"You idiot son! Get to the helm! We need to reach the nearest inhabited island as fast as possible! Do you want Bista to die like this?!"
Newgate's roar stunned Jozu for a moment. He reluctantly let go of the mast that had saved his life and hurried toward the helm.
Meanwhile Rowan rummaged through his pocket, searching for one of the useful items he'd previously prepared for those two brats in Shimotsuki Village.
"Marco." Marco, who was frantically preparing to test everyone's blood, looked over. A golden orb of light flew toward him and he caught it in his hand. "Consider Bista lucky. This thing still has a little over an hour before it expires. Stick it onto his wound and he should be fine."
Marco froze, staring doubtfully at the golden orb in his hand. Such a severe injury could be healed just by using this thing?
"Go try it, Marco." Newgate stood beside Rowan. "Devil Fruit abilities come in all kinds of strange forms. I've seen plenty of bizarre ones in my time."
Hearing that Marco snapped back to his senses. Forgetting about the blood tests he grabbed the orb and rushed into the cabin.
Whitebeard Newgate glanced sideways at Rowan.
He didn't say anything. But after looking at Rowan then deliberately looking down at the blackened burns covering his own chest his meaning couldn't have been more obvious.
Rowan reached into his pocket again. Soon he pulled out another golden orb. But instead of giving it to Newgate Rowan pressed it directly against his own chest.
"Haah..." He let out a long breath. The injuries to his internal organs caused by the constant vibrations immediately healed and a refreshing coolness spread through his body. Comfortable!
"Brat!"
"Hm?" Rowan looked at Whitebeard. "Something wrong?"
That simple question left Whitebeard speechless. Only after a long pause did he answer, "Nothing!"
Damn brat! I'm Whitebeard! How could injuries like these possibly make me complain about pain? And with so many of my sons watching, couldn't you show a little initiative? If you'd just handed one over I could've casually accepted it.
Then I could drink as much as I wanted, eat meat, and start the feast! Damn brat!
While Whitebeard was grumbling endlessly in his head an orb of light was suddenly tossed against his chest. Golden light blossomed.
The charred burns covering Whitebeard's chest healed completely within mere seconds. Even the injuries on his shoulders and back disappeared.
The Plant Dandelion, created using the blood of someone as powerful as Rowan, possessed healing effects on an entirely different level from one created with an ordinary person's blood. Whitebeard clenched his fist.
He could even feel some of the old hidden injuries inside his body easing.
The power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit could shatter space itself, triggering earthquakes and tsunamis.
Naturally such tremendous power came at a cost to its user. The vibrations it generated didn't merely spread outward. They also traveled inward through the user's body.
After decades of battle even someone with Whitebeard's monstrous physique had accumulated severe hidden injuries throughout his internal organs.
In Rowan's memories Whitebeard's sons would eventually grow much stronger. Yet not a single one of them would reach the level of an Emperor.
Conqueror's Haki Infusion alone was enough to bar every one of them from that realm. And because of that, even with Sengoku and Garp never personally entering the battle against him at Marineford, Whitebeard would still ultimately die there.
"This thing works pretty damn well!"
Whitebeard smacked his lips as he felt the changes inside his body. Then he threw a huge arm around Rowan's shoulder.
"Got any more? That bastard son Marco has already started limiting how much I can drink! You know what a pirate who can't drink is? He's not a damn pirate at all!"
"Give me two more. Just two more! If I can pass my next physical I'll be able to drink as much as I want. Two, just two will do."
Rowan glanced at him. "You think those things grow like cabbages? That I can just pick them up anywhere?"
"Uh..." Whitebeard choked on his words. Meanwhile as his injuries healed even his burned-off mustache had grown back. The physiques of powerful people in this world were just that ridiculous.
At that moment Marco emerged from the cabin with a healthy rosy-faced Bista beside him, his expression filled with excitement.
As the doctor of the Whitebeard Pirates no one understood better than Marco just how terrifying the hidden injuries inside his Pops' body were.
Those internal organs had been battered by vibrations for years. Anyone else with injuries like that would've dropped dead on the spot. Only someone with a monstrous constitution like Pops could endure them.
"That guy! Where's that guy?! He's not gone, is he? Where is he?!"
Rowan, his face covered in black lines, pushed Newgate aside from where the giant man had completely blocked him from view. "That 'guy' you're looking for is still right here."
"Uh..." Marco looked a little embarrassed but quickly scratched his pineapple-shaped hair and said, "Cloak, no, sir! Sir, do you have any more of those light orbs from earlier? We'll buy them! No matter how much they cost!"
Rowan waved his hand.
"No more. I used one on myself and one on your Pops. That's all I had."
Marco glanced at his Pops and saw that the burns on his chest had completely disappeared.
And why was Pops winking at him? Had he not fully recovered? Considering the terrifying heat earlier had been enough to evaporate the sea it really was possible that his eyes had been injured.
"Pops, what's wrong with your eye? Let me take a look." Marco stepped forward only for Newgate to smack him on the back of the neck.
"Ha! It's nothing, nothing! My eye just feels a little uncomfortable."
The smack was pretty hard. Marco rubbed his neck with a grimace. "Good, as long as you're fine. But Pops, you just finished a huge fight today, so no alcohol. It'll put even more strain on your liver."
Newgate's expression immediately darkened. He could endure the pain for the sake of his pride. But if he wasn't allowed to drink on top of that? That was absolutely unacceptable.
"Enough! That light orb just now worked on my old internal injuries too. I can feel that my body's condition has improved. So I can drink!"
Marco completely ignored the last part about being allowed to drink. The first half had already made him whip his head around toward Rowan.
And it wasn't just Marco. Jozu who had finally regained his composure and was steering the ship, Bista who had just been healed and was back on his feet, Izo, Blamenco who had been mocking Jozu earlier every single one of them turned toward Rowan.
Thud. Thud! Thud! Thud!
Marco was the first to drop to his knees. Immediately afterward the other members of the Whitebeard Pirates followed suit. The sight left Rowan feeling somewhat awkward.
But Newgate who had been standing there smugly moments earlier immediately frowned in displeasure.
He reached down to yank Marco back to his feet only to realize that pulling up one person was pointless when a whole sea of his sons was kneeling behind him. He hauled one son up and two more dropped back down.
"Bastards! You're the Whitebeard Pirates! How can you kneel?! How can you disgrace yourselves like this?! All of you, get the hell up!"
His domineering roar thundered across the deck. But even if he screamed himself hoarse Marco and the others clearly had no intention of standing.
Jozu even transformed his entire body into diamond, practically rooting himself to the deck. When Newgate tried to pull him up he ripped a whole chunk of wooden planks out of the deck with him.
"You bastard!"
Marco continued staring intently at Rowan.
"If that ability could simply heal injuries whenever its user wanted then those light orbs wouldn't be one-use items. Producing them must require some kind of price. But whatever that price is the entire Whitebeard Pirates are willing to pay it!"
Among the crowd a large dark-haired heavyset man raised his head.
"If you aren't willing to help us yourself sir, then please just tell us where the person with that ability is. We can go and ask them for help."
Faced with an entire deck full of kneeling Whitebeard Pirates Rowan couldn't help feeling a little awkward.
But Blackbeard's words made Rowan sneer.
"Ask for their help? I doubt it'd really be a request. The Whitebeard Pirates may have their principles, but you're still pirates. When your Pops' health is at stake would you really be content with simply asking?"
As he spoke Rowan turned his gaze toward Blackbeard Teach. "So if I told you where that person was and brought disaster down on them, do I look like an idiot to you?"
As soon as he finished speaking Jozu reached over and shoved Blackbeard Teach down, shooting him a glare while he was at it. Someone who could kill five Celestial Dragons and still roam the seas freely afterward couldn't possibly be a fool.
With only a couple of sentences Rowan had seen through Teach's intentions.
Although the rest of them hadn't been thinking that way Teach was still a member of the Whitebeard Pirates. His words represented them as well.
"We have absolutely no such intention." Marco met Rowan's gaze.
"But I'm sure you understand, sir. Pops' health isn't what it used to be. As his sons now that we've finally seen some hope of course we're going to get a little desperate. Sir, whatever your conditions are we're willing to pay the price, as long as Pops' injuries can..."
Before he could finish Whitebeard, already seated aboard the Moby Dick, gulped down an entire bowl of sake.
"You idiot sons. I won't accept any more of that stuff."
With that he smashed the sake bowl against the deck. "You don't seriously think you could hide something like that from your Pops' Observation Haki, do you? So all of you, get the hell back on your feet!"
The bowl shattered against the deck and the sound made everyone's hearts tremble.
"Marco, this isn't going to get you what you want." Rowan looked toward Newgate as well. "I told you before. The only things Whitebeard Newgate truly cares about are his family and his homeland. And Marco, Newgate himself isn't included in that."
For a moment everyone exchanged glances. Finally Marco sighed and stood up. One after another the others followed.
Blamenco looked toward his Pops. "We won't do this again. But Pops, you can't just refuse outright either."
Newgate glared at him before pouring himself another bowl of sake. "You giving your Pops orders now?"
He had just been about to give his sons a proper scolding when in a moment of inattention the sake bowl suddenly vanished from his hand. Turning around he found himself staring directly at Marco.
"I'm the ship's doctor. So with your current condition Pops, you can't drink!"
Whitebeard's eyes widened. But he couldn't come up with any argument to refute him. Marco stared right back at his Pops without yielding an inch. Normally if Pops really insisted on drinking Marco wouldn't push things this far.
At most he'd helplessly remind him a few times before eventually giving in. After all just as Pops himself had said, what was the point of being a pirate if you couldn't even drink?
"Fine, fine."
Newgate gave up on the sake and leaned back in a deck chair.
"Brat, you've earned my acknowledgment. I don't know whether you're the one that bastard Roger was waiting for. But you understand how important Fish-Man Island is, don't you?"
Rowan sat down across from Newgate. Newgate waved a hand. Marco immediately understood and led the rest of the crew toward the stern.
There were some things the younger members weren't suited to knowing. Whitebeard might not care about such secrets himself but he understood that knowing them could bring danger to his sons.
Back when he had spoken with Roger beneath that tree there hadn't been anyone else around then either.
"I received a prophecy during this trip." Rowan looked directly at Newgate. "This world will sink beneath the sea."
Newgate's eyes narrowed slightly. But he said nothing.
Rowan continued,
"I know some of this world's secrets, but when it comes to those people in Mary Geoise, I don't have much detailed intelligence. The prophecy that the world will sink beneath the sea may overturn all of my previous deductions. Because of that, Fish-Man Island has become far more important to the Revolutionary Army."
At this point, Rowan lowered his voice.
"Neptune's daughter. Roger must have mentioned something about her in the information he shared with you, right? Otherwise, I don't think you would've gone out of your way to place Fish-Man Island under your protection."
Newgate rubbed his forehead impatiently.
"Whether it's Roger or you, brats like you who want to turn the whole world upside down always bring a mountain of trouble with you."
"I did learn about the existence of the so-called Ancient Weapons. That's why, when I heard someone like you had appeared on Fish-Man Island, I wanted to know what you were after."
"And clearly, you didn't bother hiding your intentions from me either."
Hearing this, Rowan shook his head slightly.
"Roger and I aren't the same kind of person. He may have started the Great Pirate Era partly because he wanted to see this world change, but an even greater reason was that he yearned for the experience itself."
"After being diagnosed with an incurable disease, they reached Laugh Tale too early. The so-called dawn of the world spoken of in the prophecy hadn't arrived yet, and that left him disappointed."
"So he wagered his own life to usher in the Great Pirate Era. Pirate King Roger would become a true legend, a legend for those who came after him to look up to. That was what he wanted."
Newgate raised an eyebrow.
"You seem to know quite a lot about us old fossils from the previous era. But I don't remember anyone like you."
"Teleportation, changing your appearance, a flaming blade..."
"With so many abilities gathered in one person, if you were an old monster from our generation too, there's no way I'd have no memory of you."
Rowan didn't answer his question, simply brushing it aside.
"The time hasn't come yet. When the day arrives that the world undergoes a great upheaval, you'll understand."
"But before then, I need to make more preparations."
"And so does the Revolutionary Army."
Whitebeard fell silent for a while.
Finally, he let out a long breath.
"If I choose not to do something myself, that doesn't mean I should stop others from doing it either. That's my code."
"It's also why I helped Roger keep certain things hidden."
Whitebeard turned his gaze toward the Red Line.
"As for Fish-Man Island, as long as Neptune has no objections, the Whitebeard Pirates won't stand in the Revolutionary Army's way."
"You have my word."
"And consider it payment for helping me knock some sense into those idiot sons of mine."
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