The Great Pirate Era is not friendly. Pirate ships are everywhere on the seas, posing a tremendous threat to merchant ships and civilians traveling across the ocean.
However, for those with sufficient strength, these pirate ships sailing the seas represent an opportunity. Previously, Kikunojo casually took a small boat from the port and left the island.
This was mainly because Delia had not yet fully recovered her stamina at the time. He had also taken two hits to the chest from Laffitte and was not in great condition, so getting a large ship might not have guaranteed a successful departure.
However, in the Grand Line, a small boat is not a long-term solution. So, when they encountered another pirate ship, they decided to switch ships. As for the method… of course, they followed the traditional pirate rules.
Those pirates initially refused, but even with Delia temporarily missing an eye, she could easily take care of these rookies.
Originally, she had planned to snatch a Den Den Mushi. The outer territories of the Beasts Pirates still used Den Den Mushi as a basic means of communication. As long as she could contact someone, she could call for reinforcements or something.
The logic was sound, but these pirates were uncooperative. Delia had not expected that, in this day and age, there were still pirates without a Den Den Mushi.
“Damn it! Den Den Mushi doesn’t even have a phone bill! Is it that hard for you guys to keep one?!”
Unlike the mobile phones sold externally by Tesoro, a Den Den Mushi only requires a fixed communication device and regular feeding to function properly. Den Den Mushi are highly adaptable— even if frozen, they will still work as long as they are thawed in time.
If one wishes, they can buy decorations to customize their own Den Den Mushi. If not, an undecorated one works just fine. Yet, this group of pirates simply had none.
“Uh… Big sister, there’s only a dozen of us. We don’t really need one…”
“Shut the hell up! No ship doctor, no Den Den Mushi, not even medical supplies— it’s a miracle your ship made it this far! Other than this Log Pose, you have nothing useful at all. Are you rookies who just set sail?!”
“How did you know we only set sail three days ago?”
“You guys should just go home and play house. The pirate life isn’t for you.”
Feeling helpless, Delia rubbed her head. She couldn’t think of a suitable word to describe these naïve pirates. If they hadn’t been born in the Grand Line, they probably wouldn’t have even made it past Reverse Mountain.
“Miss Delia, I’ve spotted a pirate ship. Maybe we can seek some help from them…”
“Hmm? One of ours?”
“No, it’s… it’s Whitebeard’s people.”
Kikunojo walked over with the binoculars, bringing news that Delia couldn’t understand.
“Listen, Kiku, even though I just fought Blackbeard, if you think we can use this to seek help from them, you’re being too naïve. We’re pirates, and Whitebeard Pirates and the Beasts Pirates are enemies.”
If it had been Red-Hair or Big Mom’s forces, or even the Shichibukai like Boa Hancock or Doflamingo, Delia could have approached them. But Whitebeard was a no-go.
Nowadays, when Whitebeard’s and the Beasts Pirates’ forces meet outside, not fighting is already considered restraint— let alone asking for help.
“No… we can. I saw my brother on that ship.”
“Eh? Brother? You have a brother on Whitebeard’s ship?”
“Yes, actually, you’ve met him before. Back when you and Miss Isuka went out to battle, you saw him.”
With Kikunojo’s reminder, Delia finally realized what he was talking about.
She also understood why Kikunojo had reacted so strangely during that battle. At the time, no one had looked into the matter, and Kikunojo had never brought it up, so it was left unresolved.
Just now, while scanning the sea for other ships, he happened to spot Izou on board.
After Ace left, Whitebeard was still uneasy. Due to the situation of New World, he couldn’t leave personally, but he sent several trusted officers to search for Ace and help him deal with Blackbeard.
Izou was one of them. However, they never caught up with Ace— his small boat, powered by the Flame-Flame Fruit, was simply too fast.
Ordinary pirate ships could never keep up, and with the time difference, Izou and his group had never been able to catch up with Ace.
…
“The one dressed as a geisha back then? Now that you mention it, I do have some impression.”
“Yes, Miss Delia, please trust me. You can’t delay treating your eye any longer.”
As one of the body’s most important organs, the eyes are highly delicate. Once injured, they could trigger an autoimmune response. If not handled properly, an issue with one eye could easily spread.
Delia had a strong constitution, and there were no signs of infection in her eye, but in Kikunojo’s view, it still needed to be treated as soon as possible.
“He’s a division commander, huh? Alright, I’ll trust you on this.”
According to these pirates, it would take another half a month to reach the next island. She didn’t want to keep delaying any longer.
This injury wouldn’t kill her, but it hurt. She wasn’t some masochist— if it could be treated, then she wanted it to be treated as soon as possible.
…
At this moment, a small pirate ship shaped like a whale was sailing across the sea.
The Whitebeard Pirates were a massive crew. In addition to the Moby Dick and ships resembling it, they also had smaller ships for convenience when traveling.
“Captain Izou! A ship is approaching us! They’re using flag signals, saying they’re your acquaintance.”
“An acquaintance? What kind of acquaintance would I have in a place like this? Hand me the binoculars.”
Though confused, Izou still took the binoculars. Then, he saw Kikunojo waving at him.
“Kiku?!”
Izou hadn’t followed Kozuki Oden onto Roger’s ship, nor had he returned to Wano Country with him. From the day he boarded Whitebeard’s ship, he had stayed there ever since.
In the original timeline, he remained a member of the Whitebeard Pirates. In the end, due to his lack of unwavering faith in Oden, he lost his faction buff and died in the final battle at Onigashima.
The last time he had seen Kikunojo was during the conflict with the Beasts Pirates. That very battle was what led the Whitebeard Pirates to realize there was an issue with Oden. But after Whitebeard’s battle with Kaido, the matter had ultimately been set aside.
“Is that pirate ship part of the Beasts Pirates’ forces?”
“Never heard of it. Even among the rookies, I haven’t heard of this pirate crew…”
The Emperors of the Sea knew each other well. While some trump cards remained a mystery to outsiders, they all knew which pirate crews were affiliated with which Emperor of the Sea— especially the well-known ones.
Since it wasn’t an old crew, nor was it a famous new one, that almost entirely ruled out the possibility of it being a part of the Beasts Pirates’ forces.
“That’s great…”
“Sir, what did you say?”
“I said bring the ship closer. That really is my acquaintance.”
Chapter 911 Brothers Meet Again
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