In the morning, White Ghost groaned, pushed off the blanket thrown over him, and sat up.
He'd definitely had too much last night.
He looked around.
Bodies. Everywhere.
Kuro and Señor were sprawled nearby; the three of them had drunk and talked right up until the moment they all blacked out.
His head throbbed. It didn't bother him much, though—one round of Life Return, or a little nudge of his power, and the worst of it faded.
One by one, the others woke up as well.
Stella, Ain, Wanda, and Dor Squirrelton headed straight to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
Uta and Hiyori started cleaning the table and floor, picking up bottles and cups.
"Give me your resignation letters," White Ghost said, stretching his neck. "I'm going to talk to Sengoku today."
"Mm."
Kuro, Jango, and Ain each handed over their documents.
"Kuro," White Ghost added, "after breakfast, go deal with the auction house. I've already handed my share over to Saint Mjosgard, in exchange for a Devil Fruit."
"Boss, what type did you get?" Jango asked, kneading his temples. "If they're just two random flops, that'll be a huge loss."
"No idea yet," White Ghost replied. "Mjosgard said he'd give me two of his 'treasured collection.'"
He snorted.
"Considering how casually Celestial Dragons use Devil Fruits as disposable toys, I'm guessing his 'treasures' won't be too bad."
"That works," Kuro said. "Two more good fruits, and our team takes another step up.
"Though… I've heard Mjosgard has changed a lot recently."
"How so?" White Ghost asked. "What, a Celestial Dragon can change into anything other than a walking disaster?"
"They say he dismissed all his slaves, gave them money to go home," Kuro said slowly. "But his personal strength, on the other hand, has skyrocketed.
"The last time I saw him, his aura was completely different. His power's been growing at a crazy rate. These days he likes buying pirates, then making them fight in arena matches against other Celestial Dragons' slaves… fight to the death."
White Ghost scratched his chin.
Sounds… about right for the original timeline, he thought. Except for the gladiator hobby.
Was Queen Otohime's "brainwashing" really that effective? The side effects are insane…
He thought about it more and more, and an idea began to form.
If I ever take Wano, maybe I should invite Otohime over… let her 'educate' the locals. Scrub that 'Kozuki clan holiness' out of their heads.
The longer he thought about it, the more plausible it sounded. His lips curled into a faintly wicked smile.
"What are you plotting now?" Ain asked, stepping into the room with a tray of breakfast. She caught that expression instantly.
"Nothing," White Ghost said smoothly. "Just thinking about how to ensure the people under my flag live happy lives in the future."
You think I believe that? Ain rolled her eyes.
She knew her White-bro too well. His head was full of schemes; someone out there was definitely about to have a very unlucky day.
"Eat," Stella said, bringing in another tray. "You have a long day ahead of you."
Squirrel bounded up the stairs with a small tray of tonic soup for Lucianne.
After breakfast, White Ghost walked out into the yard.
He didn't bother with a ship.
"Roar!!"
A golden dragon burst into the sky from the base.
The Marines stationed around Sabaody barely looked up anymore; by now they were used to the sight.
"That's not Kaido, that's our own," someone said. "Actually makes me feel safer, seeing him."
At Marineford—
A massive golden dragon swept in over the fortress. The officers below glanced up, then went back to their work.
Garp, eating a doughnut, tilted his head back to watch.
"Tch. That brat really hit the jackpot with that fruit," he muttered. "Can't deny it's convenient, though."
Tsuru and Aokiji sat at a nearby table. Another vice admiral, Gion, was just finishing her meal.
"They say he's here on business," Tsuru said quietly. "And given the rumors floating around lately…"
Garp sighed.
"I don't get those idiots," he said. "Sengoku's already told them to knock it off, and they still won't stop. So what if he refused a promotion? It's not like he's done anything wrong.
"Do they really think he's trying to steal their authority? The guy doesn't want any authority. He'd be happy sleeping and eating all day."
He dropped his voice further.
"I've heard whispers this smear campaign came from above—orders from the very top. Seems like they want to push that kid out to some corner of the sea."
"Bunch of fools," Gion said, rolling her eyes. She headed back toward the offices.
White Ghost didn't land in the plaza. He went straight up to the floor where Sengoku's office was, shrank down mid-air, and stepped onto the balcony.
"Vice Admiral White Ghost," the guards at the door said, saluting.
He nodded.
Then pushed the door open and walked in without waiting to be announced.
"Morning, Fleet Admiral," he said lazily.
Sengoku sat behind his desk with a cup of tea. Tsuru, Zephyr, and the three Admirals were all present.
"Out with it," Sengoku said, watching White Ghost sit down beside Aokiji and help himself to a cigar. "What are you here for this time?"
White Ghost took a drag, then froze slightly.
"Oh. Right."
He stood back up, walked over, and laid four documents on Sengoku's desk.
The Fleet Admiral glanced down.
Resignation letters.
From White Ghost, Kuro, Jango, and Ain.
The room went quiet.
White Ghost sauntered back to his chair and flopped down, legs casually crossing.
It was Sengoku who broke the silence.
"…Explain," he said at last. "Why?"
White Ghost exhaled a ring of smoke.
"We both know why," he said. "No need to dance around it.
"Those five old fossils upstairs are afraid of the Marines now. And I'm the easiest piece to remove from the board."
Everyone fell silent.
They all knew about the rumors.
Sakazuki wouldn't waste his time on such petty games, and most of the senior vice admirals had too much pride. The whispers had been pushed by lower ranks—and by someone far above them.
"We could assign you to a quiet post for a while," Tsuru said. "Let things cool down."
"G–5 in the New World, right?" White Ghost snorted.
"The moment word got out I was stationed there, Kaido would be pounding on that base every day just for the fun of it.
"He lost to me by one move last time. You think he doesn't want payback?"
Sakazuki leaned back, arms crossed, cigar between his teeth.
"What?" he said. "You telling me you're scared of one of the so-called 'Three Emperors' now?"
White Ghost shook his head.
"I'm not afraid of Kaido," he said quietly. "I'm afraid of the Marines."
That made Zephyr frown.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
White Ghost took another slow drag.
"With my temper, if Kaido shows up at my door, I'm punching back. That's just how I am.
"And if that happens at G–5, it escalates instantly. The New World will erupt. Whitebeard and Big Mom won't sit back and watch the Marines plant a permanent flag in their sea.
"I'd be standing alone against three Emperors. I might be able to run—I can fly—but my subordinates can't all escape with me."
"Marineford would never stand by and do nothing," Zephyr said firmly. "We'd send reinforcements."
White Ghost sighed.
Sengoku and Tsuru both sighed with him.
After a moment, Zephyr understood.
"The Marines wouldn't stand by," he said slowly. "But the World Government would.
"The Five Elders would. They'd be happy to watch us bleed a little."
Right now, the Navy had three full Admirals, plus Garp, Sengoku himself, a half-retired Zephyr—
And White Ghost.
If that full force marched into the New World, there was a real chance they could seize it.
Ever since the last great battle, New World pirates had turned their fury on the Navy. Pressure on the frontlines was immense—but at the same time, high-level Marine combat power was arguably at an all-time peak.
And that made certain people in Mariejois nervous.
The World Government needed "balance."
A balance between Marines and pirates. Between order and chaos.
Neither side was allowed to tip the scales too far.
First they'd invented the Shichibukai system.
Now, they were using rumors and political pressure.
White Ghost flicked ash into the tray and looked right at Sengoku.
"So," he said, "rather than waiting for them to turn me into a bomb and throw me wherever they like…
"I'd rather walk off the board myself."
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