In an unknown stretch of sea, a massive pirate ship glided smoothly across the mirror-like surface of the water. The crew of the pirate ship had gathered on the deck, each wearing a solemn expression.
They had received news that a legendary pirate, on par with their own captain, would be visiting them today: Red-Haired Shanks!
For such a formidable pirate, aside from their captain and a few of the commanders, everyone present felt an overwhelming sense of tension.
They had no idea what Shanks' intentions were.
Friend or foe?
However, after the second division commander, Ace, was imprisoned by the Marines, the crew suspicions leaned heavily toward the latter.
Just as the tension on the ship was reaching its peak— "Thud! Thud! Thud!" A series of hurried footsteps echoed across the deck, shattering the silence.
A pirate wearing a white top hat and a light yellow scarf around his waist came running from a distance.
His face was filled with urgency.
"Pops!"
"Red-Haired Shanks wants to see you!"
As he spoke, the man pointed in a specific direction.
His words reached the ears of the other crew members on the deck, causing their bodies to stiffen involuntarily.
Red-Haired Shanks, one of the Four Emperors, a man who could rival their captain without relying on a Devil Fruit, had truly arrived.
"Let him come!"
Whitebeard picked up a barrel of wine and took a sip. His tone was calm, and his expression showed no trace of emotion.
As soon as Whitebeard finished speaking, the sound of footsteps approached from the distance.
"Thud! Thud! Thud!"
Everyone turned to look and saw a figure clad in a black robe, with fiery red hair, dragging a wine jar larger than a person with his right hand. The sleeve of his other arm hung limp, fluttering in the breeze.
An overwhelming aura of dominance radiated from him, causing the air to swirl around him. With each step he took, crew members collapsed to the deck, their eyes rolling back and foam spilling from their mouths.
The sound of his footsteps on the deck made everyone feel as if their hearts were being gripped by an invisible force, their faces drenched in sweat.
Moreover, with each step Shanks took, the pressure of his Conqueror's Haki grew stronger.
Only Marco, with his golden pineapple hair and Jozu, the burly man in armor with a fierce expression, seemed relatively at ease.
"You can't withstand it!"
Marco muttered softly, his eyes locked on the approaching Shanks.
"Can't withstand it? What does the first division commander mean?"
"Is it Shanks' ability?"
The crew members who hadn't yet been affected by Shanks' aura were trying to decipher Marco words. As members of the Whitebeard Pirates, not everyone was aware of the existence of Conqueror's Haki.
In fact, many had never seen this rare form of Haki, which only one in a million could possess.
Aside from the well-informed commanders, most of the crew had questions in their minds.
However, as Shanks' footsteps drew closer, more and more crew members collapsed on the deck. Seeing this, Marco frowned slightly.
"It's too late now!"
In the next moment, he leaped backward.
He landed on the white railing on the side of the ship, crossing his arms and watching indifferently as Shanks approached their captain. Behind him stood the various division commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates.
The expressions on everyone faces were no longer as relaxed as before. The domineering aura of the red-haired man made even these strong individuals feel considerable pressure.
"It's still the same, such an impressive haki!"
Marco voice rang out, his heart filled with genuine admiration.
However, the red-haired man expression remained unchanged, and he did not retract his aura. Instead, the momentum around him suddenly exploded.
A violent, invisible wave of energy swept out in all directions, like white blades cutting through the air.
The ship's hull near the deck was directly torn open with several cracks under such an overwhelming force, emitting a creaking sound.
Without even using his aura to wrap around anything, merely releasing it was enough to materialize and cause tangible damage to external objects.
The red-haired man Conqueror's Haki was incredibly powerful.
"Right from the start, you've given your crew a show of strength!"
"How rude!"
"Whitebeard!"
Having already retracted his aura, the red-haired man sat cross-legged in front of Whitebeard.
When he spoke the last three words, he suddenly looked up at the man known as the strongest in the world.
There sat a man, six meters and six inches tall, on a massive purple sofa, with various IV tubes inserted into his body.
The tubes connected to his white beard were particularly noticeable.
At the other end of the tubes were glass bottles filled with various medicinal liquids.
The red-haired man gaze was intense as he looked up, the three scars on his left eye strikingly vivid, and the dominance in his eyes was completely unmasked.
It was as if he was saying 'You're old now, and this era will leave you behind.'
"I'm not here to pick a fight!"
"Come, drink this jar of healing water I brought!"
The red-haired man pointed to the jar of fine wine behind him, his expression showing no trace of provocation. It was completely different from the intimidating aura he had when he first boarded the ship.
Hearing this, Whitebeard narrowed his eyes slightly and reached out to take the jar of wine.
In front of the red-haired man, a large, dark red wine bowl adorned with floral patterns lay between the two of them.
Whitebeard unsealed the jar and personally poured a full bowl of wine for the red-haired man.
"Old man!"
Marco, sitting on the white railing, spoke anxiously as he saw the red-haired man sitting in front of the captain. Given the current state of the old man, he was worried that the red-haired man might do something extreme at such a close distance.
Jozu, the diamond man, and the other division commanders shared the same concern.
Hearing this, Whitebeard waved his hand.
The medicine bottles beside him, still bubbling, shook violently with his movement, clinking together with a crisp glass sound.
He knew what his crew was worried about.
"It's fine, let the two of us have some time alone!"
Whitebeard voice was deep and powerful, but at the end, a faint trace of weakness could be heard. His body had already reached a very dire state.
Hearing the old man words, Marco and the others gradually eased their worries, but none of the division commanders left, still gathered around the railing.
Although the old man had said so, they were still afraid of any unexpected incidents, though they would no longer disturb him.
"This wine of yours isn't that great!"
"It seems that as one of the Four Emperors, you're still far behind me in this aspect!"
Whitebeard took a sip from the jar of wine, his tone slightly dismissive.
He was a man who loved alcohol as much as his own life.
Even now, with his body no longer what it used to be and tubes of medicine running all over him, his passion for fine wine remained unchanged.
"You can't even appreciate this wine of mine?"
"This is a rare treasure I managed to obtain after traveling across the seas!"
The red-haired man lifted the enormous bowl, wider than himself, and took a hearty gulp.
The empty sleeve on his left arm fluttered in the wind.
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If you like Whitebeard Inventor, i already post marine version of this fic, its called Marine greatest Inventor
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