Half an hour later, the churning intoxication in Whitebeard's body gradually subsided.
When he clearly saw Setsuna standing before him, clothes slightly disheveled but still smiling, and the dumbfounded crew around them, this usually bold Emperor showed a rare hint of embarrassment.
"Gurararara..." Whitebeard chuckled dryly, rubbing the back of his head. He glanced somewhat awkwardly at the damaged deck and the masts shattered by his drunken outburst. "Little Setsuna, the wine you brought really packs a punch!"
He turned and shouted to Marco, "Boys! Prepare a feast! Today, we'll entertain our distinguished guest properly!"
At Whitebeard's command, the Moby Dick immediately sprang into action.
Thatch led the chef team in setting up a huge barbecue grill. Jozu hauled out barrels of fine, aged wine. Vista directed the crew in arranging tables and chairs on the deck.
Soon, lavish seafood barbecue, fresh fruits, and wine covered the long tables. The atmosphere of the feast grew lively.
After several rounds of drinks, Whitebeard's sharp eyes narrowed slightly. Seizing the wine's effect, he asked again, "Little Setsuna, you didn't come just to drink with me today, did you?"
Setsuna set down his wine glass, smiling. "I do have two purposes for this visit. First, I hope to cooperate with the islands under your banner to promote IGO's agricultural technologies."
He then began elaborating his ideas in detail… from improving crop varieties to increase yield, to establishing a fair food distribution system, to developing deep-processing industrial chains for each island's unique agricultural products.
"...By establishing such a circular system, each island can become self-sufficient while developing its specialty industries..." Setsuna spoke eloquently.
"Zzzz… Zzzz…" A loud snore interrupted him.
Setsuna looked up. Whitebeard was already asleep, leaning back in his chair, a large bubble hanging from his nostril.
"Captain Newgate?" Setsuna called softly.
The bubble on Whitebeard's nostril burst with a pop. He blinked blankly, dazed for a moment before suddenly bursting into laughter. "Gurararara! Excellent ideas! I agree! Go ahead and do whatever you want."
Setsuna knew full well he hadn't listened at all, but it didn't matter. He smiled and continued, "The second matter: I hope you can help me search for a certain Devil Fruit."
Setsuna took out an old Devil Fruit encyclopedia from his robes. The parchment cover had yellowed with age.
Flipping to a certain page with practiced ease, Setsuna pointed to a fruit resembling a pineapple, with purple spiral patterns. "This one. The Logia-type Yami Yami no Mi."
On the periphery of the crowd, Teach, who had been happily watching the show, felt his pupils contract sharply. His mind was thrown into chaos. 'Why does he want the Yami Yami no Mi?!'
Setsuna smiled, saying, "If you obtain this fruit, please prioritize selling it to me. I'm willing to pay a high price."
Marco's tone was lazy. "A top-tier Devil Fruit like that isn't something money can measure. Why should we sell it to you? Surely not just because Captain Setsuna has a big enough reputation?"
Unfazed, Setsuna chuckled lightly. "What if... I can cure your captain's injuries and illness?"
These words exploded like thunder in the banquet hall. The previously noisy hall instantly fell silent.
Marco rarely dropped his nonchalant expression, saying very seriously, "If you can truly cure Oyaji, the entire Whitebeard Pirates will consider you a benefactor. We will definitely search for the Yami Yami no Mi with all our might."
No one objected. Everyone looked at Setsuna eagerly. As sons, no one wished more for their father's recovery than they did.
Even Whitebeard himself looked forward to it. Not to regain his strength or anything, but simply to eat and drink heartily again.
If not for his sons' insistence, he would have long stopped the IV drips.
Setsuna walked before Whitebeard, placing his fingertips on his wrist.
As a top-tier martial artist, Setsuna's study of the human body's mysteries was no less than any famous doctor's.
Back in the Naruto World, he had helped Might Duy recuperate from hidden injuries. But Whitebeard's physique was far larger than Might Duy's, and the situation was even more complex.
After a thorough examination, Setsuna withdrew his right hand. "Garp, Sengoku, Rayleigh are all older than you, yet they remain hale and hearty. Your injuries are mostly hidden damage caused by the Gura Gura no Mi's backlash. Every time you use its power, it causes microscopic damage to your body. Accumulated over the years, it became a chronic illness."
Whitebeard laughed heartily. "Gurararara! A pirate's life is lived on the edge. If I didn't use my power, I might have died long ago. What's a little injury?"
Setsuna naturally didn't believe him. Given Whitebeard's strength, the Gura Gura no Mi was just the icing on the cake.
"Endure the pain. I'll begin treatment."
"Brat, are you looking down on me? A little pain is nothing... Hiss!"
Setsuna tapped dozens of major acupoints on Whitebeard's body. Back then, Might Duy only spat out a mouthful of black blood. For Whitebeard, black blood sprayed from every pore, like a black-blood fountain.
Even Whitebeard's willpower couldn't stop him from gritting his teeth from the intense pain.
"Oyaji!" All the commanders watched worriedly.
If not for the earlier misunderstanding, they might have rushed forward to protect their father.
Whitebeard sprayed black blood for over twenty seconds before finally stopping. He let out a relieved groan.
Setsuna said gravely, "Too much stagnant, hidden injury accumulated in your body. Though I've expelled all the stagnant blood, your body is still in a depleted state."
Then, Setsuna looked at Marco and the others. "I need to extract a portion of life energy from you to replenish him. However, those who lose life energy will be weakened for a period."
Though not entirely clear what 'life energy' meant, the commanders and crew members all crowded forward eagerly.
"Use mine! I wake up with morning wood every day! My life energy is the strongest!"
"Let me! I can handle ten women a night! If Oyaji uses my energy, he'll definitely regain his vitality!"
"I... I'm still a virgin. My life energy must be the purest!"
Whitebeard frowned deeply. "Using my sons' life energy to heal me? What kind of talk is that? It's just a depleted body. Just drink more wine—"
"Shut up! Are you the doctor or am I?" Setsuna rebuked without courtesy. "They won't die! They'll just be weak for a few days! If you hesitate now, you'll only make things worse! Do you want to hurry up and die, leaving your sons to be captured by the Marines?"
The corner of Whitebeard's mouth twitched slightly. It had been many years since someone last scolded him like this.
He opened his mouth to retort but found no words. Finally, he could only grab a piece of roast meat angrily and take a fierce bite. "Can't I at least eat meat then?"
Setsuna's expression immediately softened, even carrying a hint of approval. "Eating meat is good. You should eat lots of meat."
This dramatic scene left everyone in the Whitebeard Pirates dumbfounded, 'Oyaji actually backed down?'
Recalling the papers saying Big Mom was also very convinced by Setsuna, they couldn't help but wonder: 'Did this [Gluttony King] possess some special ability effective against elderly people?'