Pirates on Rocks' Ship 996

Marco glanced at Whitebeard with some curiosity. His father usually wouldn't tinker with something like this, so why was he suddenly doing it now?

“Reina usually does these things, but now that he’s not here, I, as the captain, have to take responsibility for something!” The white-bearded man walked to the door, saw Marco’s gaze, and said with a smile.

"Don't worry, Dad, Reina will be fine!" Marco said, head bowed.

"Gurararara... Don't think I don't know, you've already secretly made him a grave! If that kid finds out, he'll definitely not let you off the hook!" the white-bearded man said with a laugh.

Marco had already seen the tears welling up in Whitebeard's eyes.

A week has passed since the great battle, but there has been no news of Reina. According to intelligence from the Navy, Reina was seriously injured when he was hit by Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji at the same time, and then was eaten by his own Sea King companions.

Although they believed that Liuli couldn't possibly have eaten Reina and must have wanted to rescue him, Reina's chances of survival after being hit by Akainu and his two companions in that state were already very slim.

This is why the Navy didn't continue pursuing Reyner; they also believed that Reyner couldn't possibly have survived.

"Dad..." Hansen, who had regained consciousness, couldn't help but call out when he saw Whitebeard.

"Alright, it's good that everyone's alright. Tell me, what exactly happened?" Whitebeard patted Hansen to help him relax.

Upon hearing Whitebeard's question, Hansen immediately became angry and recounted everything that had happened that day.

"If it weren't for Katakuri of the Big Mom Pirates stopping me, I would probably have been killed by Teach by now! Although he saved me from Teach, he didn't pay much attention to Teach! They took all the treasure on Crescent Moon Island and left."

"As for Teach... seeing that he failed to kill me and didn't manage to seize Skypiea, he left before the Big Mom Pirates!" Although Hansen was still very weak, he managed to finish explaining everything in one breath.

“Teach…” A cold glint flashed in Whitebeard’s eyes as he said softly, “Now that we know the truth… then…”

"Dad, the most important thing now is to find Sky Island. With Sky Island's reconnaissance capabilities, it will be much easier for us to find either Reina or Teach!" Marco stepped forward immediately and said to Whitebeard.

"Phew! I understand. Then let out the news that we have returned to Xuan Yue Island, and make it look like we are preparing to gather our forces!" Whitebeard took a deep breath, suppressing his aura, and said.

If Marco hadn't interrupted him, he probably would have unleashed his full power.

Chapter 189 Escape from Death

"Doctor...we have news!" On the sky island, a member of the guard team ran over excitedly and shouted to Dr. Assie.

After leaving Crescent Moon Island, they had been trying to find Whitebeard's main force, but they dared not descend, so they were unable to obtain any intelligence.

They finally found a spot in the waters near a small island and sent people ashore to gather intelligence.

"Tell me, what exactly is the situation now?" Dr. Assie asked weakly, lying in bed.

“According to the information we received on the island, Father has returned to Xuan Yue Island, but it seems that he suffered heavy losses. Many of his comrades have sacrificed their lives, and even… even… Reina…” the guard member said hesitantly.

"What? Reina... has the news been confirmed? Is it true?" Dr. Assie struggled to sit up and asked anxiously.

"That's what everyone's saying, but we can't confirm whether it's true or not! Besides... it seems we've become everyone's target. Everyone knows that our Whitebeard Pirates own a sky island! I suspect Teach deliberately leaked this information! So it's enough to prove that Teach is alright..."

"Teach is alright... which means Hansen is..."

"Alright, now is not the time to be sad. Blake, get the Sky Island airborne immediately. Judging from the news we just received, we are now in the most danger. Now that we have been exposed, we absolutely cannot be discovered before we return to Xuan Yue Island, otherwise we will be in real danger!"

“Yes, Doctor, I’ll arrange it right away!” Blake, who was standing to the side, nodded and replied.

He has now taken over the defense of the sky island, replacing Hansen.

However, they were unaware that just as they were ascending, they were spotted by a passing pirate ship, thus confirming the existence of the Sky Island and driving the world into a frenzy.

Fortunately, the sky island has enough fuel, so there's no need to descend to refuel; otherwise, once it descends, it might not have another chance to ascend.

Meanwhile, the Whitebeard Pirates also received news of the Sky Island's descent on Crescent Moon Island, so Marco quickly led his first squad to the place where the Sky Island had appeared.

"Captain Marco, it seems that Sky Island has attracted a lot of attention!" Along the way, Marco and his group had heard countless rumors about Sky Island. In fact, those who owned Sky Island wanted to tell others that it was not as powerful as they imagined; it was just a flying island.

However, they also knew that even if Whitebeard came out to refute the rumors now, those who had been blinded by Skypiea would not believe the truth.

“So we must find them as soon as possible, otherwise it will be troublesome if Teach finds them first!” Marco nodded and said.

The team members nodded, agreeing with Marco's words.

"Captain, which way do we go now? There's no point in continuing that way!"

“We’ll return to base and raise the flag. Once the reconnaissance personnel on the sky island see it, they’ll contact us!” Marco said after thinking for a moment.

They didn't fly the Whitebeard Pirates' flag during this trip, except when they were sailing, in order to reduce trouble and find Skypiea as soon as possible.

Just as they were preparing to head to the port to continue their voyage, a commotion suddenly broke out at the port. It turned out that two pirate crews with a grudge had run into each other there and started fighting, blocking the road.

"But at this crucial moment... never mind, let's go around it!" Marco frowned and said softly.

"Bang!" Just as Marco and his group rounded around, one of the pirate captains was knocked away and landed right in front of them.

Upon seeing Marco and the others, the fallen pirate captain immediately got up and hid behind them.

After exchanging glances, the attacking pirates charged towards Marco and his crew.

"........."

Marco and the others were speechless. They had already let these people go, but they still got dragged into it.

"Wait... We're just passing by and don't want to get involved in your dispute!" Marco raised his hand to stop the other party's attack and shouted.

"Kill!" The attacking pirates hesitated for a moment, then ignored Marco's words and attacked them together.

"Hmph~ You're asking for death!" The First Combat Squad, already seething with anger from the battle with the Navy, immediately retaliated when they saw the enemy attacking them.

"Bang bang bang..." In less than ten minutes, all the pirates were taken down.

Marco and his crew's fighting prowess startled everyone. The pirate captain, who had previously hidden behind them, stared blankly at Marco and his crew as they left, unable to utter a word.

"Wait...look, that's...that's...that's the Whitebeard Pirates' flag!"

"My god...were those people from the Whitebeard Pirates? They were really powerful...the world's number one pirate crew isn't just for show!"

"Hmph~ Who was it that just said the Whitebeard Pirates, who were defeated by the Navy, were nothing special?"

"No...don't talk nonsense, I never said that!"

When the people at the port saw the pirate flag raised after Marco and his crew returned to the ship, they all gaped in astonishment.

The Whitebeard Pirates' defeat at Impel Down caused a significant drop in their prestige, but Marco and the others proved to them what the strongest pirate crew truly is.

There's a reason why the Whitebeard Pirates can run rampant in the New World.

Reina was completely unaware of what was happening outside, as he was focused on recovering from his injury.

As soon as he was able to move a little, Reina stripped himself naked and ran to the pool to take a bath. The sour smell on his body was unbearable even to himself.

I don’t know how Liuliu took care of him before. His whole body was covered in sticky mucus. When he woke up, the mucus had dried and was very uncomfortable to stick to his body. It also smelled rotten.

However, when he first woke up, he didn't feel much, so it didn't bother him. But now, as his injuries slowly healed, Reina couldn't take it anymore, so he immediately went to the pool to take a bath.

"Hmm... this is... seawater?" After tasting it slightly, Reina was surprised to find that the water in the pool was actually salty seawater, which made him even more confused about where he was.

After soaking himself a little cleaner, Reina finally made his way back to shore. He couldn't do any strenuous movements yet, so even just taking a bath left his forehead covered in a fine layer of sweat.

"Phew~ Where did that little guy go again? There's no one to talk to, it's so boring!" Leaning against a big rock, Reina muttered to himself with a wry smile.

When he first met Olga, that guy often talked to himself, and whatever he was thinking, he would say it out loud, regardless of whether anyone could hear him.

Reina used to laugh at her for a long time, but now that he's all alone, he finally understands Olga's feelings back then: no matter what you say, no one will hear you, so he gradually developed this habit.

Olga had been inside the lanternfish's stomach for over a hundred years, a thought that terrified Reina.

A week later, Reina was finally able to move around freely.

"Summoning Technique: Hard Shell!"

"Oh!"

As soon as Reina was free to move around, he immediately summoned the hard shell.

Although he can now walk on his own, he feels it's a bit risky to go deeper into the cave. It might be better to let the hard shell carry him out of the pool.

He had already communicated with Liuliu. Liuliu had come from the pool and dumped him on the shore. It knew that humans needed air and couldn't stay in the water forever, so it brought Reina here. This was a place he had discovered by chance, and Reina was very safe here.

"Well, finally we're going out! Come on, Hardshell, I'm counting on you from now on, just follow behind Liuliu!" Reina patted Hardshell's head and said with a smile.

Upon hearing Reina's words, Hardshell began to slowly sink into the pool. Reina then closed the protective shield. Although there would be no fresh air inside after it was closed, Reina believed that the air inside the shield was enough for him to leave.

Because Liuliu had told him that it wouldn't be long before they went out.

Back on the hard shell he hadn't seen in a long time, Reina first checked the supplies inside the house. Since he didn't know when he would need to sail again, there weren't many supplies stored in the house on the hard shell.

After inspecting the entire hard shell back area and finding no problems, Reina went to the front yard, where he could see the sea through the transparent protective cover.

Just as Liu Liu had said, it took very little time to get out of there. Even though the hard shell was not as fast as Liu Liu, it only took Reina a dozen minutes to see the sunlight on the sea.

"Finally out...!" When the hard shell surfaced, Reina felt like he had been reborn.

Breathing in the fresh air, Reina's mood brightened considerably.

"Where is this...the Calm Belt?" After looking around carefully, Reina realized that he was in the Calm Belt, and behind him was a small island, or rather, not an island, but a huge rock.

“I was in there just now!” Reina said with a chuckle, stroking his chin.

The interior of this large rock has become like a cave, and there is a passage at the bottom of it, the one he just walked through.

"This is a nice place. I'll come back another time! Right now... I need to go back and check things out! The Navy... we'll settle this score another day!" Reina chuckled, patted Hardshell's head, and let it slink away.

The main problem is that Hardshell's ability to get lost is too strong, so when Reina doesn't know his location, he really doesn't dare to let Hardshell lead the way, otherwise it might lead Reina back to Impel Down.

With Liuliu leading the way, Reina felt more at ease. After tidying up the room, he began to rest.

His current physical condition does not allow him to work, and he has already missed so many consecutive days of attendance, so there is no rush.

Chapter 190 Amazon Lily

"Huh? Where is this?" When Reina woke up, he found that the hard shell had stopped. Looking at the sky outside, he realized it must be late at night.

As Reina stepped out of the room and into the front yard, he noticed a small island not far ahead, which must have been where Liuliu had left Hardshell.

Reina's health is not good right now, and it would be dangerous for him to approach the island rashly, so it is up to Reina himself to decide whether or not to go to the island.

"Huh? This is... Nine Serpents?" After Reina brought the hard shell to the front of the island, he finally saw the island in its entirety. The two large characters on the front made him instantly recognize where he was.

"As for Kuja... I wonder who's the emperor now? The Empress shouldn't have returned to Kuja yet! Speaking of which... I wonder when Tiger will make his move!" Reina stroked his chin, looking at Kuja Island in front of him, considering whether or not to go ashore.

He currently lacks nautical supplies, and although he can exchange them with points, he feels it's not worth it, especially since he hasn't had any income recently, making him even less willing to exchange them.

"Forget it, let's try to communicate first! If it doesn't work, let's leave!" Reina's reluctance to spend the points led him to decide to approach Kuja.

"Hello...is anyone there?" Reina shouted as he arrived at the port of Amazon Lily in his hard-shell vehicle.