"Hmm?"
Whitebeard's hand holding the wine paused slightly as his gaze fell upon the black cat on the table. The black cat sat there with its head tilted back, its amber eyes reflecting Whitebeard's silhouette, its expression showing a hint of curiosity. It looked adorable and charming, yet its voice carried the deep, heavy tone of a man.
Whitebeard set down his wine bowl and moved his gaze from the black cat to Kenma standing before him, his expression revealing a trace of confusion.
"Don't mind it, Newgate." Kenma let out a soft laugh in his heart and used Shunpo. His figure instantly appeared on the table. He picked up the curious cat and sat cross-legged on the table. "Let me introduce you. This is my wife, Yoruichi."
"Wife?" Whitebeard raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at the black cat in Kenma's arms.
Yoruichi looked at the massive Whitebeard, raised a front paw, and waved in greeting. "That is right. This old one is Kenma's wife."
"In that case—would you like a drink?" Whitebeard pushed the wine cup in front of him forward a bit.
"—I will pass." The black cat shook its head, then suddenly reacted, a look of surprise crossing her face again. "Wait, your reaction isn't right! Seeing a cat here speaking in a human tongue, shouldn't you be surprised? Normally, cats can't talk, right?"
Whitebeard blinked, looking puzzled. "A cat that can talk—what's so strange about that?"
The surrounding pirates, seeing this scene, could not help but whisper among themselves.
"Lord Enma's wife... is actually a cat?"
"Certainly not. Didn't Ace see her at the wedding? She looked like a normal human."
"Then this current appearance must be something like a Cat-Cat Fruit ability."
"They are Soul Reapers, after all. Isn't it normal for them to have an animal incarnation?"
The reactions of the people around them shifted from initial surprise to eventual acceptance; they were not nearly as shocked as Yoruichi had expected. The black cat's ears twitched. She found the flat response of these people quite baffling. Why were they so unfazed by her current appearance? They even accepted her masculine self-address and deep male voice so easily.
This was completely different from what she had imagined. She had gone to great lengths to prepare this form early on. She had intended to appear in this guise, wait for everyone's shock to settle, and then reveal her true identity to create a massive reversal. But now, everyone's reaction was so mediocre, without a single ripple of excitement. It was truly disappointing.
She lifted her head and looked up at Kenma. "Mister Serious, you didn't tell them everything already, did you?"
Kenma scratched Yoruichi's chin and belly. Seeing her ask this, he immediately shook his head. "I didn't say a word. It is just that these people have seen much of the world. Your little trick can't fool them."
Yoruichi thought back to the Uchiha elder she had met before; that person's reaction upon seeing her had been just as flat. Thinking of this, Yoruichi subconsciously nodded, a seed of self-doubt blooming in her heart. Was it possible that talking cats were a common occurrence? Was she the one who was ill-informed?
Whitebeard looked at the cat and smiled. "Gurararara! Since you are Boss Kenma's wife, then you are the Lady Boss to us. Boss Kenma has shown us great kindness, so you are our friend. If you need anything in the future, just say the word. Even if we have to risk our lives, we will get it done."
The surrounding sons of Whitebeard voiced their agreement one after another.
"Pops is right."
"The world of pirates has honor and righteousness too."
"We have always wanted to repay Lord Kenma's kindness."
Hearing the shouts of these men, Yoruichi looked confused. "Kindness—pirates, and honor? Mister Serious, what is this all about?"
Kenma said softly, "Explaining it in detail is difficult. I will take you to see for yourself in a moment, and then you will understand."
Seeing Kenma say this, Yoruichi nodded, suppressing her curiosity.
Whitebeard looked at the black cat again and asked Kenma, "The Lady Boss's current appearance—Boss, you didn't give her that Devil Fruit to eat, did you?"
Kenma felt Yoruichi reach out with her claws to tug at his sleeve. His hands didn't stop, continuing to scratch her chin to soothe her confusion. The black cat immediately stopped acting up, a purring sound vibrating in her throat. Her eyes narrowed, revealing a look of pure enjoyment.
Kenma shook his head at Whitebeard. "No, this is Yoruichi's natural talent." He then asked curiously, "Do you know what the ability of that fruit is?"
"No idea." Whitebeard shook his head. If he had known, he would have labeled it clearly when he sent the gift.
Kenma said, "Then we can only wait for someone to eat it in the future to find out." He looked left and right, asking with confusion, "Speaking of which, I didn't see Oz Jr. this time. Where is he?"
Whitebeard swallowed a mouthful of wine and wiped the wine stains from his mustache. "His size is too conspicuous here. Plus, he couldn't bear to be away from Ace, so he went out to sea to find him." Whitebeard asked, "What, you didn't see him when you went back last time?"
Kenma shook his head. "No."
"Then he must be staying somewhere on the sea," Whitebeard chuckled. "Don't let his frightening appearance fool you; he is actually very simple-minded. Failing to save Ace made him blame himself for a long time. I heard he has been training very hard recently."
When mentioning his pure-hearted giant son, Whitebeard's expression clearly softened. He took another gulp of wine and asked Kenma, "A busy man like you coming to see me today... you must have something on your mind. Between us, just speak plainly."
At this, Kenma lifted Yoruichi in his hands and spoke directly. "I came this time for two reasons. First, to bring Yoruichi to meet you all and introduce her. She has always been very curious about you."
Pausing, Kenma looked at Whitebeard and said, "The second matter concerns you."
"Me?"
"The last time I went to the Great Sea, I found the Yellow Springs of your world. I plan to build a base there and want you to go and oversee it."
As he said this, Kenma felt the body of Yoruichi in his arms stiffen. She was about to move but forced herself to stay still.
Hearing Kenma's words, Whitebeard looked puzzled. "Yellow Springs? What kind of world is the Yellow Springs on our side?"
Kenma told the truth. "It is a desolate place without vitality. Souls are frozen there until they can no longer withstand the cold and fade away completely."
This was quite unexpected for Whitebeard. "I thought it would be as full of life as the Soul Society, or like the various Hells described by Brother Oden. To think it would be like that."
At this point, Whitebeard realized something, and his gaze toward Kenma became one of disbelief. "In that case, Boss, haven't you truly become the Master of the Yellow Springs?"
If that were the case, there was no difference between him and the gods like Hades or Enma from various myths and legends.
Kenma nodded. "So, I want to temporarily leave that place to you to guard. Newgate, I know you don't want to bother with mundane affairs now, but besides you, I cannot find any other Great General I can entrust this to. I can only come and ask you to come out of retirement."
After his death, Whitebeard had a mindset of being at peace in retirement. He felt that since he was already dead, he should no longer concern himself with those matters. Therefore, since coming to the Soul Society, he had been staying here peacefully, enjoying the family happiness of having his sons around him. Kenma had sensed this, which was why he felt a hint of hesitation.
Whitebeard heard the hesitation in Kenma's words. He drank the wine in his bowl in one gulp and slammed it onto the table with a dull thud.
"Gurararara! Boss, since it is a matter you have entrusted to me, I will not refuse! Rest assured, even if I have to put this life on the line, I will definitely guard that land of the Yellow Springs for you!"
Having said that, Whitebeard looked at his sons beside him and asked, "I can take them with me when I go, right?"
Whitebeard's straightforward answer caused Kenma's expression to soften immediately. He nodded in response, "Of course, no problem."
Whitebeard pondered for a moment and then asked, "When do we move? Now?"
"The base hasn't been built yet. Once the basic framework is set up, I will come and notify you."
Kenma gave a general overview of the situation. He then politely declined the request from Whitebeard and the others to hold a banquet together and left the noisy courtyard with Yoruichi.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]