Chapter 344: Whitebeard – Kyojuro Rengoku, Be My Son!
Shinobu Kocho did not refuse.
She walked beside the old man, giving a brief account of Muzan Kibutsuji's emergence and the founding of the Demon Slayer Corps.
"Unlucky, right? A world like this."
Though Shinobu wore her usual gentle smile, her eyes were filled with pain and sorrow.
Countless people had watched their loved ones turn into demons, trying to devour them—reduced to monsters feasting on human entrails.
Even her gentle and kind older sister, who had hoped for peaceful coexistence between humans and demons, had been killed by one.
This was a world of despair, abandoned by the gods.
Suddenly, a large hand landed gently on Shinobu's head.
Garp, sensing her low spirits with surprising sensitivity, said nothing about the world's cruelty.
He just laughed heartily and said, "But you're still fighting, aren't you?"
Shinobu looked up at the warm hand resting on her head like a cap, nearly covering her whole skull.
Her first thought was envy—
even without being a player, this man's immense physique was comparable to the Stone Pillar Gyomei.
"Even with fragile bodies, you still found Nichirin swords to fight powerful demons!"
"Even without gods, you still fight for humanity!"
"Mr. Fang Yi once said that some worlds do have gods—but most of them are terrible beings with foul personalities."
"They don't care whether humans live or die."
"The Reincarnation Game isn't an agent of the gods, so it doesn't save humanity either. But it does offer those who fight for their dreams… a chance to change fate."
"Maybe… that's why the game appeared in the Shinobi World, the Pirate World, and the Demon Slayer World?"
Though Garp was often seen as simple-minded—
the kind of man who would throw his own grandson into jungles, volcanoes, or tie him to balloons and launch him into the sky—
he was surprisingly gentle with Shinobu.
"Thank you, sir…"
Shinobu's eyes turned red. She realized the naval officer was trying to guide her heart.
And in that moment, something clicked.
Though she'd trained hard and hunted demons, she had always felt lost.
Her sister's death made the world seem hopeless. If even someone as kind and idealistic as Kanae died, then perhaps the Demon Slayer Corps itself—an embodiment of that ideal—could never succeed.
"An unwavering will to fulfill a wish…"
"I want to become strong. I want to kill every man-eating demon!"
"My sister's dream of harmony between humans and demons… is not mine. That gentle smile doesn't suit me!"
The perpetual calm expression Shinobu had worn since her sister's death vanished.
She still looked elegant and beautiful,
but now carried a trace of sharpness and natural strength—
no longer mimicking Kanae's warmth.
"I'll bring my sister back to life. Let her chase that dream herself."
Buzz.
As if in response to this newfound clarity,
a delicate black invitation floated down from the sky and landed gently in Shinobu's palm.
Elsewhere—
Whitebeard laughed heartily,
wielding his Cong Yunqie with ease, mowing down waves of bio-ghosts.
In the stunned eyes of Flame Pillar Rengoku and Wind Pillar Sanemi, he stood alone and split the tide of monsters like a one-man army.
"So strong… Is this really a power humans can possess?"
Rengoku stared at Whitebeard, whose massive frame was wrapped in a crimson mist.
Even after swinging his sword several times, Rengoku struggled just to decapitate a single bio-ghost.
At that moment,
a hidden Mad Baby leapt from the shadows, aiming its long claws straight at the back of Whitebeard's head.
"Watch out!"
Rengoku charged forward,
his blade wreathed in flames, slashing the creature's back—but failing to kill it.
Crack.
The sound of space fracturing.
Whitebeard didn't even turn his head.
He activated his Tremor-Tremor Fruit, and with a shockwave, tore the Mad Baby in half.
"People like you, always rushing to help, just end up delaying the hunt for corrupted monsters."
Whitebeard turned around, peering down at the flame-haired Rengoku Kyojuro.
"You're not a player yet. But even so, the reward points and experience you earn from hunting still accumulate. Once you become a player, you can use them."
"You can become stronger."
He looked like an owl—sharp-eyed yet awkward.
Though clearly stronger than ordinary swordsmen, Rengoku still lingered nervously at the center of the group,
as if too cautious to step out.
Whitebeard's Observation Haki allowed him to see the entire battlefield without effort.
He sensed Rengoku had potential, which prompted him to speak.
"If great strength is a gift from the heavens, then protecting the weak is a duty that comes with it."
Rengoku replied in a booming voice,
"As one born strong, it is my responsibility to protect others!"
Whitebeard paused, then laughed again.
"But if you're not strong enough… how will you protect the people you care about?"
"I met another player from your world once. A city lord, I think—some place called Asakusa?"
"He said that demons here are far stronger than humans. If you give up the chance to grow stronger, how can you fight back?"
Whitebeard was immensely powerful.
Since childhood, he had possessed physical strength and talent beyond any ordinary person in the Pirate World.
He had fought and bled to protect his loved ones. He knew—
only strength could protect family.
"If you give up on those you want to protect now, just to chase strength for later… then no matter how strong you become, you'll still make weak choices."
"You're wrong, giant old man!"
Rengoku replied loudly.
That was his nature—friendly with everyone, yet firm in his beliefs.
He wouldn't waver just because of his environment.
Nearby, Sanemi felt nervous,
worried that Rengoku's bold words might earn him a slap from the towering Whitebeard.
"Gurararara!"
Whitebeard bent down, grabbed Rengoku like a ball,
and tossed him straight into the densest swarm of Red Ghosts.
"Loudmouth brat, how dare you talk back to me?"
"With the Reincarnation Game protecting them, they won't die—do they still need your protection?"
Though his tone sounded harsh,
his eyes were full of laughter.
"You're too rigid. Time for some real training. Go take a bath in the ghost tide!"
Rengoku, not yet a player, hadn't adjusted to the new mindset—
under the game's rules, no one could die permanently.
What he needed to do now was let go of his desire to protect and focus on earning reward points to grow stronger.
Whitebeard's emotion at that moment?
Admiration.
It was rare to meet someone as pure-hearted as Rengoku Kyojuro.
Most importantly, the will Rengoku expressed aligned closely with Whitebeard's own ideals.
He, too, was the kind of man who would lay down his life to protect his family.
If the Navy ever captured his son—
even if the Whitebeard Pirates were outmatched, he would charge in first.
He would never stand by and watch his child be executed.
"Giant old man, that was very rude!"
Rengoku's voice echoed from the midst of the Red Ghost tide.
"What's so rude about wanting to make someone your son?"
Whitebeard laughed loudly, shouting back:
"Rengoku Kyojuro—
come be my son!"
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