"Hey! Why did you throw me into the sea?!"
After a night, the 'monster' had returned to his original form and was now shouting at Renji and the others.
Renji replied innocently, "You scared us when you came out of the sea yesterday."
"We didn't hold it against you and even kindly sent you back where you came from..."
"I think we did nothing wrong..."
The man pointed at Renji, his finger trembling with anger. It took him a while to spit out a word:
"You...!!"
Renji waved his hand, acting as if he had done a good deed without expecting anything in return:
"I know you want to thank me, but there's no need to be so emotional. It was just a small favor."
The man grew even angrier: "I...!!"
Renji cut him off again: "Alright! I already said no need to thank me..."
"She..." The man's face turned purple.
He was so frustrated. Did this guy have a problem? He wouldn't even let him finish a sentence.
"Pfft..."
Toki finally couldn't hold back and burst into laughter. Seeing a nearly 4-meter-tall man turn green with anger but unable to retort was simply too much.
"Even you..."
The man felt as if he had been pierced by a thousand arrows. Embarrassing himself in front of a beautiful woman, he wished he could bury his head in a hole.
"If you're a man, come fight me!" The man took a step forward, looming over Renji, who only reached his waist.
"We're not familiar. Why should I listen to you?" Renji yawned, uninterested in the man's challenge, and walked lightly over to Toki.
Toki's smile faded. Her impression of the 'monster' man had worsened.
"Bro, forget about fighting." Renji remembered he had something to ask. "Do you know how to get to Wano Country?"
Toki covered her lips, surprised that someone she had just met would take her words from yesterday to heart.
"Wano Country?"
The man's expression turned serious. He had just escaped from that place and had no desire to return.
Seeing the man's reaction, Toki grew excited. She knew this man knew the way to Wano.
"Are you from Wano Country?"
"I've always wanted to go there. Can you take me... us to Wano?"
The man's face twisted with reluctance. "I worked so hard to get out of there..."
Toki frowned. The place she had longed for was being dismissed so casually, and it made her uncomfortable.
"Do you have a lot of enemies in Wano?" Renji asked curiously.
Renji believed the man's strong aversion to returning to Wano must have some deeper reason.
"Of course not!" the man immediately retorted. "I, Oden, am loved by everyone in Wano! No one is more popular than me!"
He was the daimyo of Kuri, and the entire Wano Country was his domain.
However, he had always wanted to see the outside world. Unfortunately, his tendency to get lost had made it difficult until now.
"Then can you at least point us in the right direction?" Toki asked, no longer pushing but settling for a compromise.
"Uh... this..." Oden broke out in a cold sweat.
He had no idea where they were. This was the farthest he had ever been, and his sense of direction was notoriously bad.
He couldn't do it...
"..."
Suddenly, shouts erupted from the coastline, startling the birds resting on the island.
"Oden! You're not dead yet, are you?!"
"..."
"Who's there?!"
Renji's eyes sharpened. In his perception, many powerful individuals had landed on the island.
He 'saw' the pirate ships docked at the shore. "The Whitebeard Pirates..."
At that moment, Olga and Acier came running from a distance, their faces pale and their teeth chattering.
"Pirate ships... so many pirate ships... the island is surrounded!"
"Even though this is the New World, this is too many pirates."
"Why are there so many pirate ships here?"
"..."
Olga was babbling incoherently. At over 200 years old, this was the first time she had seen such a scene.
Looking at the pirate ships docked along the shore, their flags fluttering in the wind, and the approaching footsteps, Olga, her father, and Toki were overwhelmed.
They couldn't believe what was happening!
This many pirates could easily destroy a World Government-affiliated nation. The sheer number of pirates was rewriting their understanding of the world.
Most importantly, they had just heard someone call out a certain name.
Oden's expression was a mix of emotions—joy, disappointment, and finally, a sigh.
A man wielding a long-bladed weapon walked up to Oden and stood before him.
"Oden, join my crew..."
Oden's dejection vanished as he looked up, meeting the man's gaze.
"Huh?! But I let go... I failed the test you gave me..."
A man with a pineapple-shaped hairstyle approached, standing a step behind the tall figure, teasing Oden.
"Abandoning your ambition because of a woman's scream... I didn't think you were so naive...!!"
The pirates erupted in laughter, their hearts won over by the man who had endured the sea for so long.
"Hahaha, Marco, stop teasing Oden. Look at his face."
"Honestly, this is the first time I've seen him like this. It's hilarious."
"It's like..."
"It's like someone stole his woman... right?"
Seeing the two women hiding behind a stranger, the pirates couldn't help but think.
Did Oden fail to save them and end up being rejected instead...?
Whitebeard, meanwhile, looked at Renji with interest.
"Kid, have we met before?"
Hearing Whitebeard's words, Renji looked puzzled.
He had no memory of meeting the man, yet Whitebeard seemed certain they had crossed paths.
Renji shook his head, answering honestly:
"I don't remember meeting you."
Whitebeard laughed heartily, his laughter shaking the clouds in the sky.
"Guess I'll have to give you a hint..."
He paused, then continued:
"Years ago, God Valley..."
Renji's eyes sharpened as he stared at Whitebeard.
He had never interacted with the man on that island. How did Whitebeard know about him?
Whitebeard planted his bisento, Murakumogiri, into the ground, sending a shockwave toward Renji.
"Seems like you remember now, gura la la la..."
"When I arrived there, I saw you leaving..."
"Big Mom was badly injured back then. I haven't seen her that beaten up since I joined the Rocks Pirates..."
"Whoa!!!"
The surrounding pirates stared at the small figure standing before their captain, unable to contain their shock.
"No way..."
"That monster Charlotte Linlin lost to this little guy?!!"
"Surviving in a place like God Valley... How strong is this guy?!!"
...
... (TL/N): If you are intressted you can read up to 30 chapter on patreon.com/Yanet96 search with this link.