'[Cover Story: Chopper and the Quack Doctor Vol. 17 - "Whenever You Stand by the Sea, You're Holding Onto Some Hope Too, Aren't You?"]'
'Upon learning the date of the quack doctor's death, Chopper found it difficult to accept, even though he had long expected it. Hiriluk himself, however, acted as if nothing were wrong and spoke to the monster-like master-and-disciple pair about his great dream. Dressed neatly and carrying his familiar suitcase, he pushed open the door to leave. Before departing, he turned back and smiled at Chopper...'
---
Inside the enormous cabin, Whitebeard suddenly opened his eyes from his nap.
Two days ago, while sleeping peacefully, he had heard sounds of fierce fighting in what seemed like a dream, and someone had been shouting Jolyne Cujoh's name...
"Gurararara..." Whitebeard sat up and glanced toward the deck of the Moby Dick. "Having dreams like that... could it be that I actually want to make those two my sons? Gurararara..."
---
The sudden appearance of Giorno and Jolyne Cujoh shocked everyone aboard the Whitebeard Pirates' ship.
When had they arrived? How had nobody noticed a thing?
Among the commanders, many looked toward the black ghost floating behind the pair. So instead of sailing a pirate ship, they were traveling across the sea with that "ghost"? How convenient. And incredibly stealthy as well. But if they could travel that way, then why had they insisted on taking a small boat when they left before?
"Hey, Teach, maybe you should hide for a bit?" one crewmate whispered while subtly shielding Marshall D. Teach. Last time, Giorno had looked like he really wanted Teach dead.
'Crunch. Crunch.'
Teach chewed on a piece of fruit and replied indifferently, "Relax. He doesn't have any killing intent at all. He's not here for me."
'Didn't he have killing intent last time too?' Many silently complained. Back then, Giorno had also looked completely relaxed while saying things that were absolutely terrifying. There weren't many people in the world bold enough to stand before Whitebeard and openly announce their intention to kill one of his sons.
Jozu, Vista, Thatch, and the other commanders present approached them. Marco said irritably, "Hey, Giorno. Jolyne. What are you two doing here again?"
Liam waved his hand. "Why so hostile? It's not like I tried to kill Teach or anything."
"THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID!" The surrounding Whitebeard Pirates immediately exploded in outrage.
Liam ignored them and smiled toward the rear of the crowd. Whitebeard's gigantic figure suddenly leapt up from the passage leading below deck.
"We came to pay a visit because..." Liam said with a grin, "it might not be convenient to casually drop by anymore in the future."
"Old man!"
"Weren't you sleeping?"
The pirates turned around in surprise.
Marco sighed. "Even when it is convenient, it'd be better if you didn't come visiting."
The others wholeheartedly agreed. They were pirates. If someone wasn't a crewmate, then even if they weren't an enemy, they were still competition. Not to mention this guy still hadn't given up on killing one of their comrades. The fact that nobody had drawn a sword and attacked him on sight already demonstrated considerable restraint.
Whitebeard folded his arms and stood behind the commanders. Looking down at Giorno, he snorted. "Not convenient anymore, huh? Looks like you've gotten your wish."
'Snap!'
Liam snapped his fingers. "That's right! Oka Shichibukai, secured."
The younger Whitebeard Pirates were stunned. The veteran commanders and seasoned crew members, however, remained relatively calm. If they had any reaction, it was curiosity rather than surprise.
Marco frowned. "So you're really becoming a Warlord?" He scratched his head. "You don't seem like the type who enjoys cooperating with the World Government..."
"GURARARARA!" Whitebeard threw back his head and laughed. "What does it matter? Cooperating with the Marines or not cooperating with them, it's all the same! A pirate should be free to do whatever he wants!"
"Exactly," Liam nodded enthusiastically. "Just like how I want to kill Teach."
'He still hasn't given up...' Teach watched from afar while chewing fruit pits. 'Crack.'
Whitebeard burst out laughing again. Then he suddenly threw a punch past the crowd toward Liam. The air shattered with spreading cracks as the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power erupted.
Marco sighed helplessly. "Old man, we agreed you wouldn't casually use the Tremor-Tremor Fruit anymore..."
The rest of his words were drowned out by the collision. Liam drew the Golden Iron Rod from the Castle inside the Vane and smashed it against Whitebeard's Tremor Fist. Black-and-red Haki lightning exploded outward.
Whitebeard grinned. "Kid, you've gotten stronger again!"
Liam smirked. "I'm a nineteen-year-old rising sun. You're a sunset in your sixties. We're not the same."
"Gurararara! Big words." Whitebeard's punch sent Liam sliding backward.
---
Neither side actually intended to fight seriously. Before long, Whitebeard sat down on the deck stairs and resumed drinking.
Lobster, Herman, and Rege weren't aboard the Moby Dick. They were probably handling business on one of the Whitebeard Pirates' other ships. Liam hadn't come to reminisce anyway. Soon afterward, he and Robin prepared to leave.
The commanders watched their departing figures with speechless expressions.
"So why did they even come?"
"Did they seriously just stop by to say hello before officially becoming Warlords?"
---
"NIIIIICE~~"
After flying some distance away over the sea, Liam snapped his fingers inside the Den Den Mushi Castle.
While Liam had been sparring with Whitebeard earlier, Robin had secretly bloomed a flower petal onto Whitebeard's body and refreshed the data for 'Hana Jizai: Whitebeard'. As a result, their "Flower Mustache" summon now had another month or more of usable lifespan. Liam had no intention of relying on the extra combat power, but when it came to taking advantage of a top-tier powerhouse like Whitebeard, it felt incredibly satisfying.
Robin brushed aside hair scattered by the sea breeze. "Next, we're heading straight for the Red Line."
"Scared?" Liam wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Marine Headquarters, you know."
Robin said nothing. Instead, she rested her head against his chest and listened to the steady, powerful rhythm of his heartbeat.
"Just in case, transfer the Flower-Flower Fruit to me."
"...Okay."
"The sea wind's been rough lately. Too much sun and wind. My skin isn't in great condition." Liam rubbed his chin. "If you use it to make a 'Jolyne Mask,' the beauty level might drop."
"It doesn't matter."
Liam laughed. "How about I use flesh from my butt to sculpt the face?"
"You're awful!" Robin smacked him.
Yet at the same time, she remembered the days they had spent together on that island in West Blue when they first met. Back then, Liam had made the exact same joke. A gentle smile appeared on her face.
"Sure."
---
### Marineford - Marine Headquarters
Sengoku was reporting work in the Fleet Admiral's office when the Den Den Mushi on Kong's desk suddenly rang. Steel Bone Kong picked it up.
The snail immediately shouted nervously, "They, they've arrived!"
"Who's arrived?" Kong asked in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"So beautiful..." the Den Den Mushi muttered dreamily. Its eyes transformed into heart shapes so quickly that the change was almost impossible to see. "It's the Kuja Pirates!"
The moment Sengoku saw that reaction, he guessed the answer. He immediately roared, "Don't look into Boa Hancock's eyes! Didn't we issue a notice to the entire military about this?!"
"So beautiful..." the Den Den Mushi continued mumbling.
Embarrassing as the display was, Sengoku secretly breathed a sigh of relief. At least the Marine on the other end could still speak and breathe. That meant the soldiers at the harbor hadn't been completely turned to stone and still retained a tiny shred of reason.
Even so, Sengoku couldn't help finding the situation strange. Why had the Kuja Pirates arrived so quickly?
Previously, when they wanted Hancock to undo Vice Admiral Momonga's petrification, she had dragged things out forever before reluctantly giving them a single drop of blood to reverse the effect. Even after inviting her to become a Warlord, she had repeatedly stood them up. Messages were sent, yet vanished into the sea without any response. Still, with just a crook of her finger, countless hopeless Marines would immediately forgive her and even defend her actions.
Yet this time... judging by the timeline, the Kuja Pirates had arrived almost as quickly as Momonga's battleship could have completed a round trip through the Calm Belt route. It seemed that the moment Hancock received the invitation, she boarded the battleship and came immediately without wasting any time.
It was highly unusual.
'(End of Chapter)'
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