"Hahaha~"
"Captain Hobart—wait, no, you're a Rear Admiral now. Not bad!" Ryuen teased.
"Not too bad!"
"I'm a Marine with big dreams, after all!" Hobart lifted his chin and shrugged his shoulders proudly.
"Hahaha!"
"Alright, we won't get in the way of your fight, but be careful," Ryuen said quickly.
He wanted to get out of there—especially since a certain obsessed woman was nearby.
She made him a little nervous.
"I'll be careful. Thanks for saving me this time!" Captain Hobart said seriously.
"Nami, let's head to the execution platform. I have something to say to Sengoku," Ryuen said quietly.
"Got it."
Nami nodded and opened another portal, though her eyes remained on Boa Hancock, full of caution.
"Ryuen~~"
"Uh… Hancock, I have something to do, so I'll talk to you later." As soon as Ryuen finished speaking, he immediately stepped into the alternate space.
The rest of the Dream Exploration Group followed him in.
The last to enter was Kuina. But before stepping in, she glanced in Mihawk's direction. At that moment, Mihawk was also looking at her.
Suppressing the fighting spirit in her heart, Kuina walked into the alternate space.
After all, now was not the right time.
Boa Hancock froze again. She was completely lost in her own world. The moment Ryuen called her "Hancock," she felt so happy that her heart was about to burst.
Just when everyone thought the Dream Exploration Group had left, a portal opened—right above the execution platform!
At that moment, countless thoughts raced through everyone's minds.
"Yo!"
"The atmosphere here seems pretty heavy," Ryuen joked as he stepped out.
"You little brat, Ryuen!" Garp cursed.
"Ryuen~"
Ace felt a strange emotion rise inside him when he saw Ryuen appear.
"Old man Sengoku, we finally meet! Bet you didn't expect us to show up," Ryuen grinned, flashing his big white teeth at Sengoku.
"Ryuen, what are you trying to do? You said you wouldn't get involved," Sengoku said seriously.
"Relax, I'm not here to interfere. I'm not interested."
"I'm here for him. When this war is over, I'm taking him with me!" As Ryuen spoke, he raised his hand and pointed at Kuma, who was in the middle of the battlefield.
"What exactly do you know?" Sengoku instantly became more alert.
"I know everything you know. And I also know what you don't. In fact, I might even know more than the Celestial Dragons." Ryuen lowered his hand and looked at Sengoku again.
"I won't agree to that," Sengoku said, shaking his head.
"No, no, no."
"Old man Sengoku, I'm not here to negotiate. Let me make it clear—I'm taking Kuma with me, and no one can stop me." Ryuen's expression remained unchanged as he stared at Sengoku.
Sengoku fell silent, his face showing no emotion.
Ryuen sat cross-legged beside Ace.
"Ace, do you remember what I told you before?" Ryuen's eyes were fixed on the battlefield below, but his words were directed at Ace.
"I remember." Ace lowered his head.
He recalled the time when he first met Ryuen. Back then, Ryuen told him that Roger was Roger, and he was himself. He didn't have to carry such a heavy burden.
Ryuen had warned him that if he kept holding onto those thoughts, they might one day lead to his downfall.
"Good, don't forget it. Your family isn't just Whitebeard—the person to your right is, too." After saying that, Ryuen stood up and looked at Sengoku with innocent eyes.
"Old man Sengoku, this is my first time at Marine Headquarters. Do you guys provide food?"
"If you take down Whitebeard for me, I'll feed you for life," Sengoku said flatly.
"Tch!"
"As if I'd believe you. You even tried to get out of paying my salary."
"Why are you guys really here? You expect me to believe you came just for Kuma? I don't buy it."
"We're just here to watch the show!"
"Nami, those three spots down there look pretty good. The view is great—let's go."
"Oh~ okay."
...
The Dream Exploration Group reappeared—right at the seating area of the three Marine Admirals!
Everyone was completely confused.
They had no idea why the Dream Exploration Group had come to Marine Headquarters.
Their actions made no sense at all.
"A Dream Exploration Team?"
"What a great group of young ones. You don't see such a pure-hearted team very often these days," Whitebeard said with a hint of nostalgia, standing at the bow of the Moby Dick.
"There's an opening!"
"Whitebeard!"
At that moment, a Giant Vice Admiral from the Marines saw Whitebeard distracted and seized the chance to swing his axe down at him!
Kizaru was stunned. This guy… was seriously bold!
Whitebeard's face darkened.
Yeah, he had taken a stab before, but that didn't mean just anyone could land a hit on him!
Without even looking, he swung his left hand, effortlessly blocking the Giant Vice Admiral's attack. The power of the Quake-Quake Fruit activated, and the sound of space cracking echoed through the air.
In the next instant, the Giant Vice Admiral's massive axe shattered completely.
His eyes filled with shock, and without his weapon, the force of his own swing sent his enormous body toppling forward.
Whitebeard reached out, grabbed the mask of the off-balance Giant Vice Admiral, and slammed his head down onto the ship's bow. The Quake-Quake Fruit's power surged again, knocking the Giant Vice Admiral unconscious on the spot.
~~~~~~~
On the high platform.
(This chapter isn't over yet! Click to the next page for more exciting content!)
The Dream Exploration Team was so entertained that they even took out some snacks to enjoy the show.
"Ryuen~"
"Huh?"
"What is it, Nami?" Ryuen looked at her in confusion.
"That woman just came up here," Nami whispered.
"Who?"
"Ryuen, my dear, I'm here~"
"What the—?!"
"Hancock?! Weren't you still fighting? What are you doing up here?" Ryuen was startled.
"Wuuu~~~"
"Ryuen is pushing me away…" Boa Hancock bit her sleeve, looking heartbroken like she had just been bullied.
"You—you—you!"
"Come on, there are so many people watching! Can you stop acting like this?" Nami said urgently.
Hearing Nami's words, Boa Hancock quickly toned it down. Then, with a shy and charming look, she said softly, "Actually… I came to tell Ryuen about the ability of his Devil Fruit."
"Huh?"
"You already ate it?"
"It's probably a Mythical Zoan, right? What's the name of the fruit?" Daisy asked eagerly.
"The Snake-Snake Fruit, Mythical Zoan model: White Radiance!"
"Huh?"
"White Radiance?"
"What is that?"
The Dream Exploration Team had no clue what that was. Even Ryuen couldn't figure out what kind of creature it was supposed to be.
"Ryuen, if you want to know, I can show you later," Boa Hancock said shyly, looking at him with deep affection.
"No!"
"He doesn't want to know!" Nami cut in immediately.
"Ahhhhh!"
"You evil woman! How dare you!" Boa Hancock was furious.
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