Late at night, the banquet was still going.
Mainly because White Ghost's crew could really drink.
White Ghost held some wine and sat with Issho and Crocus, who were chatting at the side.
"Feels great! Hahaha!"
Over there, Jango was competing with Señor Pink in drinking. Neither of them was willing to admit defeat.
As for the others who had also refused to admit defeat, they had already collapsed.
That meant Sai, Boo, and the rest.
They were among the first batch to go down. They were the weakest drinkers, the type who were terrible at it but loved joining anyway.
White Ghost looked at his lively crew, and a smile appeared on his face before he turned to Crocus.
"Come with me. Once Laboon leaves, you'll be all alone here. What if you get so old one day that you can't even walk?"
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Crocus choked on White Ghost's words and glared at him.
What did he mean, old enough to not walk?
White Ghost chuckled, showing no respect for the elderly at all.
"So? After you come with me, when you're old, someone will serve you food and pour you water."
Crocus took a sip of wine and calmed himself.
"Didn't you just say I'm an old man? And you still want to invite me? In my current state, I can't fight anymore."
White Ghost shook his head carelessly.
"If I really needed you to fight, would I still have any face left? By then, the whole sea would probably laugh at me."
White Ghost filled both their cups.
"What I value is your medical skill.
"To be honest, I originally planned to pull that old woman from Drum Island over, but she's over a hundred years old and has a rotten temper. After thinking it over, you're the most suitable."
Crocus nodded.
"That old woman's medical skill is indeed excellent. She may even surpass me. As for her temper, nothing can be done about that."
White Ghost smiled and hooked an arm around his shoulder.
"So come with me. Stop waiting for that Joy Boy nonsense.
"Work for me for a few decades, and later I'll take care of you in retirement. I'll even arrange some fresh, pretty girls to look after you.
"That way, you won't have to sit alone in this broken place."
"Pfft!"
The wine Crocus had just brought to his mouth sprayed straight out.
Issho, meanwhile, fell into thought over the Joy Boy White Ghost had mentioned.
White Ghost had spoken about that person before.
But could such a naive dream really be realized?
White Ghost thoughtfully patted Crocus on the back.
If the old man choked to death right here, that would be too funny.
Crocus turned and glared at him.
"How is your heart so black? You still want this old man to work for you for decades?
"Will I even still be alive decades later? What would I need fresh, pretty girls for then?"
"Hey, don't get so worked up. At your age, you should stay calm."
Crocus said nothing and continued drinking.
Why had he gotten worked up just now?
Wasn't it because of this brat?
"I have a way to extend your lifespan."
White Ghost looked at the bonfire ahead and said it casually.
Crocus nodded.
"That medicine of yours is indeed useful, but a person can only absorb so much."
Before he finished speaking, White Ghost took out a golden ring and placed it in his palm.
Crocus looked at the golden ring in his hand with a flat expression.
In his heart, he was thinking, Do I look like someone short on gold?
But the moment he touched the ring, his face changed violently.
"This is…"
Crocus widened his eyes and stared at the tiny golden ring in his hand.
He was not a peak-level fighter, but he was not weak either. With his top-tier medical skill, the moment he touched the Pure Gold, he immediately sensed the changes in his body.
He turned to look at White Ghost's calm face.
"This thing wouldn't be that, would it?"
White Ghost did not answer directly. Instead, he pointed toward the bonfire, where Acier was drinking with the others.
"The man who made that thing was found by me."
Crocus looked at the ring in his hand, then at Acier, who was already drunk and dazed by the fire.
Then he smiled bitterly.
"It seems you really have me cornered. You even let me know about something this heaven-defying. Do I still have another choice?"
White Ghost clinked cups with him.
"Look on the bright side. Since you can't run, just honestly board my ship.
"I won't make you fight. You don't need to worry about those things. Just focus on researching medicine for me."
Crocus did not stand on ceremony either. After drinking, he directly put the Pure Gold on his finger.
"I'm not confident I can escape from your hands. Then from now on, please take care of me, Captain."
Issho knew what that thing was.
White Ghost had offered him one before, but he had refused it.
In Issho's view, birth, aging, sickness, and death were all destined. There was no need to rewrite them.
White Ghost turned to Issho with a smile.
"See? This is the benefit of being a scoundrel. Those so-called heroes drag their feet no matter what they do.
"But me? I say a few words, use a little trick, and handle things easily."
Issho clinked cups with him.
"You always say things that make people see clearly. But in this one's view, you are no scoundrel."
White Ghost waved a hand.
"Don't put weird hats on my head. Being a hero is troublesome. I don't want that. I just want to be a scoundrel who lives freely."
The three said nothing more. They clinked cups and began drinking and eating meat.
White Ghost discovered that Bellemere could really drink.
She had single-handedly drunk Jango and Señor Pink under the table.
The people nearby all stared in shock as Bellemere continued drinking.
Good grief.
This woman could drink.
Bellemere looked disdainfully at the two men snoring on the ground.
"That's it? And you dared challenge me? Hmph!"
Nami and Nojiko supported her, truly afraid Bellemere might fall after drinking so much.
White Ghost strongly suspected that Nami had been influenced by her, which was why she could drink so much in the original timeline.
By the end of the banquet, most people were drunk and lying on the ground snoring.
Of course, these were the men.
As for the women, although they had drunk some wine, they had no intention of sleeping on the ground.
White Ghost had also drunk quite a bit. His head was dizzy, and his thoughts were a little slow.
A single Life Return could solve the problem, but he decided to leave it.
White Ghost swayed as he walked up to the third floor.
Only his women lived on this floor, so he was not worried about entering the wrong room.
Following his memory, White Ghost opened Stella's door, walked in, closed it behind him, and did not forget to set up a barrier.
Looking at the faintly visible figure on the bed, White Ghost quickly stripped off his outer clothes.
Rubbing his hands with a slightly lecherous expression, he climbed onto the bed and pulled the beauty into his arms. His movements were familiar.
Feeling the beauty's body tense a little, White Ghost chuckled.
"We're already an old married couple, and you're still like this?"
The person on the bed did not answer. Her breathing only became a little hurried.
A soft sound came from her.
White Ghost could no longer restrain himself and turned over.
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