Crazy Wool Harvesting, Rapidly Rising Analysis Progress!

Nothing, Pops!

"Pops, how does this pressure feel?"

Chen Ye kneaded vigorously as he asked cautiously, afraid that his clumsy hands might displease this Sea Emperor.

Whitebeard closed his eyes and let out a comfortable grunt from his throat.

"Gurarara... not bad, kid."

"Got it!"

Having received approval, Chen Ye immediately grew bolder. He practically pressed himself against Whitebeard, using both hands to pound his back, knead his shoulders, and massage him, employing every technique he had enjoyed at Wellness Clubs in his previous life.

He had to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and make every second count!

[Analysis Progress: 0.02%...]

[Analysis Progress: 0.03%...]

The numbers on the panel were ticking upward at an incredibly slow, yet unwavering pace.

Too slow!

But... it was better than nothing!

From that day onward, Chen Ye completely transformed into a piece of "chewing gum" aboard the Moby Dick, a piece of exclusive chewing gum that only stuck to Whitebeard.

His position had also changed from an unnoticed odd-job worker into Pops's "Exclusive Close Little Cotton Jacket."

"Pops, you're awake? Come on, your son will massage your temples. I guarantee you'll feel refreshed all day!"

"Pops, the sun's a little strong. I'll fan you!"

"Pops, you drink. I'll hold your cup for you!"

"Pops, look at that Seagull. It seems to be saying 'Gurararara' to you!"

Chen Ye brought out every flattering trick he had learned across two lifetimes, embodying the essence of "fawning" and "filial piety" to the fullest.

He could always come up with all kinds of absurd yet impossible-to-refuse excuses to linger beside Whitebeard and make all sorts of physical contact.

At first, the Old Crew Members aboard the ship watched him with the expressions of people enjoying a show.

More than once, Marco flew to the bow, his signature Pineapple Head bobbing as he sized up this newcomer and overly attentive "younger brother" with an odd look.

Jozu, meanwhile, stood nearby with his arms crossed over his chest like a small mountain, an amused smile occasionally appearing at the corner of his lips.

But gradually, they discovered that this kid really seemed to have brought a different atmosphere to the ship.

Especially beneath the double gloom of Thatch's death and Ace's departure, the "jokes" Chen Ye brought from another world—things no one in this world had ever heard before—became the best seasoning.

"Pops, let me tell you a joke."

Chen Ye spoke mysteriously as he kneaded Whitebeard's shoulders.

"Once, there was a Den Den Mushi walking along when—splat—it fell over. Guess what happened?"

Whitebeard could not even be bothered to lift his eyelids.

Chen Ye answered his own question in an exaggerated tone.

"It broke its signal!"

The entire deck fell silent for a second.

The nearby commanders exchanged glances, clearly failing to understand what was funny about it.

Chen Ye was not discouraged and continued.

"Another one, another one. Once, there was a very powerful sword that could cut through anything. One day, it encountered something it could never cut through. Guess what it was?"

This time, even Vista looked over curiously.

Chen Ye slapped his thigh and revealed the answer.

"Its own scabbard!"

"Pfft!"

At last, a Crew Member beside them who was wiping down a Fire Gun could not hold it in and burst out laughing.

That one laugh was like a stone dropped into a lake, instantly triggering a chain reaction.

"Gurarararararara!"

Whitebeard's signature thunderous laughter erupted, making the entire Moby Dick tremble slightly.

In his delight, he reached out and gave Chen Ye a heavy pat on the back.

"Interesting kid!"

Bang!

Chen Ye felt as though he had been struck by some prehistoric beast. His insides seemed to shift out of place, and he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.

Yet instead of pain, wild joy surged through him!

Because at the exact moment Whitebeard laughed and slapped him, the numbers on the System Panel in his mind began to leap wildly!

[Detected a violent fluctuation in the target's emotions...]

[Detected a High-Intensity Energy Reaction from the target...]

[Analysis Progress +0.1%!]

[Analysis Progress +0.1%!]

[Current Total Analysis Progress: 0.8%!]

So that was it!

Chen Ye understood instantly!

Whitebeard in a calm state was like a stable Signal Base Station. The Data Stream was steady, but incredibly weak.

But once his emotions fluctuated—when he laughed, grew angry, or even used the slightest bit of power—the Data Stream leaking from him increased by geometric multiples!

The discovery filled Chen Ye with ecstasy, but also made the Sense of Urgency in his heart grow heavier.

Time.

What he lacked most was time.

The good times did not last. A few days later, a News Coo delivered the latest newspaper—and news that froze the atmosphere aboard the ship once more.

"It's... it's Commander Ace!"

A Crew Member pointed to a corner of the newspaper, his voice trembling.

Marco snatched the paper away, and his expression instantly turned incomparably grim.

A brief report had been printed in one corner of the newspaper. It said that on an island in the New World, Fire Fist Ace had been sighted engaging in a brief Exchange of Fire with Blackbeard Teach. The two seemed evenly matched before retreating separately.

The report was short, but it struck everyone's hearts like a heavy hammer.

They had found him!

But it also meant that the thing they feared most had finally happened.

Ace had truly confronted that Traitor.

The atmosphere at the bow instantly plunged from the ease of previous days back to Freezing Point.

Oppressive. Deathly silent.

Whitebeard said nothing. He merely gripped his massive naginata, the veins on the back of his hand bulging. The Invisible Aura radiating from him made the surrounding air feel thick and sticky.

Chen Ye stood behind him, hardly daring to breathe.

More than anyone else, he understood what this brief report meant.

This was the prelude to the final battle.

The countdown to Ace being captured and sent to the Execution Platform!

He subconsciously glanced at his System Panel.

[Current Total Analysis Progress: 1.2%]

One Week of Sleepless Effort, all manner of attempts to make contact, and this was all the pitiful progress he had gained.

A Drop in the Bucket!

With this little analysis progress, let alone summoning Peak Whitebeard, he probably could not even summon a single Beard Hair!

No! He had to think of something!

Chen Ye's heart pounded wildly as cold sweat slid down his temples.

He roared at the system in his mind.

"System! It's too slow! This speed is way too slow! By the time I finish analyzing him, the Summit War will already be over! Is there any way to speed up the analysis?!"

Ding!

The system's response was cold and mechanical.

[Analysis speed is positively correlated with the target's Energy Leakage Intensity.]

[The more intense the target's emotional fluctuations and the more active their Body Energy Output, the faster the analysis speed.]

Just as he thought!