Chapter 12: The Happy Queen
Fourteen hours later, Su Xiao, covered in blood, pushed open the door and walked out of the cabin. The pirates waiting at the entrance immediately surrounded him.
"Doc, how's my old man?"
"Mr. Bai Ye, how is he?"
"Is the old man doing alright now?"
Su Xiao looked at the pirates who had encircled him, their faces full of anxiety. The feeling of being surrounded by worried family members of a patient was palpable.
"It was... somewhat successful."
Su Xiao's words made the pirates' hearts sink. Some continued to press for answers.
"Don't crowd me."
"Uh~"
Such a fierce doctor made most of the pirates instinctively take a step back. Su Xiao walked to the side of the deck, lit a cigarette.
The surgery could only be considered barely successful. The problems with major organs like the heart, lungs, and spine were resolved, but the aftereffects of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit were something Su Xiao couldn't fix. Those were injuries accumulated over many years. Unless Su Xiao helped Whitebeard recuperate for at least a month, a full recovery was impossible; at best, he could suppress the condition for a while.
Time passed quickly. Nearly twenty hours later, the cabin door was pushed open again. Whitebeard, his upper body wrapped in bandages and having removed the breathing assistance device, walked out.
He pressed a hand to the back of his neck, trying to slowly turn and lower his head. Before, his spine had felt rusted shut, stiff and rigid. Now, he felt as if lubrication had been applied between his vertebrae; turning was natural and smooth.
More importantly, Whitebeard experienced the feeling of breathing freely. The slightly salty, fishy sea breeze entered his lungs, and the oppressive tightness in his chest was gone. His lungs were working normally again.
Whitebeard grabbed the naginata leaning against the cabin and thumped its butt against the deck.
Boom!
A shockwave of air spread out. Just standing there, Whitebeard exuded an overwhelmingly powerful pressure.
"You'd better go back to the cabin and lie down for two or three days. The ancient secret medicine only healed the external surgical trauma."
Although Su Xiao's words weren't pleasant, they were the truth. Whitebeard didn't mind Su Xiao's attitude. He had come out of the cabin to give his sons confidence, essentially saying: 'Your old man is recovered, don't worry, saving Ace won't be a problem.'
"Old man, you should rest first."
Marco quickly stepped forward, his face unable to hide his joy. He didn't understand medicine, but he could see Whitebeard's condition with his own eyes.
"Don't worry, I haven't felt this relaxed in a long time. Go get some wine..."
Whitebeard was in a good mood. He felt like he had returned to the state he was in ten, even twenty years ago.
"Considering your current physical condition, drinking alcohol will only prolong your bed rest."
Su Xiao's voice came again. Marco quickly stepped forward.
"Old man, you should rest first."
"Yeah, old man. Mr. Bai Ye is a doctor; his words must make sense."
"..."
Whitebeard was silent for a moment, then grinned. While the others were still talking in low voices, he looked at Su Xiao, who was outside the crowd.
Su Xiao's mouth opened, and he silently said something. Whitebeard turned and went back into the cabin.
Bubu Wang came to Su Xiao's side, rubbing against his leg, asking what he had said to Whitebeard. He was curious.
"I told him that if he doesn't engage in intense battles, he can live at least another five to seven years."
Su Xiao exhaled a puff of smoke. He was now very curious about one thing: how would the Marines deal with Whitebeard in this state?
When Whitebeard was terminally ill and on the verge of death, he had still beaten Akainu black and blue. If not for a heart attack during the battle and the extreme difficulty of lowering his head, Akainu would definitely have been beaten to death by Whitebeard.
But now, with Whitebeard, after resting for two or three days, when the battle starts, he'll be stepping on Akainu, punching Kizaru, and skewering Aokiji with his naginata.
Earlier, when Su Xiao completed Whitebeard's surgery, a notification appeared.
[Notification: The Hunter has helped Edward Newgate recover 96.7% of his condition. You have received a special reward.]
[When the Paramount War plot event is triggered, the Hunter will receive 25% of the rewards from any units killed by Whitebeard.]
[Due to the Hunter's actions in treating Whitebeard, the difficulty of missions for contractors in the Marine faction has been significantly increased.]
[Announcement: Edward Newgate's condition has recovered to over 90%. All contractors should proceed with caution on subsequent missions.]
As soon as this announcement, visible to all contractors, appeared, the public world communication platform exploded.
Sipes (Rogue): "Holy shit!! Who did this? Who!?"
T-Bone (United Merchant Guild): "Selling recovery items and high-power disposable items. Interested parties, meet at Marine Headquarters."
Huayu (Rogue): "Can I interpret this as Whitebeard returning to his prime? Who did this? I send my warmest regards to your entire family!"
Luoluo (Wanderer Adventure Group): "The difficulty of the mission to join Whitebeard's faction... has tripled."
...
The communication platform was filled with curses. Most contractors had previously chosen to join the Marine faction, since the Marines had the advantage in the Paramount War, and many wanted to profit from Whitebeard's death.
Su Xiao closed the communication platform. He wasn't in the habit of getting cursed at, and arguing with those people was even less likely.
"Mr. Bai Ye."
Marco came to the ship's railing. This time, his address of "Mr. Bai Ye" was noticeably more natural.
"The promised reward will be here in a few days. You can stay on our ship until then. There will be absolutely no problem with the reward. I guarantee it on the flag of Whitebeard."
Marco scratched his yellow pineapple-shaped hair. Seeing Whitebeard in such good condition while the reward hadn't arrived yet made him a bit embarrassed.
"Regarding the reward, give me a Den Den Mushi. When your ship reaches the Grand Line, you can notify me in advance, and I'll come to collect it."
Su Xiao wasn't worried about the Whitebeard Pirates defaulting on the debt, whether in terms of reputation or "physical enforcement measures."
"This..."
Marco hesitated. Su Xiao already knew quite a bit of information about the Whitebeard Pirates. Letting him leave now seemed somewhat inappropriate.
Just as Marco was hesitating, a short fish-man ran over and whispered something to him.
"Where does Mr. Bai Ye want to go? We'll sail you there."
Clearly, Whitebeard had instructed Marco on something.
"Da Tan Ao."
"Going back there?!"
Marco couldn't understand why Su Xiao would return to Da Tan Ao Island. They had already been discovered by the CP department there.
"Alright then, I'll arrange a ship. Take this Den Den Mushi, Mr. Bai Ye. You can contact me anytime."
Soon, a three-masted sailing ship arrived and pulled alongside the larger vessel. Just as Su Xiao stepped onto the smaller ship, the cabin door of the larger ship was pushed open.
"Kukulin."
Whitebeard's voice came. Su Xiao turned to look at him. A bottle of wine flew through the air. Su Xiao raised his hand and caught it.
[You have obtained 'Margaux Yaga (Epic Rank)'.]
[Margaux Yaga]
Origin: One Piece (Unique)
Quality: Epic Rank
Type: Red Wine (Origin location has sunk, 2 bottles remaining in existence)
Effect: No beneficial effects. This is a luxury item (including regions like the Void).
Rating: 684 points (Epic rank item rating is 530–700 points).
Introduction: For a sommelier or someone who loves wine to the point of obsession, Margaux Yaga is the whole world.
Selling Price: 560,000 Paradise Coins (Price exceeds 99% of Epic rank items).
...
Su Xiao looked at the wine in his hand. The paper label on the bottle had fine tears at the edges, the mouth was sealed with a cork, and the liquid inside reflected an enticing red glow in the sunlight.
[Margaux Yaga] had no beneficial effects. Was that garbage for an Epic rank item? Not at all. The lack of any effect was actually quite remarkable, indicating that this bottle of wine had reached Epic rank purely through its rarity and quality.
Whitebeard didn't say any words of thanks. Clearly, this bottle of wine was an additional reward.
Su Xiao put [Margaux Yaga] into his storage space. This item was very precious. When negotiating with some powerful individuals who were addicted to alcohol, its value would far exceed that of an ordinary Epic rank item.
The three-masted ship set sail. The large ship carrying Whitebeard gradually disappeared from Su Xiao's sight. Whitebeard, Marco, and Jozu all stood in front of the cabin, watching Su Xiao leave. These were all pirates who valued loyalty and friendship.
Four hours later, Su Xiao set foot on Da Tan Ao Island, a tourist island famous for its flesh trade.
At the same time, in the central area of Da Tan Ao Island, inside a room filled with steam, a naked woman who was undergoing skin care sat up. Her wet, golden hair tips clung to her neck. She picked up a photo that had suddenly appeared beside her hand.
"This plague... why is he back?"
The woman's brow was furrowed. She was the Queen of the Pleasure District, Stussy, one of the underworld's leaders. Seemingly connected to the Revolutionary Army, she was actually a member of CP0, a multi-layered spy. Earlier, when Su Xiao and Marco were discovered by the CP department, it was she who had secretly manipulated things behind the scenes.
Cultivation
Stop cultivating. No update today. Six updates tomorrow to make up for it. The biggest problem feels like insomnia, then sleeping later and later, and finally daily cultivation. The phone is indeed the root of all evil. A look of despair.
When Gu Jiujiu came to find Nie Shen, Nie Shen was quite surprised, after all, she didn't come looking for him often.
That night, Yan You finally couldn't help but dial Yi Jin's phone. The other end indicated it was turned off. Yan You bit her lip and thought for a moment, then dialed the number for his office.
He Xiuren looked at Nanyu lying on the hospital bed seriously complaining, and somehow suddenly felt like laughing.
"Brother Long, I really don't understand." Tang Xuan Ye struggled for a long time, sweating profusely, but ultimately chose to give up.
I know she deliberately sent Qi Yue away. The expression on Qi Yue's face when he saw her just now was very surprised, indicating that Qi Yue didn't know she was coming.
These words seemed to hit a nerve. He suddenly pulled me down, wrapped his arms around me, fiercely pressed his lips to mine, kissing like a madman, devouring me.
Nanyu rolled her eyes. Who was jealous of He Xiuren? She was just angry at Tang Huai Jin for treating her differently.
"Song Yuyan, what about you? Will you tell me the truth?" She looked at him, asking very seriously.
Don't look at Wei Shan as proud and elegant on the surface. Deep down, she was full of unease.
Lin Jingde nodded and walked into the middle of the soldiers. Although he was still forcing a smile, at least he no longer looked so lonely.
The white light was similar to the black light, except it emitted a scorching warmth. This warmth was hotter than volcanic magma. However, with the black light beside it, the two extreme temperatures actually neutralized each other, cancelling out to a normal level.
Di Renjie hesitated for a moment, then returned to the room. Qian Yi tugged at his clothes. Wherever Di Renjie walked, she followed, her gaze hollow, tightly clinging to him.
After a short while, several grass-like plants grew to about two feet tall. Gu Chen thought they would stop growing, but those plants showed no sign of stopping, still rapidly thickening and growing taller. He was startled, took a few steps back, and stared blankly at the changes before him.
The constable naturally didn't have Li Yifu's thoughts and schemes. He only tied up the person and then cupped his hands to bid farewell to Li Yifu.
And he specifically instructed himself that he could only open those ingenious strategies at the critical moment of extreme danger.
The dried corpses outside the cave shattered one by one, while the dried corpses that hadn't crawled out of the cave all fell to the ground. The faint green light in their eyes instantly dimmed, becoming hollow, like lifeless objects.
Ming Xin arrived at Ming Si's embrace and suddenly stopped crying. She reached out her hands and desperately tugged at Ming Si's clothes, looking like she wanted to climb onto him.
Nangong Zhuohua was unconcerned upon hearing this. He raised an eyebrow, looked at Chu Xiangsi with a playful smile, looked her up and down, and said meaningfully.
He held a tray in his hand, on which was placed a stewing pot and a steaming bowl of fish and meat congee.
An old man gathered ten percent of his strength in his palm, meeting Jun Wuji's domineering and violent attack.
After Hong Qiang and Yu Jianqiang exchanged a few more pleasantries, the door to the luxurious private room was opened.
Seeing Jiang Meiting's happy and carefree appearance, Tong Tian could finally relax. After all, problems that could be solved with money weren't problems at all.
Just as he pulled out his phone and logged into QQ, a series of message notification sounds suddenly rang in his ears. Lu You was stunned for a moment, then looked at the nickname of the person sending the message on the phone screen.