"Yohohoho! Yohohoho!"
"Binks' Sake, delivered to your side!"
"As free as the sea breeze, riding the waves!"
... ♪ ～ ♬ \ ♩ / ♭ ～"
A crimson giant dragon burst out of the pure white clouds, with an endless ocean below.
"Have I finally reached the New World? Hmm, speaking of which, singing in the clouds really has a unique flavor!"
Nero made a 180-degree turn, her belly facing the sky as she began to glide.
"Next time, I want this effect at the Golden Opera House too! And singing in the sea also seems pretty good, Siren Nero? Hmm, I can try that!"
Turning around, she plunged straight towards the sea, and just before she was about to fall into the ocean, Nero's dragon wings flapped violently, sending her soaring into the sky again.
A huge splash erupted on the sea, drenching her dragon body.
"Hmm, it's so cool and comfortable~ It's decided! When I go back, I'll have the Minister of Science start researching it!!!"
At this moment, within Nicuss's Science Department base, the Minister suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
However, turning his head to look at the newly completed fully automatic origami machine, the Minister of Science chuckled and rubbed his nose.
"Now there are only 21 pending projects left. It seems His Majesty's small requests are just that; this genius will finish them all immediately! Kuhihihi!"
"Kuhihihi… My ass! What the hell is a fully automatic origami machine? Was my time wasted on such idiotic inventions?"
Kicking the machine, which was as tall as him, the Minister of Science let out an angry roar.
"Next time, I will never make such useless, idiotic inventions again!!!"
..."Ah… Achoo!" On the other side, Nero suddenly sneezed for some reason.
"Hmm, why is my nose suddenly itchy? I shouldn't be catching a cold now, right?"
Rubbing her nose, Nero muttered to herself. Suddenly, she saw a black dot appear in the distance on the horizon. Her dragon eyes narrowed, and she saw a large whale.
"Is that Newgate? I haven't seen him in years. I should go say hello!"
Whitebeard, on the other end, also saw Nero. He paused with his drinking hand, revealing a look of disdain.
"Pops! Your body needs good care now. Alcohol must be restricted."
Marco was still chattering, but Whitebeard cut him off.
"So noisy! What kind of pirate doesn't drink? Also, prepare yourselves, the impact is coming!"
"Nani?" Marco was puzzled, but he tensed his body, ready to deal with the impact.
It wasn't until he followed Whitebeard's gaze that he noticed a red… meteor?… had appeared in the sky at some point.
When he saw clearly what it was, his face turned green. He immediately turned around and shouted loudly to the others: "Everyone, grab hold of something fixed around you! The impact is coming, be careful not to be flung off!!"
Whitebeard put down his sake jug, picked up Murakumogiri from beside him, stood up, and took a stance.
Nero in the sky reverted to her dragon-human form. Seeing Whitebeard, she laughed excitedly, clenched her fist, and shouted.
"Whitebeard!!!"
Whitebeard also showed a smile of mutual appreciation. Just as he was about to respond and shout Nero's name, he heard the latter half of her sentence.
"…Hand him over! Hand Whitebeard over to me!!!"
The smile instantly vanished. Whitebeard's mouth drooped. He thought, 'Why did she suddenly use a nickname? So this fellow is still coveting my beard?'
"You damn brat!!"
Murakumogiri swung out and collided with Nero's fist. The Moby Dick, the great whale ship, suddenly sank a section, and then the aftershocks of their attacks spread in all directions.
Many people dodged the first impact but failed to dodge the second, and were flung off, falling into the sea.
Neither of them used too much force; after a brief standoff, they each took a step back.
"Mwahahaha, Newgate! Where's your golden hair? Why are you wearing a headband?"
Nero suddenly pointed at Whitebeard's forehead and burst out laughing, as if she had only just noticed Whitebeard's change.
"Nero! What are you doing here?" With droopy eyelids, Marco spoke exasperatedly.
"Hmm, it's Pineapple! It's been a while, hasn't it!"
"Who's Pineapple?! Mar-co! After all these years, you should remember my name by now!"
"Next time, I promise! …Mar-Pineapple!"
"Bastard! You clearly haven't remembered at all, have you?" Marco transformed into his sharp-tongued form, complaining wildly.
"Nero! Is there something you want from me? Are you here to challenge me?"
Whitebeard shook his naginata, interrupting their conversation.
"Challenge? That's quite a condescending way to put it. I just happened to be passing by; I just returned to the New World and ran into you all."
Her tail struck the deck, letting out a roar, and a bewitching demonic aura gradually filled the surrounding space.
Her ruby eyes surveyed Whitebeard's body. His physical functions were declining; at sixty years old, he could already be called an old man.
"Moreover, there will no longer be battles between me and you, no more talk of being equals."
"What are you talking about?"
"Bastard! Are you looking down on Pops?"
"This is the Whitebeard Pirates!"
Before Whitebeard could react, the others behind him had already exploded into an uproar.
Whitebeard himself lowered his head, the shadows on his face obscuring his expression, but the suppressed anger was evident to anyone.
"Are you saying I can't even be your opponent anymore?"
Conqueror's Haki bloomed, scattering the clouds in the sky, causing huge waves on the ocean, and cracks appeared on the wooden deck.
"Answer me! Little girl!!!"
"Mwahaha! Don't be angry, Newgate!" Nero waved her hand, unconcerned and smiling.
Instantly, Newgate's eyes widened, and he asked Nero incredulously, "What did you do, you fiend?"
Nero gave a mysterious smile and shrugged.
The reason for Whitebeard's surprise was that the Haoshoku Haki he released had vanished in an instant.
In his long pirate career, such a thing had never happened before.
Most inexplicable abilities encountered on the sea could be attributed to Devil Fruit powers, but Haki was different; Haki was the bane of Devil Fruits.
That's why Whitebeard was so surprised at this moment. Could it be that Nero had developed a special ability of her Devil Fruit that could even affect Haki?
Or… thinking of the second possibility, Whitebeard's expression instantly turned solemn. He would rather believe the first guess than the second.
"Hmm, it's very simple! You've seen this phenomenon before, haven't you?"
Nero wagged her tail, tilting her head and smiling like a mischievous child.
"The Conqueror's Haki between you and me will never clash again in the future! So, there's no need for us to fight again to determine who is superior."
Whitebeard tightened his grip on his naginata again, falling silent for a moment.
---------------------------------
If you'd like to read the next 40 chapters in advance, you can support me on Patreon.
I regularly post chapter previews there, so you'll always be up-to-date and won't have to wait too long.
patreon.com/SolyuraMT
And if you enjoy the story, don't forget to give me a Power Stone. Your support really motivates me to continue translating!