Eroking
patreon
Chapter 223: Whitebeard and a Strange Turn of Events
🕑 Added 2025-10-01 10:30:41 +0000 UTCChapter 223: Whitebeard and a Strange Turn of Events
"Bye, Belle-mère!"
"I'll miss you!"
"Me too!"
"Yohoho, see ya~!"
In late February, twenty days after Shane had left for the East Blue, The Curtain Call finally welcomed its captain back. Belle-mère stayed on the ship for three days, enjoying a happy reunion with her daughters, before heading to Dressrosa. Shane had already arranged for her to rent a small cottage with a windmill next to the sunflower fields outside the royal capital. From her window, she could see a sea of golden flowers, and she had her own little yard for a garden. It was the perfect blend of quiet country life and city convenience, her dream home.
Of course, if she ever got tired of it, there was always one other territory she could move to. But soon, there would be more. With Shane's return, the search for a proper headquarters had officially become the crew's top priority. Over the past few weeks, they had already begun gathering intelligence. Now, it was time to make a plan.
On the deck, Shane snapped his fingers, and Robin unrolled a large sea chart on the table.
"Uh... this is a sea chart?" Nami stared at the childish scrawl.
"...Yeah," Kuma said, scratching the back of his head, a faint blush on his cheeks. He had done most of the aerial reconnaissance, and this was his handiwork.
"As long as it gives us a general idea, it's fine," Shane said, giving Nami a light flick on the forehead. "He's not a navigator. If you want a more accurate one, you can draw it yourself. Now, Robin, get us started."
"Of course," Robin smiled. "As you all know, most of the New World is controlled by the Four Emperors. But this particular sea is special. It lies between the territories of the Beast Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates, a buffer zone that neither side has fully claimed. Whitebeard controls the southeastern-most island, Mistral Island. The Beast Pirates control the northwestern-most, Vesper Island." Two small, flowery hands sprouted from the map, pointing to the two islands. "The other five islands are currently unclaimed. The constant conflict has driven most of the original inhabitants away, and the two northernmost islands have even become lawless zones, havens for black market trade." She looked at Shane. "And our captain, it seems, has his eye on the one in the very center?"
"The center?" Shane looked at the map, then slammed his fist down on the table. "No, Robin, you're wrong! Not the center! All of them!" He grinned, his ambition unconcealed. "These five islands... I'll take them all!"
"The time for small skirmishes is over! If we're going to establish a proper territory, a single island isn't going to cut it! We'll take this entire sea!"
It was a prize no one else had dared to claim, caught between two of the world's most powerful forces. But he was different. He, too, was an Emperor of the Sea. And after his recent victories, his name was enough to command respect anywhere in the New World. This buffer zone... would soon become his home base.
CRACK!
A massive bolt of lightning slammed into the ship's mizzenmast, which immediately burst into flames. But before the fire could spread, a flurry of snowflakes smothered it, turning to water and extinguishing the blaze.
"You know, at Marine HQ, there's a special unit just for putting out fires," Smoker said, glancing at Nojiko. "You'd probably be their commander in a few months."
"Less talking, more steering!" Nojiko snapped.
"Isn't Jack supposed to be at the helm?"
"He ate some of my mom's expired orange preserves and has been in the bathroom since this morning," she sighed.
After four days of sailing, they had finally entered the Wisteria Sea, the name of this particular stretch of water. They were heading straight for the central island, Crescent Moon Island, when the lookout's bell rang out.
"Ship ahoy! Three o'clock! It's heading right for us!"
Kuina was the first on deck, her hand on her sword. But as the ship drew closer, she frowned. It was a small, fat, unassuming sailboat. And there was no one on it. A ghost ship? Her Observation Haki picked up a faint, familiar presence coming from the ship itself... She sheathed her sword. "It's not an enemy. Let's bring it in."
...After a bit of a mishap involving Gin, the two "lifeguards" managed to haul the little boat onto the deck. Just then, it groaned and woke up.
"Ugh, where am I?" the boat's figurehead, shaped like a fat old man's face, mumbled.
"We meet again, Mr. Henry," Shane said, sitting in a deck chair that had been brought out for him.
"Lord Shane?!" The boat yelped, then poofed back into the form of the merchant they had met a few weeks ago, "River-Cutter" Henry.
"It really is you, mister!" Nami said. "But the last time you turned into a ship, you were way bigger."
"I can turn into any kind of ship. A smaller one is better for escaping," Henry said with a sad smile. "Of course, once I hit the water, I pass out. Whether I escape or not is up to fate."
"I thought you hated your power," Shane said. "You must have been in some serious trouble."
"Trouble?! I almost died, Lord Shane!" the old man wailed, pulling out a handkerchief and bursting into tears. "They took all my money and were going to kill me! Using Whitebeard's name to gain everyone's trust, and then turning on us... is there no justice in this world?!"
Whitebeard's name? "You're safe now, Mr. Henry. Calm down and tell us what happened," Shane said.
"It's... it's the 'Ice Witch,' Whitey Bay! Have you heard of her?"
Shane nodded. He remembered her from the Summit War, one of Whitebeard's oldest and most loyal allies.
"She's the one who controls Mistral Island. Last week, she announced that Pops was planning a big investment, and that anyone who put in money would get double their return in a week. If it had been anyone else, I would have laughed in their face! But this was Whitey Bay! Using Pops's name! Who would have thought they'd just take the money and run?!"
"The 'Ice Witch'..." Kuma said thoughtfully. "I had dealings with her once. She was a very honorable woman. This doesn't sound like her."
"So, how much did you lose?" Shane asked.
"Two billion! Two billion Belly!" Henry wailed. "That was my entire life's savings! When I went to get my money, they tried to kill me!" He suddenly looked up, a glimmer of hope in his teary eyes. "Lord Shane..."
"I..."
"Five hundred million!" Henry held up five fingers. "Lord Shane, if you can get my money back, I'll give you five hundred million Belly as a reward!"
"I don't..."
"One billion! One billion Belly! That's as high as I can go! I'm not the only one they scammed! If you help us all, the others will reward you handsomely too! It'll be more than worth your while!"
"...Alright, one billion it is," Shane sighed, giving in.
"Thank you, thank you!" Henry beamed. "Everyone says you're a man of justice, and it's true! Oh, by the way, what were you about to say before?"
"Me?" Shane took a sip of his orange soda. "I was just going to say, I'm a sucker for an underdog. I would have helped you even if you didn't offer to pay."
Eh? Henry's smile froze on his face.
...
Meanwhile, aboard the Moby Dick.
"Marco," Whitebeard said, as the nurses tended to his IV. "It's been five days since we sent Vista to Mistral Island. Still no word?"
"No, Pops," Marco said, reading the paper. "He should be arriving today at the earliest. And with his skills, there's nothing to worry about."
"Is that so?" Whitebeard said, gazing out at the sea. "But the rumors from Mistral Island... I have a bad feeling about this..."
