Chapter 225: Whitebeard’s Banquet

Marco had seen Newgate go all out before—back when the Navy launched a massive assault, and a single punch from the old man literally blasted an island. That was no exaggeration.

Kozuki Oden never expected the burly man before him—Whitebeard—to wield strength far beyond ordinary.

Truth be told, he didn’t know much about Newgate at all. Back on Karl’s Cake Island, his days were filled with nonstop training, leaving him no time to pay attention to rumors from other lands.

Any bits of news he did catch were all about the Navy’s blunders and their wicked deeds. Karl was always feeding them this information, brainwashing them so they’d serve him loyally. It wasn’t the kindest method, but it sure did churn out devoted followers quickly.

He drew his blades and stepped back!

“Oden Two-Sword Style—Paradise White Water!” Oden swung both swords at blinding speed, lacing his slashes with Conqueror’s Haki.

Newgate’s Cloud Cutter began to glow as Conqueror’s Haki wrapped around it. “Not bad, kid. You’re pretty strong.”

He was honestly surprised—how many young folks in the New World could already use advanced Conqueror’s Haki, and do it without ever joining a pirate crew?

With a single sweep of Cloud Cutter, a streak of white energy shot forth, breaking the sound barrier and slashing toward both of Oden’s swords at an incredible speed.

The moment their blades met, a crushing sense of danger pressed down on Oden’s heart. This strike packed several times more power than anything before.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The force of the blow sent Oden flying. He crashed through several massive trees before hitting the ground hard.

“Gah!”

Using both blades to prop himself up, he coughed up a mouthful of blood he couldn’t hold back.

Thud, thud, thud!

He heard footsteps and looked up. Newgate, Cloud Cutter in hand, now stood right in front of him.

“With strength like yours, why hole up on this island?”

Newgate just couldn’t figure it out.

Do powerful folks really enjoy hiding from the world?

He looked so young—it just didn’t add up.

“Wait, you’re not here to plunder, are you?” Oden suddenly felt the man’s friendly expression didn’t fit those bloodthirsty pirates who’d come before.

Previous pirates were savage—they stormed in with blades drawn, looting and burning without a second thought.

But this bunch didn’t act like that at all. Even during their fight, they clearly held back.

“Gu-ra-ra-ra-ra!”

“We came to buy supplies. We’re throwing a banquet on our ship, but ran low on ingredients.”

If a few words could sway this powerful young man from hostility, that was fine by him.

No need to make pointless enemies.

“Hahaha!”

“I thought you were here to plunder—sorry about that.”

Oden scratched his head, a little embarrassed. He didn’t expect things would be this simple. Must’ve been the village chief who gave the wrong impression.

Still, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He really didn’t want to keep fighting a monster like this—the guy’s power was out of this world. Oden knew he had no shot at winning.

Even after just a few exchanges, he’d already suffered internal injuries. All that training on Cake Island hadn’t made him a match for this monster.

“Then I guess this counts as friends born from a fight.”

“Why not join us for the banquet?” Newgate actually found this strong young man quite impressive.

If they could get him on board, their crew’s fighting power would jump way up.

Given everything right now, he definitely wouldn’t turn down Oden’s strength.

In the original story, the only reason he didn’t let Oden join his crew was because of the Rocks Pirates and the lessons of their messy breakup.

But these days, the greatest threat in the New World had to be Karl—the Rocks Family boasted no less than three Admiral-level powerhouses.

Though still not as strong as Rocks at their peak, he’d heard that Rocks’ children were born now, and they’d inherited his bloodline. Give it another ten or twenty years, and there would be an upgraded version of Rocks in the world.

With Golden Lion’s influence growing too, Whitebeard worried he couldn’t look after all his lads alone. A powerful newcomer could share some of the load.

“Of course, that is, if you don’t mind.” Oden figured this was the perfect chance to feel out what kind of people Newgate’s crew really were. It would also reassure the village chief.

Newgate reached out and helped him up, then the two of them headed down to the shore.

Marco saw Pops walking out with this odd guy in tow and immediately ordered the crew to set up for the banquet on the beach.

As the first mate of the Whitebeard Pirates, Marco always knew what Pops expected as soon as he acted. Without missing a beat, he directed Thatch to start prepping ingredients by the shore.

When Oden arrived, he picked a spot and sat right down, not caring at all about the dirt.

Marco and the others kept their distance and didn’t crowd him.

“Pops, what’s going on?”

Marco rushed over to Newgate, hoping to find out what Pops was planning so he could figure out their next move.

“Gu-ra-ra-ra-ra!”

“He’s a good kid. Lots of potential.”

“Let’s see if he’ll join us.”

With Pops making it clear, Marco took a few men and went over to Oden.

“Hello there, may I have your name?”

He politely greeted Oden. After all, if they really were going to end up crewmates, a little courtesy was a good place to start.

“I’m Kozuki Oden.”

That was all he offered—he kept his home a secret. If he mentioned Wano, who knows how these guys might react.

He wasn’t sure if that big Whitebeard recognized Karl, and he wasn’t about to risk it.

Karl was already famous throughout the New World—on that point, Oden was clear.

If Whitebeard knew about Wano and Oden’s story, introducing himself openly would basically be handing himself over.

Better safe than sorry. He kept his background to himself; even his retainers were waiting nearby in a cave and he didn’t call them out.

“Kozuki Oden, yeah?”

“Come on, right this way.”

Now that Marco had his name, he didn’t dig for more. If Oden joined up, there’d be plenty of time to learn more. If not, well, no point asking.

He led Oden to the heart of the banquet—a circle of huge round tables, with Newgate sitting at the place of honor.

Marco brought him to Newgate’s table just as Thatch carried out the food.

“This here’s brother Thatch. Guess you could say we’re friends thanks to that scuffle, so let’s toast him!”

Newgate didn’t stand on ceremony—he thrust a massive tankard toward Oden.

Oden didn’t hold back either. He grabbed his cup and clinked it with the others. If he’d learned one thing on Cake Island, it was how to drink—knocking back booze with strangers had become second nature.

The dishes kept coming, and the more they ate, the rowdier the party got.

Oden drank a lot at the banquet—his head was spinning—but even then, he knew what to say and what to keep to himself.

This feast left a real impression on Oden. He realized these pirates weren’t interested in looting at all.