The Deception Act Begins Again

Every young crew member aboard had a life flame several times stronger than that of an ordinary person, brimming with vigorous vitality.

Feeling the surging flames of youth aboard the ship, Fujitora was overcome by complicated emotions.

He sensed the grandeur and miracle of life's cycle, but also the weight contained in forcibly reversing time and gathering life together.

Fujitora could not help thinking of the Fleet Admiral far away in Marineford.

"Fleet Admiral Sakazuki... at this very moment, you must be furious over the 'disappearance' of three senior officers and so many commanders, right?"

"Do you realize... what you are about to face is not a band of aging remnants, but legends who have turned back time and returned to their prime? A force capable of overturning the world?"

An indescribable expression appeared on Fujitora's face, a mixture of pity for the cruelty of war and an exceedingly subtle, almost imperceptible sympathy for the hellish "surprise" Akainu was about to face.

"Sigh... Fleet Admiral... you have my sympathies."

The sigh was so soft that only he could hear it.

Seeing Garp still pestering people with questions, Sengoku still sulking, Tsuru deep in thought, and Fujitora spacing out, Gaban found it far too boring and decided to have some fun.

Gaban cleared his throat and walked over to the four-man Marine group, mainly Garp. Putting on the air of a serious scholar, he said, "Ahem! Since you Marine big shots are so interested in how we became twenty years younger, as an enthusiastic pirate, I, Lord Gaban, will give you a free lesson! Let me tell you about the real world!"

"First of all! You'll never guess this!"

Gaban lowered his voice with a mysterious expression. "The current Fleet Admiral, Akainu Sakazuki! He's actually a great guy who's cold on the outside but warm on the inside! In private, he loves rescuing stray cats and dogs! His Meigo isn't for hitting people—it's specially used to warm up frozen seagulls!"

"He promotes Absolute Justice because he firmly believes gentle justice is the strongest justice! His greatest dream is to open a pet shelter after retirement!"

Garp was dumbfounded, while Sengoku shook all over in fury.

"Next! The world-shaking dissolution of the Shichibukai!"

Gaban gestured wildly. "Do you know why they were disbanded? Because the seven of them formed a band! Called the Seven Warlords Pirate King Band!"

"Gol D. Allen is the lead guitarist and the handsome face of the group! Empress Hancock is the lead vocalist and its soul! Doflamingo is the keyboardist and mood-maker! Their world tour was so wildly popular that it seriously affected Marine recruitment and pirate raiding! So the World Government ordered them to disband the band and return to their old professions! In a fit of anger, they really did disband!"

"And the Xi Huang! The current Top Western Emperor is Lord Buggy the Clown!"

Gaban pointed at Buggy, who was desperately trying to make himself less noticeable in the distance. Buggy jolted in fright.

"Lord Buggy relied on his invincible Lucky Conqueror's Haki... no, Conqueror's Luck! He unified the New World! Red-Haired Shanks switched careers and started selling red wine! Kaido drank his counterfeit liquor, got drunk to death in Wano Country! Big Mom choked on her cake and now can't get out of a weight-loss center!"

Garp's mouth hung wide enough to fit a watermelon, his eyes vacant as though he had just heard the wildest fantasy.

"Sakazuki... raising dogs? The Shichibukai... holding concerts? Buggy... a Xi Huang??"

His worldview had suffered a far greater shock than time travel itself.

Veins bulged on Sengoku's forehead. His fists cracked as he clenched them, and his teeth ground together.

"Y-you bastard Gaban! You... you dare slander the Fleet Admiral like this! Insult the Shichibukai system!!"

He was nearly unable to restrain his Conqueror's Haki.

Chief Officer Tsuru remained expressionless. She even took out a small, exquisite notebook and pen from her clothes and began calmly recording. "Hmm... Fleet Admiral Sakazuki rescues stray animals... division of roles within the Shichibukai band... Buggy's Conqueror's Luck... interesting intelligence."

She completely ignored the absurdity of Gaban's words, treating them only as the ramblings of a madman, or perhaps... a reverse verification of certain information?

Though Fujitora could not see, his Observation Haki clearly "heard" every word Gaban said. He sensed Garp's stupefaction, Sengoku's fury, and Tsuru's calm note-taking.

The muscles on his face twitched slightly, as if he were struggling to suppress a laugh. This version of "history" was rather... unconventional.

Just as Gaban was speaking so animatedly that spittle flew everywhere, Rayleigh strolled past and casually tossed out a remark. "Gaban, stop talking nonsense. Fleet Admiral Sakazuki is still that Magma Head, the Shichibukai were abolished, and Buggy..." He glanced at Buggy, who was nearly scared unconscious, and held back a laugh. "...is still the same as ever."

Then he left behind an inscrutable silhouette.

The young Whitebeard raised a half-man-tall barrel of liquor with one hand, full of heroic spirit. "Gurarara! Minions! To our reunion! Drink!"

He tipped his head back and gulped it down in a dashing manner.

However, he had underestimated both his current body's swallowing speed and the weight of the barrel.

"Gulp gulp gulp..." After several huge swallows, liquor streamed freely down his thick golden hair and beard, soaking his magnificent captain's coat.

Even worse, the barrel cracked in his hand, and he crushed off a chunk of it. Expensive rum splashed all over the deck.

"Father!!!"

Marco, Jozu, Vista, and the other captains instantly turned into fussy mothers and rushed over in a panic.

Regeneration Flame rose from Marco's hands, not to heal injuries, but to... quickly dry Father's clothes and beard.

Jozu carefully tried to pry the shattered barrel pieces out of Father's hand. "Father! Easy! Easy! This barrel is expensive!"

Vista offered him a huge towel. "Father! Wipe yourself off! You'll catch a cold like this!"

Whitebeard looked at his soaking-wet self, the liquor spilled all over the ground, his sons bustling anxiously around him, and the Marines nearby—especially Sengoku, who looked like he wanted to laugh but was desperately holding it in. A rare blush of embarrassment appeared on his bold face.

"Gurarara... It's fine, it's fine! What does spilling a little liquor matter? I... I'm just not used to the strength in these new arms and legs yet!"

He tried to cover up his embarrassment with laughter, but it did not work very well.

He found himself missing the days when, in his old age, he could steadily hold a wineglass and take small sips.

Later, Whitebeard saw the young crew members nimbly leaping and weaving between the masts, and he suddenly felt inspired.

"Hmph! Brats! Watch closely!"

He bent his knees sharply, and immense power exploded forth in an instant! His whole body shot into the sky like a cannonball!

He went far higher than expected! With a tremendous BANG, his head smashed hard into the Crow's Nest at the top of the main mast, making it shake violently and startling the lookout inside into screaming.

When he came down, his imprecise control over his strength made him stomp two deep footprints into the sturdy deck with a BOOM, spiderweb cracks spreading outward.

"Father!!!"

The captains wailed and rushed over again to check whether he had hurt his head, nearly in tears as they looked at the shattered deck. The shipwright was already standing nearby with his tools, his face utterly lifeless.

Garp pointed at Whitebeard and burst into laughter. "Hahahaha! Newgate! Can you even do this? You hit your head just jumping high! Was your prime watered down or something?"

Sengoku covered his face, unable to bear looking directly at him. The little apprehension he had felt over Whitebeard regaining his prime had been greatly diluted by this clumsy display.