The man and the squirrel kept chatting like that—one moment about this, the next moment about that.
As they talked, the little squirrel gradually relaxed. She wasn't as easily flustered as before… though she still didn't have the courage to meet White Ghost's eyes.
"White-bro," she asked softly, "when you build your future territory… will it be like Big Mom's Totto Land, where every race lives together?"
"Mm." White Ghost drank and pictured it in his mind.
"I like it lively."
"When we enter the New World, Enel and the others will have grown a lot too. When that time comes, we'll either take Wano… or take a place like Hachinosu."
"…We're holding you back," the little squirrel lowered her head guiltily.
"No." White Ghost shook his head.
"A family can't rely on only one person working hard. Everyone has to move forward together."
"Our overall strength is still a bit weak right now, but there's no rush."
He looked at the Pure Gold on his hand and smiled faintly.
"We have plenty of time to grow."
The squirrel nodded.
"When the people from Zou come, it might get noisy… White-bro, don't mind it."
"Heh. Noisy means lively. Isn't that a good thing?"
"Right now we already have Fish-men… and Minks. Later, more races will join. Our big family will only get more and more lively."
"Yes…" The squirrel swung her feet gently, imagining the scene.
They talked while White Ghost drank. Without realizing it, it became midnight—yet they were still deep in conversation, completely unaware of how much time had passed.
White Ghost ended up drinking a bit too much, and his words became looser and more casual.
The little squirrel didn't mind at all. She liked talking to him.
White Ghost never treated race as a barrier. He had once said something she cherished deeply:
"At the core, everyone in this world is just a living being—only the outside looks different."
But gradually, the little squirrel noticed White Ghost's gaze changing—lingering longer than it should.
She became shy again and lowered her head, not daring to look around.
"Um… White-bro," she said quickly, trying to restore calm, "it's late. I should rest… you should rest too."
She stood up—
But after sitting too long, her legs had gone numb. Her balance slipped.
"Ow—!"
She fell.
White Ghost reacted instantly and caught her in his arms.
Because of the momentum, she ended up resting against him—steady, safe… but suddenly very close.
They froze for a moment.
A familiar thought flashed through White Ghost's mind.
Why does this feel like the same kind of accident as last time…?
The squirrel stared at him at close range, stunned—then, flustered, she shut her eyes and buried her face against his chest.
Her small hands clutched his clothing, nervous and embarrassed.
White Ghost paused.
He could feel her trembling. He could feel how fast her heart was beating.
Then he exhaled and gently loosened his grip—careful and restrained.
"Sorry," he said quietly, his voice steady. "That was my fault. You almost fell."
The squirrel stayed like that for a second longer, then nodded quickly.
"I… I'm okay."
White Ghost helped her stand properly and supported her until the numbness faded from her legs.
"Go rest," he said. "You said you still have important work tomorrow."
The squirrel nodded rapidly.
"Yes… I do."
She hurried away, still red-faced, and disappeared into the corridor.
White Ghost stayed where he was, rubbing his forehead.
"…I really drank too much."
Morning
At dawn, White Ghost opened his eyes—he'd long since gotten used to waking early.
He washed up, put on his clothes, and stepped out.
In the dining room, Wanda had already prepared breakfast.
Not long after, Olga—still half-asleep—came down to eat. Naqin also arrived.
As for the two in the lab, Wanda brought their food to them. Those two could forget to eat once machines were involved.
After breakfast, everyone returned to their own tasks.
White Ghost went to the bow and began swinging his great sword.
It was routine—something he did every day.
Each day of practice brought new insights. Over time, it became habit: train daily, no exceptions.
Whoosh—
A sword wave flew out and split the surface of the sea cleanly in two.
The newly arrived Tashigi stared, eyes wide.
"So this is a Great Swordsman…"
"And that is Vice Admiral White Ghost's black blade… 'Big Sword'?"
"The name isn't elegant, but that is absolutely a real black blade!"
White Ghost noticed her gaze and glanced at the sword at her waist—Shigure.
He crooked a finger.
"Use your sword. Attack me. Let me see your basics."
"Yes!" Tashigi drew her blade eagerly.
"I'm coming, Vice Admiral White Ghost!"
White Ghost didn't bother correcting her title again.
"Come."
"Hya—!"
Clang—clang—clang!
Chapter 145 – Uta and Bai Hezi's Live Combat
Over the following days, everyone wandered around Loguetown.
Now that they had Pure Gold, time no longer felt urgent.
White Ghost said it himself: being happy mattered most.
When White Ghost wasn't training, he sometimes gave pointers to Tashigi—who would later suffer endlessly under Smoker's brutal lifestyle.
Smoker, desperate to awaken Haki, challenged White Ghost repeatedly.
The crew happily sat aside and watched Smoker get beaten down again and again.
After several days, Smoker finally awakened Haki.
It wasn't stable yet—sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't—but that was only a matter of practice.
At the time, White Ghost even thought:
If Straw Hat Luffy arrives in Loguetown later… and Smoker lands an Armament punch—won't that be brutal?
About two weeks later, White Ghost set sail again, saying goodbye to the long-suffering Smoker.
During that time, Franky successfully replaced his mechanical arm.
After firing a single laser blast, he immediately went limp.
Every man on the ship stared at him with shining eyes.
What man could resist a laser beam?
Now Franky and Ashie were using the new materials to upgrade more of his body—possibly inspired by Enel's "Zero Unit."
White Ghost had a feeling Franky was heading down a very specific path.
As for the longevity medicine Naqin and the squirrel doctor were researching, it had entered its final stage.
The squirrel doctor was exhausted daily, so White Ghost didn't disturb her.
Everyone handled their own work. Kuro steered the ship.
Long voyages were boring—if you weren't training, you were fishing.
White Ghost himself had been "banned" from entering certain cabins for a few days.
Not because of scandal—more because the crew collectively decided he needed to learn boundaries and stop being reckless when people were exhausted.
So for a few days, White Ghost slept alone.
"Captain!" Kuro called. "Pirates spotted ahead!"
White Ghost looked up.
A pirate ship—roughly the same size—was approaching.
He frowned.
"I leave the East Blue and suddenly everyone's this bold? That old man Garp really is slipping…"
"Uta, Bai Hezi, A-Da, A-Er, Arthur—this time, you move."
"Got it."
The Eldorago Pirates
Captain: Eldorago
Dark-skinned, wearing golden armor, over two meters tall, red-haired, massive and muscular.
Personality: Obsessed with gold to madness. For years he'd searched for the legendary golden great pirate Uunan, rumored to have hidden vast treasures somewhere—fate unknown.
Eldorago rolled gold coins in his hand and grinned.
He fell in love with the majestic ship instantly.
Kill them. Take the ship. Take the treasure.
A swordsman beside him muttered nervously:
"Captain… I've never heard of this ship. Something feels wrong."
Eldorago sneered.
"Probably nobles on a pleasure trip."
The crew's eyes lit up.
Gold.
White Ghost watched and clicked his tongue.
"What a waste… such a good Devil Fruit eaten by trash."
Uta and Bai Hezi launched first.
A-Da and A-Er followed.
Arthur drew his sword.
Eldorago barked:
"Capture the women if you can. Kill the rest!"
Uta swept her sword.
Pirates collapsed—sleeping, bleeding, dying.
"The captain is mine," she said calmly.
Eldorago panicked.
"Sword Song!"
Thud.
He fell.
Bai Hezi cut down the enemy swordsman moments later.
The remaining pirates fled into the sea.
They finally understood:
They had kicked steel.
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