Chapter 223: Reunion After Four Years – Battle With Whitebeard?
Ten days later—
Noon, inside Luo Han's room on the Penguin.
Ellis had made good on her word: she said she'd keep Luo Han bedridden for five days… and in the end, he didn't get up for seven.
As for why it ended up being seven days—Luo Han himself was still reflecting.
"I really can't tease Ellis like that anymore. And even if I do, I have to manage the time. That 'old tree coiling its roots' move is too damn much—she kept me locked down for three days straight!"
He shuddered at the memory. He had been too absorbed too—if she hadn't noticed how pale he was and let him off, he might've been stuck there for a whole month.
Sigh... He rubbed his flat stomach. Time to replenish.
He stepped out to the deck—his three companions knew him too well. The table was already filled with nourishing dishes.
"Come eat!" Ellis said with a smile.
"Mm!" Luo Han replied cheerfully and sat down, stuffing his cheeks with food until they puffed out.
"Water!" he signaled, and Sora handed him a glass.
Gulp gulp! He patted his stomach. Feeling better already!
Luo Han tore through the food and drink like a whirlwind while the three women ate gracefully and calmly—forming a stark contrast.
Once the meal ended, the four resumed their journey back to Ark Island.
…
One day into their return—
New World.
A peaceful stretch of ocean, under a scorching sky with massive cotton-candy clouds.
A giant whale-shaped ship sat quietly on the water. At the center of its deck, a crescent-mustached man lounged on a massive sofa.
It was none other than the Whitebeard Pirates' captain—Edward Newgate, Whitebeard himself.
As always, a sake gourd never left his side. Gulp gulp! He casually sipped as usual.
Just then, a young lookout pirate ran up to him, panicked.
"Pops! Pops! There's a ship… flying toward us in the sky!"
"Flying?" Whitebeard narrowed his eyes. "Is it the Golden Lion?"
"I don't know…" the youth stammered. "The ship… has a fat, kinda cute Penguin on the prow. And… no Jolly Roger."
Whitebeard's eyes glinted. A flying ship, no pirate flag—could it be…?
"Gurararara! Looks like we've got some guests."
He stood up slowly, laughing. His gut told him it was them—Luo Han and Cole, back after four years.
"Pops seems really happy," someone murmured.
"Looks like those two—uh, mmph!"
Before the words could leave his lips, Vista's mouth clamped shut, and veins bulged in his neck. He grabbed at his jaw, trying to pry it open.
"Vista! What's wrong?!" Jozu asked, panicked.
A cold sweat broke over them—was it possession? A curse? The image of a terrifying sea legend flashed through Jozu's mind.
Just then, another pirate ran over from the crow's nest, breathless.
"Pops! There's someone flying toward us—no… he's already here!"
Whitebeard cut him off, eyes turning serious as he looked up at the hovering figure.
"Oi, Luo Han… What the hell happened to you?"
Luo Han looked down at himself. Four years had passed—and his skin was wrinkled. He knew without checking that he probably looked older than Whitebeard.
But he grinned.
A reunion after four years can't just start quietly, right?
"Condense!" he shouted.
Instantly, the ship stopped rocking.
The sea, which moments before had rippled gently, froze over like a still mirror.
The crew was stunned.
"Did he… freeze the sea?"
More than just that.
"Hey, Pops! If we don't throw hands after a long separation, how are we supposed to warm up our blood?"
Luo Han laughed, descending from the sky.
"Gurarara!" Whitebeard followed, jumping off the ship.
Boom! He landed on the sea—solid as steel.
"Pops is a Devil Fruit user! He shouldn't be able to do that!"
But when the crew leaned over the railing, their jaws dropped.
Whitebeard was walking on the ocean like it was ground.
"Hey, doesn't that guy look familiar?" Jozu muttered, staring at Luo Han.
"...Wait a minute," murmurs spread. "Why does he look… different?"
Indeed—Luo Han now looked 40+, totally unlike his 20-something bounty poster. No wonder they didn't recognize him right away.
"It's that bastard!" Marco growled.
"You know him?" they asked.
"Of course I do," Marco snapped. "He called me 'Snot-Kid'!"
"No way…" Vista pulled out a bounty poster. "Luo Han… aka Blue Demon! Bounty: 10 billion Berries!"
Gasps erupted across the deck.
"He's the one who disappeared four years ago!"
"I thought he left the New World!"
"No way Pops is gonna be okay fighting him!"
Luo Han had become a legend. The man who battled both Roger and Garp. Who nearly leveled Mary Geoise.
In the New World, defeating Blue Demon was the mark of being the world's strongest.
Now that man was fighting their captain.
"No worries," Marco said coolly. "Pops is his friend. They're just sparring."
"Oh! That's good. Thank God we don't have to fight that lunatic."
"You sure know a lot about him," Jozu teased Marco. "Something you wanna tell us?"
"Hmph!" Marco turned away.
Back on the sea—
"Where's Cole?" Whitebeard asked.
"Haven't sailed together in four years," Luo Han replied. "Got our own stuff going on."
Whitebeard squinted. "He never used to leave your side…"
"Enough talk!" Luo Han's eyes lit up. "Let's see if you've improved at all!"
He surged forward, arm wrapped in psychic armor.
No tricks.
Just a straight punch.
"You haven't learned your lesson?" Whitebeard roared back, matching it.
CLANG!
A shattering boom erupted as their fists collided.
The sea didn't ripple—it was held in place by Luo Han's power.
Whitebeard's ship got blown back 100 meters by the shockwave alone.
"Sky's split open…" someone whispered.
Above, a rift had torn the heavens in two. White clouds were being sucked into a void like another dimension.
And yet—the sea remained calm.
"That bastard… he even neutralized Pops' quake powers."
Luo Han had held the sea down tight—even Whitebeard's shockwaves couldn't ripple it.
"This guy really is a monster…" murmurs swept the crew.
"He's not the only one," Vista said quietly. "Don't forget—he has a partner."
"Cole… the Beast King."
Two pirates. Two 10-billion bounty monsters. One crew.
"The strongest pirate crew in the New World…" some whispered.
"No!" others shook their heads. "The strongest is the Whitebeard Pirates!"
CLANG! CLANG!
Their duel continued.
Four hours later—it finally ended.
Back on the Whitebeard ship, a massive feast was underway.
No formal seating this time—everyone sat wherever they liked.
Luo Han sat across from Whitebeard.
Beside him, Ellis , Akatsuki, and Sora.
Between them—piles of food and drink.
"Try this wine!" Luo Han said. Two barrels floated from the Penguin, one landing before Whitebeard.
"Fruit wine?" Whitebeard sniffed, then laughed. "Made by that Aishi girl?"
"Yep. From Ark Island."
"Ah… that place."
Whitebeard chuckled. "The island with the Haki-using chickens, right?"
"That's the one!" Luo Han laughed. "You trained me for two months there, remember? My psychic armor mode came from that!"
"Time really flies…" Whitebeard stared at Luo Han's face. "What happened to you?"
Luo Han's expression darkened.
"Curse Fruit. A CP0 hit me at Sabaody."
"Sabaody? Wasn't that when you attacked Mary Geoise?"
"Exactly."
Luo Han turned serious. "Old man—don't mess around near Mary Geoise. They've got all kinds of bizarre fruit powers now. It's dangerous."
Whitebeard snorted. "Not everyone's as reckless as you. I heard you beheaded a Celestial Dragon in public."
"Probably why they came after you," he added.
"Oh! That reminds me… that Celestial Dragon had captured the mermaid princess, right? Akatsuki or something?"
"What happened to her?"
"…You should ask her yourself." Luo Han gestured.
"I'm Akatsuki," she said flatly. "Neptune is my brother."
Whitebeard blinked. "Didn't expect you to be… so tall."
At 15 meters, she towered over everyone. He had assumed she was a giantess, not a mermaid princess.
"You're with Luo Han now?"
"Yes."
Whitebeard nodded. "Interesting. The World Government must be thrilled."
Luo Han clapped his hands.
"Anyway, Old Man—this crew of yours. It's a damn daycare."
Looking around, he saw mostly teens. Some didn't even look old enough to drink.
Whitebeard laughed. Marco, however, exploded.
"Watch your mouth, bastard!"
"Yo! Isn't that… what was your name again? Snot-kid?"
Marco's face turned red.
"I NEVER had a runny nose!"
"Yes, you did!" Jozu chimed in. "I saw it myself. It lasted years."
"JOZU!!"
The crew burst into laughter.
Watching it all, Luo Han smiled quietly.
So this is what family looks like…
Whitebeard saw his gaze.
"They're my sons," he said. "I'll protect them with my life."
"Pops!" the crew cried, tears in their eyes.
Luo Han's shoulders twitched.
Yeah… my crew will NEVER be this emotional.
He turned back to the food.
The feast raged on.
(END CHAPTER)
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