"Holy... Holy Mother..."
Linlin suddenly got worked up, and tears kept flowing from her eyes.
Yes, the power of that Soul-Soul Fruit originally belonged to the Holy Mother, and now that she was gone, didn't that mean the Holy Mother had used up all her strength?!
Even though she was a pirate, she was still pretty straightforward in her thinking.
Makima saw her suddenly fall into sadness, but her face didn't change.
Although Carmel hadn't successfully taken over Charlotte Linlin's body, her image in the other woman's heart was still very grand. She was kind to the children at the Sheep House and took great care of Linlin.
In that situation, the kids at the Sheep House naturally liked and respected Carmel a lot.
But who could have guessed that Carmel's real identity was a human trafficker, responsible for supplying talent to the World Government?
"Alright, stop crying."
Makima slowly stood up. She looked at Charlotte Linlin, who was still lying on the ground, and said, "If you keep crying, your Holy Mother will shed tears too."
Her words seemed to carry a strong sense of authority and force, making Charlotte Linlin feel for a moment like she was back in her childhood. Back then, Holy Mother Carmel was kind and easygoing, but she would sometimes give them strict orders.
And now, it was just like a replay of that scene.
So Linlin stopped crying right away. She just stared at Makima, not knowing what to do with her hands and feet.
"I'm from the World Government, but pirates aren't my enemies."
Makima said calmly, "I'll let you live, but you have to make a deal with me."
"...What kind of deal?"
Charlotte Linlin said quietly. In the pirate world, you still had to follow some code of honor. Makima sparing her life was a favor, and she would pay it back sooner or later.
"When it's necessary, do me three favors. I think three favors for one life is a fair trade, right?"
"..." Of course it was fair. Charlotte Linlin was quiet for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay, I agree."
Makima narrowed her eyes, pleased with Charlotte Linlin's answer. She reached out her hand and said softly, "Then, let's make the deal."
Make the deal...
The devil's contract.
...
And while Makima successfully got the Soul-Soul Fruit, on the other side of the Edd War Sea, Roger had already dived into the ocean.
The ocean was full of countless dead bodies. There were more animal corpses than human ones, and their bodies had rotted away, as if they had been battered by millions of years in just a short time.
Roger's Observation Haki was fully active, searching for any possible survivors.
"Whitebeard?!"
After diving into the depths for who knows how long, Roger's eyes lit up. He finally spotted someone in this deep sea—a whole, intact person!
Whitebeard, Edward Newgate!
In the ocean, he had lost all his strength. Plus, he was unconscious and completely out of it. He would probably die in this sea soon.
Would a great fighter like him really die here?
Of course not, because Roger was here!
Roger swam over quickly. If Whitebeard could see his current form, even at the bottom of the sea, he would struggle with all his might.
Because right now, Roger had gone into a devilish state, with an evil power leaking from his body. He looked just like a demon.
Whitebeard had no idea that Roger had eaten a Devil Fruit and devil cells. He wouldn't recognize this monster as Roger anyway.
Roger himself didn't really want to use this form, but to beat Aatrox, he had no choice.
And now Whitebeard was almost dead. Roger was anxious in his heart, but he could only swim over step by step.
He could move freely in the sea, but it was far from how he usually was. That couldn't be helped—who asked him to eat a Devil Fruit?
Being able to move in the sea after eating a Devil Fruit was already a huge achievement.
In the end, just as Whitebeard's body was about to give out, Roger finally grabbed him. But they were still so far from the surface. What now?
At that moment, Mumei's figure appeared out of nowhere!
He showed up next to them, then pressed on their bodies. After about ten seconds, they were suddenly back on the small island they had been on before.
"Huff... huff..."
Mumei was breathing hard. Using instant teleport multiple times in a row had drained a lot of his energy.
Roger quickly started emergency treatment on Whitebeard, pressing the seawater out of his body over and over. But that didn't do much for Whitebeard's condition.
His injuries were too severe!
He had been the main fighter against Aatrox, so he took the heaviest damage. Surviving in that state was like having a body as tough as a monster's.
"Shikon Jewel shard..."
Seeing Whitebeard's state, Mumei thought for a moment, then took out his own Shikon Jewel shard—the one that had been set in the sun disk back then.
Under Roger's surprised gaze, Mumei placed the Shikon Jewel shard on Whitebeard's wounds. With a thought, the shard slowly merged into Whitebeard's body.
The power of the Shikon Jewel shard was incredible. The moment it merged, Whitebeard's body started healing fast, like dry wood coming back to life. The force of life chased away the shadow of death.
"Mumei, you..."
Roger looked at Mumei and said in surprise, "If you need a Shikon Jewel shard, you could use the one in my body."
The one in his hand was the shard that represented the past ascension altar, which held great sentimental value for Mumei.
"Forget it. Your body is already used to those Shikon Jewel shards in you. Taking one out and merging it again would mean getting used to it all over." Mumei shook his head, then said,
"Anyway, doesn't Whitebeard have one too? When he wakes up, he can trade his for mine."
Whitebeard had a Shikon Jewel shard that he inherited directly from Rocks. He hadn't fused it into his sword like Roger did, and he couldn't merge it into his body either, so it was probably still on his ship.
"As for the past, didn't I tell you..."
Mumei looked at Roger seriously and said softly, "I'm someone starting over. I don't care about anything from the past anymore."
"..." Roger saw the serious look on Mumei's face. After a while, he laughed.
"Well said! You're a new person now. You shouldn't let the past hold you back anyway!"
----
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