While the Roger Pirates were encountering the young Barret, their old rivals, the Whitebeard Pirates, weren't faring much better.
They first clashed with Sengoku, who was now officially acting in tandem with Kizaru. After an intense battle, the Whitebeard Pirates managed to escape, but only at a significant cost.
Before they could catch their breath, they realized they had drifted into unfamiliar waters. The currents in this sea were so strange that even Whitebeard himself, a seasoned sailor with decades of experience, had trouble navigating them.
To make matters more bizarre, they spotted koi fish—something that should only exist in freshwater—swimming in the seawater. Even more astounding, these koi were leaping up a waterfall, against the current, aiming for the mountaintop.
Eventually, the sea current dragged their ship up the waterfall. Had it not been for Marco, a user of a flying-type Devil Fruit, the crew might have been utterly destroyed.
Luckily, despite sustaining damage to their vessel, they managed to land safely. But before they could make sense of their surroundings, they encountered a powerful man named Kozuki Oden, who revealed that they were now in the legendary land of Wano.
Kozuki Oden then made a bold request: he wanted to join the Whitebeard Pirates and sail the seas with them. But Whitebeard flatly rejected him. Oden reminded him too much of the past—of the time aboard the Rocks Pirates.
To outsiders, the Rocks Pirates seemed like an invincible crew of monsters. But those on the inside knew: it was a ship full of alphas, where no one submitted to anyone else. That kind of power imbalance was what led to their downfall.
Whitebeard no longer wanted that chaos. What he sought now was a crew that felt like family—not just raw strength.
Despite his refusal, Oden wouldn't give up. As the Whitebeard Pirates prepared to leave, he caught wind of their departure and forcibly boarded the ship.
Eventually, Whitebeard decided to give him a chance. He set up a test: if Oden could pass it, he could join the crew.
Though Oden failed the test because he stopped to save a woman in distress, his actions proved his character. Whitebeard saw that Oden was exactly the kind of man he could accept, so he brought the crew back to fetch him and welcome him aboard.
Meanwhile, on the seas, the Roger Pirates were still busy hunting down the Poneglyphs.
Boom!
"You lost again, Barret," Roger said, laughing as he looked at Barret, who had just been sent flying into the ship's railing by a single punch.
"I will defeat you!" Barret growled as he struggled to stand.
Ever since his first defeat at Roger's hands—and the pep talk Fang Yi gave him—Barret had officially joined the Roger Pirates.
His reason for joining was simple: to surpass Gol D. Roger.
Every few days, Barret challenged the Pirate King. The rest of the crew didn't take it too seriously. It was clear these were friendly duels, not death matches.
Barret was never disobedient or reckless outside these fights. In fact, with his monstrous strength, he quickly became one of the strongest members of the crew—second only to Roger. Even Rayleigh could only fight him to a draw. With someone this powerful aboard, no one had any reason to object.
As for Fang Yi? He was thrilled. Every day Barret was on the ship meant one more lottery ticket earned through his daily check-ins.
"That guy is a monster… He's even more of a freak than Brother Yi!" Buggie muttered, staring at Barret's post-duel training session.
"I still think Brother Yi's stronger," Shanks replied firmly.
"Yeah, he's strong, but can he beat that?" Buggie shook his head. "I mean, last time they fought, Brother Yi's most powerful charged shot barely hurt Barret."
Shanks said nothing. He knew Fang Yi was still hiding cards up his sleeve. During a Navy ambush, Fang Yi had unleashed a terrifying attack he hadn't used since—not fully mastered. But Shanks believed if Fang Yi had used that move against Barret, the outcome would've been very different.
Plus, Fang Yi was still growing. Shanks could see it in real time. Barret was strong, but Fang Yi's potential seemed endless.
"Come on, Wang Zai," Fang Yi said, patting his loyal beast companion on the head. "We've got to train hard. If we can't even scratch that guy's defenses, it'll be super embarrassing."
"Woof woof!" Wang Zai barked confidently, seemingly saying, We're the strongest combo, no contest!
Fang Yi was grateful for Barret's arrival. Before him, the only person on the ship close enough in strength for Fang Yi to spar with had been Shanks. But thanks to Fang Yi's increased skill levels and his frequent critical hits, even Shanks had become too risky a partner.
Barret was different. His absurdly strong Armament Haki made him the perfect tank. Fang Yi could go all out without worrying about causing serious harm.
"Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!"
A volley of arrows rained toward Barret from all angles. Covered in black Haki, Barret deflected them one by one, closing the distance to Fang Yi.
But once Fang Yi's Precision skill activated, Barret found himself completely overwhelmed. No matter how he blocked or dodged, arrows kept finding their mark—some even caused momentary dizziness.
"Fang Yi's attacks are getting more brutal by the day," Rayleigh noted, observing the duel from the sidelines. "Barret's tough, but unless he can break through that arrow storm, he'll never beat him."
"Exactly," said the sniper Peterm with a hint of bitterness. "Only way to deal with Fang Yi is to take him out before he even lifts that bow."
Peterm had once been the ship's top sniper—until Fang Yi came along. Now he couldn't hold a candle to him in anything but ultra-long-range shooting.
"Buggie," Shanks said, squinting at Fang Yi. "Have you noticed? His shooting speed's gone up."
"Pfft, you think I can see that?" Buggie rolled his eyes. "The guy hits me before I even realize he's shot!"
Like Barret's duels with Roger, Fang Yi, and Barret also sparred almost daily. It was beneficial to both: Barret honed his physical endurance, while Fang Yi tested skills, combos, and coordination with Wang Zai.
Shanks wasn't wrong. Fang Yi had just acquired a new passive skill from his lottery:
Rapid Fire (Non-Upgradable): Increases ranged attack speed by 20%.
It was already making a big difference.
Even as Fang Yi fired arrow after arrow, Barret was finally adapting. Despite constant bombardment, his monstrous endurance let him push through—so long as Fang Yi didn't stun him, he could keep advancing.
Fang Yi didn't aim for vital points in these spars, focusing instead on joints. After enough hits, even someone like Barret would start to slow down.
The two danced across the deck—Barret chasing, Fang Yi and Wang Zai dodging and retaliating. Wang Zai's keen danger sense made it possible to anticipate Barret's attacks, and Fang Yi sometimes suspected the beast had awakened Observation Haki.
Still, Fang Yi often ended up losing. The ship's limited space meant he'd eventually get cornered. Once Barret closed the gap, it was game over.
But both knew: if this were a fight to the death, things would play out very differently. Fang Yi had plenty of ways to escape—unless Barret could take out Wang Zai immediately, he'd never catch him.
And everyone had forgotten that Fang Yi himself was speedy. He had already mastered two of the Navy's Six Powers: Shave and Moonwalk.
He intentionally kept that hidden. Whenever he got cornered, he'd just surrender, preserving the illusion of vulnerability.
After all, Fang Yi always kept an ace up his sleeve. That's how he stayed alive.