NOVEL NEXT Chapter 256: Reunions
We stayed on the island for a day and a half before we finally got our stuff and left the island.
We flew over various islands and finally reached the New World. I could fly, so there wasn't a need to dive into Fishman Island.
I was about to land on a nearby island and call for a location. When I noted that a pair of ships had been anchored nearby. At first, I ignored them, but when I got closer to the ships, one looked like the ship I had commissioned, while the other reminded me of Shanks' ship.
Moreover, I sensed the presence of Stussy, Ken, Pato, and Carla on the ship, which looked like mine.
"Is there something wrong?" Robin asked as she looked at the two ships that I was approaching.
"Not at all; if anything, it looks like our journey will be cut short," I remarked.
I ended up landing right on the middle of the ship. Alarming everyone who had been on the ship before they recognized me.
"Who the...oh, you're back!" Ken's tone of voice immediately changed as he recognized me.
I gently set Robin down as I brought back my wings into my back. The rest of the crew looked on with smiles as Stussy slowly walked up and gave me a hug.
"Welcome back~" Stussy smiled as she looked at me dead in the eyes.
"Glad to be back," I remarked.
We didn't stop giving each other a staring contest until Robin let out an awkward cough. Then, her loving eyes slowly hardened as she stared at the child standing right behind me.
"Boris~" Stussy asked me with a cold voice as she stared at Nico Robin, "Where's Nico Olvia?"
"She's dead; she was murdered before I got there," I replied calmly.
"And the attackers?" Stussy asked.
"Dead, along with some more Celestial Dragons," I replied.
Stussy gently kneeled on the ground before patting the anxious Nico Robin on the head.
"My name is Stussy; I'm the Deputy on the ship. Nice to meet you! Let's get along, okay~?" Stussy promptly introduced herself.
"M-my name is Nico Robin; it's a pleasure to meet you," Nico Robin replied as she stuck her tiny hand to greet Stussy.
Then, she was rushed up to Pato and introduced to the rest of the crew. She immediately found herself fitting in with the rest of the crew as Pato then took her on a tour around the ship.
I wanted to make sure that Nico Robin was settling in before I could finally divert my attention to the red-haired man sitting on a tea table where Stussy normally sat on her own or with Carla occasionally.
I didn't need to think too hard about his identity.
"Shanks, you've grown up, boy," I remarked as I ruffled his hair before sitting on an empty chair.
It was right next to Benn Beckman, who seemed to have shifted uncomfortably as I made myself at home. Stussy wasted no time diving into the winery on the ship and getting some liquor for me.
"Boris! You haven't aged a bit! What's ya secret!" Shanks asked curiously as he looked up at me up and down.
"Nothing much, just take care of yourself.....how's Rayleigh been doing? Haven't heard much from him since the crew dissolved," I asked Shanks curiously.
"I....don't know what you're talking about!" Shanks cackled before drinking some more of the liquor.
I shrugged before grabbing the bottle that Stussy suddenly appeared with before popping open the cork. A nice grape-scented aroma drafted into my nose as I slowly lifted the bottle and started downing its contents.
It hit right on the spot, and I didn't really stop until the bottle was completely empty.
"You're quite the drinker! You wanna go a round or two? I can put them down with the best of them!" Shanks snickered before he remarked.
"You're going to have to drink a couple of more years before you can ever catch up to me, brat," I replied.
"Hmph, are you going to ask him, or should I?" Benn Beckman asked as he took a calm drag out of his cigarette.
I looked at Shanks and waited for him to reply. His face was still covered with a large mug of liquor that had appeared right after he finished downing the previous bottle. His face was already flushed red when he lowered the cup as he looked at Beckman with a small glare.
"I was going to ask him about things once he settled down, jeez," Shanks remarked defensively.
Once again, Stussy appeared beside me before handing me a nice pack of cigarettes I had forgotten to take. I immediately picked one out before I lit it. I took in a lungful of smoke before letting it out. I could practically taste the fragrance of the smoke left my body.
"So anyway, Boris. I had been wondering....are there any territories that aren't touched by the likes of Whitebeard?" Shanks asked curiously.
"Only if you go deeper into the New World. Whitebeard claimed a majority of some territories that are stupendously close to where he likes to travel, and that's practically in the middle of the New World," I replied.
"You think Whitebeard is going to let us claim some territories near his?" Shanks asked curiously.
"Maybe? You should ask him yourself.....and that's not very pirate-like of you," I stated.
"Hm? How so?"
"Pirates take, not ask," I replied.
"So, if I were to try to take some territories....what would you do?" Shanks asked mischievously.
I slowly landed my eyes right at Shanks. His eyes flashed with a challenging light as he waited for me to respond. I immediately unleashed my Conqueror's Haki and let it loose around the entire ship.
Everyone who happened to be having a good time and partying immediately froze as they all either passed out or stared at me with anxious expressions.
Stussy calmly continued enjoying her tea as she heard different pirates dropping like flies one by one.
However, Shanks wasn't taking this lying down.
He immediately unleashed his own Conqurer's haki, and the two different Hakis started fighting as lightning tendrils of red and silver danced around the ship.
His haki wasn't bad; rather, it was quite impressive, even if you were to compare it with geniuses. I reckoned that his Conqueror's Haki was about 50% of what Whitebeard had, which was by no ordinary means a small feat.
Eventually, I completely took over the entire situation and managed to suppress his Conqurer's Haki as I slowly began to pull my Conqurer's Haki back. Eventually, things finally settled down, and we were left in a quiet ship, nobody daring to let so much as a loud breath out as they waited for the next course of action.
"You're a long way from picking a fight with me; just take what you can get and move on," I remarked.
Shanks looked stunned for a while before he let out a loud laugh and downed the remaining liquor that was in his cup.
Ken immediately appeared right in front of the table and looked around with a wary expression.
"What's the matter! Do we need to fight?!" Ken looked on with a wary expression.
"It's nothing worth fretting over; we were just gauging abilities...that's all," Shanks chuckled as Carla appeared with another round of drinks for the both of them.