Rayleigh chuckled and turned to Reid.
"Heh, looks like you've caught the attention of the world, Brother Reid. I'd bet your wanted poster and the newspaper have spread across every sea."
"Brother Rayleigh, does this mean I'm in danger now? You have to protect me!" Ah
"Uh…" Reid joked with a mischievous smile.
Rayleigh was momentarily speechless, taken aback by the unexpected plea.
"Don't worry, Reid!" Bucky interrupted confidently, still chewing on his food.
"The Roger Pirates are the strongest crew on the seas. No one dares to mess with us. If anything, we're the ones doing the bullying! Hahahaha!"
"Bucky's right," Shanks agreed with a grin.
"Our captain holds the highest bounty in the world."
"Benitaro, don't let bounties fool you," Rayleigh cautioned.
"There are dangerous people in the shadows. If some of them were ever exposed, their bounties could easily surpass Roger's."
"Mr. Rayleigh, that's impossible!" Shanks argued passionately.
"Captain Roger's bounty is nearly six billion berries! Who could top that?"
"Bounties don't always reflect true strength," Reid added, nodding in agreement with Rayleigh.
"The World Government decides the amounts. For those they fear the most, they might even understate the bounty intentionally."
"Then Mr. Rayleigh, is there anyone—Navy or pirate—who's actually stronger than Captain Roger?"
Bucky asked, clearly doubtful.
Rayleigh answered calmly, "I don't know for sure. But Whitebeard, Edward Newgate, is said to be on equal footing with Roger."
"Whitebeard? If he's so strong, then why isn't he the Pirate King? And where's his 'white beard' anyway?"
Bucky scoffed mid-bite, clearly unimpressed. He admired Roger deeply, and naturally disliked Whitebeard, especially since their crews had clashed numerous times.
"Maybe Whitebeard just isn't interested in becoming the Pirate King," Reid said thoughtfully.
"He seems more focused on protecting his family—his crew. It probably has a lot to do with his background. His dream is to create a big, unified family on the seas, one that sails together and shares adventures."
Rayleigh quietly watched Reid, surprised once again by how well he understood people—even someone like Whitebeard.
"Tch, that's just an excuse," Bucky muttered.
"He knows he can't surpass Captain Roger. Everyone knows who the true Pirate King is."
"Family, huh…" Shanks echoed, mulling over Reid's words.
The more he listened, the more he respected Reid—not just for his medical skills, but for his insight and depth of thought.
"You're right," Rayleigh finally said.
"Whitebeard's crew is massive. While most pirates sail in one ship, he commands several. He treats every one of them like his own son—he really sees himself as a father figure to all the wanderers at sea."
Rayleigh looked up at the sky, where stars were slowly beginning to appear.
"Still, that's strange," Bucky muttered, chewing meat again.
"Why treat them like sons instead of just calling them crewmates?"
"That might be his will—his dream," Rayleigh answered.
"He's taken it upon himself to bear the burden of protecting them all."
Hearing this, Rayleigh again turned to Reid, his gaze filled with something like admiration.
"His will…" Shanks repeated, quietly glancing at Reid.
For a moment, he found himself wondering just how much Reid truly understood. There was a depth to him that made Shanks uneasy and impressed all at once.
Meanwhile, aboard the Moby Dick…
After hanging up the transponder snail, Whitebeard picked up a huge sake gourd and poured himself a full bowl.
Gulp gulp gulp.
He drank it in one go.
"Dad, was everything Rayleigh said true?" Marco asked.
Whitebeard nodded with a calm expression.
"If both Rayleigh and the wanted posters say so, then it's probably true."
"That means the Roger Pirates are going to face trouble before heading to Wano. With the World Government leaking information about Roger's treasure and Reid's secret that supposedly surpasses One Piece, every pirate will be hunting them. Dad, are we going to step in?"
The speaker was Waidibe, a curvy woman with long hair and a striking figure. She wore a purple pirate hat adorned with a skull and had joined up with Whitebeard again after hearing about the Wano operation.
"Hahaha, Waidibe," Marco teased.
"Are you just looking for an excuse to get close to the Roger Pirates?"
Waidibe shot him a look.
"Don't be ridiculous. I admire you, Dad. I'm only concerned about Oden. If not for the risk of drawing attention, I would've gone to Wano myself by now."
"Then why don't we head to Roger's location now?" suggested Vista, the famed swordsman known as Foil Bista.
"Once his wife gives birth, we can go straight to Wano. Otherwise, we might waste precious time."
Whitebeard glanced at the worried faces of his crew. He felt conflicted. He'd agreed to lend Oden to Roger for just one year. Now he was being told Oden's life might be in danger. No one touched Whitebeard's family and got away with it.
Just then, a voice cut in from the side.
"Dad, if we're going to act with the Roger Pirates anyway, then I agree—we should head to their island now. It'll give us a head start toward Wano."
Whitebeard turned to look sharply at the speaker—Teach.
There was a flicker in Whitebeard's eyes, as if he sensed something beneath the surface.
"Uh… Dad, I think Waidibe and Bista have a point," Teach added nervously.
"If we go now, we'll be ready in case anything unexpected happens."
Beads of sweat trickled down his face. Teach always felt uneasy under Whitebeard's gaze, as though his every hidden thought was being seen through.
"Teach is right," said Jozu.
"We can also keep an eye on Roger's crew and make sure they don't leave without us."
Whitebeard didn't respond right away. His thoughts drifted back to the day he first took Teach in.
Rayleigh chuckled and turned to Reid.
"Heh, looks like you've caught the attention of the world, Brother Reid. I'd bet your wanted poster and the newspaper have spread across every sea."
"Brother Rayleigh, does this mean I'm in danger now? You have to protect me!"
Reid joked with a mischievous smile.
Rayleigh was momentarily speechless, taken aback by the unexpected plea.
"Don't worry, Reid!" Bucky interrupted confidently, still chewing on his food.
"The Roger Pirates are the strongest crew on the seas. No one dares to mess with us. If anything, we're the ones doing the bullying! Hahahaha!"
"Bucky's right," Shanks agreed with a grin.
"Our captain holds the highest bounty in the world."
"Benitaro, don't let bounties fool you," Rayleigh cautioned.
"There are dangerous people in the shadows. If some of them were ever exposed, their bounties could easily surpass Roger's."
"Mr. Rayleigh, that's impossible!" Shanks argued passionately.
"Captain Roger's bounty is nearly six billion berries! Who could top that?"
"Bounties don't always reflect true strength," Reid added, nodding in agreement with Rayleigh.
"The World Government decides the amounts. For those they fear the most, they might even understate the bounty intentionally."
"Then Mr. Rayleigh, is there anyone—Navy or pirate—who's actually stronger than Captain Roger?"
Bucky asked, clearly doubtful.
Rayleigh answered calmly, "I don't know for sure. But Whitebeard, Edward Newgate, is said to be on equal footing with Roger."
"Whitebeard? If he's so strong, then why isn't he the Pirate King? And where's his 'white beard' anyway?"
Bucky scoffed mid-bite, clearly unimpressed. He admired Roger deeply, and naturally disliked Whitebeard, especially since their crews had clashed numerous times.
"Maybe Whitebeard just isn't interested in becoming the Pirate King," Reid said thoughtfully.
"He seems more focused on protecting his family—his crew. It probably has a lot to do with his background. His dream is to create a big, unified family on the seas, one that sails together and shares adventures."
Rayleigh quietly watched Reid, surprised once again by how well he understood people—even someone like Whitebeard.
"Tch, that's just an excuse," Bucky muttered.
"He knows he can't surpass Captain Roger. Everyone knows who the true Pirate King is."
"Family, huh…" Shanks echoed, mulling over Reid's words.
The more he listened, the more he respected Reid—not just for his medical skills, but for his insight and depth of thought.
"You're right," Rayleigh finally said.
"Whitebeard's crew is massive. While most pirates sail in one ship, he commands several. He treats every one of them like his own son—he really sees himself as a father figure to all the wanderers at sea."
Rayleigh looked up at the sky, where stars were slowly beginning to appear.
"Still, that's strange," Bucky muttered, chewing meat again.
"Why treat them like sons instead of just calling them crewmates?"
"That might be his will—his dream," Rayleigh answered.
"He's taken it upon himself to bear the burden of protecting them all."
Hearing this, Rayleigh again turned to Reid, his gaze filled with something like admiration.
"His will…" Shanks repeated, quietly glancing at Reid.
For a moment, he found himself wondering just how much Reid truly understood. There was a depth to him that made Shanks uneasy and impressed all at once.
Meanwhile, aboard the Moby Dick…
After hanging up the transponder snail, Whitebeard picked up a huge sake gourd and poured himself a full bowl.
Gulp gulp gulp.
He drank it in one go.
"Dad, was everything Rayleigh said true?" Marco asked.
Whitebeard nodded with a calm expression.
"If both Rayleigh and the wanted posters say so, then it's probably true."
"That means the Roger Pirates are going to face trouble before heading to Wano. With the World Government leaking information about Roger's treasure and Reid's secret that supposedly surpasses One Piece, every pirate will be hunting them. Dad, are we going to step in?"
The speaker was Waidibe, a curvy woman with long hair and a striking figure. She wore a purple pirate hat adorned with a skull and had joined up with Whitebeard again after hearing about the Wano operation.
"Hahaha, Waidibe," Marco teased.
"Are you just looking for an excuse to get close to the Roger Pirates?"
Waidibe shot him a look.
"Don't be ridiculous. I admire you, Dad. I'm only concerned about Oden. If not for the risk of drawing attention, I would've gone to Wano myself by now."
"Then why don't we head to Roger's location now?" suggested Vista, the famed swordsman known as Foil Bista.
"Once his wife gives birth, we can go straight to Wano. Otherwise, we might waste precious time."
Whitebeard glanced at the worried faces of his crew. He felt conflicted. He'd agreed to lend Oden to Roger for just one year. Now he was being told Oden's life might be in danger. No one touched Whitebeard's family and got away with it.
Just then, a voice cut in from the side.
"Dad, if we're going to act with the Roger Pirates anyway, then I agree—we should head to their island now. It'll give us a head start toward Wano."
Whitebeard turned to look sharply at the speaker—Teach.
There was a flicker in Whitebeard's eyes, as if he sensed something beneath the surface.
"Uh… Dad, I think Waidibe and Bista have a point," Teach added nervously.
"If we go now, we'll be ready in case anything unexpected happens."
Beads of sweat trickled down his face. Teach always felt uneasy under Whitebeard's gaze, as though his every hidden thought was being seen through.
"Teach is right," said Jozu.
"We can also keep an eye on Roger's crew and make sure they don't leave without us."
Whitebeard didn't respond right away. His thoughts drifted back to the day he first took Teach in.