The next day, news of White Ghost's massacre was reported.
Although he had not personally done it, it was more or less the same.
Along with that came Burgess' bounty.
One hundred and fifty million berries.
Paramecia Obsidian Fruit user.
After Burgess boarded the ship, he quickly blended in with the rough men aboard. At this moment, he was holding his wanted poster and showing it off.
"Weehahaha! See this? One hundred and fifty million berries!"
Seeing him act so smug, Urouge dragged him over to Dragon Island and taught him how to keep a lower profile.
At first, Burgess looked completely unconvinced.
Then, before long, Urouge beat him flat.
Only then did Burgess finally acknowledge that physical strength and Haki were the strongest. After that, he joined the training army as well.
The three who had left Baroque Works also abandoned their codenames.
Gem's physique was weak, and his Devil Fruit development was lacking. From the original path alone, it was obvious how useless this guy could be.
White Ghost ordered him to train while wearing Seastone handcuffs and doubled his training on top of that.
Galdino, who had some brains, also had to train. White Ghost did not want the people on his ship to be the kind that looked good but were useless in practice.
As for Mikita, the pastry chef, White Ghost also told her to exercise occasionally.
Even if she was going to be eye candy, she had to be eye candy that did not break easily.
Nami and Nojiko ate ice cream while riding horses around the ship. The two of them were the happiest little sprites on board.
They spent each day carefree, though they still had to train.
White Ghost did not demand too much from them. It was enough as long as they could protect themselves.
White Ghost could tell that Nojiko also wanted a Devil Fruit. She envied Nami's Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
She was just too embarrassed to ask. Her whole family was being taken care of by White Ghost, and she was too thin-skinned.
White Ghost had noticed it, but unfortunately, he did not have anything suitable for her.
He could not possibly give her the Strength-Strength Fruit, could he?
He had an important use for the Barrier-Barrier Fruit in a future experiment.
As for the artificial Mythical Zoan, Nojiko refused to eat it. She disliked the idea of turning ugly.
White Ghost also had a Sickle Fruit, but that thing was more suitable for a swordsman. Nojiko did not want to train with a sword either, so that option was given up.
As for the Fungus-Fungus Fruit, she thought about it for a long, long time before finally giving up.
So White Ghost had nothing suitable for her at the moment. He could only see whether there would be a Devil Fruit more suitable for a girl later.
"Captain, here. This is a new flavor of ice cream."
Mikita brought two bowls of ice cream and placed them on the table.
White Ghost and Crocus, who were sunbathing together, each took a bowl and began eating.
White Ghost tasted a spoonful and nodded.
"Not bad. Stay properly on my ship from now on."
"Yes, Captain!"
Mikita bowed and left.
Crocus ate his ice cream and said, "I really couldn't tell someone like you knew how to enjoy life."
White Ghost took a big bite and replied,
"I work this hard just so I can enjoy a better life. Otherwise, why work hard?
"To learn from Whitebeard and go crazy collecting sons so people can call me Pops? I don't have that hobby."
"Hahaha!"
Crocus laughed loudly.
"You could learn from Big Mom and have a whole pile of descendants instead."
White Ghost sighed.
The way his women looked at him had long since become strange.
If Naqin and Squirrel Tang had not checked him before, even he would have started thinking he was the problem.
Crocus looked at White Ghost.
"There will always be a way. Your monster physique is frightening."
The whole sea said White Ghost was no good.
His strength was terrifying, but as a man, he was supposedly completely useless.
This was one of the few things people dared use to mock White Ghost.
Crocus had checked him before.
It was not that White Ghost was incapable. It was that his bloodline was too powerful. In Crocus' words, his Devil Fruit ability had changed him.
If a bloodline like his gave birth to a child, that child would be far beyond ordinary.
The problem was that it was too difficult.
However, after obtaining Pure Gold, White Ghost had already looked past it.
If once did not work, then a hundred times. A thousand times.
He had plenty of time anyway.
Elsewhere, in the miracle city within the desert, Rainbase, Crocodile's base.
Ever since White Ghost had told her she was too dark, Nico Robin had bought many skin-care products.
Of course, those only had a small effect. After all, this was a damned desert.
Robin wore a facial mask while looking over the intelligence gathered below. The corner of her lovely mouth lifted.
"How interesting. You stole Crocodile's people again."
Nico Robin was not in a hurry to report.
She had to take good care of her skin first. That man liked beautiful women, so she had to prepare properly.
She had already gone to see the Poneglyph that man mentioned.
It was exactly as he had said. Not the slightest difference.
As for the other piece, she had not found its exact location. That man had also said it was deep in the desert, and that he only knew the rough area, not the precise location.
Nico Robin had already confirmed one thing.
That man might have come from the future.
Or perhaps he had seen certain events from the future through a Devil Fruit.
If ordinary people heard such thoughts, they would definitely think that person was insane. It sounded like pure fantasy.
But those who knew how bizarre Devil Fruits could be would not think that way.
After all, those things could possess almost any kind of power.
Nico Robin had already given up on Crocodile.
She felt no guilt at all.
After all, she had grown up betraying others and being betrayed in turn.
Such things had long since become normal to her.
What she was considering now was that the man would not be easy to fool.
Judging from his growth path, that person was frighteningly cunning and never suffered losses.
She had to think carefully.
Betraying others might get her killed.
But if she betrayed that man, she would definitely die.
After Nico Robin finished preparing herself, she took the intelligence and walked to the office.
Knock, knock, knock.
Crocodile, who was admiring his crocodiles, said without turning his head,
"Come in."
Creak.
Nico Robin pushed the door open and walked in.
Crocodile did not turn around.
"Miss All Sunday, what is it?"
Nico Robin placed the intelligence on the table.
"The three people sent to create trouble for that man failed. They are now on that great figure's ship."
Crocodile's face darkened.
He turned his chair around and picked up the report on the table.
"Damn bastard. Does he think that because he has some strength, he can do whatever he wants? Again and again, he ruins my plans."
Nico Robin's face showed nothing.
Only the depths of her eyes hid a faint smile.
This man was exactly as White Ghost had said.
Crocodile had already been frightened by Whitebeard.
Instead of improving his strength and taking revenge, he had come here to search for some unreliable Pluton.
White Ghost's final evaluation had been:
"A pirate trying to become a hero? What a load of crap. Does he think being a pirate is playing house?
"Even if he finds Pluton in the end, can he operate it? Even if that thing is placed right in front of him, he won't recognize it."
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