"Awake? Let's go and see then!"
Lin Yan's face lit up with excitement as he responded to the messenger.
"Captain Lin, follow me."
Seeing Lin Yan's delight, the messenger wasted no words and immediately led the way.
Before long, they arrived at Whitebeard's bedroom.
"You're back, huh? Good, good! Gu-la-la-la-la!"
Whitebeard, already aware of the news, was in an unusually good mood. Seeing Lin Yan appear unscathed before him, he let out a hearty laugh. It had been a long time since Whitebeard felt this happy.
As Whitebeard aged and weakened, the days of the Whitebeard Pirates had grown increasingly difficult. This is the cycle of generations. When an old king weakens, he is inevitably replaced by the new. It's fate and timing, unavoidable!
Though unwilling, Whitebeard was helpless. He was no longer young. The only thing he couldn't let go of was his family, fearing that after his death, the Whitebeard Pirates would face disaster.
On the surface, the New World seemed calm, but everyone qualified to be there was a hero among men. They were all wolves. Whitebeard was willing but unable to do anything.
Few knew that when he went to the Summit War, he was prepared to die. Despite his shouts that man can conquer nature, Whitebeard knew the chances of victory were slim. But he had to go! Even if it meant dying, he had no regrets!
Then Lin Yan appeared. This miraculous man emerged out of nowhere, propping up the collapsing empire and turning the tide single-handedly, thwarting the Navy's long-planned schemes. Not only did he save himself from certain death, but he also revived the entire Whitebeard Pirates!
"Gu-la-la-la-la! I'm so happy today! Someone, start a feast!"
Whitebeard's hearty smile grew as he looked at Lin Yan, feeling more and more pleased. Finally, he couldn't help but burst into laughter. Whitebeard was extremely grateful that Lin Yan had joined the Whitebeard Pirates. Without him, the Whitebeard Pirates wouldn't be where they are today.
"Actually, we don't need to rush the feast. Let's focus on recovery first!"
Seeing Whitebeard's joyful expression, Lin Yan couldn't help but smile, though his face remained unexpectedly calm.
"How have things been while I was away?" Lin Yan asked.
"Honestly, not great."
Hearing this, Whitebeard slowly retracted his smile, a heavy look crossing his face.
"Although we didn't lose any important members, we lost nearly half of our crew. The recent prisoners who joined us can't be used immediately."
Whitebeard's face showed helplessness. The Summit War was a glorious victory, but it left many issues. The most critical was the shortage of personnel. With nearly half the crew lost, many daily operations of the Whitebeard Pirates couldn't proceed, leaving only the basic functions. It was a literal case of making do.
Although Lin Yan had brought in many prisoners to help, Whitebeard didn't intend to use them immediately. He planned to observe first. The Whitebeard Pirates do not accept people with impure motives! Blackbeard Teach's betrayal had already sounded an alarm for Whitebeard. If it hadn't been for Lin Yan, the Whitebeard Pirates would have faced total annihilation. Not to mention himself, even the division commanders might not have returned alive! Whitebeard had to be more cautious than ever.
"I see, it's about what I expected."
After listening to Whitebeard's explanation, Lin Yan nodded silently. On the surface, the Whitebeard Pirates seemed at their peak, but in reality, they were weak inside. The only solution...
"Now we need time!"
Seeing Lin Yan deep in thought, Whitebeard spoke solemnly. For the Whitebeard Pirates, the most important thing now was to recuperate, to delay as much as possible! Once the division commanders recovered and the prisoners brought by Lin Yan were integrated, the Whitebeard Pirates would be the undisputed emperors of the sea! With sufficient manpower, Whitebeard still alive, and Lin Yan present, Whitebeard had no doubt about it.
But the question is...
Would certain people really give them time?
The atmosphere grew silent. Lin Yan sat in front of Whitebeard, rhythmically tapping his long fingers on the table. After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly raised his head.
"Maybe we can..."
"Lin! You're back!"
Just as Lin Yan started to speak, a large group of people burst in. Marco, Jozu, the division commanders, and the recently recruited Issho and Ryokugyu. Almost all the high-ranking members of the Whitebeard Pirates were present.
"Lin, you're amazing! I don't know how you dared to do such a thing!"
Marco was the first to laugh and pat Lin Yan on the shoulder, his face full of mischievous glee. It was simply audacious! During Lin Yan's absence, even they were anxious reading the daily papers. But he actually succeeded! Especially with the Beasts Pirates. That was a colossal sum of thirty billion. Kaido must be furious! It felt so good! Just thinking about Kaido's exasperated face made them all smile gleefully. Kaido often caused them trouble. Now he got his comeuppance!
"I have to say, Lin might be the boldest among us, daring to do such a thing," Jozu said in his deep voice, giving Lin Yan a thumbs up. He was genuinely impressed! Everyone nodded, and the atmosphere became joyous.
"Alright, stop causing a ruckus here. If you want to discuss, do it privately."
Finally, Whitebeard raised his hand to stop the commotion.
"The most important thing now is to recover quickly. You are all my most trusted people, so you'll have to bear more responsibility in the coming days."
"No problem, Pops!"
"Leave it to me!"
The division commanders nodded resolutely. Whitebeard looked pleased, then turned to Lin Yan. Everyone else also turned to Lin Yan. Now, Lin Yan was almost half the backbone of the Whitebeard Pirates. They had no objections to following his lead. All eyes focused on Lin Yan.
Lin Yan sighed.
"Why are you all looking at me?"