Chapter 213: Whitebeard's Gene Therapy Potion
If Marine Headquarters successfully hunted the Corrupted Lord and gained strength, the Four Emperors would undoubtedly become their next target.
The reverse was also true.
If Whitebeard obtained a large number of reward points and bolstered his power, peaceful coexistence with Marine Headquarters would be impossible.
And as for the World Government, their only goal upon gaining an advantage would be to enslave the world.
Thus,
the Red-Haired Pirates had decided to join the battle and secure the reward points and rule-based items that would drop upon the Corrupted Lord's defeat.
"So in the end, you're here to snatch the Lord kill for yourself, Red-Haired Shanks!"
Sengoku's expression darkened—things were unfolding exactly as he feared.
If Marine Headquarters failed to obtain the first family token, they'd be at a huge disadvantage when facing the World Government.
Plenty within the Navy remained loyal to the World Government.
The Navy wasn't a unified force.
If the World Government got the family token first, the Navy could be fractured in an instant.
That was an outcome Sengoku couldn't allow.
"If you put it that way, then sure."
Shanks responded openly, showing no guilt.
That was his nature. Though a Four Emperor, he lived freely, sailing and adventuring without seeking control over islands or expanding territory.
No schemes.
He said what he thought, then set sail the very next moment.
When he saw the chaos caused by the Reincarnation Game, he had wanted to resolve it.
When he realized it couldn't be resolved, he decided instead to seize control of the source of the chaos—so he could, in effect, contain it.
It was that simple.
"Then prepare to face the wrath of the Navy, Red-Haired Shanks."
With that, Sengoku had essentially declared war.
Shanks was no ordinary pirate.
Sengoku had long since recognized that. After Roger's execution, Shanks was the man who most resembled the Pirate King—perhaps the one closest to that throne.
If it were anyone else,
even Whitebeard, Sengoku would never believe they weren't tempted by the Reincarnation Game's offerings.
But with Shanks, he believed it.
Still,
belief or not, for the sake of the Navy's stability and preventing a total collapse of its forces, Sengoku had to secure the family token no matter what.
"Garp, get your ass back to the warship!"
Sengoku's roar echoed through the Den Den Mushi.
"Don't be so hasty, Sengoku. I haven't even finished my senbei…"
Garp hadn't even finished speaking when he heard a familiar crunching sound from the other end.
The sound of crispy senbei being dumped on the floor and stomped to bits.
"You bastard! Stop that right now!"
Garp swore at the Fleet Admiral, instantly leaping up and leaving the Red Force.
That sly strategist really knew how to target his weaknesses.
Years of friendship—crumbled like the snacks beneath Sengoku's boots.
On the deck of the Red Force,
Whitebeard remained seated, alongside First Division Commander Marco the Phoenix, who looked like his heart would leap out of his chest every time Whitebeard took a swig of alcohol.
But he understood this was a meeting between two emperor-level figures. He had no right to intervene.
"Damn it… old man just used this meetup as an excuse to drink, didn't he?"
Marco glared at Whitebeard.
His injuries meant he absolutely shouldn't be drinking, and even medicinal wines had to be dosed carefully.
"The Corrupted Lord won't be handed over to anyone, kid!"
"More importantly, there's something I need to deal with… concerning Ace and Blackbeard Teach…"
"This isn't something outsiders get to interfere with. Teach committed a crime beyond forgiveness—he will pay."
Tossing aside his wine bowl, Whitebeard stood and left the Red Force as well.
Back aboard the Moby Dick, he toyed with the Contract Fruit in his hand.
These contract missions meant little to the world's strongest man.
[Contract Mission (5/5)]
Objective: Submit a depleted gold vein from Fortwiton Island.
Reward: Gene Therapy Potion ×1
"A therapy potion?"
Whitebeard raised an eyebrow.
On their journey to the East Blue, they'd encountered several player pirates who had found Contract Fruits.
Marco had asked a few for recovery potions out of curiosity.
Though they did help delay his deterioration, they hadn't lived up to expectations.
His condition wasn't caused by ordinary blades or bullets.
It was more like a persistent damage-over-time debuff. Even if his HP was restored to full, it would still slowly drain away.
A gene therapy potion might sound different, but he doubted it could do much more.
The depleted gold vein from Fortwiton Island disappeared—
clink.
A dark green, round glass bottle dropped onto the deck.
Whitebeard picked it up and drank the gene therapy potion in one gulp.
"Well? How is it, Pops?"
Marco took the empty bottle and sniffed it. No strange smell.
He looked a little disappointed.
The earlier potions couldn't cure Whitebeard's condition, though they were more effective than what the doctors in the pirate world could brew.
There was no need to hang IVs for hours—just a single Life Recovery Potion could keep the old man energized for two full days.
As the ship's doctor, Marco wanted to analyze the components of the Reincarnation Game's medicines to create better treatments.
"Feels alright, nothi—"
Whitebeard froze mid-sentence. Even the crescent-shaped mustache on his face curled upward.
The gene therapy potion burned down his throat like molten magma, scorching him from the inside.
He initially feared it was poison—
but then the heat spread like lava, and the organs that had been in pain for years suddenly felt as though they were being reforged.
"Pops!"
Marco rushed over, worried, trying to assess his condition.
But Whitebeard gently pushed him away.
After about thirty seconds, he exhaled deeply—then burst into laughter.
"I'm fine! I haven't felt this light in years—what a rush!"
Suddenly,
he grabbed Murakumogiri and swung it toward the sky.
BOOM.
Haki-charged lightning arced through the heavens, as if cleaving the sky itself.
With the power of the Gura Gura no Mi embedded within, the shockwave resembled shattered mirrors stretching all the way to the clouds.
"That old monster… he's not even a player, and yet he has power like that?"
Not far from Death Island, on a small island,
Doflamingo stood watching the remains of his shredded Birdcage. His grin twisted with awe and fear.
If this had been before he became a player,
an attack like that would've turned him to dust.
But now—with Puppetmaster energy and puppet-thread control—he had finally reached the level where he could stand on the same tier as the world's strongest man.
"Lord Doflamingo…"
In his ears were the sobs of hundreds of pirate players under his control.
They had been pulled to the island by puppet threads.
But now, even though Doflamingo had released the strings, none of them dared leave.
Maybe it was fear of death.
Maybe fear of capture by the Marines.
Or maybe… it was recognition of the kingly aura Doflamingo now exuded.
"We want to join the Donquixote Family!"
Countless pirates knelt before him.
Doflamingo grinned.
"Excellent. Then go out there and kill to your heart's content."
Get 30% off on my Patreon and enjoy early access to new chapters.
You can also purchase the next 100 chapters of the novel directly from my Patreon page.
Hurry up! The promotion ends on January 2, 2026.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Franklin1