When Yasopp and Rockstar stepped outside, warm sunlight spilled over them. Yasopp felt an invigorating rush, as if waking from a distant dream. He vaguely remembered craving this light and warmth in his hazy state.
On the deck, a lively banquet was in full swing.
Yasopp took a deep breath and shouted,
"Hey! How can you start a banquet without inviting me? That's not very brotherly of you!"
The lively chatter on the deck came to an abrupt halt as if someone had pressed pause. Everyone turned to look at Yasopp.
At the back of the crowd, Shanks' face changed, and he instinctively glanced at Carl.
Carl, unfazed, took a slow sip of his wine and gestured for Shanks to stay calm.
Startled by everyone's reaction, Yasopp swallowed nervously and said,
"What's wrong with you all? Aren't you happy to see me?"
The cook, Lucky Roux, swallowed a large piece of meat and laughed heartily.
"What are you talking about, Yasopp? Of course, we're happy to see you recovered! Right, everyone?"
The ship doctor, Hongo, snapped out of his daze and quickly chimed in,
"Yes, yes! We're all thrilled to see you're okay! But maybe skip the banquet for now—you need more rest to recover!"
As he spoke, Hongo shot Rockstar a look.
Rockstar got the message and immediately grabbed Yasopp, trying to drag him back to the cabin. Yasopp protested,
"Hey, hey, hey! I'm fine now! At least let me have a drink..."
At that moment, Benn Beckman, who had been silent until now, spoke up.
"Let him stay for the banquet."
"But..."
"No buts. Some things need to be faced. Besides, from what I can tell, Yasopp really is fine now."
Beckman's final words carried extra weight, and Rockstar reluctantly let Yasopp go.
Yasopp grinned and said,
"Beckman gets me! If I couldn't join the banquet, I might as well have stayed unconscious!"
With that, Yasopp strode over to Hongo and the others. He grabbed a beer from Hongo's hand, took a large swig, and finally looked satisfied.
"By the way, Hongo, where's the Captain? I haven't seen him."
Hongo's expression stiffened for a moment before he slowly stepped aside, revealing Shanks and Carl behind him.
Yasopp froze, then his face changed as he saw Carl.
"You're still here, Celestial Dragon?"
Carl ignored him, swirling the wine in his glass as if Yasopp hadn't spoken.
Sensing trouble, Shanks quickly interjected,
"Yasopp, you—"
But Yasopp cut him off,
"Don't, Captain!"
He glared at Carl and said,
"Celestial Dragon, I admit your strength!"
Then he turned to Shanks, his face full of anger,
"Captain, so that's why everyone's been acting strange, and why you've been staying out of sight—because he's still here! Damn it! What do you all take me for?!"
Hearing this, Shanks and the others lowered their heads, but Yasopp's next words made them snap their heads back up in disbelief.
"Do you think I'm the kind of person who can't accept defeat? Besides, the Celestial Dragon is your brother!"
Shanks was dumbfounded and instinctively looked at Carl.
Carl's lips curled into a faint smile as he said softly,
"Why are you looking at me? I told you—when he wakes up, it'll all be fine."
Before the Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit evolved into its True Ancestor form, it already had the ability to induce sleep. After its evolution, this ability was enhanced.
Carl could now induce not just sleep but also nightmares woven from the target's own negative emotions.
Trapped in such a nightmare, the victim's mind would become incredibly fragile. With a little guidance, Carl could easily break their mental defenses, erasing specific memories or even reducing them to a shell of their former selves.
In Yasopp's case, Carl had used this ability to make him voluntarily forget his son, Usopp.
Now, Yasopp believed he had rashly attacked Carl without knowing his connection to Shanks, lost the fight, and ended up gravely injured.
Seeing Yasopp's behavior align perfectly with his expectations, Carl felt reassured.
Draining the last of his wine, Carl stood up and looked at Shanks with a smile.
"You won't need to worry about turning against your crew anymore. I'll take my leave. Call me through a Den Den Mushi if you need anything or want to visit home."
...
On theMoby Dick,
A sudden gust of wind swept through, and with a loud thud, Dragon collapsed onto the deck, rolling several times before coming to a stop.
The sight of Dragon lying motionless shocked Whitebeard and his crew. Marco rushed over to help him up, only to freeze in shock when he saw Dragon's left arm was gone, the wound charred and blackened.
Dragon's body trembled as he slowly raised his head, his face deathly pale.
Severely injured and exhausted after days of flight, even someone of Dragon's caliber could barely stand.
Marco quickly activated his powers, blue flames enveloping his hands as he pressed them to Dragon's wound, stopping the bleeding and beginning the healing process.
But that was the limit—regrowing the arm was impossible.
Dragon's complexion improved slightly as he rose shakily, thanking Marco.
Whitebeard frowned deeply and asked in a grave tone,
"What happened? Did Red-Haired do this to you?"
Dragon's expression darkened, and he nodded bitterly.
"Yes. That bastard Red-Haired! If it weren't for Fujitora, I wouldn't have made it back!"
Losing not just an arm but also an invaluable ally like Fujitora, Dragon felt as though his heart was being ripped apart.
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+255 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg