Chapter 9: Whitebeard’s Physical Condition
“As for what exactly I’ll need in return, that depends on my assessment of Whitebeard’s condition.”
Su Xiao didn’t make any demands outright. He wasn’t certain he could treat Whitebeard’s injuries yet, and secondly, he planned to first observe the situation aboard Whitebeard’s ship. At the very least, he’d have Bubu Wang take a look at the Whitebeard Pirates’ treasure vault to better determine the price.
“This…”
Marco caught Su Xiao’s meaning—he wanted to see Whitebeard in person.
“Wait a moment.”
Marco entered the back room of the tavern, dialed a Den Den Mushi, and explained the situation to the person on the other end.
“Kulalala lala…”
A very distinctive laugh came through the Den Den Mushi, hearty and bold.
“Just this trivial matter? Marco, bring him to see me.”
“But, Pops, he is…”
“Be careful of the World Government’s people on your way back. Sengoku probably doesn’t have time to keep an eye on you, but the World Government might dispatch the CP department.”
“Understood, Pops. We should be back by afternoon at the latest. Oh, and Pops, about the medicine earlier…”
Gulp, gulp…
The sound of drinking came from the other end of the Den Den Mushi. Marco gave a wry smile and hung up, a hint of worry in his eyes.
Emerging from the back room, Marco gestured for the elite pirates to leave first and scout the area near the beach.
“Kukulin, my Pops wants to see you. As for the exact location, I can’t tell you yet.”
“Fine.”
Su Xiao had already guessed that Whitebeard wouldn’t refuse this meeting. They were about to go to war with the Navy, and with the weapons Su Xiao was providing alone, Whitebeard wouldn’t turn him down.
The group left the tavern. As soon as they stepped outside, Su Xiao’s gaze shot toward the sky, where an unknown species of seabird flew overhead.
“The CP department has arrived.”
“Huh?”
Marco glanced at Su Xiao in surprise, then also looked up at the sky.
“That’s a Devil Fruit user. The CP department’s intelligence transmission is fast—they tracked us down quickly. Jozu, weren’t the CP people still at sea earlier?”
“No mistake, that group was indeed still at sea.”
“Another unit, huh? They’re really clinging tight.”
Marco quickened his pace. Su Xiao remained silent. If he wasn’t mistaken, the CP department was after him. The reason he had left Sabaody so quickly was mainly to avoid fighting the CP department right under the World Government’s nose.
Marco was clearly misunderstanding the situation, but Su Xiao didn’t care about that.
The group hurried to the coast on the other side of the island. The area was overgrown with weeds and dotted with jagged rocks. A three-masted sailing ship was anchored in the nearshore waters, its hull covered in moss and barnacles.
Once aboard, the elite pirates unfurled the sails and adjusted their heading. The three-masted ship slowly sailed into the sea, gradually picking up speed.
Before long, Marco ordered the anchor dropped. The ship stopped, and several pirates, drenched and bearing fresh wounds, climbed aboard using grappling hooks.
“Cough, cough, cough…”
One pirate, just on deck, collapsed into a violent coughing fit, blood spraying from his mouth. His heart and throat had been pierced, two daggers still embedded there—a fatal wound.
“Jo… Jozu, Captain…”
The pirate, wearing a headband and bearing three scars on his face, raised his arm.
“I’m here.”
Jozu crouched in front of the pirate, his large hand gripping the man’s forearm.
“I hid my savings in…”
The headband-wearing pirate fell silent, and no one would ever know where his savings were hidden.
“Got it. I’ll deliver those treasures to your lover. Rest easy.”
Jozu lowered the pirate’s arm, untied the bloodstained headband, soaked it in oil, lit it, and tossed it into the sea.
The Whitebeard Pirates had intercepted the CP department. They had four wounded and six dead. Clearly, the CP intelligence agents hadn’t fared well either.
Marco leaned against the ship’s railing and sighed. The Whitebeard Pirates treated each other like family, but as pirates, life and death were commonplace.
“Those CP people… they were after you, weren’t they?”
The pirate ship cut through the waves. Marco, leaning on the railing, spoke in a low voice. Hearing this, the other pirates turned their gazes to Su Xiao.
Su Xiao patted Amu on the shoulder, signaling it not to eat the ship, and met Marco’s gaze.
“I killed a Celestial Dragon. As the Celestial Dragons’ dogs, of course they’d cling to me relentlessly.”
“…”
Marco didn’t press further. If he dug into this, there’d be no point in meeting Whitebeard—this ship would definitely sink into the sea.
“I’m curious. What drove you to take the risk of killing a Celestial Dragon?”
“What drove me?” Su Xiao smiled faintly. “No particular reason. I felt like killing one, so I did. After I left the research department, the World Government sent people hunting me across the world. I had to respond somehow.”
“Just for that reason?”
“Isn’t that reason enough?”
“…”
Marco and Jozu both fell silent. Izo, in particular, watched Su Xiao warily.
Whitebeard had already reached the latter half of the Grand Line. This wasn’t surprising, though the rumors outside claimed “Whitebeard is still in the New World”—a ruse to mislead the Navy and the other Emperors.
The Navy and the other Emperors suspected as much, but they dared not act rashly. If Whitebeard were truly stationed in the New World, the joke would be on them.
After sailing for about three or four hours, Su Xiao arrived at an unknown sea area. A large ship came into view. Seeing its bow, Su Xiao seemed to spot a giant white whale smiling.
This wasn’t Whitebeard’s Moby Dick. The Moby Dick was still in the New World, used to mislead the other Emperors. Unless Ace’s execution date was near, the Moby Dick wouldn’t leave the New World.
The captain and the ship are one—this was the deep-rooted belief pirates held about the Whitebeard Pirates. Now, with the Moby Dick in the New World and Whitebeard in the first half of the Grand Line, Whitebeard’s clever feint had certainly misled Big Mom and Kaido.
The two ships came alongside. Marco and the others boarded the large vessel first. Soon, only Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, and Amu remained on the three-masted ship.
Su Xiao stepped onto the large ship. On the deck, several hundred pirates stood or sat, all staring at him. If one’s aura wasn’t strong enough, they wouldn’t dare set foot on this ship.
Compared to the bloodlust of an ancient battlefield, these pirates’ gazes were nothing—just a drizzle. Su Xiao walked onto the deck with a calm expression.
The deck was polished clean. Above a few wooden steps near the cabin sat a tall man. His mustache was distinctive, shaped like a white crescent moon. This was one of the New World’s rulers: Whitebeard, Edward Newgate.
Whitebeard was bare-chested, wearing only a pale yellow coat with a red lining. Two electrode pads were attached to his chiseled chest muscles. IV stands flanked him, and several white adhesive patches clung to his thick arms, delivering fluids. Behind him were some small medical devices.
Moreover, an oxygen tube was inserted into Whitebeard’s nostrils, suggesting respiratory issues.
“Kid, my sons tell me you can treat my injuries?”
Whitebeard grinned as he spoke, his laugh both hearty and oppressive.
“That depends on determining your current condition first.”
Ignoring the wary stares of the hundreds of pirates around him, Su Xiao approached Whitebeard. Cyan Steel Shadow energy spread from his feet, climbing up Whitebeard’s right leg and arm, allowing him to sense the man’s state.
Clang, clang, clatter…
The sounds of blades being drawn and weapons clashing followed. Whitebeard raised his arm, stopping the hundreds of pirates from swarming Su Xiao.
“You… are still alive?”
Su Xiao was visibly surprised. Hearing this, Whitebeard placed his hand on his thigh.
A preliminary scan revealed several critical issues in Whitebeard’s body: lung failure (extremely severe), liver dysfunction (extremely severe), severe heart disease (potentially fatal at any moment), and spinal deformation and damage (severely compressing nerves, making it very difficult to lower his head).
Any one of these problems would be fatal to an ordinary person. Yet Whitebeard was still alive, a liquor bottle in hand…