"Your endurance is a bit low, though. You finished too quickly."
Granny Nyonba mysteriously pulled out a small slip of paper from her pocket and stuffed it into Lynch's hand.
"Take this secret recipe—three times a day. I guarantee you'll last seven rounds a night."
"Ah..."
Lynch could tell the old woman had completely misunderstood.
He considered explaining—
Then decided it wasn't worth the effort.
With a shrug, he tossed the so-called secret recipe into his system space.
Just then, Nyonba gestured to someone, and a package was brought forward.
"By the way, we found the Devil Fruit you asked us to look for."
Lynch unwrapped the package.
Inside lay a green fruit with intricate swirling patterns.
Nyonba peered at it curiously.
"Can you tell me what kind of Devil Fruit this is? I've never seen it before."
She was also curious about how Lynch even knew there was a Devil Fruit on the island—
But she was wise enough not to ask.
Lynch picked up the fruit, his lips curving into a smile.
"Logia—Hurricane Fruit."
"A Logia?!"
Nyonba's eyes widened in shock.
Lynch casually tossed her a Den Den Mushi.
"When Snake Girl wakes up, let me know. I've got things to take care of."
With that, he turned and left.
Lynch left Amazon Lily and rushed to Sabaody Archipelago.
When others left, Granny Nyonba carefully put away the Den-Den Mushi, the smile on her face getting bigger and bigger.
That girl, Hancock, had finally found a man—
And not just any man, but one who could become Amazon Lily's greatest shield.
Today was a good day.
Double the joy!
She needed to visit the ancestral temple and burn incense to thank her ancestors for their blessings. But then, a thought crossed her mind, and her excitement dimmed.
"I hope this girl Hancock won't suffer from lovesickness." Thinking of this, Granny Nyonba suddenly became melancholy.
Who told them that the empress of Amazon Lily was the seed of infatuation.
Like when she and Rocks... ahem, just don't mention it.
…
Sabaody Archipelago.
Whitebeard and Rayleigh were sitting in Bar, also known as Shakky's Rip-Off Tavern, sipping the cold beer they had just received.
"Ha~ cool!"
After drinking a whole glass of ice-cold beer in one go on a hot summer day, Rayleigh exhaled a sigh of relief. He took a towel and wiped away the foam stuck to his beard.
Whitebeard put down his wine glass and made a "thud" sound.
"I really miss Roger." Whitebeard's eyes were deep.
"The sake we drank under the sakura tree that time… That was the best damn drink I ever had."
Rayleigh silently grabbed another glass of beer, downed it in one gulp, and let out a sigh.
"Who doesn't miss the captain?"
"But Roger fulfilled his destiny. He left with no regrets."
Whitebeard nodded, his expression thoughtful.
"Yeah... I really envy that guy for finding his purpose."
He fell into deep contemplation.
"What about me? What is my goal?"
For a long while, he sat in silence.
Then, as if breaking free from his thoughts, he suddenly said—
"Lately, there's been a new big pirate making waves—name's Ace. Have you heard of him?"
Rayleigh chuckled. "Shakky runs the intelligence network. I swear, I hear that name so much my ears are ringing."
"Rumour is, this kid's been looking for you everywhere. If you keep ignoring him, it might start hurting the reputation of a Yonko."
Whitebeard let out a deep laugh.
"I just got word—Jinbei went to deal with him."
"If that brat wants to challenge me, he better prove he can get past Jinbei first."
Looking at the kind smile on Whitebeard's face, Rayleigh felt something was wrong, something was definitely wrong!
He suspected that Whitebeard was back to his old habits and wanted to take him as his son.
"Roger's sword is also called Ace. Is it still with you?"
"Damn it!"
Rayleigh suddenly realized what was bothering him.
So that's where this old man was leading the conversation!
"What do you want to do? Unless Ace is of the captain's blood, I will not give Ace to him."
"What are you thinking about?" Whitebeard glanced at him angrily,
"Am I the kind of person who is greedy for petty gains?"
"I just found it interesting. Roger's sword was called Ace, and now there's a young pirate with the same name. Don't you think that's quite the coincidence?"
"What a coincidence, there are so many similar names in the world." Rayleigh said nonchalantly:
"The captain has blood, how could he not tell us old brothers?"
"Then what do you think...how about I adopt him as my son."
"I think it's okay, as long as you like it." Rayleigh laughed.
As long as it doesn't affect his retirement life, it doesn't matter what Whitebeard does.
"Stay here and rest for now. I've already contacted Crocus—he'll be coming soon," Rayleigh said, a hint of admiration in his tone. "You really have a group of good sons."
Marco had heard rumors that Roger was once terminally ill and that Crocus had extended his life by six or seven years. He wasn't sure where Crocus was now, so he had turned to Rayleigh for help, hoping the doctor could treat Whitebeard.
Whitebeard had been furious when he found out his sons had secretly sought help for him. But when he saw their pleading eyes, his anger faded. Eventually, he agreed and came to Rayleigh.
Just then, the tavern door swung open.
"Hey, Uncle Rayleigh, long time no see, Whitebeard."
Lynch had arrived.
Shakky, who had been quietly observing, casually removed a bounty poster from the wall—the one with Lynch's face on it, worth over 5 billion.
She hadn't put it up because he was a wanted man.
She just thought it looked good as a decoration.
Many young women often came to the bar just to sit near Lynch's bounty poster.
After all, anyone bold enough to go after the King of the West Blue would be signing their own death warrant.
"Lynch, kid? What are you doing here?" Whitebeard was surprised—he hadn't expected to run into him.
"Shakky, get a glass for Lynch," Rayleigh said with a smile. "I had a great time drinking at your wedding. This round's on me."
Lynch took a seat next to Rayleigh and accepted the glass.
"Thanks, Aunt Shakky. You've been looking even more beautiful lately."
"Haha~ Brother Lynch, you sure know how to talk."
Even someone as calm as Shakky couldn't help but feel happy.
After all, what woman doesn't like being told she's beautiful?
"Hey, hey, Lynch! I was the one who invited you—why are you thanking Shakky?" Rayleigh protested, clearly feeling left out.
Rayleigh was dissatisfied.
"What does it matter? Thanking Aunt Shakky is the same as thanking you. Why make such a big deal out of it?"
"You..." Rayleigh was speechless.
If he argued any further, he was afraid Shakky might ban him from drinking.
"Haha, little brother Lynch is right," Shakky said with a happy smile. "This drink is on me today~"
She shot Rayleigh a look, and he quickly averted his gaze, knowing better than to protest.
The three of them clinked glasses and drank together.
After a moment, Lynch got to the point. "I've had enough of the slave auction at Sabaody. I came here to destroy it—and to check in on you, Uncle Rayleigh."
Rayleigh stroked his beard, remembering something. "The auction house? You should know that the man behind it is Doflamingo."
"Doflamingo is nothing, Maybe, but Kaido is backing him. If you take out the small fry, the big ones will come looking for you."
.
.
TO BE CONTINUED
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