Pirates on Rocks' Ship 996

Robin could only smile helplessly at his companions.

Luffy and his crew didn't mind; as partners, they trusted each other quite a bit!

"Robin...you have to protect me then! Look at those people, they're staring at us the whole time, it's terrifying! Why don't you talk to them and tell them we're just tourists?" Nami didn't care about any of that and immediately stepped forward, hiding behind Robin, and said.

Now is the perfect time to latch onto a powerful figure. Clearly, Robin is more effective here than Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro!

Like Nami, the other two members of the trio were also worried. Chopper and Usopp rushed to Robin's side immediately.

Although Usopp also wanted to say something heroic and make a bold statement, after hearing Ace say that there were more than fifty pirate crews here, he stopped thinking about it altogether.

Chapter 647 The Freest Man

"Dad, the Straw Hat Pirates are here!" Soon, when Ace led Luffy and his crew to the banquet square, Jozu, standing next to Whitebeard, whispered to Whitebeard.

"Gurararara... Little Robin is here too? I never expected that the little girl from back then would be able to challenge us now! Reina, do you think we're getting old?" Whitebeard looked at Reina beside him and asked with a smile.

“They’re still too green!” Reina replied with a slight smile.

"Hahaha... First mate, they're the fifth emperors of the sea now! They're not children anymore!" A captain who hadn't left yet said with a loud laugh.

"Hahaha... Let me see how these kids are going to challenge us!" Reina said with a loud laugh.

However, it must be said that Luffy and his Straw Hat Grand Fleet are quite imposing, especially the giants among them, who are very intimidating.

"This... is this the strongest man in the world, Whitebeard?" When Luffy and the others saw Whitebeard, everyone except for the carefree Luffy looked grim.

The Whitebeard Pirates have many strong members. Not to mention Whitebeard, the strongest man in the world, their familiar Reina is also a Yonko-level powerhouse, and he even defeated a Marine Admiral some time ago.

The captains are all quite strong. Back in Wano Country, they witnessed the strength of Marco and Ace, and they are on par with the three calamities of the Beast Pirates.

However, the Beasts Pirates only had three calamities, while the Whitebeard Pirates had sixteen captains. As for the captains who had not yet left or returned after hearing the news, they were all formidable figures, having made a name for themselves in the New World.

At first, the Straw Hat Grand Fleet members didn't feel anything, but now, under the gaze of these powerful figures, the pressure suddenly increased.

Apart from Luffy, who was carefree, the others were somewhat afraid to move, because they felt like prey locked on by a ferocious beast, and that if they moved even slightly, they would be torn to pieces.

"Hey! You're Whitebeard, right? I'm the man who's going to become the Pirate King, Monkey D. Luffy!" Just then, Luffy suddenly spoke up to Whitebeard.

"what did he say?"

"Kid! Do you know who you're talking to?"

"The Pirate King? He actually said he wanted to become the Pirate King right in front of my father?"

"Is this kid an idiot?"

Luffy's words first stunned everyone, and then they burst into laughter.

However, the Straw Hat Grand Fleet members didn't laugh; their expressions were serious. They believed in Luffy and thought he could do it.

"What's so funny?"

"Damn it, how dare these people mock Luffy-senpai!"

The flame in their hearts ignited instantly.

"Hey, kid! Do you know who you're talking to?" Frank had long disliked Luffy and the others. He was the chief steward of the Whitebeard Pirates and Whitebeard's number one supporter. No one could say anything bad about the Whitebeard Pirates in front of him.

"Anyway, I'm not talking to you!" Sanji took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and replied softly.

Since the other boss didn't speak, he assumed Luffy didn't need to answer, so he gave his reply immediately.

"Heh... Interesting!" Frank didn't mind, he just smiled and said, "Don't think I'm being mean, but if you were in my shoes, you would have already started fighting!"

Sanji was taken aback, thought for a moment, and then remained silent.

Indeed, they came here today to challenge the other party, so it's normal that they weren't treated well. If Luffy weren't Ace's brother, and if Robin weren't there, they probably wouldn't have been able to get to the island.

So what the other party said wasn't wrong, which is why Sanji didn't refute it.

"Gurararara... Kid, you said... you're the Pirate King?" Just then, Whitebeard, who was sitting at the head of the table, suddenly laughed and looked at Luffy, asking.

"That's right! I'm going to be the Pirate King!" Luffy said firmly without any hesitation.

"Interesting! Do you know what One Piece means?" Whitebeard asked with great interest.

“Of course!” Luffy nodded and said.

"So... you want to become the king of all pirates?" Whitebeard's eyes sharpened.

"No!" Luffy shook his head, then said, word by word, "Only the one who is the freest can be called the Pirate King!"

"Gurarararar..." Luffy's Hua Da made Whitebeard burst into laughter, and even Reina, who was standing next to him, couldn't help but smile slightly.

But apart from the two of them, everyone else was quite shocked.

"Only the freest person can become the Pirate King!"

Marco looked at Luffy and couldn't help but chuckle. This little guy really dares to say that!

However, it looks like a fight won't happen today.

"Nami, Nojiko wants you to come to her house for dinner tonight. Come with me there in a bit!" Marco stepped out from the crowd and said to Nami.

"Huh?" Nami was taken aback and looked at Marco with some confusion.

Although Marco is her brother-in-law, is it really appropriate for him to say such things at this time?

They came to challenge the authority of the Whitebeard Pirates, but Marco's words were tantamount to standing up for them. He didn't believe Marco didn't know this, after all, as the first division commander, Marco's position in the Whitebeard Pirates was not low.

Just as Nami expected, after Marco spoke, many members of the Whitebeard Pirates looked at him in surprise.

"Gurararara... Alright, guests from afar are always welcome. Whatever your purpose is, have a good rest today! Robin, don't you ever come back to see your old man? Is it because your old man isn't good?" Whitebeard said with a smile.

"Dad, I'm back!" Robin gave her companions a look before slowly walking to Whitebeard's side and saying with a smile.

"Gurararara... Good, good, good! Sachi will make some extra of Robin's favorite foods tonight. My daughter is back to see me!" Whitebeard seemed very happy, laughing heartily.

Apart from Luffy, the Straw Hat crew finally breathed a sigh of relief. At least the two sides were no longer on the verge of conflict. In fact, they had never thought about actually clashing with the Whitebeard Pirates. The current situation was just right.

"Frank, arrange accommodations for the guests! Luffy, you guys stay here for now, we can talk about everything tomorrow. You've never been to Crescent Moon Island before, we can have someone show you around! Frank, don't make things difficult for them, understand?" Seeing this, Reina knew that a fight wasn't going to happen today, so he walked over to Luffy, patted him on the shoulder, and said.

Chapter 648 Before the Battle

After resting on Crescent Moon Island for a day, the Straw Hat Grand Fleet returned to the banquet square the next day.

In their view, they were surrounded by enemies, making it impossible to get a proper rest.

Of course, aside from the carefree Luffy, Robin and Nami must have had a good rest.

As for Luffy... he not only rested well, but also spent the whole day playing on Crescent Moon Island. If Ace hadn't taken him back in the end, he probably would have come to the banquet square to attend the banquet last night.

Yes, that's right!

On Crescent Moon Island, banquets are held almost every day in the banquet square, which is Luffy's favorite place.

It was precisely because of Luffy's performance that the Whitebeard Pirates were somewhat dumbfounded. This guy didn't seem to be here to challenge them at all; he seemed more like he was here for a vacation.

This is also one of the important reasons why they did not continue to glare at the Straw Hat crew the next day.

"Boy, state your purpose!" Upon seeing Luffy again, Whitebeard, sitting in the main seat, asked very seriously.

"I'm here to challenge you!" Luffy replied solemnly.

"Challenge me? Gurararara... But didn't you say yesterday that to become the Pirate King, all you need to do is be the freest person?" Whitebeard asked with a loud laugh.

Luffy nodded and replied, "That's right!"

"Then why did you challenge me?" the white-bearded man asked with great interest.

"Because I need the Road Patch text!" Luffy replied without hesitation.

"The road sign text? I do have it here, but why should I give it to you?" The white-bearded man raised an eyebrow and asked.

"Then I'll just steal it myself!" Luffy replied, frowning.

"Gurararara... Is this what you call freedom?" the white-bearded man asked with a loud laugh.

“I want it! But you don’t want to give it to me, and I’m a pirate, so naturally I’ll do it the pirate way!” Luffy pressed down on his straw hat and replied seriously.

"Alright! Since that's the case... then what do you plan to do? Directly start a war with our Whitebeard Pirates?" Whitebeard asked, a slight smirk playing on his lips.

Whitebeard's words left Luffy momentarily speechless. Although that was indeed what he meant, he also knew in his heart that if they started fighting like this, their chances of winning were not high, so he turned his head to look at Robin.

Before he came, Robin had told him to ask her if he didn't know what to do.

"What the old man means is simple: he's giving us a choice. Luffy... have you decided on your battle strategy against the Whitebeard Pirates?" Robin asked with a slight smile.

Actually, they had already discussed it last night. Fighting the Whitebeard Pirates here was not normal, and they had no chance of winning. Therefore, going into one-on-one mode was the best way.

Before their negotiations yesterday, Reina had already spoken to Robin, giving the Straw Hat Grand Fleet a chance, a chance to choose their battle mode.

So last night they discussed it for a long time and decided to fight the Whitebeard Pirates in a ring.

The rules are simple: set up a ring, and whoever can defend the ring at the end wins.

"Alright, let's have a tournament!" Luffy nodded to Robin to show he understood, then said to Whitebeard.

Reina smiled slightly; he knew the other party would choose this mode, so he wasn't surprised.

"Frank, have you found the deserted island?" Reina asked Frank after Whitebeard nodded in agreement to Luffy's request.

"Yes, First Mate, based on the speed of Xuan Yue Island, it will probably take another three days!" Frank immediately stepped forward and replied.

"Three days?" Reina frowned and said, "That long?"

"There's nothing we can do, Xuan Yue Island isn't fast!" Frank shook his head and said.

Upon hearing this, Reina looked at Luffy and said, "You heard that too. If you're in a hurry, then we can go over together!"

"Hehehe... No rush, but are you still having a banquet today?" Luffy was taken aback for a moment, then said with a grin.

"Hahaha... Open! As the Whitebeard Pirates' headquarters, our Xuan Yue Island holds banquets every day! But since you've come, we haven't properly welcomed you yet. We originally planned to treat you properly after things were over. Since that's the case, brother... how about we hold a grander banquet tonight?" Reina said with a loud laugh.

"Gurararara... Okay!" Whitebeard nodded and replied.

So, before the battle, a grand banquet was held.

As pirates who love banquets the most, both the Whitebeard Pirates and the Straw Hat Pirates had a great time at the banquets that night, so much so that the banquets lasted until the evening of the next day.

"Ah~~ What a delightful banquet! I don't even know how I'm going to fight them!" Luffy said with a happy expression when he woke up early on the third day.

"Hey~ Hey~ Luffy, you're the captain! If even you're like this... we'll have even less motivation to fight!" Usopp said helplessly from the side.