"Thanks, I'll trade my piece of the Shikon Jewel for it with you."
About an hour passed, and Whitebeard finally woke up.
During that time, Mumei had taken him back to the small island where Roger's crew first started. After all, with the battle that happened in the Ait Wall sea area, people would soon come to check it out.
With their ability to teleport instantly, they could get in and out quickly, but others couldn't.
Whitebeard lay in bed. Though he had recovered thanks to the Shikon Jewel piece, he still felt weak.
But that piece was truly amazing. It was quickly restoring his strength.
Whitebeard stared at the ceiling, still thinking about the Aatrox from before...
That monster...
Just like with Charlotte Linlin, it was his first time seeing such a powerful demon. It wasn't something humans could handle at all.
The battle was over, and he knew he had been saved.
But Aatrox's image lingered in his mind, growing clearer and more real, like it wanted to come out and swallow him whole.
It was almost like...
A kind of corruption?!
Whitebeard frowned. At that moment, Mumei, sitting beside him, seemed to sense what he was thinking and said, "Aatrox does have a strange energy about him. If you stay in contact with him too long, you might get corrupted by his power."
"People who get corrupted start thinking like demons—they get more aggressive and feel an urge to destroy things. But you haven't been around him long, and plus, you have the Shikon Jewel piece, so you should recover after a while."
Aatrox used to be a noble ascended being, but during his war against the evil void forces, he got corrupted by the void's will. Then his empire fell, which left him lost for a time, and he finally fell to become a Darkin.
Aatrox had touched a major source of corruption, and he himself became a smaller source. Though he couldn't corrupt as efficiently as the void, with his own magic, he could create an effect that slowly made people around him fall.
"Whitebeard, don't get down on yourself like that." Roger laughed. "You're an enemy even I, Roger, respect. If that demon beats you, where does that leave my reputation?"
Roger's hearty laugh cleared some of the gloom in Whitebeard's heart. He looked up at Roger standing nearby and couldn't help saying,
"You guy..."
"You're as annoying as ever."
Still, Whitebeard did feel a bit better. He couldn't die yet, couldn't give up, couldn't just be afraid like this.
Because his family was still out there—the family he had finally found. How could he let Aatrox destroy everything like that?
No way!
Whitebeard slowly sat up. He turned to Mumei and said, "You saved me, but I still don't know your name."
This is... a three-eyed person?
Whitebeard looked at Mumei with some curiosity. Her third eye on her forehead stood out so much, but he realized it might be rude, so he quickly looked away.
"Mumei. I don't have a name."
"Gurarara, Roger, you've really found yourself a great crew member!" Whitebeard laughed.
Roger grinned too. "Of course, Newgate. My crew are the best in the world!"
Once the laughter died down, Roger got serious again and said, "After this battle, I think you've seen it too. Against an enemy like Aatrox, numbers don't matter at all. You need a small group of top fighters working together to take him down."
Whitebeard nodded. That was true. That monster treated humans like ants. No matter how many were in front of him, it made no difference—ants in numbers still got crushed under one foot.
And the people who died didn't even weaken him. Instead, they became part of him, giving him the flesh he needed to keep going. Against someone like that, having more people didn't help.
"So, when the time is right, let's team up!" Roger reached out his hand. "We'll gather the world's strongest warriors, pirates and Marines alike. We join forces to beat Aatrox, and after that, we can settle our own human fights. What do you say?!"
"Gurarara, that sounds like a total fantasy." Whitebeard laughed, like Roger's innocent idea had cracked him up.
"You think you can get that many people to drop their grudges? And besides..."
Here, Whitebeard got a bit serious. "Where are you going to find that many top fighters? After what happened at Ait Wall, about half the strongest people on the seas got killed by Aatrox."
And...
Shiki was dead too.
If that guy Shiki were still alive, he could have been a real powerhouse.
Too bad...
Roger just shrugged it off. "The sea's a big place. There have to be strong folks we don't even know about. Plus, the Black Order is bound to oppose Aatrox too. Putting together enough power isn't impossible."
"We'll handle that." Mumei said. "When the time comes, we'll get everyone together. At least for dealing with Aatrox, pirates like us, the World Government, and even those not caught up in the fights yet—we should all be on the same side."
"If you're that sure, I have no reason to sit it out. Especially since you saved my life." Whitebeard felt like he was recovering well. He got out of bed and added, "Then I'll wait for that day. Just don't make me wait too long."
"I'll take you back." Mumei, who had been sitting in a chair, stood up. He nodded and said, "It's easier that way."
It would make it simple for Whitebeard to get back to his ship, and for Mumei to get his Shikon Jewel piece.
The piece Mumei had was now part of Whitebeard's body, so he needed Whitebeard's piece in exchange. Whitebeard wasn't the type to go back on his word.
"Alright, we'll stick around here and rest up for a bit. You can just come back here then." Roger patted Mumei's shoulder.
He was starting to appreciate Mumei's teleport ability even more.
"Newgate, next time we meet, it'll be time to risk everything."
"Gurarara... If it's about risking our lives, I won't lose to you."
Whitebeard burst out laughing. Pirates on the sea were like that—they'd suddenly crack up out of nowhere. It wasn't easy for someone like Mumei, an artificial person with just a few years of experience.
----
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