South Blue, early morning, aboard the Dragon Emperor.
Stella helped White Ghost finish dressing, and the two of them walked out of the room hand in hand.
On the deck, a sweat-soaked Chopper was running with tears in his eyes, doing weighted training.
As he ran, he kept complaining.
"Wasn't I only brought here to be the ship's doctor? Then why do I have to train too? Liars! Big fat liars!"
The moment White Ghost stepped out and heard Chopper's complaints, he rolled his eyes.
Stella covered her mouth and laughed softly.
In a flash, White Ghost appeared beside Chopper and flicked him on the forehead.
"Shut up and train properly. This is for your own good."
Chopper had been focused on running, so when someone suddenly appeared beside him, he didn't even have time to panic before his forehead started hurting.
After recognizing White Ghost, he covered the fresh bump on his head and glared angrily at him.
"You only know how to bully me! I'm just the ship's doctor!"
Watching Chopper complain nonstop, White Ghost cut him off directly.
"Shut it. Don't you want to become a real man?"
Chopper, who dreamed of becoming a real man, immediately nodded with all his strength.
He couldn't help it. Everyone on this ship was a monster.
He couldn't even beat that self-proclaimed little girl who was over a hundred years old.
That had dealt ten thousand points of damage to his fragile little heart.
White Ghost folded his arms and looked at him.
"If you do, then train properly the way I told you.
"Train in the mornings, and spend your afternoons in the infirmary.
"If you keep this up, sooner or later you'll become both a real man and a world-famous doctor."
"Really?"
Chopper's eyes lit up with excitement.
White Ghost nodded firmly.
Chopper instantly became full of motivation. He stopped complaining and began training seriously, his face full of excitement.
Anyone who saw him would think he had taken drugs.
"Isn't it a bit cruel to bully adorable little Chopper like this?" Stella asked with a smile as she watched Chopper mutter encouragement to himself while running.
White Ghost wrapped an arm around Stella's slender waist. Stella didn't resist. They were already long past that stage.
"Chopper's body is too weak.
"This is so he won't suffer for it later. One day he'll understand the benefits."
Stella nodded in agreement.
"I can feel the benefits of improving your physique now too."
White Ghost lowered his head and gave her a wicked grin.
"Really?"
Stella instantly blushed. She knew exactly what her man meant.
She lightly punched White Ghost in the chest, broke free from his embrace, and ran off in embarrassment.
White Ghost rubbed his nose.
"What's there to be embarrassed about? We're basically an old married couple already, and you're still this shy."
Just as White Ghost was instructing Chopper, Kuro walked over holding a newspaper.
"We've been in the South Blue for a while now. What's next?"
"We'll just take it one step at a time. This sea is a real mess."
White Ghost shook his head and sighed.
He honestly didn't even know where to begin with the countries of the South Blue.
In the other seas, kings at least understood one thing: don't squeeze the commoners dry all at once. You had to treat them like leeks—let them grow a bit, then cut them again.
But the kings and nobles in the South Blue?
They squeezed the people like mad. No matter how much wealth they had, it all got wrung out.
And once the people had no more value left, they were simply expelled from the country under the excuse of "saving food."
They didn't even understand the principle of draining the pond to catch the fish.
White Ghost honestly didn't know what to say anymore.
Kuro shook his head as well.
"I used to hear that these nobles would use the Heavenly Tribute as an excuse to squeeze their own citizens dry, then dump all the blame on the World Government while enjoying life with a clean conscience."
White Ghost turned to look at him.
"And now you believe it?"
Kuro smiled.
"I have no choice but to. There are so many living examples right in front of me. Anyone who isn't blind can see it."
As they talked, the two of them walked toward the figurehead at the front of the ship.
White Ghost leaned lazily against his lounge chair and looked out over the sea.
"That's why I keep saying the filthiest thing in the world is the human heart."
While they were chatting, Olga walked over and stood silently beside White Ghost, staring at the sea without saying a word.
Kuro tactfully excused himself and left, even giving himself a reason as he went.
"I should go keep an eye on the bridge."
White Ghost looked at Olga, who had grown a little since before.
Not bad.
She was slightly fuller now, no longer the skinny stick she used to be.
Olga noticed him looking her over and narrowed her eyes.
"Have you seen enough?"
White Ghost turned his head away and curled his lip.
"Don't worry. I'm not interested in lolis."
Olga's face darkened instantly.
"What do you mean, loli? I'm already over two hundred years old!"
White Ghost nodded repeatedly.
"Yeah, yeah. A two-hundred-year-old loli. Got it."
"Can you talk like a normal person?!"
Olga glared at him in fury.
White Ghost grinned.
"So what do you want, little loli who's over a hundred?"
Olga couldn't be bothered continuing this topic with him and got straight to the point.
"I want a Devil Fruit."
When she saw White Ghost give no visible reaction, she gritted her teeth and continued.
"My father and I won't betray you. Besides, we already gave you something that important."
White Ghost still said nothing. He just sat there stroking his chin.
A determined look appeared in Olga's eyes.
"When my body grows up, I can become your woman too."
White Ghost gave her a strange look.
This girl really did dare to say anything.
"What? Are those conditions still not enough?" Olga lowered her head a little, her expression sinking.
White Ghost shook his head.
"I'm just thinking about which Devil Fruit to give you. You're overthinking it."
Olga immediately looked up, delighted.
"Really?"
"There's no point lying to you for fun. Take a look yourself. Pick the one you want."
White Ghost pulled several fruits out of his bracelet and placed them on the table.
Olga looked over.
Each one had a label.
The first was the Barrier Fruit.
That one was worth considering.
The second was the Ancient Zoan: Archaeopteryx.
Olga dismissed that one instantly.
She had no desire to become ugly.
The third was the Paramecia: Fungus-Fungus Fruit.
That one was decent too.
Then she kept reading.
Paramecia: Scythe-Scythe Fruit.
The moment Olga read the description of that ability, her eyes lit up.
She had watched Kuina and the others use swords so beautifully for a long time now, and she had wanted to try something similar.
Unfortunately, she had absolutely no talent for it.
White Ghost had once told her that talent mattered, but hard work mattered even more.
No matter how good your talent was, if you didn't work hard, it was worthless.
"This one!"
Olga pointed straight at the Scythe-Scythe Fruit.
She didn't even look at the ones behind it.
White Ghost glanced at the fruit she had chosen and said lazily, "Not interested in the rest? The ones after this are all good too."
Olga paused and kept reading.
Paramecia: Plasma Fruit.
Paramecia: Warp-Warp Fruit.
Mythical Zoan: Bat-Bat Fruit.
Looking at the introductions for the remaining Devil Fruits, Olga started struggling.
The Scythe-Scythe Fruit was good, but the ones after it were even better.
She truly hadn't expected White Ghost to take out something as precious as a Mythical Zoan. That caught her off guard.
Watching her hesitate, White Ghost said, "Think it through carefully. Once you eat one, it's for life. The kind you can never throw off again."
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/StrawHatStudios