Marco's figure was wreathed in dazzling blue-green flames as he looked at Jake, a tired yet radiant smile on his lips.
Jake's head spun dizzily.
Watching Monet rush toward him, he mustered the last shred of his fading consciousness and said to Marco.
"Keep me and Monet safe, and I'll agree to any cooperation!"
Hearing Jake's words, Marco's face lit up with excitement.
He nodded and replied.
"Don't worry, Marine kid. As long as I'm here, no one can lay a finger on either of you!"
With that, Jake blacked out, the last image in his mind being the blue-green flames that lit up half the sky.
Jake had no idea how much time had passed.
His body felt heavy, his thoughts scattered, his focus slipping.
His throat burned like fire, making every breath painful.
However, at that moment, a cool liquid slowly flowed into his mouth from his lips, trickling down his throat and into his stomach, nourishing every cell in his body.
Under the hydration of the water, his entire body now felt comfortable.
He let out a long exhale and opened his eyes.
What greeted him was Monet, who currently had heavy dark circles under her eyes and the slightly cramped space around them.
The surroundings swayed gently, and the slightly open window let in a sea breeze tinged with salt and fish.
Sensing all this, Jake knew he must be on a ship.
The space was narrow—only about five or six square meters.
The only source of natural light was a small, head-sized window, while an oil lamp inside cast the shadows of the two onto the walls.
Seeing Jake open his eyes, Monet's voice came through, initially excited but quickly lowered her voice to avoid disturbing him.
"Jake, you're awake?! How are you feeling? Any discomfort? Do you need more water?"
As she spoke, her concerned gaze swept over Jake, as if afraid something might be wrong.
In response to Monet's concern, Jake smiled and replied.
"I'm fine. Just a bit thirsty, but otherwise, everything's good. You don't need to worry so much, Monet. But where are we now? The last thing I remember is being attacked by Doflamingo and then Marco from the Whitebeard Pirates seemed to have come to discuss some kind of cooperation with us. Beyond that, I don't remember anything. How many days was I out?"
Monet handed him water while answering,
"You've been unconscious for five days. After Marco saved us, he brought us directly to the Whitebeard Pirates. We're now on the Moby Dick. He said that once you woke up, you should go to the deck to find him. He also told me about the terms of the cooperation—he saved our lives, and in exchange, you'll do your best to heal Whitebeard's injuries."
Listening to Monet's words, Jake nodded slightly, lost in thought.
The sudden arrival of Kaido and King, followed by Doflamingo's involvement, wasn't hard to connect.
Though it was unclear whether they had begun producing artificial Devil Fruits at this point, their initial business dealings must have already been established.
Kaido had likely come to Prince Kingdom after receiving word from Doflamingo.
As for Marco appearance, he had probably noticed Kaido's movements and seized the opportunity to snatch Jake away amid the chaos.
And clearly, Marco had gambled correctly—Jake had indeed been brought onto the Moby Dick.
As for healing Whitebeard, it wasn't particularly difficult for Jake.
With his abilities, he could easily control the extent of the treatment—even just improving Whitebeard's condition slightly would count as healing.
But this was a rare chance to interact with the world's strongest man and Jake had no intention of treating it carelessly.
After all, if everything I wanted to do had to be carried out solely within the Marine's framework, it would indeed be quite inconvenient to implement.
Overthrowing the Celestial Dragons' rule absolutely requires cooperation with Pirates and among the current Emperors of the Sea, Whitebeard is undoubtedly the best candidate for collaboration.
Charlotte Linlin of the Big Mom Pirates has some shortcomings, making her unsuitable as a partner.
Kaido is highly ambitious, with many schemes of his own.
Unlike Whitebeard, who is upright (somewhat), Kaido is the type of person who would resort to underhanded tactics behind the scenes—hardly an ideal partner.
As for Red-Haired Shanks, his forces are still relatively weak at the moment.
Moreover, his background is shrouded in mystery and he seems to have ties with the Five Elders.
Unless absolutely necessary, he would never be a viable collaborator.
Thus, Whitebeard—powerful, principled and lacking in personal ambition—is clearly the best choice for a partnership.
The main areas of cooperation would revolve around the Sea Train and the unexplained diversion of certain Marine funds.
As long as the collaboration with Whitebeard goes smoothly, he could establish a gray zone where large sums of money could be legitimized under Whitebeard's name.
This way, the Marine could gradually accumulate enough funds to break free from the World Government's control, paving the way for the next phase of the plan.
Thinking this far, Jake couldn't help but feel that meeting Whitebeard this time might not be such a bad thing after all.
Still, he couldn't shake off some concern and asked Monet.
"Five days in a coma? What about Zephyr-sensei? How are things on their end?"
Hearing Jake's question, Monet sighed and replied.
"Shortly after we were taken away by Marco, Fleet Admiral Sengoku arrived. Under the combined assault of Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Zephyr-sensei, and Borsalino-sensei, Kaido and his crew chose to retreat. Worried about our safety, they didn't pursue. But after realizing we were missing, Zephyr-sensei apparently tried to sail alone to Kaido's stronghold to find us."
At this, Jake grew anxious and pressed.
"Then what? Did he really go?"
Monet chuckled and said, "Before leaving, I called Zephyr-sensei with a Den Den Mushi and explained the situation. Marco also assured them that we'd both be returned unharmed. Though Zephyr-sensei was still reluctant, he eventually agreed. However, according to Marco, the Marine has recently increased patrols with several more warships in Whitebeard's waters."
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