"Th-This… is this me?" Bai Hezi stared at her hands. Her fingers looked like claws now, coated in black scales.
No one present was stupid.
Arthur was screaming inside his head: Mythical Zoan—Mythical Zoan! He even has a Mythical Zoan!
Kuro sipped his coffee and spoke lightly:
"A Mythical Zoan—demon form. That's a real prize."
Everyone else looked at Bai Hezi with envy.
A Mythical Zoan… there were only a handful on the seas.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku. Emperor Kaido. Whitebeard's Marco.
If a Mythical Zoan fruit appeared on the market, it would trigger a war—an all-out bloodbath.
"So cool—so cute, Bai Hezi!" Uta's eyes sparkled as she stared at her best friend.
White Ghost thought for a moment, then took out Enma and handed it to Bai Hezi.
"Try it."
"B-But I already have Ame no Habakiri, White-bro…"
"Take it. Try it," White Ghost said, leaving no room for refusal.
"O-Okay!" Bai Hezi obediently accepted Enma and drew it.
Humm—
A stream of dark-green energy poured out of Bai Hezi and wrapped around Enma.
White Ghost's eyelid twitched.
So it really is like this…
"Mythical power comes with its own demonic aura."
Bai Hezi froze, then raised Enma level toward the sea.
Whoosh—!
A green sword wave slid out and flew straight into the distance.
Ain stared at the slash, then at Bai Hezi.
"She broke through to Sword Master the moment she ate the fruit?"
"That's normal," White Ghost said.
"She was already at the peak for a swordsman—just missing that last thread. The Mythical Zoan filled the gap. Breaking through is only natural."
Bai Hezi drew Ame no Habakiri as well and crossed both blades.
"Two-Sword Style: Demon Oni Slash!"
Slash—!
Crossed green sword energy carved open the sea. The range wasn't huge, but the power was unmistakable.
Then Bai Hezi beat her wings and skimmed low over the ocean, repeatedly testing her movement—getting used to her new power while adapting to her newly advanced sword path.
White Ghost smiled as he watched.
"Ain. Later, teach her two-sword style properly. I'm a great swordsman, but my route is different."
Ain smiled and nodded.
She genuinely liked this younger sister—who wouldn't?
Then suddenly—
Ain reached out and pinched the soft spot at White Ghost's waist, glaring fiercely.
"Easy—easy! What now, miss?" White Ghost sighed.
"Don't you even think about messing with Bai Hezi. She's still young—she's only fifteen!"
"You think I'm that kind of person?" White Ghost protested.
He slid an arm around Ain's waist.
"With you all around, do you really think I'd act like some starving animal?"
"Hmph!" Ain's face reddened. She released his waist, still puffed up with anger.
"And I still haven't settled things with you about the squirrel," she added, voice sharp—but more like a warning than a threat.
The others had already scattered—when the captain's personal matters came up, it was safest not to listen.
Elena walked over too, expression unfriendly.
"The squirrel… we're letting it go," she said. "But Uta and Bai Hezi—don't cross the line while they're still growing up."
Stella came over as well, still wearing her gentle smile.
Behind them, Uta's face went bright red and she hurried away—pulling the squirrel mink along with her.
Uta seemed to have remembered something and got even more embarrassed.
And as always, the squirrel mink was especially easy to fluster.
"Alright, alright," White Ghost surrendered quickly.
He drew the three of them close.
"I'll listen."
"Pervert," Elena muttered—struggling half-heartedly, then relaxing.
When Bai Hezi's stamina finally ran low, she flew back to change clothes. Everyone returned to their tasks.
Uta, Brook, and Gordon were rehearsing a song White Ghost had given them—"mOnSterS"—planning to have Uta sing it at the next concert.
As for Brook…
For some reason, that skeleton actually managed to recreate the song he wrote for Luffy in the original story.
Late at night, they stopped at a small island and held a banquet.
Wanda's cooking had gotten better and better.
She accepted the praise calmly.
In her words: everyone had their job to do. Even though she was counted as combat personnel, she somehow ended up loving cooking.
At first she learned from Stella. On Sabaody, after training, she'd seek out skilled chefs and ask for advice.
Of course, some people saw "female mink" and tried to get ideas.
Most of those people ended up as fish food.
Contena did the cleanup.
Later, when White Ghost heard that people kept targeting his crew, he exploded with rage and swept Sabaody with Marines, wiping out those scum.
For a time, Sabaody turned tense and fearful.
It wasn't that no one resisted—those who did also became fish food.
White Ghost made it clear: people like that didn't deserve prison.
Especially the lawless zones—Districts 1 to 29—full of traffickers, pirates, gangs, and filth of every kind.
White Ghost led a slaughter through it all—no exceptions.
No one knew how many died.
The forces behind them raged and threatened revenge. Their "action" was bribery—paying World Government officials to pressure White Ghost.
White Ghost didn't care at all.
In the end, the pressure went to Marine HQ.
Sengoku promised over the phone that he would "punish White Ghost severely," then hung up and kept eating crackers and drinking tea—one bite for him, one bite for his goat.
Only when the Celestial Dragons began pressuring the Marines did Sengoku finally call White Ghost and tell him: That's enough.
After that things quieted down—only for a while.
You could never kill them all.
For now, White Ghost's crew held their banquet, listened to Uta sing "mOnSterS," and lived comfortably.
In a dark corner, Arthur spoke into a Den Den Mushi.
"A Mythical Zoan?" Sengoku murmured on the other end. He already knew about the Ancient Zoans and Paramecias—but the Mythical Zoan surprised him.
"Keep infiltrating," Sengoku said. "And protect yourself first."
In another shadowed corner, Kuro quietly left.
When he returned to the banquet, he sat beside White Ghost and drank.
White Ghost spoke before Kuro could.
"I know. Don't bother reporting it."
"Once Bai Hezi fights seriously, this kind of information will leak sooner or later."
"What matters is—Sengoku doesn't know our biggest secret. That's enough."
Kuro adjusted his glasses.
"Your Observation Haki reaches that far?"
"Mm." White Ghost took a sip.
"After I gained lightning power, my Observation mutated. If I want, sensing an entire island isn't a problem."
"You can sense it," Kuro said, skeptical. "But how do you know it's Sengoku?"
"I ruled out the World Government and that other group," White Ghost said.
"Then I thought about it—no one else truly needs to plant a piece beside me."
"Doflamingo won't. We're in a mutual-blackmail balance."
"I know his secret; he knows some of mine. Unless we fully fall out, neither of us will rip off the mask."
"As for the kings of the underworld… they don't even take me seriously."
"So in the end, it can only be Sengoku."
"He planted pieces early. He's been wary of me since long ago, because inside the Marines I was an unstable factor."
"If he can't keep eyes on me, he won't sleep well."
Kuro drank and spoke with disgust.
"So this is why you hate politics. Dirty."
Arthur returned at that moment.
Kuro invited him over for a drink.
Arthur walked over, pretending to be embarrassed, and drank with them.
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