"Mangy bird, what are you doing here?"
Akira Stone opened his eyes and found Marco sitting beside him. He asked, puzzled.
Marco asked, "Of course, I'm watching over you, Little Aki. Don't you remember what happened yesterday?"
Akira Stone asked, confused, "Yesterday? What happened yesterday? I remember we were fighting the Roger Pirates."
Marco said, "That was yesterday. Little Aki, you've been asleep all day. It's a good thing you're alright, or Pops might have really started a war with Roger and his crew."
As he spoke, Marco looked at Akira Stone suspiciously. "But Little Aki, you really surprised me. You actually possess Conqueror's Haki. I'm curious, Conqueror's Haki is one in a million".
"How do you have it? Also, your ancient sword was drawn, and it can turn into petals. What was that about? Did you learn it from Vista?"
Akira Stone rolled his eyes, saying unhappily, "Mangy bird, what's with you? I'm a destined king, okay? What's there to doubt?"
Akira Stone wasn't unconscious, so he remembered everything that had happened. He saw Buggy stunned by his shout. In the One Piece world, only Conqueror's Haki could achieve that.
The thought of possessing Conqueror's Haki filled Akira Stone with joy. He had been confident before, but that was just confidence. Now, knowing he truly possessed it made him even more confident. A person could be weak, but they couldn't lack confidence, because only the power of confidence could make them strong.
Marco, unusually, didn't argue. He suddenly realized that Akira Stone, whom he always teased, had grown taller. But he was mostly happy. Akira Stone was his brother, and Marco was happy that his brother was extraordinary.
"Oh, right, Pops said that after you woke up, we should go find him. Your outburst of Conqueror's Haki scared everyone, you should have seen the Roger Pirates' shocked faces."
Akira Stone's outburst of Conqueror's Haki against the Roger Pirates naturally brought honor to the Whitebeard Pirates. Now, the Whitebeard Pirates had two Conqueror's Haki users.
"And Roger and his crew haven't left. They seem to want to meet you too."
"Roger, huh."
Akira Stone's expression changed slightly at the name "Roger." If there was a soul of the One Piece anime, Roger would definitely be in the top three. Looking at the entire manga, every major event was tied to Roger. It could be said that Roger started the entire Great Pirate Era and brought significant changes to the world. Roger's strength might not be the strongest, but he deserved the title of Pirate King.
Akira Stone was curious about this legendary figure.
"Let's go find Pops." Akira Stone stood up, saying to Marco.
After waking up, Akira Stone felt no fatigue, only refreshed. He picked up the Death Scythe and tied it to his back.
Marco said, "Little Aki, why are you bringing the sword to see Pops?"
Akira Stone rolled his eyes at him. "What do you know? How can a swordsman be separated from their sword? Carrying the sword at all times helps cultivate the bond."
"Cultivate the bond?" Marco was confused. It wasn't a person. What bond was there to cultivate?
Marco didn't know that Akira Stone wasn't just making excuses. The Death Scythe, with the essence of all Zanpakutō, was his most important tool for survival in the One Piece world. He would only feel secure with it by his side.
When Akira Stone arrived on the Moby Dick's deck, he found it crowded. The Roger Pirates were also there, but they were separated into two camps, not interfering with each other.
As soon as Akira Stone appeared, Whitebeard laughed and called out, "Little Akira Stone, come over here."
Akira Stone quickly walked to Whitebeard, calling out, "Pops." Then, his gaze landed on Roger.
This was the first time Akira Stone had seen Roger up close. He realized Roger was just like an ordinary person, like a disheveled middle-aged man.
"Oh, isn't this our little tyrant?"
While Akira Stone was studying Roger, Roger was studying Akira Stone. Roger found Akira Stone unlike other children, possessing an unusual maturity. Roger was a great pirate of the New World, but Akira Stone showed no reverence towards him, only curiosity.
Roger's nickname made Akira Stone roll his eyes. What little tyrant?
Whitebeard laughed. "Little Akira Stone, this rascal is Roger. He's barely anyone in the New World, guhahahaha."
"Uncle Roger," Akira Stone politely called out. Roger was of the same generation as Whitebeard, so calling him uncle was natural.
Roger laughed, appearing pleased. He said to Akira Stone, "Little one, this isn't like you. Rayleigh, this little guy was shouting about killing you. Do you have anything to say?"
Akira Stone saw a flash of white. Rayleigh, dressed in white robes, had appeared beside them. Unlike Roger, Rayleigh looked clean, like a scholar rather than a pirate.
Rayleigh looked at Akira Stone, puzzled. "Little one, did we have a falling out before? I'm not the captain. Why are you letting Roger off the hook and saying you'll kill me?"
Akira Stone was embarrassed. He had just insulted someone, and now they were confronting him. What could he say? That it was just a slip of the tongue?
But Rayleigh was just joking; he had more to him than that.
Suddenly, Roger's expression changed, and he said seriously to Akira Stone, "Little one, I'm very sorry that a member of my crew acted improperly towards you. I apologize, little one."
Hearing this, Akira Stone's expression changed. He was shocked. Roger, a legendary pirate of the New World, was apologizing to a child. Looking at Roger's sincere expression, Akira Stone felt nothing but admiration.
No wonder Roger could gather so many capable crew members. No wonder he could become the Pirate King. That spirit, that honesty, that responsibility, couldn't be matched by ordinary people. This incident didn't have much to do with Roger, but he took all the responsibility and apologized, setting aside his pride. How precious was that?
Akira Stone quickly waved his hand, saying, "Uncle Roger, it's not your fault, and I was also responsible. You don't need to do this."
Roger shook his head. "Right is right, and wrong is wrong. Buggy is my crew member. As captain, I have the greatest responsibility. Buggy, come here."
Roger shouted, and Buggy, pulled by Shanks, walked over. Seeing Buggy's unwilling expression, Roger's face darkened, and he scolded, "Buggy, as a member of my crew, you must admit your mistakes. Attacking a child, is that all you've learned? Apologize to Little Akira Stone."
Buggy reluctantly said, "Sorry."
Akira Stone said calmly, "It's okay. You didn't really hurt me."
Akira Stone didn't like Buggy, not just because he had attacked him, but because Akira Stone knew what kind of person Buggy was. The future Buggy was an unforgivable villain, but the manga twisted his image and turned him into a comedic character.
To be honest, Roger was angry and ashamed. He was a pirate, but he wasn't evil and never allowed his crew to do harmful things. He and Whitebeard often fought, but they were friends. Buggy's attack on Akira Stone of the Whitebeard Pirates violated his principles and made him feel ashamed before Whitebeard.
As an opponent, Roger understood Whitebeard. He knew Whitebeard valued his crew more than anything, especially a young man like Akira Stone with unlimited potential. He had to give Whitebeard an explanation, and to himself.
Roger said to Akira Stone, "Little one, what happened was our fault. An apology isn't enough. So, Shanks, bring it over."
Shanks walked over, carrying a small box. Roger took the box, opened it, revealing the contents.
__________________
for more advance chapters visit patreon.com/bars45.
For 10$- All advance chapters.