Vice-captain of Whitebeard pirates

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"It's really strong!"

At this moment, Roger, Whitebeard, Larson, Rayleigh, and Gaban were sitting together, reflecting on the battle that had just taken place.

Several of them were still processing the sheer power that Larson had demonstrated.

Especially Rayleigh, who felt his face heat up as he remembered thinking Larson had just been showing off earlier.

Larson focused on the fire in front of him, roasting slices of octopus meat.

"Roger, what do you say? How about a competition between our two pirate crews?" Whitebeard asked as he tore into a chunk of meat. "Since those brats joined the crew, they haven't faced a real challenge. The sea hasn't given them enough experience."

"Sure!" Roger agreed without hesitation.

"Here come the octopus balls!"

Thatch approached with a plate of takoyaki and placed it in front of Rayleigh.

"Thanks! They smell amazing!" Rayleigh said, picking one up and popping it into his mouth.

"Hey, Thatch, what's the big idea?" Larson said, feigning annoyance.

Thatch scratched his head sheepishly. "Shouldn't I serve the guests first?"

"Yeah."

Gaban chuckled as he grabbed one himself. "We're guests. Why are you taking from us?"

"Hey, hey, save some for me!" someone else chimed in.

"Don't worry, don't worry. There's plenty more in the kitchen."

"More? Well, hurry up and bring it out so we can all enjoy!"

"Alright, alright."

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Larson let out a satisfied belch. Only then did he recall the conversation between Whitebeard and Roger from earlier.

"Just sparring sounds a bit dull. Why don't we make it more interesting by placing a bet?"

"A bet?" Rayleigh looked puzzled.

Whitebeard smirked, realizing Larson was scheming again. But he was curious to see what kind of bet Larson had in mind this time.

"What sort of bet?" Roger asked with genuine curiosity.

Seeing Roger's interest, Rayleigh knew his captain was ready to jump in for the fun of it.

Larson grinned. "Each of us selects a few crew members, and they compete in different challenges. The losing side has to fulfill one condition set by the winning side. How about that?"

"Sounds like a blast," Roger agreed immediately, clearly more interested in the fun than the stakes.

Rayleigh glanced at Larson. "So what kind of competitions are we talking about? Strength?"

"Not just strength," Larson replied. "Strength is only one part. We'll compete in cooking, helmsmanship, and even sea fishing."

These were all essential skills for life at sea, the very fabric of pirate life.

Gaban nodded thoughtfully. "That seems fair."

Larson continued, "We'll divide it into five events: strength, cooking, medical skills, steering, and sea fishing."

Roger's eyes lit up. "Great! Let's start picking people!"

"Oh, by the way, there's something I wanted to ask," Gaban interjected.

"We don't have to compete in this, right?"

"What are you talking about!" Larson laughed. "It's fine if we don't join in. Let the youngsters handle it."

Gaban sighed in relief. He was mainly worried that if Larson got involved in the strength contest, things would spiral out of control.

If Larson started pulling out his infamous techniques—like cutting an octopus into pieces in midair—it'd pretty much be game over.

Roger and Rayleigh returned to their ship, while Whitebeard and Larson gathered the crew of the Whitebeard Pirates.

When Whitebeard's crew learned that they would be competing against the Roger Pirates, they were thrilled. Each of them was eager to prove themselves and win.

Though the Whitebeard Pirates were strong, they had only recently formed and lacked the fame that Roger's crew had built over time. A victory would signify that they were on par with the Roger Pirates, maybe even stronger.

Meanwhile, on Roger's ship, the atmosphere was much more laid-back. The Roger Pirates saw this as an easy win. After all, they had spent years at sea, whereas the Whitebeard Pirates were newcomers, still wet behind the ears.

On the Whitebeard ship, all the crew members stood in front of Whitebeard and Larson.

Whitebeard said, "Larson, it's your call to select who will compete."

Larson nodded and scanned the crowd. His eyes landed on Thatch in the front row. "Thatch, you're up for the cooking contest."

Thatch, having anticipated this, grinned ear to ear. "You got it! Leave it to me!"

When it came to cooking, Thatch was confident in his skills—no one could surpass him in that domain.

Next, Larson's eyes rested on Rakuyo. Rakuyo stepped forward with a calm expression. "I'll take care of the helmsmanship."

Larson nodded in approval. "Don't let me down."

He continued to survey the crowd. Each time his gaze landed on someone, they would stand a little taller, hoping to be picked.

Suddenly, Larson noticed a figure in the back standing on tiptoes, waving his arms to get his attention.

He glanced over—oh, it was Planck.

Larson looked away, pretending he hadn't noticed.

Planck: "..."

Why? He wanted to ask why!

"I want to represent the Whitebeard Pirates in the competition!" Planck called out, stepping forward on his own.

Everyone's eyes turned to Planck. Larson sighed. He couldn't ignore him anymore.

"Planck," Larson said with resignation, "this isn't the right competition for you. There will be more fitting challenges for you later."

But unexpectedly, Gangplank shook his head with a serious expression. "I don't want to wait for the later competitions—I want to join this one!"

Larson suddenly felt a headache coming on. He had made up the earlier excuse to avoid putting Gangplank in the competition. It wasn't that he didn't want him to participate; he just didn't know what Gangplank could compete in.

The only things Gangplank was decent at were cooking and steering, but even those weren't particularly impressive compared to others, and he had no clue about the other three events.

Whitebeard glanced at Larson. "Larson, let Gangplank compete."

Gangplank's eyes lit up. "Thanks, Pops!"

Whitebeard gave Larson a pointed look. "You said earlier that they need more experience, remember?"

Larson sighed. "Alright, alright."

After all, when the captain had spoken, there was no room for argument. Disagreeing would be disrespectful to Whitebeard.

Larson looked at Gangplank. "Fine, then. You'll take part in the sea fishing."

Gangplank enthusiastically thumped his chest. "Leave it to me!"

That left only two events: medical skills and combat. Larson decided Marco should participate in both. Not only was Marco the ship's doctor, but he was also the strongest fighter among the Whitebeard Pirates. No one else was as qualified for those roles.

"Hey, where's Marco?"

Larson scanned the crowd, but Marco was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Marco? Has anyone seen him?"

After searching for a while, Larson was still puzzled. Marco, one of the most reliable crew members, had seemingly vanished.

Larson asked the crew, "Has anyone seen Marco?"

"I have!" Gangplank raised his hand. "Before we got back, Marco said he was going to go play for a bit, but he hasn't returned yet."

Larson frowned. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

Gangplank looked hurt. "You didn't ask me!"

Larson sighed. "Fair enough..."

"Cough, cough," Whitebeard interrupted as he approached. "The most important thing right now is to find Marco."

"Agreed," Larson nodded.

Meanwhile, the Roger Pirates were also selecting their crew members for the competition. Roger, Rayleigh, and Gaban suddenly noticed Larson approaching them.

Roger grinned. "Looks like Larson's not ready for the fun to begin just yet."

He was clearly excited for whatever games Larson had in mind.

"Actually," Larson started, "one of our crew members, Marco, has gone missing. I wanted to check if he might be here with you."

After all, they were all in the same area, and if Marco wasn't on their ship, there was a chance he might've wandered onto Roger's.

"A missing crewmate?" Roger was surprised. "I didn't expect something like that."

"Let's help you find him then," Rayleigh said, more serious now.

Though the Roger Pirates hadn't experienced this kind of situation themselves, they were quick to offer their cooperation.

The search for Marco lasted about ten minutes.

Once everyone reconvened, Whitebeard had joined the group. Larson, after a brief moment of silence, spoke up. "We didn't find Marco."

Rayleigh frowned. "This isn't good. We're missing two crew members as well."

Larson's eyes widened. "Wait, what? What's going on?"

Roger and Whitebeard exchanged glances, equally confused.

Not only had they not found Marco, but now two of Roger's crew members had gone missing as well?

Rayleigh, looking a bit exasperated, added, "They're just two kids—trainee crew members on our ship."

Larson immediately thought of two specific individuals. "Is it the kid with red hair and the one with the red nose?"

Rayleigh nodded. "That's them."

Larson hesitated. "You don't think...they're all together, do you?"

When everyone thought about it, they suddenly realized Larson might be right.

"They should still be on board," Roger said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

After all, they only had three ships, and without one, there was no way to leave the area.

Rayleigh frowned. "But we've already searched every corner of the ship."

"Hiss," Gaban said, sucking in a breath. "Maybe they ran into some trouble when those Sea Kings went berserk."

"Can't you say anything positive?" Rayleigh replied, looking at him with disdain.

Whitebeard interjected, "No." He knew Marco well enough to feel confident. "That kid Marco can't be taken down so easily."

"Agreed," Larson nodded. "Marco can fly, as you all saw earlier. I bet he took those kids with him."

Roger and the others recalled that Marco had indeed flown over to their ship earlier. In their panic, they'd forgotten about that little detail.

"It's best if we find them quickly," Larson said, a slight edge of worry in his voice.

His concern was rooted in the fact that a huge Sea King-like creature had recently appeared. He feared for what dangers Marco and the others might face.

Gaban shook his head and sighed. "Those two always seem to stir up trouble, don't they?"

Larson thought for a moment. "I'd guess they're nearby. By the way, did you pass any islands on your way here?"

Roger considered it for a second. "Actually, there was one."

"That's probably where they went," Larson said confidently.

Whitebeard chimed in, "Then let Thatch and the others go search for them."

"No need," Larson said, green flames suddenly enveloping his body. "I'll go myself."

Rayleigh immediately recognized the flames. They were exactly like the ones Marco used when he transformed into his phoenix form. But he kept silent, respecting Larson's secret.

"Hmm?" Roger suddenly looked into the distance. "Wait... I think they're coming back!"

Everyone quickly turned to look. Sure enough, a blue figure was flying toward them from the horizon, with two smaller figures clinging to it. There was no mistaking it—it was Marco, carrying Shanks and Buggy.

Whitebeard grinned. "Looks like we won't need to search for them after all.

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If you enjoy please support me on my patreon Future 80+ chapters at patreon.com/Darkphoenix11

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