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Chapter 65: Divine Departure? I'm Not Dodging
🕑 Added 2025-09-27 09:37:00 +0000 UTCThe Moby Dick's massive whale figurehead cut through the blue waves. On deck, the Whitebeard Pirates were enjoying a grand feast. Barrels served as benches, enormous roasts sizzled over bonfires, and hearty laughter mixed with the sound of waves—just another typical day for the kings of the sea.
"Captains! Let's arm wrestle again!"
"Jozu, you bastard got even stronger!"
"Hey, look!" A lookout suddenly pointed at the distant waters and shouted, "The fish in the sea... they've gone crazy!"
Everyone rushed to the ship's edge to see thousands of fish in the waters ahead fleeing desperately away from the island ahead, as if terrified by something. Silver flashes darted beneath the surface, and several small sea beasts even leaped out of the water in panic. The scene was pure chaos.
Edward Newgate's signature laughter rolled across the deck. Far from being drowned out by the chaotic waves and beast roars, it acted like an anchor, instantly giving all the restless crew members something solid to hold onto.
He gripped his naginata with one hand, sitting on his throne, his gaze cutting through the commotion to lock firmly onto that jungle-covered island.
Kozuki Oden, the bold daimyo from Wano Country, was enjoying a bowl of oden with gusto. He squinted, picking up a piece of radish with his chopsticks, blew on it to cool it down, and mumbled to Whitebeard with his mouth full: "Hey, Whitey, looks like there's one hell of a guy on that island!"
His tone held no fear whatsoever—if anything, he sounded thrilled at the prospect.
Whitebeard's grin widened, acknowledging Oden's assessment.
For an aura to panic every living thing in these waters to the point of losing their instincts—that was no ordinary presence.
"You've got to be kidding me. Even baby Sea Kings are fleeing—what kind of monster is that?" Thatch put down his roast meat, looking exasperated. "Great, there goes tonight's seafood feast!"
"Marco, want to fly over and take a look?" Thatch suggested.
Marco hung upside down from the mast, his blue flame wings gently flapping as he lazily waved a hand: "That'd take all the fun out of it."
As the Moby Dick drew closer, the island's situation became clearer.
In the island's jungle, countless massive beasts were letting out terrified roars, fleeing from the island's depths as if something more horrifying than their natural predators was behind them. They rushed toward the beach in blind panic, some even diving straight into the ocean.
"Thunk!"
Whitebeard set down his enormous sake bowl, the bottom hitting the deck with a dull sound that instantly drowned out all the noise.
"Boys, make landing!" He gave a brief command, his eyes showing a ruler's intense interest in meeting an equal.
"OHHHHH!"
"Prepare to land! Let's drag out whatever's hiding there and use it as drinking company!"
Meanwhile, on the other side of the island.
Several smoking Navy warships lay askew on the beach, masts broken, hulls riddled with vicious gashes.
Hundreds of Navy soldiers were scattered on the ground, either unconscious or groaning, completely stripped of any fighting ability.
In contrast, the Roger Pirates seemed ridiculously relaxed, like they'd just finished a warm-up exercise.
Some crew members were even using captured Navy uniforms to clean their weapons, complaining that this round of opponents hadn't been exciting enough.
Roger held a Navy commander by the collar, lifting him to eye level, wearing that signature smile that seemed utterly indifferent to everything.
"Hey, if you want to catch me, send Garp or Sengoku personally!"
He casually tossed the man aside like a broken sack. The commander flew through the air, rolled several times on the ground, and passed out.
Roger dusted off his hands, about to call for everyone to start partying.
"Ship—! It's a ship!"
A sharp cry shattered the leisurely atmosphere.
Buggy stood atop a massive boulder, telescope in hand. "Captain, it's a whale! A whale-shaped ship! It's the Whitebeard Pirates!"
The crew members who'd just finished their fight on the beach all froze in unison.
"Oh?" Rayleigh adjusted his glasses, his gaze sharpening beneath the lenses. "Roger, we just finished one battle."
Roger showed no tension whatsoever—instead, he broke into a grin more excited than if he'd discovered treasure, his fighting spirit practically bursting through the clouds.
"Whitebeard? Gu ha ha ha! Been way too long!"
He turned his head and shouted toward the most lush coconut tree nearby.
"Hey—! Kyle! Stop sleeping! The sun hasn't set yet! Get up and get to work!"
Kyle had been wearing sunglasses, enjoying the rare post-battle peace. Hearing Roger's booming voice, he sighed helplessly, removed his sunglasses, and sat up.
Roger bounded over in a few steps, his massive hand grabbing Kyle's neck in a bear hug, pulling him aside and lowering his voice:
"Listen, Kyle, don't interfere later. That guy's mine—I want to have a real knock-down, drag-out fight with Newgate, and nobody better mess it up! This might be our last meeting."
Kyle's mouth twitched into an "I knew it" expression.
What could he say? Here was a guy with a terminal illness, and his head was still full of adventure and fighting.
Kyle replied with weary resignation: "Yeah, yeah, Captain, whatever makes you happy."
Roger could just mindlessly use Divine Departure, but Kyle had to think about a lot more.
While the two were "scheming," Buggy on the rock let out another even higher-decibel shriek, his voice full of disbelief.
"Wha... what is that?! A samurai?! So fast! He's charging over by himself!"
On the beach, the Roger Pirates all looked toward where the jungle met the sand.
A figure shot out of the forest like a cannonball. He wore two famous swords at his waist, dressed in distinctly Wano-style clothing, wooden sandals on his feet, yet moving at unbelievable speed, leaving a straight trail of dust behind him.
His face radiated undisguised fervor and excitement as he charged forward, shouting:
"Ha ha ha! I just need to steal the treasure, right!"
Behind him, Whitebeard Pirates members were chasing breathlessly, their desperate calls carrying from afar.
"Captain Oden! Wait! Stop!"
"That's the Roger Pirates ahead! They're not small fry!"
The samurai named Kozuki Oden ignored his comrades' shouts completely, his eyes focused only on the Roger Pirates ahead.
He drew both swords from his waist in reverse grips—Ame no Habakiri and Enma—and pushed off again with his feet, gaining even more speed.
