"Could it be that even Roger can't tell whether Teach is lying or not?"
Whitebeard looked at Roger, feeling a bit heavy-hearted. He even started to doubt whether he was being overly suspicious. After all, Teach had been with him for several years now. Anyone who boarded his ship was family in his eyes.
"Teach, your name has a 'D' in it. You know, there are many people in this world with a 'D' in their names. Are you aware of that?"Roger grinned as he looked at Teach with enthusiasm, like seeing a long-lost relative.
"Ah… Roger-senpai, you said there are many others with a 'D' in their name?"Teach showed a surprised expression, acting very shocked.
"Yep. Teach, do you know what the 'D' means?"Roger asked with a relaxed smile, completely devoid of any pressure or hostility.
"Hehe… I don't know. I just remember being called that since I was little. I guess it's just because there's a 'D' in my name. No big deal, right? There are all kinds of names in this world. Hehehe."Teach chuckled innocently and scratched his head, looking pure and honest.
"Hahaha, fair point. Teach, what were your parents' names?"Roger kept the conversation casual, as if making normal small talk—asking about someone's parents was nothing unusual.
"I've forgotten. I was an orphan from a very young age. Pops was kind enough to take me in."Tears welled up in Teach's eyes as he glanced gratefully at Whitebeard.
Whitebeard nodded slightly, his expression unchanged.
"You're lucky. Whitebeard treats his family with his whole heart. I hope you'll do the same for him one day."
"Hehe, I'm Pops' son! Of course I'll look after him. Even if I lose my life, I'll never let anyone hurt him!"Teach responded without hesitation, face filled with determination.
"Captain Roger, the drinks are here!"Elio shouted as he approached, cigarette in mouth, pushing a cart full of wine barrels, bowls, and mugs.
"Captain, I even grabbed everything from the storage room."Nozdon walked over hugging a giant barrel. Whether it was that big originally or he had poured everything into it was unclear.
"Hahahaha! Tonight we throw a big party! Everyone, drink all you want—the booze won't run out!"Roger waved boldly.
"Hehehe, the wine's finally here. Those guys were so slow! I'm gonna drink my fill tonight!"Teach grumbled internally again, though his excitement was written all over his face.
"Maybe I was overthinking it," Roger thought to himself. "This kid Teach probably doesn't even know what the 'D' means, and he probably wouldn't betray Whitebeard either."Roger discreetly observed Teach, then released his use of Observation Haki.
"Hey, Rayleigh! Lin Nuo! Everyone, come over!"Roger called out to his crew.
"What?! Lin Nuo?!"Teach froze momentarily, but then joy surged through his heart.
"Zehahahaha! Even if I'm not sure I can get the Human-Human Fruit: Mythical Zoan from Lin Nuo, this is already halfway to success! I've got to build a relationship with him—he's hiding something huge."
"Hahahaha! Tonight I'm going to outdrink every last one of the Whitebeard Pirates!"Miray Pine shook his belly, ready for a drinking contest.
"You guys come over too."Whitebeard beckoned to his nearby crew members.
"Brother Roger."Lin Nuo came over and greeted Roger.
"This is Brother Lin Nuo," Roger introduced. Whitebeard looked at Lin Nuo with great interest.
"So you're Lin Nuo? You look nothing like the wanted poster."Whitebeard looked a bit awkward. "What the hell is the Navy doing? That's not even close."
Others shared the same thought, smiling faintly.
"Heh, I was mad when I saw that too. I'm such a handsome guy, and the Navy just slapped together a sketch like that? Talk about lazy."Lin Nuo's comment left everyone speechless again.
"Hahaha, Lin Nuo, you're quite the character. Oh yeah, the World Government says the secret on your body rivals the One Piece."Whitebeard gave Lin Nuo a meaningful look—his first impression was that Lin Nuo was indeed different from others.
Upon hearing this, aside from Roger's crew, everyone else fixed their gaze on Lin Nuo, trying to figure out what kind of secret he was hiding to draw so much attention from the World Government.
"Uh… that's just the Navy making stuff up. I don't have any big secrets."Lin Nuo was speechless. He didn't want to be the center of attention wherever he went.
Even Roger's crew fell silent at that—was the World Government just that bored, hyping someone like this for no reason?
"Hahaha, let's drink first. Whatever else, we can talk later. No big secrets here."Roger waved his hand casually.
"Hehehe, let's drink, let's drink."Jozu, who didn't usually say much, actually looked happy and excited when it came to drinking.
"Jozu, I lost a bowl to you last time. Dare to go another round?"Nozdon set down his barrel and challenged Jozu across from him.
"Hahaha! Think I'm scared? You lost to me before—you won't win this time either!"Jozu grinned confidently.
"Hmph! That time the wine ran out, so it didn't count! This time we're doing it properly!"
"Anytime you want."
"Hahaha, everyone sit down! Let's drink. Word is there might be some small fry pirates coming around in the next few days."Roger laughed, referring to the reports of other pirate crews showing up.
"Tch, just a bunch of nobodies. If they dare come, we'll make sure they don't leave."That was said by the 15th Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates—Fossa.
"Hey Roger, why don't you call your wife out to meet everyone?"Whitebeard reminded him.
"Haha! Totally forgot. My bad."
"Hehe~ I'm here."Rouge chuckled softly as she appeared, wearing a flowing blue maternity dress. Her blonde hair and blue eyes were radiant, with a flower in her hair and a breeze fluttering her dress as she walked gracefully.
"Hahaha, Rouge, why'd you come out by yourself?"Roger stood up to support her arm—after all, she was heavily pregnant.
"Elio told me when he went to get the wine. As the captain's wife, I thought I should make an appearance."Rouge smiled gently.
"Hahahaha, Roger, your wife is so understanding. You lucky bastard."Whitebeard laughed with a blessing-filled smile. Even as an outsider, he enjoyed the warmth of this family moment.
"Captain Whitebeard, you're too kind. I'm just an ordinary woman. If anything, I should be the lucky one."Rouge spoke with grace and humility, earning the admiration of the many rough men present.
"Hahaha, come on, let's drink!"Roger was beaming with pride and joy.
"Drink up, drink up! Go find your drinking buddies. Roger and I still have things to discuss."
"Yes, Pops."Teach got up, grinning as he wandered off to find someone to drink with.
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