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Rayleigh, Shakky, Robin, Lobster, Herman, and Rege, even Marco's head, simultaneously imagined the same scene.
Whitebeard towered over six meters tall and blazed with blue flames. His mountain-like physique transformed into a colossal phoenix with wings spanning over twenty meters when fully extended. The bird's beak tilted skyward and unleashed not the cry of a phoenix but a raw, thunderous roar akin to that of a dragon. Its sonic waves churned the sea into a frenzy.
"The Undying Whitebeard," Rayleigh chuckled. "Just uttering those words would probably keep the Marines up at night, unable to eat or sleep."
Lobster, Herman, and Rege shuddered in unison at the thought.
Even they had heard of the legendary Marco, the Phoenix of the Whitebeard Pirates. Imagine giving Whitebeard, already hailed as the 'World's Strongest Man,' the phoenix's ability to rise from the ashes. The result would be utterly terrifying.
The key to all this hinged on whether Giorno Giovanna, whom Marco had traveled thousands of miles to earnestly implore, would agree.
Shakky gazed at Giorno with admiration, chuckling, "You're truly remarkable, Little Brother Giorno! Your next decision could determine the future of the pirate crew that has ruled these seas for so many years! I admire you even more now."
Liam replied, "Big Sister Shakky, do you really think so?"
Robin was slightly surprised, as she had harbored similar thoughts herself. Like Shakky, she quietly admired Liam, although 'admire' might not be the exact word.
"Among those present, Rayleigh and Marco likely shared Liam's thoughts at that moment."
"Whitebeard, though he had once stood shoulder to shoulder with the Pirate King, Roger, the strongest man who ever lived, and a Great Pirate who reigned at the apex of the sea, fundamentally harbored no desire for conquest."
'What Edward Newgate sought was simply a family.'
'He was just an old man with the heart of a mother hen. Even if his body were restored to its prime and his pirate crew had already reached its zenith, he would probably avoid drastic action.'
'Marco came to Giorno not as the First Division Commander, nor with ambitions to expand the Whitebeard Pirates' power…'
"Are you so certain," Liam said, waving his hand, "that I would agree to this?"
Marco replied, "Actually, I have no confidence whatsoever."
He was simply acting as a son, seeking a way to heal his father's body and relieve his pain.
To achieve this, he would kneel and kowtow to Giorno, pester him relentlessly, and beg him earnestly without hesitation or reluctance.
Liam shook his head. "Alright, I agree."
Lobster and the others nearly stumbled in shock. Giorno's abrupt change of heart was jarring. He had seemed so unapproachable just moments ago.
Marco had just begun to smile with relief when Giorno raised a finger. "But I have one condition."
"Name it," Marco responded immediately.
Just as Robin had expected Liam to say, "Afterwards, your Phoenix-Phoenix Fruit will be mine," she heard him utter an answer that shocked everyone present.
"Help me kill someone."
…
Robin was surprised because Liam wasn't the type to take killing lightly, nor did he casually toss around the word 'kill' like Rear Admiral 'Slayer' Herman.
Meanwhile, the others were astonished by...
"Given Giorno's immense strength, why would he need to enlist the Whitebeard Pirates to kill someone?"
In Lobster's eyes, Giorno was a formidable powerhouse who could take on Admiral Zephyr.
Shakky saw Giorno, her 'little brother,' as a formidable figure who could hold his own against Rayleigh. Across the entire sea, few could achieve such a feat.
Ultimately, it was just a matter of helping him kill someone. This condition was far simpler than Marco had anticipated.
Marco agreed without hesitation.
"In that case, you guys chat first. We need to prepare before we set off.'
With that, Giorno and his female captain disappeared from the bar.
Lobster, Herman, and Rege looked around in astonishment. Marco, however, turned his gaze to the green Den Den Mushi on the counter. Sure enough, Giorno had the unique ability to forcibly seize Devil Fruit powers, so he probably had a stockpile of Devil Fruits. This Den Den Mushi had probably been granted a special ability by Giorno himself.
"Let's just hope the person he's targeting isn't a Marine Admiral," Marco said, sitting down and taking a relaxed sip of his drink. He even managed a wry joke.
But as soon as the words left his lips, he felt dizzy. "Wait a minute..." he muttered, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "If it is a Marine Admiral, that's going to be a real problem..."
'Just a problem?!' Lobster, Herman, and Rege all choked back a groan, desperate to scream.
Shakky watched Rayleigh take successive swigs from his wine bottle. She swirled her wine glass, leaned closer, and murmured to herself, "If only we had met Giorno sooner, right?"
Rayleigh, who had been drinking straight from the bottle, paused mid-gulp. '...'
"Phoenix-Phoenix Fruit... Could it cure terminal illnesses?" Shakky mused, swirling the wine in her glass and still lost in thought.
'Thump.' Rayleigh set the bottle down heavily and sighed. "I'm an old man, Shakky. Stop teasing me."
Marco, standing nearby, looked over with a puzzled expression. Shakky had once heard Rayleigh recount Roger's terminal illness, a secret that Marco wasn't aware of. The public still believed the official news: Roger had been captured by the Marines, although Whitebeard had always insisted that Roger would never be taken alive and had warned his crew not to trust the newspapers.
Marco said, "As for diseases..."
"I don't want to know the answer," Rayleigh said, waving his hand to cut him off. He gazed at the reflection of his aged face in the wine bottle. "I just don't want to know."
'Old friend, I won't die. Heh heh…' Roger's last glance and final words flashed before Rayleigh's eyes as they parted.
He pulled out the note Giorno had given him, written by Crocus.
'We all promised to wait together for twenty years! When the time comes, we'll gather again and throw the Captain the liveliest feast imaginable... The adventure isn't over yet.'
A freshly mixed drink slid across the bar toward Rayleigh. Shakky smiled. "On the house. As an apology."
"Apology for what?" Rayleigh asked, puzzled.
"For making you cry," Shakky chuckled.
Rayleigh brushed it off with a hearty laugh, raised his glass, and drained it in one gulp.
Nearby, Marco stared at the green Den Den Mushi on the bar, a sense of unease creeping in. "What are they doing over there? It's been so long..."
(End Of This Chapter)