"Yeah. Your Bartolomeo Family will keep doing fine in Loguetown," White Ghost said casually. "In the original story, Bartolomeo even ends up clinging to Straw Hat Luffy as his backing."
White Ghost glanced at Dezaya. She'd clearly dressed up, but to him… it was just that—nothing special.
The moment Dezaya noticed his gaze, her face flushed red. She lowered her head, heart pounding.
Nothing special… White Ghost thought.
He realized he'd never really had any thoughts about this girl. Back then he'd only said something like, You're still a kid. I'm not interested.
White Ghost shifted his eyes to Bartolomeo.
Bartolomeo stared back expressionlessly, but White Ghost could see it clearly—
Hatred.
In the original story, this guy also relied on the Barrier-Barrier Fruit to make his way into the New World… and somehow managed to develop such an incredible fruit in a way that was painfully hard to watch.
Bartolomeo grew more and more uncomfortable under White Ghost's look. His eyes reddened and he stood up.
"What are you staring at? Picking goods or something?!"
What made Bartolomeo want to spit blood was—
After hearing that, White Ghost actually nodded seriously.
"Mm. That's one way to put it."
"Damn you!" Bartolomeo snapped, pointing at White Ghost as if he'd found courage out of nowhere.
"If you've got the guts, fight me! Let's see if you're even qualified to let me join your ship!"
"Bartolomeo!" Granny Tomo's face changed. She was shocked. Why can't this kid control himself for even one night?!
She was about to step in and smooth things over—
But her vision blurred for an instant.
When she looked again, she nearly collapsed on the spot.
On both sides of Bartolomeo—
The two men who had been sitting there eating a moment ago had moved.
One had a gun pressed to Bartolomeo's temple.
The other had twin silver blades braced against Bartolomeo's neck.
It was as if, the moment White Ghost nodded, they would kill him without hesitation.
"My lord!" Granny Tomo panicked and bowed deeply.
"Please forgive him! Don't lower yourself to a child!"
White Ghost wasn't angry at all.
If anything, he found it amusing.
He stood up and waved a hand.
"Enel. Contena. Let him go."
Only then did the two withdraw and release Bartolomeo.
"Huff—huff—!" Bartolomeo gasped.
Just now—just now—those two had appeared beside him at a speed he couldn't even follow.
When their weapons touched him, he could feel the killing intent on them.
The way they looked at him…
Bartolomeo knew that look.
It was the look you gave a dead man.
Now that they backed off, the suffocating pressure finally faded.
If it had lasted even a little longer, Bartolomeo wasn't sure he'd still be standing.
White Ghost walked up in front of him and looked down at the nearly two-meter-tall kid.
"Brat," White Ghost said calmly, "it's not about whether I'm qualified to invite you."
"It's about whether you're qualified to step onto my ship."
"You—!" Bartolomeo's body reacted before his pride could. He stepped back under the pressure of White Ghost's presence—
thump!
—and fell hard onto the floor.
White Ghost looked at him for a moment and spoke flatly.
"You're too weak. You don't even have the strength to do chores on my ship."
Bartolomeo's face burned red. His hands clenched into fists.
White Ghost lost interest. He turned and walked out without looking back.
Enel and Contena followed immediately.
Granny Tomo watched White Ghost leave and said nothing.
Tonight, she'd accomplished nothing. The wrinkles on her face seemed even deeper.
Dezaya bit her lip, eyes filling with tears. From start to finish, that man had only looked at her twice.
Am I really that unworthy in his eyes…?
The tears finally fell.
Bartolomeo stood up, eyes bloodshot, and shouted at White Ghost's back:
"WHITE GHOST! You just wait! One day I, Bartolomeo, will defeat you! The two humiliations you gave me—I'll return them double!"
White Ghost raised a hand and waved in the darkness.
"I'll wait. But don't stay this weak."
"Otherwise you won't even be worth me lifting a hand."
"My crew could kill you easily."
"Don't disappoint me, Bartolomeo."
After saying that, White Ghost disappeared completely into the night.
"Damn it…" Bartolomeo stormed off, face red with fury.
From this moment on, he couldn't afford to waste time.
Dezaya also left with a determined expression.
If her looks weren't enough to make that man take her seriously, then she would become strong—
Stronger than anyone around him.
Granny Tomo smiled.
This time, it was a genuine smile from the heart.
Even if she hadn't succeeded in tying herself to White Ghost's ship…
Looking at Bartolomeo and Dezaya now, she felt everything she'd done tonight was worth it.
You gain something, you lose something. Losing is part of gaining.
Granny Tomo turned in to rest.
These old bones couldn't compete with the young anymore.
White Ghost didn't return to the hotel.
He sent Enel and Contena back and went to the ship alone for a walk.
When he arrived, he saw lights blazing in both the infirmary and the workshop.
Before he even reached the workshop, Franky and Ashie's voices were already coming out.
Franky: "Damn it! Why can't this metal take it? It blows apart every time!"
Ashie: "Should we try a different material? I feel like if you change the material, firing a laser beam won't be a problem."
Franky: "I want to! But these are already the best metals on the market. We're not short on money, but some materials can't be bought even with money!"
Franky's voice was full of frustration.
A laser beam! What man would refuse having a laser beam?
Ashie: "You're right… some materials can't be bought with money."
Ashie sounded depressed too.
White Ghost pushed the door open and walked in.
"Maybe I can solve your problem."
"Captain!" Ashie greeted immediately.
"Really, Captain?! You mean it?!" Franky ran over and hugged White Ghost's leg, eyes shining.
"Get off!" White Ghost kicked the pervert away.
A grown man looking teary-eyed at him gave White Ghost goosebumps.
Franky didn't care at all. He jumped up and rushed back.
"Captain, tell me, hurry!"
Ashie was curious too—what method could the captain possibly have?
White Ghost didn't waste words. He placed a Devil Fruit on the table.
It was the Munch-Munch Fruit.
"Eh—Isn't this the one you wanted to give me before, Captain?" Franky pouted immediately.
"I told you—I'm a shipwright. I can't be unable to swim!"
"Shut up." White Ghost glared at him, and Franky immediately fell silent.
White Ghost turned to Ashie and explained calmly:
"The Munch-Munch Fruit. It lets you merge any metals together and create a new metal."
"Besides mixing metals, it has other functions too—you'll have to explore those yourself."
He looked at Ashie.
"Well? Interested?"
Ashie's eyes lit up.
He understood the value immediately.
To fuse any metals and produce new material—
If that was real, their experiment could finally succeed.
"Captain… is it really like that?" Ashie's voice shook slightly with excitement.
Even Franky's eyes brightened.
Right—if Franky didn't want to eat it, Ashie could.
Ashie was a scientist.
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