Extra chapter."Tell us, Whitey, who has caught your eye?"
"There haven't been any notable young figures in the East Blue recently, have there?"
Whitebeard, uncertain, looked towards Marco.
"You're right, Dad. There haven't been any famous newcomers in the East Blue lately."
Marco nodded in agreement.
"Could it be someone other than a pirate?"
"Whitey Bay, come on, tell us. Who is it that you've taken a liking to?"
Whitebeard asked with curiosity, while the other members of the Whitebeard Pirates also perked up their ears, eager to hear Whitey Bay mention her "beloved."
"Sorry, Dad. I can't share much about him right now. But don't worry, I'll introduce him to you and everyone when the time is right," Whitey Bay responded.
"Guuurararara, alright then, I'll take your word for it. Go ahead, Whitey. If you run into any danger, just state my name," Whitebeard laughed heartily.
"Understood, Dad. Please take care of yourself while I'm gone to the East Blue. And Ace, you too, be careful," Whitey Bay earnestly advised.
Ace, puzzled as to why Whitey Bay would say this to him, nonetheless acknowledged her advice.
After a while, Whitey Bay ended the call, and discussions about the man Whitey Bay might be interested in buzzed throughout the Moby Dick, making the ship incredibly lively. This included future Blackbeard, Marshall D. Teach.
Meanwhile, at the Marines' side:
"Ace is going to die soon? And by a traitor from within the Whitebeard Pirates?"
Gion's eyes widened in disbelief as she read everything on the diary.
"It's unexpected that there would be a traitor within the Whitebeard Pirates. Ace's death will undoubtedly trigger Whitebeard, and surely Admiral Sengoku won't just stand by either."
"What will the future hold?" Gion pondered, resting her chin on her hands on the table, her mind racing as she considered everything Arton had mentioned in the diary.
"Arton mentioned that the Four Emperors will change in the future, with three newcomers replacing three of the current Emperors."
"Ace's death will certainly trigger reactions from Whitebeard and Admiral Sengoku, and likely from the other Emperors as well."
"Could the turnover of the Four Emperors be related to Ace's death?"
"Does this mean major changes in the world are just around the corner?"
Gion sighed, feeling a sense of unease growing within her.
"We must find Arton quickly and bring him over to our side, no matter the cost."
Gion muttered to herself, her gaze fixed on the diary with unwavering determination.
"Arton has already left Oak Town, heading there now would be pointless."
"Next, he will undoubtedly head to Kaya's hometown."
"His initial plan was to find Kaya."
"That means Kaya's location shouldn't be far from Oak Town."
Thinking this, Gion immediately pulled out her navigation chart.
On the chart, several locations were marked with the name "Kaya." These were the places Gion identified through Tashigi that matched the information Arton shared about a woman named Kaya.
"The places closest to Oak Town are... Maple Village and Syrup Village!"
Gion's eyes sharpened as she grabbed the chart and hurried out of her room to the ship's navigator.
"Change course. We need to reach these two locations as fast as possible."
The navigator saluted upon hearing Gion's order:
"Yes, Vice Admiral Gion!"
Gion nodded slightly, her eyes briefly scanning the diary. Upon seeing new entries, she immediately began to decipher them.
[The world will soon dive into chaos.]
[Fortunately, there's still some time before that happens.]
[With the power of the sailing diary system, I should be able to gain sufficient strength before then.]
[For now, let's focus on Kaya.]
[Kaya is quite wealthy. After dealing with Kuro, even if she doesn't want to sail with me as my ship's doctor, persuading her to donate a ship should be possible.]
[With a new ship, we can officially establish a pirate crew and hoist our own flag.]
[Carina, Uta and I may be a small group, but it's enough to start a pirate crew.]
[Perhaps, adding Kaya as a ship's doctor would work.]
[Speaking of which, if I could draw a template with excellent medical skills in a future lottery, maybe I could pass it on to Kaya to use.]
Gion's face was serious as she read the text, her eyebrows deeply furrowed.
"Already planning to hoist the pirate flag?"
"I must stop him before that."
Gion looked out over the vast sea with a serious expression, pondering deeply.
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
Syrup Village.
"Arton really hasn't forgotten about me. I'm so glad."
Kaya's eyes sparkled as she looked at the diary.
Although Arton hadn't specified his current distance from Syrup Village, Kaya felt that it wouldn't be long before Arton arrived.
"So, Arton wants to have his own brand-new ship."
"If that's the case, I should start preparing now."
Muttering to herself, Kaya rushed out of her room and made her way downstairs from the second floor.
She knew that Merry possessed shipbuilding knowledge and wanted to entrust him with fulfilling Arton's wish.
Though Merry was surprised to learn that Kaya wanted to build a ship, he didn't refuse. Instead, he excitedly began to prepare.
Soon, Merry took the ship blueprints he had previously drawn and left the mansion.
Building a ship was obviously not a one-person job, and collecting sufficient materials was necessary.
Therefore, Merry needed to find helpers in the village.
"That should do it, right?"
Kaya smiled slightly.
After Merry left, she turned her attention back to Arton's diary and her medical books.
Time passed, and suddenly, the noise of a disturbance broke Kaya's concentration.
"Usopp, I believe I've told you not to come to the mansion again."
Kaya frowned, looking out the window in the direction of the noise.
Sure enough, she saw the butler Klahadore.
However, Kaya no longer considered Klahadore merely a butler. She now understood that Klahadore was Captain Kuro of the Black Cat Pirates, who had once been wanted for 16 million Berries.
"Stay calm, Kaya. You can't let Kuro know that you're aware of his true identity."
Taking a deep breath and once again wearing a calm smile, Kaya descended the stairs to the mansion's courtyard, approaching Usopp and Captain Kuro.
"Damn, I've been caught by the glasses-wearing butler... Kaya, you're here!"
Usopp was fretting over being discovered by Klahadore, which had thwarted his plan to tell stories to Kaya, when she suddenly appeared before him.
"Miss Kaya, what brings you here?"
"The weather isn't very good today. A storm could break out at any moment."
"It's better if you stay indoors."
Kuro turned around, looking at Kaya seriously and said.
"Don't worry, Klahadore."
"My health has improved a lot, I won't feel uncomfortable just because of a bit of cold wind."
Kaya shook her head and said with a smile.
Kuro frowned, scrutinizing the young lady in front of him. With his observation skills, he naturally noticed Kaya's recent complexion. It's safe to say, Kaya is now completely a normal person, which made Kuro feel somewhat uncomfortable. After all, he intended to exploit Kaya's illness to lawfully inherit her vast fortune.
"Kaya, is your illness really cured?"
"I heard from Merry that you've been able to move around like a normal person recently."
At that moment, Usopp stepped forward, curious to ask Kaya.
"Yes, Usopp."
"I'm much better now than before."
Kaya nodded slightly, saying with a light laugh.
"That's great, but why did it suddenly get better?"
"Did you meet a famous doctor recently?"
Hearing Kaya's words, Usopp's curiosity intensified. After all, he knew Kaya's condition over the years. Because of her illness, Kaya hadn't spared any effort in finding doctors. However, no matter how renowned the doctors were, they all ended up helpless after examining Kaya's condition.
"To say a famous doctor, not exactly."
"It's just… I met a very special person."
Kaya said with a gentle smile on her face.
***
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