Chapter 185: Funeral

Chapter 185: Funeral

After the members of the Whitebeard Pirates finished paying their respects, Charlotte stepped forward with a bouquet of flowers. He placed them gently in front of the tombstones.

Charlotte had always been traditional when it came to honoring the dead.

Respecting the deceased and allowing them to rest in peace was an unspoken rule followed by everyone.

No one wanted their body to be desecrated after death. Those who defiled corpses would likely face a similar fate when their time came.

Charlotte led his crew in a simple ceremony before quietly leaving the cemetery.

The Whitebeard Pirates also did not linger for too long.

After a brief moment of mourning, Whitebeard gathered his remaining sons and departed.

"Charlotte, boy! How about joining me for a drink?"

Whitebeard turned to Charlotte with a warm smile.

"No problem! Anytime!"

Charlotte smiled back.

He could sense the deep sorrow in Whitebeard's heart. The man needed a drink—something to ease his grief.

Charlotte was happy to keep him company.

---

That night, a bonfire blazed on the shore.

Whitebeard and Charlotte sat beside it, watching the waves crash against the coastline as they drank.

"I remember my first time setting sail. I left this island in nothing more than a simple boat, with no real destination in mind. And now, decades later, I find myself still sailing the seas…"

Whitebeard stared at the ocean, his expression unreadable.

"This island is where I was born. Apart from my sons, you are the first person I've ever invited here."

Charlotte raised an eyebrow.

"Hahahaha! Then I'm truly honored! The first outsider to set foot on this island!"

His face was already flushed from drinking.

"No, you're not an outsider," Whitebeard corrected.

"You saved Marco's life. That makes you my son's benefactor. And more than that… you're my friend."

Whitebeard lifted his massive drinking bowl toward Charlotte.

"For that, I will remember you for the rest of my life."

Charlotte smirked and clinked his cup against Whitebeard's.

"Hahaha! It's not every day that someone earns Whitebeard's gratitude for life! But I was just in the right place at the right time. No need to make a big deal out of it."

He waved his hand dismissively.

Whitebeard studied him for a moment before laughing.

"Kulalalalalala! You're the first person to refuse my favor!"

Charlotte chuckled but didn't reply.

Whitebeard turned his gaze to Marco, who was drinking and laughing with his brothers in the distance.

A rare warmth filled his eyes.

"Marco was the first child I ever took in. He means more to me than you might think," Whitebeard said quietly.

"It was because of him that I finally realized what I had been searching for all my life—a family."

Charlotte simply listened, letting Whitebeard speak.

"A long time ago, before I even had my own crew, I was given orders to track down Roger's pirates. That mission led me to an island where I first met Marco."

Whitebeard's mind drifted back to that day.

Marco had been a scrawny child in tattered clothes, wielding an old iron rod in defiance against a group of adults trying to steal his food.

Despite the overwhelming odds, the boy refused to back down.

Seeing Marco like that had struck something deep inside Whitebeard. It reminded him of his own childhood—how he had once stood alone, fighting for survival.

Intrigued, Whitebeard followed the boy in secret.

What he saw next shocked him.

Instead of eating the food he had fought so hard to protect, Marco shared it with other children—orphans and beggars who had no one else.

At that moment, Whitebeard made his decision.

He approached Marco and his group, offering them a place on his ship.

From that day forward, he had a purpose beyond strength or adventure—he had found the family he had always longed for.

Charlotte listened in silence.

Time passed, and the two men continued drinking until the night faded into dawn.

---

The next morning, Charlotte awoke to the sound of birds chirping.

His head throbbed from the heavy drinking.

As he sat up and looked around, he noticed that everyone was still asleep on the grass—both the Whitebeard Pirates and the Rockefeller Pirates.

But something was missing.

Whitebeard was nowhere in sight.

"Huh? Where did Newgate go?"

Charlotte rubbed his temples, trying to recall the night before.

He vaguely remembered falling asleep while Whitebeard was telling his story.

"Damn it! I actually fell asleep listening!"

Shaking off his hangover, Charlotte activated his Observation Haki and quickly found Whitebeard's location.

The man was sitting alone in front of the tombstones, quietly drinking.

Charlotte made his way over.

"So, this is where you wandered off to, Newgate."

Whitebeard glanced at him.

"You're still the same. You can't handle your liquor. The moment you started drinking, you passed out!"

His voice was calm, but there was amusement in his eyes.

Charlotte's face instantly turned red.

"Asshole! I drank the whole time while you were the one talking non-stop! How could I not fall asleep?!"

He snapped back in frustration.

There was no way he had a weak tolerance! Among the Rockefeller Pirates, he could drink more than anyone!

Whitebeard just smirked.

"Kulalalalala! Go home and drink some milk instead. Drinking is for real men!"

Charlotte's face darkened instantly.

"Asshole! You looking for a fight?"

In an instant, the Seven-Star Sword appeared in Charlotte's hand, its blade gleaming in the morning light.

Whitebeard grinned and grabbed Cong Yunqie.

Clang!

Their weapons clashed, sending out a shockwave that echoed across the island.

For a moment, they stood locked in place, staring at each other.

Then—

"Kulalalalalala!"

"Hahahahahaha!"

They both burst into laughter and withdrew their weapons.

Charlotte flicked his wrist, making the Seven-Star Sword vanish into thin air.

Whitebeard's eyes gleamed with interest as he watched.

"This sword… you picked it up in the first half of the Grand Line, didn't you?"

Whitebeard asked.

"Yeah. It's a cursed sword—the Seven-Star Sword. But it's a damn good blade. Easily on par with the Supreme Grade Swords."

Charlotte twirled the blade between his fingers before making it disappear again.

Whitebeard studied the green aura that had momentarily surrounded the sword.

"A good sword indeed," he admitted.

Charlotte grinned at the praise.

But then his expression shifted.

"I came to say goodbye. I've been away long enough. If I don't return soon, the women back home are going to start making a scene."

Charlotte sighed.

Whitebeard's grin widened.

"Kulalalalala! I didn't expect you to be such a henpecked husband, Charlotte!"

He burst out laughing.

Charlotte's face instantly darkened.

"Tsk! At least I won't be single forever."

He smirked.

Whitebeard's laughter stopped immediately.

His face twitched.

"Brat! Get out of here before I beat you to a pulp!"

He slammed Cong Yunqie into the ground, making the earth tremble.

Charlotte just chuckled.

"See you around, Newgate. Maybe we'll meet again at sea."

He waved and walked off, heading toward his crew.

To be continued…

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