Hearing Marco's words, Luo Fan couldn't help but think of the three sisters of Amazon Lily in the future, especially Boa Hancock.
Hancock would become the Empress of Amazon Lily and one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea in the future. Logically, she would control a significant amount of resources. Yet, despite having so many resources at her disposal, Hancock was never able to remove the Celestial Dragons' Slave mark.
Hancock was different from Noy; Noy didn't have such a strong obsession with the mark, whereas Hancock loathed it with every fiber of her being.
But she was never able to eliminate it. If a mark couldn't be resolved even with the power of an entire nation, how could Marco possibly fix it alone?
Thinking of this, Luo Fan said, "Marco, I think the Celestial Dragons' Slave mark must have been branded using something special; it's not that easy to remove. Noy doesn't care much about it, so you don't need to dwell on this matter too much."
"Mr. Marco, Luo Fan is right. I've already gotten used to the existence of this mark. Now that I've learned Life Return, I can control the hair on my body.
When I transform into my cat form, the fur covers the mark. In my human form, I can just wear clothes that cover my back. Whether the mark is there or not doesn't really matter."
After hearing Noy's words, Marco's appreciation for her grew even more.
To most people, the Celestial Dragons' Slave mark was a badge of immense shame. Those branded with it would be looked down upon by others, and might even feel inferior themselves.
But Noy didn't. Her mindset had always been peaceful, and she didn't feel the slightest bit of self-loathing because of it. This strength of character was already superior to many people.
"Luo Fan, Noy is a very good girl. You should seize the opportunity."
Luo Fan: "→_→"
After the two men and the cat chatted for a while, Marco suddenly asked Noy, "Luo Fan and I are going to the North Blue. Do you want to come along?"
Noy didn't give Marco a direct answer, but instead looked down at Luo Fan.
Luo Fan leaped onto Noy's shoulder and said casually, "Don't look at me. Whether you want to come with us or not, you should make the decision yourself."
Noy thought about it and decided to go along and see.
Luo Fan and Noy returned to Shakky's Tavern and set off with Marco that very evening.
Marco transformed into his Phoenix Form, while Luo Fan and Noy, in her cat form, sat on Marco's back.
At first, Noy was a bit scared; after all, Marco was covered in burning blue flames, which looked quite intimidating.
But after making contact, Noy realized that the fire on Marco's body wasn't hot at all, and she finally felt at ease.
With Marco's speed, it took only half a day to reach the location in the North Blue where Whitey Bay had called for help. However, when Marco arrived, there were no ships left, only some wooden planks floating on the sea.
Marco's heart tightened, and he quickly said to Luo Fan, "Luo Fan, let's split Up and search for the location of the Whitey Bay Pirate Crew."
Luo Fan nodded, told Noy to stay on Marco's back and not move around, then manifested wings and began searching the nearby waters with Marco.
The man and the cat searched a wide area and finally found a young man who was unconscious, clinging to a wooden plank.
Luo Fan signaled Marco, who immediately rushed over. After some investigation, Marco found that the person didn't have Pops' mark on him, meaning he wasn't one of Whitey Bay's crew members.
The young man's physical condition was simply a matter of exhaustion.
Marco used the Phoenix flames to stimulate him slightly, and the young man woke Up. As soon as he saw Marco, his already pale face turned even whiter.
"Do you recognize me?" Marco asked coldly.
The young man swallowed hard and gave a stiff nod.
"Since you recognize me, then you should know my purpose. Speak! Where is Whitey Bay?"
"I... I don't know."
Hearing this, the flames on Marco's body flickered.
The young man was almost scared to tears and hurriedly said, "I... I really don't know. I swear, they were still fine there before I was knocked unconscious."
"Who knocked you out? Whitey Bay?" Luo Fan asked from the side.
"T-this... I don't know either. All I remember was a loud bang, and then I passed out."
Marco and Luo Fan exchanged a look, confirming with their eyes: he was definitely useless.
They didn't bother wasting any more time on the young man and ascended back into the sky to continue searching for traces of Whitey Bay.
Unfortunately, they searched the entire surrounding sea area, but the two of them still couldn't find where Whitey Bay was.
"There's no sign of Whitey Bay in this sea area. Could something have happened to her?" Marco asked anxiously.
"Probably not. Although we don't know who Whitey Bay clashed with, they shouldn't be bold enough to lay a hand on her knowing she's Pops' daughter.
Pops' wrath isn't something just anyone can withstand," Luo Fan comforted.
"Then where did Whitey Bay and the others go?"
"I don't know, but searching like this with just the two of us isn't going to work. The North Blue is too big; we need to find a helper."
"Are you talking about Donquixote Doflamingo?"
"Yeah. I've heard that Mingo has been developing well in the North Blue over the past two years. A perfect tool should be used when available."
Marco thought about it and felt that Luo Fan's words made sense, so he flew towards the Donquixote Family's base.
Four years had passed since the last time Luo Fan and Marco came to the North Blue. During these four years, Doflamingo's power had grown rapidly. In the entire North Blue, the Donquixote Family was the most powerful force, second only to the Vinsmoke Family.
The expansion of his power caused Doflamingo's confidence to swell. He changed the policy he had previously agreed upon with Luo Fan and began to directly provoke the Vinsmoke Family, with conflicts occurring between the two sides from time to time.
When Luo Fan and Marco reached the Donquixote Family's sphere of influence, they happened to encounter ships from the Donquixote Family and the Vinsmoke Family engaged in a firefight.
Anxious to find Doflamingo, Marco said directly to Luo Fan, "Luo Fan, take out the Vinsmoke Family's ship. Don't waste our time."
Luo Fan nodded and transformed into his Cat Sword Form. Four Flying Slashes struck down from the sky, instantly slicing the Vinsmoke ship into five segments.
The sudden assistance gave the members of the Donquixote Family quite a shock.
It wasn't until Marco flapped his wings and landed on the Donquixote Family's ship that the crew members breathed a sigh of relief.
As soon as the crew saw the Whitebeard Pirates' mark on Marco's chest, they understood that members of the Whitebeard Pirates had helped them.
The flag of the Whitebeard Pirates still hung at the Donquixote Family's headquarters to this day, so the crew on the Donquixote ship didn't find it strange to see the Whitebeard Pirates lending a hand.
Accompanied by cheers, everyone on board began to salvage the treasures from the Vinsmoke ship and capture the prisoners who had fallen into the sea.