Click.
The call ended.
Kizaru immediately spoke.
"Hey, White Ghost—since you got such a good deal…"
"…how about sharing a little with me?"
White Ghost glanced at him. The blood-red in his eyes was fading back toward normal.
"No profit for you."
"But I'll remember that kick."
Kizaru looked distressed.
"Oy oy oy~ I was following orders."
"You can't understand that?"
"You've been a Marine too~"
"I understand," White Ghost said, nodding once.
"But I'll pay that kick back. Sooner or later."
He gestured for everyone to climb onto his back.
whoosh whoosh whoosh—
Once everyone was on, Stella lifted a hand.
"Humm—"
A huge bubble wrapped around the group.
The golden dragon flapped its wings and rose into the sky.
Kizaru clicked his tongue and looked at Shura's half-dead body.
"What a hassle…"
"Because of you, I picked up a huge headache."
He waved at Smoker and Bellemere.
"Patch him up."
"And… patch up the CP guys too. I guess."
Back in the ship's cabin, Kizaru took out another Den Den Mushi.
"You heard everything, right, Sengoku-san?"
Sengoku's voice came through, exhausted.
"I heard."
"From now on, don't provoke White Ghost again."
"This time, his condition saved you."
"If he'd been stable, he might've attacked you immediately."
Kizaru remembered White Ghost's feral eyes and nodded.
"Yeah… his eyes back then were terrifying."
"So scary~"
Click.
Sengoku hung up—clearly done listening to Kizaru ramble.
In Sengoku's mind, one thing was obvious:
After this, White Ghost and the Marines were truly separated.
Before, there had been a thin thread of connection.
Now?
It was cut.
Next time this happened—
White Ghost would strike the Navy without hesitation.
Because for monsters like them…
stealing prey was a direct challenge.
Whitebeard would swing first.
Kaido would smash first.
Why should someone who fought for ten days watch another force take the prize?
Meanwhile, Morgans was already pushing the printing press at full speed.
"Headline: 'Dragon Emperor, Strongest Creature, Wins After Ten-Day Blood War!'"
"'Navy Interferes Without Warning—Standoff Ends With Both Sides Leaving!'"
"'World Government Risks Offending a Monster to Take a Mysterious Man!'"
"There's clearly a secret here."
"Follow the World Economy News—justice will uncover the truth!"
—
White Ghost's group flew until they found an empty island.
They landed and released the Dragon Emperor from the bracelet storage.
BOOM—!
The massive ship crashed onto the sea, sending up a towering splash.
Everyone jumped down.
White Ghost reverted—
and immediately collapsed forward.
"White Ghost!"
Ilena and Ain caught him just in time.
"Treat him," Ain ordered.
That was all White Ghost managed to say before going limp.
If he wasn't still breathing, they would've thought he was dead.
Neiqin and the little squirrel rushed in to examine him.
After a moment, Neiqin didn't waste words—she poured a potion straight into his mouth.
A faint golden flame began to burn over his wounds, sealing them bit by bit.
"Lay the Captain down," Neiqin said.
People moved instantly.
Firewood, tents, perimeter watch—everyone did their role.
As more life potions went down White Ghost's throat, the healing flames intensified, spreading across every injury.
"He fought too long," Neiqin said while working.
"Body and mind exhausted."
"The injuries were too heavy, so his ability couldn't fully activate."
"Now it's kicking in."
"He'll heal slowly."
"When he wakes up, he'll be fine."
Everyone finally exhaled.
Kuina placed her palm over White Ghost's chest.
White-gold fire blossomed in her hand.
The crew stared.
"What's that?"
Kuina spoke softly.
"My angel healing flame."
"I just developed it."
"I want it to help him."
As her power flowed in, White Ghost's recovery sped up.
The crew's eyes lit up—
but soon sweat formed on Kuina's forehead.
"Stop, Kuina," Ain said immediately.
"His wounds are too severe."
"He's already healing—if you keep going, it'll drain you dry."
Kuina obeyed, withdrawing her hand.
But she frowned.
Strange…
The moment her flame touched White Ghost, it was absorbed.
After that, it wasn't her feeding him—
it felt like White Ghost's body was pulling her power on its own.
Wanda, seeing things stabilize, silently went to the kitchen.
Not only were they starving—
the Captain always ate like a monster after battles.
If she didn't start now, she'd die in the kitchen later.
The crew set up camp.
White Ghost's women stayed to watch him.
—
The next day, countless News Coo took flight, delivering papers worldwide.
But the newspaper was missing many details.
The mysterious man's identity and description had been scrubbed.
The World Government paid Morgans a huge sum—
and warned him: publish what you're allowed to publish, and don't publish what you aren't.
"Otherwise," they implied, "Kizaru will be watching you every day."
Another faction also paid Morgans—same demand.
Facing pressure from both sides, Morgans compromised.
Nobody fights money.
So the paper framed it as:
"Dragon Emperor vs. the mysterious expert hired by Pi'ekkro"—
and threw every black pot onto Pi'ekkro's head.
Morgans wasn't afraid of that guy.
Of course, the public ate it up.
But anyone who truly understood the world?
They ignored "Pi'ekkro" completely.
They just didn't say it out loud.
—
In Dressrosa, Doflamingo read the paper and laughed.
"Fufufufufu…"
"Pi'ekkro? What a joke. A scapegoat."
"But White Ghost… he actually won."
"Now the world gets fun."
"World Government… 'lamps'… pirates… Revolutionaries… the Underworld…"
"Let's see who laughs last… fufufufu!"
At Marineford, Sengoku cursed the newspaper so hard the room shook.
Because Morgans wrote that White Ghost was forced out by the Marines.
That Marine leadership was jealous.
That they suppressed him, blocked him from the core, and so on—
pure fiction, mixed with just enough truth to make it poisonous.
If Morgans were in front of Sengoku right now, Sengoku would absolutely hit him with a Buddha Shockwave.
Once wouldn't be enough.
He'd hang Morgans at the port and let the Marines take turns punching him.
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