A cook, vice-captain of the Rocks Pirates?

Everyone was cheered up.

"but……"

Ryan changed the subject, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.

"I also smelled another scent."

"What is the taste?"

"Gats asked curiously."

"A very domineering, very free-spirited smell, full of strong liquor and barbecue, that makes you feel very uncomfortable."

Renn's gaze seemed to pierce through endless waves, looking towards a distant, unknown place.

"Moreover, that smell is rapidly approaching us."

Guided by Ryan, the Moby Dick adjusted its course.

The crew's enthusiasm was reignited. The thought of fresh ingredients and fine wine soon made even Dorum temporarily forget his worries about the ship falling apart. He hummed a little tune and worked hard to turn the rudder.

Chapter 120 Whitebeard Pirates VS Roger Pirates

Half a day later, a blurry black dot appeared on the horizon.

However, as they got closer, the expressions on everyone's faces gradually changed from anticipation to seriousness.

That's not an island.

That's a ship.

A stilt ship with a peculiar style, yet exuding an oppressive aura.

The ship's hull was made of an unknown dark wood, which was exceptionally sturdy. The prow resembled a grinning skull, and the sails also featured a skull wearing a straw hat. The crossed background was not bones, but two sharp swords.

That flag was flamboyant, confident, and brimming with an infinite yearning for adventure.

"It's a pirate ship!"

Gatz gripped the anchor tightly, his eyes becoming wary.

"This flag... I feel like I've seen it somewhere before."

Vista frowned. He had spent many years venturing into the New World and was familiar with the flags of various pirate crews.

Newgate's pupils contracted sharply. He put down the barrel of wine in his hand, slowly stood up, and the lazy aura vanished instantly, replaced by a terrifying aura as heavy as a mountain.

He slowly uttered a name.

"Gol D. Roger".

Roger Pirates!

The name was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples on the deck.

Everyone knows what this name means.

While the destruction of the Rocks Pirates was due to internal divisions and the World Government's crackdown, the most crucial turning point was the sudden intervention of the Roger Pirates.

It can be said that there is a deep-seated hatred between the two sides.

Two pirate ships, representing the pinnacle of combat power in this era, unexpectedly met in this nameless sea.

The air seemed to freeze instantly.

A murderous aura filled the Moby Dick.

Gatz's eyes burned with rage, Jozu's body gleamed like diamonds, and Vista and Silver's hands were already gripping their weapons.

On the opposite ship, the Oro Jackson, the atmosphere was equally tense.

A blond man with long hair and glasses drew a long sword from his waist, his eyes sharp as knives.

A tall man wielding two axes grinned, revealing a bloodthirsty smile.

The man at the bow of the boat, wearing a straw hat, still wore his signature confident and carefree smile.

He looked at the cold, stern face of the white-bearded man opposite him, and then at the terrifying monsters behind him. Instead of showing any fear, he laughed loudly.

"Hahaha! Newgate! I never expected to run into you here! It seems the ocean also thinks it's time to settle our score!"

Roger's voice was loud and clear, full of undeniable domineering presence.

Roger.

Newgate's voice was equally steady as he slowly pulled the naginata from the deck, its massive blade reflecting a cold, icy glint in the sunlight.

"The fact that I couldn't settle things with you at God Valley last time is the biggest regret of my life."

"Then let's make it up today!"

"Exactly what I want!"

Two future maritime superpowers, separated by hundreds of meters of sea, used the simplest and most direct method to kick off the upcoming great battle.

There was no unnecessary talk, and no probing.

When two men who both stand at the pinnacle of their era meet, the reason for their battle is often that simple and pure.

The battle began with the will of the two captains.

As Gatzi leaped toward the other side, Whitebeard and Roger's figures disappeared from their respective ship prows at the same time.

boom!

Two figures collided violently in the air above the two ships.

He didn't use any weapons, just his purest fist, imbued with Conqueror's Haki.

The black and red lightning danced wildly like mad snakes, tearing a huge hole in the clouds in the sky.

The next moment, terrifying shockwaves rippled out, churning the entire sea and causing it to churn violently. The terrifying impact even spread to the ships of the two pirate crews.

While the two captains were locked in battle, a fight also broke out on the deck.

Silver faced off against Rayleigh, but there was a gap in their strength, and Silver could only hold Rayleigh back at best.

Gatz's massive anchor clashed violently with Spark Jabba's double axes on Roger's ship. Each impact produced a dull thud and sparks flew everywhere, and the deck beneath their feet cracked inch by inch. It was a brutal duel of pure strength.

Vista found his match, another powerful swordsman on Roger's ship, and the two engaged in a dazzling sword duel atop the mast of the Oro Jackson, their swords flashing like two fluttering butterflies.

Jozu transformed into an insurmountable diamond wall, blocking all the cannonballs and attacks aimed at the Moby Dick. His impenetrable defense gave the Roger Pirates a major headache.

Marco, on the other hand, transformed into a blue phoenix, circling above the battlefield.

He did not participate in the battle directly, but acted like a highly perceptive battlefield medic, constantly monitoring the condition of his comrades.

Whenever a companion is injured, his regenerative flames fall like spring rain, quickly healing their wounds.

His presence gave the Whitebeard Pirates almost unlimited endurance, and made Rayleigh and the others on the other side increasingly apprehensive as the battle progressed.

"Hey! What's that pineapple-headed kid's ability? How come he's invincible?!"

One of Roger's crew officers roared in exasperation.

Raine remained uninvolved, standing by the kitchen window, calmly observing everything.

His Observation Haki had already covered the entire area, and every breath, every heartbeat, and every flow of power of every person was clearly presented in his mind.

The melee lasted from noon until dusk.

The entire sea was thrown into chaos by their attack, the clouds in the sky were torn apart and then reformed, and countless sea kings fled far away from this land of death.

Both sides were blinded by rage, yet neither could completely defeat the other.

The battle between Newgate and Roger was so fierce that it shook the heavens and the earth; the two fought from the sky to the sea, and then back to the ship.

Newgate punched off a corner of the figurehead on the Oro Jackson, and Roger cleaved a huge gash in the hull of the Moby Dick.

Dorum's heart was bleeding; he felt he could collapse at any moment from a heart attack.

Finally, as the setting sun painted the sea a golden-red hue, Whitebeard and Roger's figures separated once more.

Both men were panting heavily and had bruises on their bodies, but their fighting spirit remained undiminished.

"Hahaha! Let's call it a day!"

Roger suddenly sheathed his sword and burst into laughter.

"If you keep fighting, the wine on my ship will be shattered by your sheer power!"

"Humph."

Newgate snorted and withdrew his fist.

"You can run fast."

He knew that no one could do anything to anyone else today.

The two captains tacitly agreed to a truce, and the others also stopped fighting and retreated to their own ships. They shouted insults at each other from dozens of meters away on the sea, but the atmosphere was no longer as tense as before.

"Hey! Whitebeard! Next time we meet, I'm definitely going to pluck those two mustaches off you!"

"Let's talk when you've grown all your fur, Roger!"

"That diamond kid! If you've got the guts, stop hiding in your shell! Come out and have a fair fight!"

"You'd better be able to break through my defenses first, you idiot!"

"And that pineapple head! I'll definitely grill you and eat you next time!"

"Wait until you learn to fly, yOi!"

The pirates on the two ships exchanged harsh words across the water, which was even somewhat comical.

Chapter 121 Shanks as a child

Dorum slumped to the ground, looking at the dozens of new damages on his ship, feeling like crying but unable to. He felt that his shipwright career was full of hardships.

Ryan leaned against the kitchen window, his gaze calmly sweeping across the equally battered Oro Jackson across the way.

He was assessing the battle damage, and also... the potential value of the ingredients.

"Roger's life energy is as vast as the sea, making him a top-tier power-enhancing ingredient."

"Rayle's meat is firm and full of explosive power, making it suitable for making uniquely flavored jerky."

Just as Ryan's professional instincts kicked in again, and he mentally completed the initial menu design for the entire ship opposite him, an unexpected figure entered his field of vision.

On the aft deck of the Oro Jackson, a little boy who looked only three or four years old, wearing an obviously ill-fitting old shirt and sporting a head of fiery red hair, was laboriously dragging a mop taller than himself, diligently wiping the deck splattered with blood from the battle.

The child was exquisitely beautiful, with large, clear, bright eyes and a touch of baby fat on his face, making him incredibly adorable.

He wiped very hard, his small body swaying from the effort, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead, but he didn't complain at all. Instead, he hummed an unknown tune, looking like he was enjoying himself.

Upon seeing the child, a subtle ripple appeared in Ryan's eyes.

Red hair, at this age, appearing on Roger's ship...

A playful smile crept into Renn's heart.

Shanks as a child...

This is truly an incredible discovery.

Renn observed the small figure with great interest.

He noticed that Little Shanks seemed hungry, rubbing his rumbling stomach from time to time while mopping the floor, and gazing longingly in the direction of the kitchen on his ship.

A thought struck Renn, and he turned around and took out a piece of dried meat wrapped in oil paper from the kitchen. It was made from the spine meat of a sea monster he had hunted before, with the addition of more than a dozen special spices, and was a snack specially made to replenish the crew's energy.

He walked to the side of the ship and whistled at Shanks across from him.

Hearing the sound, Shanks looked up in confusion, only to meet Rein's calm and unwavering gaze.

Raine waved the jerky in his hand at him, then flicked his finger.

The piece of jerky traced a perfect parabola in the air, flying straight towards Shanks.

Shanks instinctively reached out and caught the jerky, holding it securely in his arms.

He stared blankly at the jerky in his hand, then looked at the young chef across from him who was giving him a faint smile, and was momentarily at a loss for what to do.

"Hey! Shanks! Don't eat anything given to you by strangers!"