Chapter Ninety-Four: Waiting One’s Turn

When Chu Yi finished speaking, silence fell on the other end of the line.

Whitebeard was silent.

Especially Chu Yi’s sharp counterquestion left Whitebeard at a loss for words.

Overthrowing the World Government and the rule of the Celestial Dragons sounded easy enough, but who in the original tale of pirates could truly do it?

Even the Yonko would not willingly provoke the Celestial Dragons. In their struggle against the World Government, to put it kindly, they each held dominion over their own corner of the New World; to put it bluntly, the Four Emperors were simply afraid.

They feared losing in a clash with the World Government, and so they could only settle into their own territories.

And besides...

When the Whitebeard Pirates fought the Navy head-on and the Summit War was unleashed, in the end it was still the Whitebeard Pirates who fell, was it not?

If Fire Fist Ace had not been captured in the original tale, Whitebeard would never have gone to war with the Navy. At that time, he still did not possess the grandeur of a Pirate King.

Only after the war truly began... the Whitebeard who was about to die finally understood the mindset Gol D. Roger had when he surrendered himself.

Only then was Whitebeard truly standing on equal footing with the Pirate King, and the second great tide of the age of pirates was also stirred by the words he spoke before death!

But now...

Seeing Whitebeard fall silent, Chu Yi smiled.

At the same time, the wavering in his own heart vanished as well.

His hesitation was not about joining the Whitebeard Pirates, but about cooperating with them.

Yet now it seemed Whitebeard’s measure was nothing special after all!

If Whitebeard’s breadth of spirit was not even greater than his own, then on what grounds should the Slaying Heaven Pirates cooperate with him?

The Whitebeard Pirates could not contain him!

As for alliance, they were even less qualified!

However, while the wavering in Chu Yi’s heart completely disappeared and the sublimation brought by his widened spirit once again quietly transformed him from within, he did not realize how deeply his words had shaken Tiger, Jinbe, Mihawk, Marco, and even Whitebeard himself.

In an instant, the atmosphere froze.

When Chu Yi directly questioned Whitebeard, Jinbe remained silent. He admired Chu Yi’s courage, but feared even more that Chu Yi would bring trouble upon Fish-Man Island.

Marco had never imagined anyone would dare speak to Whitebeard like that.

Inwardly, he could not help but marvel: was this the bearing of an eight-billion bounty, the most vicious criminal in the world?

Unknowingly, Chu Yi’s measure had already deeply convinced Marco, making him the second figure Marco deemed worthy of respect!

Tiger and Mihawk were now staring at Chu Yi with burning eyes.

Chu Yi’s earlier words seemed to have ignited the sparks in their hearts. They made Tiger feel that following Chu Yi was indeed the right choice, and even stirred in Mihawk some desire to join the Slaying Heaven Pirates.

Meanwhile, listening to Chu Yi and Whitebeard speak, Smoker and Lucci, the two captives, were so shocked they could not utter a word, staring blankly at Chu Yi, their minds a complete blank.

Only after several seconds...

“Kurarararara!”

When Whitebeard’s deep laughter once again drifted through the Den Den Mushi, the silent and stunned crowd finally turned their attention back to the other end of the call.

“Brat, I suddenly want to meet you!”

“Three days from now, let us meet on Fish-Man Island!”

With those words, full of implication, Whitebeard hurriedly hung up, leaving Marco in an awkward position.

“Th-that little... no, Shura, I’m really sorry. Father didn’t mean anything else.”

With an apologetic smile before Chu Yi, Marco said, “Father is just affectionate when he takes an interest in talent. Ever since he heard about those two world-shaking things you did, he’s wanted to meet you. And now that he knows you’re on Fish-Man Island and fought alongside us, only then did he start thinking of recruiting you. Don’t take it to heart.”

“As for Father coming to Fish-Man Island...”

Marco rubbed his forehead and said helplessly, “He’s probably just coming to take a look. It’s fine, don’t worry about it.”

“Don’t worry, Marco. I know Whitebeard is an interesting man.”

“Besides...”

As he spoke, Chu Yi slowly clenched his right fist and smiled. “Besides, I’ve long wanted to meet Whitebeard!”

“Mm, Father has probably been wanting to meet you as well!”

Wiping the cold sweat from his brow, Marco still wore a somewhat awkward smile, utterly unable to tell how the matter would unfold next.

And Chu Yi?

He too could not predict what would come of Whitebeard’s arrival, but he was very clear that when Whitebeard came to Fish-Man Island, he and Whitebeard would surely have a fierce battle!

“I’ve publicly embarrassed Whitebeard in front of so many people. If he cares even a little about his pride, he’ll at least need to teach me a lesson to restore his face in a high-handed manner.”

“But me, Chu Yi...”

“Am I so easy to defeat?”

With a faint cold smile, Chu Yi slowly drew in a breath and thought:

“I, Chu Yi, am like a grain of sand in a bowl of rice. If you, Whitebeard, want to swallow me in one bite, then at the very least I’ll knock out a tooth or two from your mouth!”

“And with three days to prepare, that should be enough for me to face you in my most perfect state!”

“Whitebeard, I really am looking forward to fighting you!”

Thinking of this, Chu Yi knew time would not wait for him. He turned to Tiger and instructed, “Tiger, could you find me a quiet place? Before Whitebeard arrives, I need to prepare properly. Otherwise, if we neglect an honored guest, I’m afraid Fish-Man Island itself won’t have an easy time. You understand, right?”

“Mm.”

Nodding, Tiger replied, “Kid, come with me! I guarantee no one will be able to disturb you for the next three days. Just prepare well!”

After patting his chest and saying this, Tiger smiled with confidence, as though he were the biggest man on Fish-Man Island.

But just then, someone came to slap Tiger’s face.

That person was Mihawk!

Whether it was Chu Yi’s earlier words or his composure, neither had extinguished Mihawk’s battle spirit.

So just as Tiger was thumping his chest and promising to give Chu Yi a quiet place to cultivate, Mihawk’s figure flashed before Chu Yi in a blur. Holding his wooden sword in one hand, he said with blazing eyes, “Chu Yi, I’m sorry, but I have to break my promise, because I truly want to see just what kind of power you have at your peak!”

“How about it? Before we recast our broken blades, let’s spar a little!”

“Chu Yi, you won’t refuse me, will you?”

The instant Mihawk finished speaking, Tiger frowned and moved to stop him.

Yet almost as soon as Tiger took that first step, intending to stand between Chu Yi and Mihawk, Chu Yi smiled toward Mihawk and, with only one sentence, extinguished Mihawk’s overwhelming fighting spirit.

“Sorry, Mihawk. If you want to challenge me...”

“You’ll have to get in line!”