With a single punch, Whitebeard's quake-inducing power surged across the sea, unleashing a tsunami that hurled the entire crew of the Flying Pirates into the ocean.
Seconds later, the massive floating island that had been drifting toward them, like a mountain soaring through the skies, was already disappearing over the horizon, completely out of sight from the Whitebeard Pirates.
"Damn, that was terrifying!"
Only then did the sea begin to mend itself, the split waters slowly converging to restore the surface.
As calm returned, the pirates, still reeling from the Golden Lion's envo,y murmured in disbelief, their jaws slack.
The Flying Pirates, once thought powerful, had been utterly helpless in the face of Whitebeard's wrath. The crew on deck remained composed, their faces steady, as if this was nothing out of the ordinary. But beneath that calm exterior, even they couldn't help but feel a ripple of awe.
"So this... this is the strength of the Whitebeard Pirates?"
There wasn't a hint of fear among them, not of the Flying Pirates, not even of the legendary Golden Lion. That fearlessness came from being part of the world's most powerful pirate crew. If things didn't go their way, they were more than ready to strike.
Just imagining a clash between such titans sent a shiver down the pirate's spine.
He considered himself strong in the New World. With a bounty of over 300 million, he wasn't some small fry. But facing a crew of this caliber… it made his heart pound with both dread and excitement.
The Flying Pirates had only come to negotiate, yet Whitebeard hadn't even let the envoy finish a sentence before blasting them away with a single blow.
"What a fool. Has the Golden Lion really fallen so low that he sends worthless kids to speak on his behalf?" Whitebeard's voice rumbled like thunder, shaking the very space around them.
"Oyaji, aren't you going to hear what Shiki has to say?" Marco asked.
Whitebeard didn't even blink.
"Whatever he wants has nothing to do with me."
As he spoke, his gaze shifted toward the sea.
The vast ocean stretched into the horizon, deep and boundless, filled with a strange, profound stillness.
"…Times are changing." He sighed softly, thinking of Shiki's sudden appearance, and the Wanted poster for that man named Rojen.
The crew glanced at each other but said nothing more.
Golden Lion Shiki. To most, he was a living legend. A man who once stood at the peak of the world. But to the Whitebeard Pirates?
He was nothing to fear.
Since Roger's death, Whitebeard's influence had only grown, rising with unstoppable force, on the verge of ruling the New World and claiming supremacy over the seas.
In this era, the Whitebeard Pirates feared no one.
And Whitebeard himself? He was still in his prime. A force so great even the Marines dared not provoke him easily.
That was the weight of his power. That was the pride, the authority, that gave them the confidence to look down on any other crew.
…
Bateria Island.
Rojen and his crew were completely unaware of the brief confrontation between Whitebeard and the Golden Lion. Nor did they realize that Rojen's uncanny resemblance to Gol D. Roger had already stirred the attention of many powerful eyes.
At this moment, Rojen stood deep in the jungle, gazing solemnly at the massive bird flapping its wings atop the nearby mountain.
"So the legends were true," He murmured, awe gleaming in his eyes.
"Captain! That old guy totally lied to us! This thing's way bigger than thirty meters!" Jason whispered urgently, his voice tinged with panic.
They crouched beneath the dense canopy, carefully using the trees as cover. From their hidden vantage point, they observed the enormous creature not far away.
To call it a bird felt like an understatement.
Its wings stretched like blades, glinting with a dark metallic sheen. Its claws, thick and powerful, looked capable of crushing boulders with a single squeeze. Its beak, sharp and formidable, resembled two swords fused into one.
And its wingspan… easily over a hundred meters. Each flap sent shockwaves through the jungle, rustling the trees and stirring the air with violent force.
From afar, it looked exactly as the old man had described it, like a mount fit for the gods.
"No, he didn't lie to us," Rojen said softly, eyes locked on the beast. "It's just... no one's come here for years. That bird, originally thirty meters, has had time to grow."
Rouge's eyes widened in amazement. "A hundred meters? That's insane."
"This might not even be its final form." Rojen's gaze sharpened, noticing patches of soft, newly grown feathers along its body, faint signs of transformation.
"It sheds its feathers like a snake shedding skin... this bird's still evolving."
Up close, its inky black feathers looked reborn, refined through countless metamorphoses, as if it had transcended the limits of its kind. Its piercing gaze swept across the landscape like a divine sentinel, watchful, unyielding.
"It's hard to believe something like this exists outside the Calm Belt," Jason muttered, awestruck. "Only Sea Kings are supposed to be this big."
"What a majestic beast… It's perfect," Rojen said, eyes gleaming.
It was exactly the mount he'd envisioned, sleek yet fearsome, beautiful yet terrifying. Its narrow frame, eagle-like eyes, wings like razors, and trailing tail feathers radiated a noble, otherworldly aura.
"That's the one." Rojen's tone was resolute. His eyes locked onto the massive bird. He took a step forward.
But before he could go any further, Jason grabbed his arm.
"Wait, Captain! Look!" Jason hissed, his voice cracking with alarm.
His eyes were wide, frozen in shock, staring blankly ahead.
Rojen froze, his eyes following Jason's line of sight. A flicker of surprise quickly surfaced in his gaze.
"There's… another one?"
"No, not just one!" Rouge cut in, her voice laced with shock and disbelief.
From their position in the dense jungle, they could see it clearly now, four more of the colossal birds, each soaring out from behind another mountain peak, their immense wings slicing through the sky as they circled above.
These creatures, known as Tedoria, were just as majestic and fearsome. Though none matched the staggering size of the first, the smallest among them still spanned nearly thirty meters. The largest hovered around fifty to sixty meters, still titanic by any standard.
As these monstrous beings took to the skies, the entire mountain range seemed to fall into an eerie hush. Even the wild beasts of the forest grew silent, subdued under the oppressive presence of the Tedoria.
"Captain... should we reconsider?" Jason's voice quivered as he whispered. He could already picture the grim outcome if they made a rash move. Charging straight at such a creature would be suicide, it would rip them apart without a second thought.
But to his surprise, Rojen simply turned back to them with a calm smile. His expression was relaxed, his eyes full of quiet confidence.
"Leave it to me. You all stay here." There wasn't the slightest hint of fear on his face as he stepped forward, only the steady resolve of a man who had already decided his path.
(End Of This Chapter)
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