"Oh! My child, I've finally found you!"
In the ruins of a devastated island town, an old woman barely over a meter tall—her face wrinkled like a shriveled plum—shouted toward a bloated, ball-shaped man covered in scars, with snot hanging from his nose.
The ugly man turned his head and looked at this strange woman calling out to him, asking dumbly:
"W-Who are you?"
Weevil—a great pirate with a bounty of 240 million Berries.
Simple-minded yet brutally violent.
He hated others mocking his appearance and background, and possessed the power to easily destroy an entire town.
Seven years ago, he cut off the arm of former Marine Admiral Zephyr, making a name for himself in one fell swoop.
"Waaah, my child, I've searched so hard for you~ I'm Miss Bakkin, your—"
BOOM!!
Before Miss Bakkin could finish speaking—
a massive warship crashed down from the sky right in front of Weevil, instantly smashing her into pulp.
Even someone like Weevil, who had seen plenty of chaos, was left stunned by the scene.
The snot hanging from his nose nearly drooped to his chest, swaying back and forth.
"My dear little brother! Big brother has finally found you!"
In the next second, a man jumped down from the warship, wailing dramatically as he rushed toward Weevil.
Due to the height difference, he could only pat Weevil's arm.
[Ding! Sign-in location—Weevil. Sign-in successful]
[Reward—Talent: Peerless Strength]
Watching from the ship's railing, Shiryu's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
With acting like that, who are you trying to fool?
All that wailing, and not a single tear.
And calling a thirty-something ugly brute "little brother" when you're clearly in your twenties—doesn't that feel off?
"Y-You… who are you?"
Weevil asked, completely confused.
"I'm your sworn brother—born of different parents, but brothers nonetheless! My dear brother!"
Xia Te put on a heartbroken expression, then quickly shifted to one of relief.
"Your father has passed away! I've been searching for you all this time. Thankfully, heaven has eyes—now your father can rest in peace."
"What!? My father—you know who my father is!?"
Weevil shouted in shock.
He had drifted alone across the seas for years, unlike most pirates who sought to become Pirate King or find the One Piece.
His goal had always been to find his family.
And now, this complete stranger suddenly mentioning his father left him flustered.
"I was just about to take his remains to the East Blue for burial. Now that I've found you, I'll entrust you with this honorable and important duty."
Xia Te patted Weevil's back and led him aboard the ship.
"Really? That's great! Waaahhh! Thank you—you're such a good person!"
Weevil burst into tears, instantly forgetting all about Miss Bakkin, who had just been crushed into pulp.
Shiryu felt his intelligence being insulted.
He actually believed that?
Soon, inside the room where the Golden Lion's body was placed—
Weevil stared wide-eyed. "Th-This… is my father?"
"Of course it is!"
Xia Te smacked Weevil's back like an exasperated elder and pointed at Shiki.
"Look—you both have golden hair. Don't you see the resemblance?"
"Oh! Yeah, I thought so too! When I first saw him, I thought I was looking at a mirror!"
Weevil nodded, looking as dim-witted as ever.
Shiryu's face darkened.
The only similarity between Shiki and Weevil was their blond hair.
If anything, Weevil's crescent-shaped mustache and naginata weapon made him resemble Whitebeard more.
"Father! Why did you die right after we finally reunited!?!"
At that moment, Weevil had already thrown himself beside Shiki's body, crying loudly.
"Don't cry, little brother."
Xia Te stepped forward, patted Weevil's shoulder, and comforted him:
"Old Man Golden Lion passed all his lifelong skills on to me and entrusted me to take care of you. From now on, I'm your family, understand?"
Weevil cried even harder, tears and snot streaming down as he clutched Xia Te's leg.
"Big brother! Waaahhh! You're my only family now! I'll do whatever you tell me! Please don't abandon me, big brother!"
"It's fine. From now on, we're brothers—different parents, same bond. If you need anything, just tell big brother."
Xia Te patted Weevil's shoulder with a satisfied look, while inwardly cursing:
Damn it! Let go already—your snot's getting all over my pants!
…
…
Half an hour later.
Xia Te emerged from his room after changing into clean clothes and taking a bath.
Weevil was still wiping his tears, saying angrily:
"Big brother! It was the Straw Hat Pirates who killed my father, right? I'm going to kill them—to avenge him!"
Shiryu instinctively moved a bit farther away, afraid his own intelligence might drop just by proximity.
"No rush, little brother."
Xia Te continued to coax him:
"Compared to revenge, we should first fulfill Old Man Golden Lion's unfinished wish—taking control of this world."
"As expected of big brother! I'm not very smart—so whatever you need done, just tell me!"
Weevil said foolishly.
"Definitely an idiot,"
Shiryu thought to himself.