhi)smiled.
Hahaha! Laughter echoed from the dense forest, then faded into silence.
…
At the same time, three navy warships cruised the seas—Garp's fleet.
The trio gathered aboard Garp's ship, oil lamps in hand, studying maps of the nearby waters in deep thought.
Tap. Sengoku pointed to a line on the map.
"This is Line Island. There are no other islands nearby. Based on Roger's last clash with Golden Lion, we can be fairly certain that he's on that island now."
"Exactly. And the surrounding sea is already sealed off by pirates under the Rocks banner," Zephyr added.
"So that means… tomorrow's going to be a three-way war!" Garp laughed heartily. "I'm really looking forward to it!"
"Also, Whitebeard's crew—the ones who disappeared for two months—has been spotted near Line Island. They're expected to engage with the Roger Pirates tomorrow," Sengoku added grimly.
"Whitebeard!" Garp grinned. "I wonder what he's been up to these past two months. Has he gotten stronger? I'd love to have a real fight with him."
"It's not just Whitebeard," Zephyr said seriously to Sengoku. "Those two kids… their strength is exploding. I wouldn't be surprised if they're already at our level."
"Yeah, those two brats are trouble," Sengoku muttered, thinking of Luo Han and Cole. The real headache was that the navy had no young talent to rival them. Otherwise, it wouldn't be so bad.
"No worries, Sengoku. Leave it to me!" Garp smiled.
The two paused, then exchanged looks and smiled, thinking of Garp's recent explosive growth in strength.
At the same time, the entire world's factions were watching the upcoming battle.
In the Holy Land Mary Geoise, the Five Elders were discussing it as well.
"Tomorrow's battle should reveal Rocks' intentions."
"Indeed. They've been chasing the Roger Pirates for two years. They shouldn't let them slip away again."
"If they do let them escape again, report directly to Lord Im."
"Agreed. For the sake of the plan, notify the navy to stay away from Line Island. Let them observe, nothing more."
"Fine. It's settled."
In the end, the Five Elders decided: the navy would not participate in the battle.
Meanwhile, Garp and his companions, unaware of the Five Elders' decision, continued preparing for the fight.
…
The night passed. Luo Han woke up on the ship's deck, head slightly dizzy. He shook his head. "Drank a little too much last night."
"You're up, Luo Han," said Whitebeard, seated and gazing solemnly at the endless sea.
"What's wrong?" Luo Han asked.
"Nothing. Just feels like the air's a little heavy today," Whitebeard smiled.
"Really?" Luo Han didn't feel it. If anything, the air seemed fresher than usual. He couldn't help taking a few deep breaths.
"Han bro, there you are! Tucker and the others made breakfast—they're calling for you," Cole said, walking over.
"Got it!" Luo Han replied, turning to Whitebeard. "I'm heading over, Brother Newgate."
Whitebeard waved him off without turning, still staring solemnly out at sea.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Luo Han and Cole flew over to Tucker's ship to start breakfast.
(END CHAPTER)
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