Naruto: Copy System - [631] : Whitebeard, Care to Make a Deal?

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Being the target of Robin’s resentful glare left Shin feeling utterly baffled. He had no idea what he’d done to deserve it.

“Shin, Whitebeard’s ship spotted ahead,” Amatsuki Toki reported suddenly, pulling him from his thoughts.

“Oh, the Whitebeard Pirates?” Shin’s listless expression shifted, a spark of genuine interest in his eyes. “So, the old man is still out here enjoying the breeze.”

“Oh, Whitebeard’s ship? He’s still quite leisurely, isn’t he?”

Hearing about the Whitebeard Pirates, a hint of interest appeared on Shin’s listless face. Whitebeard was still sailing the seas, but he didn’t know that he was about to be finished.

“Let’s go say hello,” Shin decided.

“Alright,” Toki replied, a hint of caution in her voice. “As long as we don’t end up in a fight with them.”

“What, are you afraid of Whitebeard?” Shin asked, raising an eyebrow. “Or do you think we’re no match for his crew?”

“Of course not,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m just not in the mood for a pointless brawl. Why would I be afraid of the Whitebeard Pirates?”

With Shin leading the Kuja Pirates, they were unquestionably the strongest crew on the seas. Not even Whitebeard’s fleet could compare. After all these years, Toki still couldn’t fathom the true depths of Shin’s power.

—————

As the Kuja Pirates approached, they were spotted by the crew of the Moby Dick.

“Pops, that’s the Kuja Pirates’ ship up ahead. Should we maintain our course?” Marco asked, his gaze fixed on the approaching vessel. To continue forward meant an inevitable meeting with Shin Uzumaki.

“Of course we do,” Whitebeard laughed, his voice booming across the deck. “You think I’m afraid of him?”

“The Whitebeard Pirates aren’t afraid of anyone,” Marco said with a firm nod. He then looked at the deep worry etched on the old man’s face. “Pops, are you worried about Ace?”

Whitebeard fell silent.

“Ace has been gone for a while now,” he finally said, his voice heavy. “For some reason, I’ve got a bad feeling about this…”

The weight on his heart was immense. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something terrible was about to happen.

Shanks had visited him recently, confirming his fears about Blackbeard. The man was far stronger than he appeared, strong enough to scar a Yonko.

“Don’t worry, Pops. Ace will be fine. There’s no way Blackbeard is a match for him,” Diamond Jozu said, his large frame a comforting presence.

“Let’s not talk about that for now,” Whitebeard said, his gaze shifting back to the approaching ship. “It seems Shin Uzumaki is heading right for us. Let’s give him a proper welcome. We can’t lose face.”

Though he admitted to himself that he was no longer a match for Shin, he felt no fear.

They had no grudge against each other. Why should he be afraid?

—————

“Whitebeard.”

Shin called out from the bow of the Pluton, his voice carrying easily across the water. “Long time no see. You’re looking a lot rougher than you used to.”

He studied the mountain of a man sitting on the deck, whose presence was as imposing as ever. But Shin’s senses told him a different story. It was all a facade. The old man’s body was failing.

“Gurararara! Even so, I could still fight you to a standstill, brat,” Whitebeard laughed, refusing to admit his weakness.

“You’re getting old, and you’re covered in wounds. The Marines see you as a prime target right now. You should accept it—” Shin said with a faint, knowing smile.

Whitebeard’s eyes narrowed. He knew Shin wasn’t just making idle conversation. There was a deeper meaning to his words.

“His presence isn’t what it used to be,” Hancock commented coolly. “I think I could probably take him down myself.”

“You think you can defeat me, little girl?” Whitebeard’s voice rumbled as he heard her remark, his eyes narrowing as an invisible pressure rolled off him.

A wave of Conqueror’s Haki washed over the area, but the first to suffer were his own men. Many of the weaker pirates on the surrounding ships collapsed, foaming at the mouth.

“Conqueror’s Haki is no threat to me,” Hancock said calmly, releasing her own wave of Haki.

“I have it too—”

Her aura flared, meeting Whitebeard’s without giving an inch. In truth, when it came to Conqueror’s Haki, Whitebeard wasn’t at the absolute peak of the world.

Whitebeard’s eyes narrowed further, and he let out a silent, internal sigh.

The Kuja Pirates were on another level!!

His own crew, for all its numbers and the forty-three allied crews under his banner, lacked the same top-tier power. It wasn’t that his commanders were weak—they were all formidable.

But none of them had the presence to truly command the seas. If something happened to him, there was no one who could hold the Whitebeard Pirates together.

Marco was strong, but he wasn’t a leader of that caliber. Whitebeard had hoped to pass the mantle to Ace. The boy might not be as strong as Marco yet, but his potential was far greater.

“Shin Uzumaki, you didn’t come all this way just to chat, did you??” Whitebeard asked, letting his Haki subside. Hancock did the same.

“I didn’t come looking for you at all. This was just a coincidence,” Shin replied.

“What did you mean by what you said earlier?” Whitebeard pressed, still focused on Shin’s warning. Were the Marines really planning to make a move on him? It seemed plausible. He was probably the easiest target among the Yonko right now.

“Whitebeard,” Shin said, his tone shifting. “Care to make a deal?”

“Gurararara! A deal, you say? What kind of deal?” Whitebeard asked, a deep laugh rumbling in his chest.

The rest of the Whitebeard Pirates remained silent. This was a conversation between two titans. They had no place in it.

“I can restore you to your prime,” Shin said, his gaze steady and intense. “In exchange, you give me all the treasure you’ve amassed in your lifetime. How about it?”

“That’s impossible! You’re trying to trick Pops!” Marco shouted immediately.

The other crew members glared at Shin, their expressions a mix of anger and disbelief.

“Shut up,” Shin said, his eyes sweeping over them. “You have no right to speak here.”

The sheer force of his gaze made them all lower their heads.

He then turned his attention back to Whitebeard. He was the one Shin was making a deal with. As long as he agreed, the opinions of the others were irrelevant.

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