Chapter 290 : Straw Hats And Whitebeard Arrives.

The next morning, the peace in Zou was broken—not by an attack this time, but by the sound of ships arriving.

First came a vessel many had been waiting for. The rest of the Straw Hat Pirates had finally arrived. Luffy stood proudly at the front, waving like an excited child. Behind him were Zoro, Robin, Usopp, Law, Franky, Kinemon, and Kanjuro. They all looked around in surprise as they laid eyes on the massive elephant towering high into the sky.

"So that's Zou… on top of that elephant?!" Usopp shouted, already panicking.

"Wow, it's even more insane than I imagined. It's SUPER BIG!" said Franky, eyes sparkling.

"I'm not climbing that," Zoro muttered with a scowl, already annoyed.

Before they could figure out how to ascend, another large ship appeared from the opposite direction. Most didn't recognize it, but Luffy did.

"I've seen that ship before…"

Usopp used his magnifying glasses to get a closer look, and his legs started shaking as he recognized the flag.

"W-Whhh… Whi—" he stuttered.

"What happened, Usopp? Whose ship is that?" Zoro asked, mirroring the question on everyone's mind.

"Whitebeard… it's Whitebeard's ship," Usopp finally stammered, sending a wave of shock through the group.

Whitebeard and his crew had been tracking Kaido but had arrived too late for the battle. Now, they floated near the elephant's leg. When the crews noticed each other, there was a moment of silence… until Whitebeard saw Luffy.

"Gurarara! If it isn't Mugiwara Kid!"

Luffy blinked. "Huh? Who's the big old guy?" he asked, tilting his head in confusion.

Pat! Usopp smacked him, shark-like teeth showing.

"That's Whitebeard, you idiot! One of the Four Emperors!"

"Ohhhh," Luffy said, still scratching his head. "He's in Ace's crew…"

"It's the other way around, idiot! And keep your voice down."

"Ah, Ace's brother has grown up well," Marco grinned, waving at Luffy. Unfortunately, Luffy didn't quite remember him.

"Pineapple He—" Before he could finish, multiple hands grew on his face, sealing his mouth. Robin acted just in time, even though a bead of sweat trailed down her calm façade.

This was no ordinary man. He was Whitebeard—the strongest man alive. One wrong word could turn everything sideways. Robin hadn't met Ace personally, so she wasn't going to assume anything.

Before things could get more awkward, a news bird swooped down and dropped the day's paper. Law caught it, noticing the same paper was being read aboard Whitebeard's ship. He was already wary of the man standing before him. Whitebeard radiated a nearly divine presence. But then Law's eyes caught the headline, and they widened.

The front page read in huge letters:

"Kaido of the Beasts Defeated! Beaten by Dynamic Afro!!"

Everyone froze.

"What… who?" Franky asked.

Robin raised an eyebrow. "Dynamic Afro?"

Usopp fell to the ground, jaw unhinged.

Zoro narrowed his eyes. "Don't tell me…"

At that moment, Whitebeard let out a hearty laugh. "Gurarara! That stinky brat beat Kaido before we could even get here."

He knew Yuta had been holding back during training. The boy had never used those strange heartbeats of his—not once. He even pulled his punches. But to hear he had beaten Kaido of all people? That was mind-boggling.

While Whitebeard was just surprised, Marco and the others were shell-shocked.

"That little shit was holding out on us."

"Hey, didn't you make fun of his bounty name last time?"

"What? Me? Never! I've always admired the name Dynamic Afro!"

Nervous laughter echoed across the Moby Dick. The younger generation was already surpassing them, while they just drank and partied.

"Yuta did WHAT?!" Luffy shouted, now fully alert. Surprisingly, he remembered the boy.

After a brief silence, chaos broke out.

"Wait—Yuta's here? Was he hiding that kind of power all along?" Usopp cried.

"I knew he was strong," Zoro muttered, though he still looked mildly annoyed. The boy had always looked harmless, being the youngest among them aside from Chopper.

"I want to see this afro!" Franky declared, already sketching new hair designs.

"Him, huh…" Robin looked closely at the image on the paper. Yuta's new bounty photo was far more intense than his last.

Golden hair, a chest wound like their captain's, and crimson red eyes stared into the void. White ethereal garments floated behind him like divine wings.

"He sure has grown," she murmured with a soft smile. She first met the boy back in Alabasta—where he had the audacity to use her own power against her. Fond memories… and irritation.

While everyone argued, Marco flapped his wings and flew up toward Zou. This time, climbing wasn't necessary. Marco brought down the Minks' visitor carriage system. One by one, they were pulled up safely.

The curiosity was too strong to linger any longer. They had to meet the boy.

The reunion began in earnest.

Luffy dashed forward the moment he saw his crewmates. "NAMI! CHOPPER! BROOK!"

"LUFFY!!" they shouted in unison.

The crew crashed into one giant group hug.

Law ignored the hugging and scanned the area. His eyes locked onto one figure—the man from the bounty poster. He wasn't alone; everyone else was staring too.

If killing Jack had resurfaced Yuta's name, defeating Kaido had made him infamous worldwide.

Whitebeard and his crew stepped up. Marco gave Yuta a thumbs-up, while Ace laughed and gave him a playful punch.

Even Kinemon and Kanjuro were stunned.

"I must admit, I never expected anyone to defeat Kaido like that," Kinemon said, bowing slightly.

"You're giving me too much credit. I just got a good shot while he wasn't looking. The sea did the rest," Yuta replied with a practiced shrug.

"Gurararara… brat. I told you not to cause trouble. What part of that didn't you understand?" Whitebeard mock-glared at him.

"What're you doing here, old man? Traveling this much at your age isn't good, y'know."

A small vein throbbed on Whitebeard's forehead. This brat never changed.

This was their usual dynamic—from sharp jabs to full-blown training brawls. The rest of the Whitebeard Pirates had endured this comedy for months.

"Haha…" Ace giggled like a child. Yuta was the only one in the crew who dared call Pops an old man. Every time the two met, it was entertainment gold.

"POPS!" two voices called out suddenly, interrupting the mock duel. Whitebeard turned his head and saw two familiar faces.

Though they had grown, he recognized them instantly.

"Gurarararara… Inu brat… Neko brat. Long time no see," Whitebeard chuckled.

Inuarashi and Nekomamushi were in tears.

Yuta could sense it clearly—there was a story here. A big one.

And oh, what a flashback it would be.

xxx

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