"Red… he's getting stronger and stronger too~!"
Lying on his back, Sanji gently pressed his lips together.
Although that vice-captain always liked to stir things up between him and that moss-head, deliberately provoking competition between the two of them, no matter how you looked at it…
Under the vice-captain's 'training,' his own strength was now skyrocketing at a terrifying pace.
Who could have imagined…
That someone who could now trade blows under a Marine Admiral's hands had only been a sous-chef at a restaurant in the East Blue just a few months ago?
"The Pokémon world… really is an incredible place~"
With that thought lingering in his mind, Sanji slowly drifted into sleep.
The night passed without incident.
In the blink of an eye, morning arrived.
The first ray of sunlight pierced through the mist along the horizon, spilling golden light across the calm sea. A cool sea breeze carrying the scent of salt brushed across their faces, refreshing their spirits.
No longer needing to hide, the Going Merry resurfaced once more, riding the waves toward their destination—Water Seven.
And just as everyone was about to return to their daily routine and enjoy their Grand Line adventure…
That Den Den Mushi they had been waiting on for so long—silent until now—finally rang again.
"Buru-buru-buru~""Buru-buru-buru~"
The sudden ringing cut sharply through everyone's activity.
Ace, who had been staying aboard the Going Merry, hurried over and picked it up.
"Hello!? Marco!?" Ace asked immediately.
At that moment, the Den Den Mushi's expression suddenly grew solemn, its gaze sharp as it looked straight at Ace.
Then it spoke, its voice carrying unquestionable authority:
"Ace. It's me."
Ace's pupils trembled for an instant before he shouted in delight,
"…Old man!"
"That's great! You're okay, right!?"
"Gurararara~" Whitebeard's bold laughter burst from the other end. "What could possibly happen to me?"
Then he continued casually, "You've been out playing long enough. Isn't it about time you came back?"
"Old man!"
Hearing that long-missed voice, Ace's eyes instantly reddened.
He nodded hard.
Even though he had failed to kill Blackbeard in the end—and hadn't even managed to catch sight of him—
After everything that had happened one after another, Ace had finally grown from a reckless hothead into someone far more steady and mature.
At the very least, the worst possible outcome Red had warned him about never came to pass.
"Old man, where are you right now?" Ace asked. "Oh, right—I got intel earlier that… Kingdew was captured by the Marines!?"
"This time, with Luffy and his companions' help, we captured over a hundred Marine officers."
"We can use them as bargaining chips to trade with the Marines and rescue our people."
"Luffy… that's the little brother you mentioned before?" Whitebeard's relaxed expression sharpened at those words.
"And your plans on Sky Island this time—your brother helped with that too, didn't he?"
"Ace… you really do have a good brother."
"Thank him for me~"
Clearly, his heart was not as calm as his tone suggested.
After a brief pause, he let out a deep breath and said gravely,
"According to the direction of the Vivre Card, the Moby Dick should be in the waters near you right now."
"Have your brother wait a bit. We'll head over shortly."
The call ended quickly.
So much had happened recently that Ace had countless things he wanted to say to Whitebeard, but to avoid the Marines intercepting their call, they could only keep it brief.
After hanging up, Ace immediately looked toward Luffy and Red.
But before he could speak, Red suddenly raised a hand to stop him and smiled meaningfully.
"Looks like our journey's coming to an end for now, Ace~"
"…Yeah."
Ace paused, then smiled as well and looked at his idiot little brother.
"Never thought there'd come a day when you'd be the one looking after me, Luffy."
"Hehe~ That's all thanks to our companions!" Luffy replied with a grin.
…
…
Two hours later.
A massive warship—so enormous it rivaled the island whale Laboon—suddenly appeared on the once-calm sea.
Countless insects flew out from a Hyperspace Hole above the ship, delivering bound Marine soldiers—tied up like dumplings—one after another onto the deck of the Moby Dick.
Compared to the flagship of one of the Four Emperors, the Going Merry looked incredibly small.
On the Merry's deck, the Straw Hat crew stood by the railing, watching as Ace returned to his own family.
Gazing at the towering ship and the awe-inspiring presence before them, Zoro rested a hand on his sword and smirked.
"So this is Whitebeard's ship, huh? Now that's impressive!"
"Cutting something like this would feel amazing!"
"Hey, hey, hey—calm down, Zoro!" Usopp waved his hands frantically, only to receive a look from Zoro that clearly said, Do I look like an idiot?
But before Usopp could relax, an overwhelming wave of Conqueror's Haki suddenly erupted from beside them, crashing toward the Whitebeard Pirates.
Caught completely off guard, the Whitebeard Pirates took the full brunt of Luffy's Haki. Several weaker members collapsed one after another.
"Hmm!?"
In that instant, everyone—from the Straw Hats to the Whitebeard Pirates—focused their gaze on Luffy.
"Luffy, what are you—" Usopp looked confused, discreetly slipping a hand toward his pocket in preparation for a possible fight.
The next second, Luffy leapt onto the railing, slammed his straw hat down onto his head, and pointed at Whitebeard aboard the Moby Dick.
"Hey! You, the big guy—are you Whitebeard!?"
"So you've got the same kind of Conqueror's Haki as Ace's old man!"
"…That guy… Ace's brother?""Captain-level Conqueror's Haki…!"
Whitebeard's commanders stared in shock as they felt the overwhelming pressure.
Whitebeard turned his gaze over, slammed his naginata into the deck, and grinned.
"Straw Hat brat… are you challenging me?!"
BOOM!!!
In an instant, an even more terrifying Conqueror's Haki surged upward from the Moby Dick, blasting the clouds apart and crashing toward the Going Merry.
Black lightning crackled through the air as the sea roared, pushing both ships backward.
A titan of the old era was displaying his overwhelming might before the challengers of the new age.
Luffy's Haki lasted only a few seconds before being forced back by Whitebeard's crushing pressure.
Yet Whitebeard's expression suddenly shifted in surprise.
Because as his Haki swept over the Going Merry—
Not a single Straw Hat collapsed.
No—Not only were they still standing—Their eyes were sharp and unwavering.
They hadn't been affected at all.
Of course, this didn't mean Usopp, Nami, and the others could now ignore Emperor-level Conqueror's Haki.
The reason they remained calm—
Was because, at the instant Whitebeard's Haki descended—
A strange purple-pink glow flashed through Robin's eyes.
The next moment, she shouted,
"Glitzy Glow!!!"
BOOM!!!
Psychic power erupted from Robin, part of it forming a mental counterforce that clashed directly with Whitebeard's Haki.
The rest manifested as a Light Screen from the Pokémon world, drastically weakening the incoming pressure.
And Robin's intervention was only the beginning!
"Roooar—!!!"
A hazy, illusory dragon's roar echoed across the deck.
Zoro stepped forward, a powerful aura bursting from his body.
Though still immature compared to Luffy and Whitebeard, his Conqueror's Haki stabilized Luffy's stance, preventing his aura from being completely overwhelmed.
"Honestly… you guys are impossible."
Red shook his head, then stepped forward, releasing all of his psychic power as crushing mental pressure toward Whitebeard.
With their combined efforts, Luffy's Haki surged anew, even beginning to push back against Whitebeard's.
But Whitebeard soon released an even greater wave of Conqueror's Haki, maintaining the dignity of the "Strongest Man in the World."
The two forces stood evenly matched, splitting the sky in half as clouds churned violently.
Whitebeard's commanders stared in disbelief.
"This… is the power of a Yonko…?" Luffy muttered, gritting his teeth. "I've still got a long way to go!"
Then he lifted his head, fists clenched, and shouted at Whitebeard,
"Whitebeard!"
"I don't want to admit it, but Ace rejected my invitation."
"He really likes you!"
"So—you'd better protect him!"
"He's my family!!!"
"If Ace dies… I'll never forgive you!!!!"
Whitebeard smiled, crescent-shaped, his eyes fierce.
"Hmph!"
"Brat! Even without you saying it, I'd do that!"
"Then you'd better keep your word!" Luffy replied seriously.
Suddenly, his aura flared again.
"And one more thing!!!"
He took a deep breath, faint traces of Gear Fourth–like markings appearing across his body.
With all his strength, he roared,
"The one who'll become Pirate King—"
"—will be me!!!"
The thunderous shout swept across the sea like a hurricane, rippling the ocean's surface.
In the next instant, both Luffy and Whitebeard withdrew their Haki.
The insects on the Moby Dick retreated into the Hyperspace Hole and vanished.
The Straw Hats' "gift" to Whitebeard had been fully delivered.
Whitebeard looked at Luffy with undisguised admiration—then turned away, laughing loudly.
"Say that again after you reach the New World!"
"Marco! Send them the thank-you gift!"
"We're heading back to the New World!"
"Got it, Pops~!"
Marco spread his arms, transforming into blue-flamed wings, and flew above the Going Merry.
"Straw Hat crew, thanks again!"
"What's in the box is part of Whitebeard's gratitude!"
"You should already have Ace's contact!"
"If you ever need help, just call him!"
"You'll always be friends of the Whitebeard Pirates!!!"
A beautifully crafted wooden chest dropped from the sky and landed perfectly in Luffy's arms.
Marco spun in midair and returned to the Moby Dick.
Despite some members being knocked out earlier, the Whitebeard Pirates remained fully operational.
A massive bubble enveloped the Moby Dick, and the ship slowly sank beneath the sea, vanishing from sight.
"Goodbye—Ace!!!"
Luffy called out as the sea grew calm again, before being dragged back from the railing by the curious crew.
"Luffy, hurry up! Let's see what Whitebeard gave us!"
Usopp opened the chest in a flash.
Instantly—
Two strangely shaped Devil Fruits appeared before them.
One was dark green, shaped almost like a house, its surface covered in raised, unusual patterns.
The other was even stranger—shaped like a foot, utterly unappetizing.
Yet the small wings at its ankles sparked curiosity.
"Devil Fruits!!!"
The crew shouted in unison.
But their excitement quickly faded.
"Oh… they're just Devil Fruits?" Luffy sighed.
They were rare—yes.
But after being exposed to Pokémon power, ordinary Devil Fruits were hard to impress them.
Even powerful abilities like the Smooth-Smooth Fruit and Sand-Sand Fruit had been given away to Koby and Vivi without hesitation.
Unknown abilities? Even less tempting.
Just then, Usopp pointed sharply.
"Wait!"
"There's something else at the bottom!"
He handed the fruits to Chopper, then pulled out two sheets of paper.
Sanji's eyes lit up.
"These are… pages torn from the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia!"
"And they match these two fruits exactly!!!"