242 The Storm Rises In The Sea

"It's worse than it was two months ago," 

The young nurse said, removing her stethoscope. "Oyaji, you really shouldn't drink anymore, and you must avoid strenuous activity."

She held up a vial. "This is the medication we've prepared for your condition. You need to take it."

"Guurarara~ Take that stuff away. I'm not on my deathbed yet, so I don't need it!" 

Whitebeard brushed off the nurses who tried to set up a drip, grabbed his remaining wine, and drank deeply.

"This is far more effective for me than any medicine!" he declared, ignoring the worried faces around him.

Noticing his sons' frowns, Whitebeard waved dismissively. 

"What are those faces for? Back then, Roger was terminally ill and still became the Pirate King. What's a little injury compared to that?! Come on, let's have a banquet and celebrate! Cheer up!"

Marco and the others exchanged strained smiles, forced themselves to nod, and stepped away. 

Gathering in a quiet corner, they sighed deeply, their concern for their father weighing heavily on their hearts.

"I don't know how many more years Oyaji's body can hold out," Teach sighed.

"I've checked... at most, he only has eight years left," Marco replied, his voice heavy with concern.

As the ship's doctor for the Whitebeard Pirates, Marco wished the knowledge he had learned in books was wrong. Unfortunately, the reality was grim.

For anyone else, Whitebeard's condition would have been fatal by now.

In his youth, Whitebeard had fought countless battles, leaving lasting damage to his respiratory system. He also suffered from heart disease.

But what worried Marco the most was the damage caused by Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit.

The Tremor-Tremor Fruit, known as the most destructive Paramecia, had immense power—capable of creating tsunamis and earthquakes, its destructive force surpassing even that of many Logia fruits.

Few people realize that some Devil Fruits come with dangerous side effects.

For example, the legendary Dark-Dark Fruit doesn't just prevent the user from becoming elemental—it also causes them to take double damage.

The Tremor-Tremor Fruit has a similar hidden cost. 

Every time Whitebeard uses its power, it causes severe internal damage to his organs. 

Over time, the accumulated injuries in his body have reached a critical point.

When Whitebeard was younger, he could manage these injuries, but as he aged, his body couldn't keep up. 

Eventually, the damage became too much to suppress, and it could spiral out of control, potentially killing him.

"Stop talking!" Jozu shut his eyes in pain.

"Marco, you are a doctor! We'll find a way to save Oyaji!"

Marco forced a bitter smile. He often woke from nightmares, haunted by the thought of losing Whitebeard. Without Oyaji, the family would fall apart.

...

Holy Land Mariejois

Saint Saturn glared at the newspaper in his hand, his teeth clenched in anger.

"Kid! You're lucky!" he muttered.

"Recently, Lord Im instructed us to use all our power to destroy the Revolutionary Army. If not, I'll turn your wedding into a funeral!"

Saturn fumed, frustrated that he couldn't take the chance to kill people at Lynch's wedding.

Lord Im had dreamed a few days ago that the "Drum of Liberation" would sound for the Revolutionary Army. He had ordered the Five Elders to eradicate the Revolutionary Army at any cost.

The "Drum of Liberation" had two meanings. One was literal: it symbolized the Revolutionary Army gearing up to launch an attack on the World Government.

The second, deeper meaning might be related to the Sun God Nika.

Although Lord Im didn't specify which one he meant, the Five Elders guessed that, given the strong reaction from Lord Im, it was likely the second interpretation.

Over the past 800 years of World Government rule, Dragon wasn't the first to form a revolutionary army, and he certainly won't be the last. Countless revolutionary armies have risen and fallen without ever threatening the World Government's control. Dragon is no exception. Those who oppose the World Government will ultimately be crushed.

At Marine Headquarters...

"Hahahaha, Sengoku, Lynch is getting married again! How much money are we giving this time?" Garp said as he helped himself to Sengoku's private stash of donuts.

Sengoku's face darkened.

"Gift money? That boy is our enemy now. Next time you see him, remember to hit him on the head with your fist!"

Sengoku has become increasingly resentful of Lynch recently.

Because he saw the age when he was about to retire, the successor he had trained actually ran away.

He can still work for two or three years at most. After two or three years, Sengoku really doesn't know who among the three Admirals will be able to lead the Marine Corps.

Would it be Akainu, who loves hot springs, gardening, and spending time with his daughter? 

Or Aokiji, who wears a blindfold, never gets attached to anyone, and spends his days riding a bicycle at sea? 

Certainly not Kizaru, who just clocks in and out every day.

Sengoku's mind was overwhelmed with the uncertainty. If Marine became a tool for the World Government, he would be a disgrace for all eternity.

"Oh, right," Garp suddenly remembered. "That kid's our enemy now." 

He scratched his head and chuckled. "Guess I can't go to the wedding this time."

…..

Cake Island:

"Mom, Lynch is now part of our family. Should we send someone to congratulate him on his wedding?"

"Shut up!" Big Mom snapped, still furious that Lynch had taken the giants away. There was no way she would send anyone to attend his wedding.

Amazon Lily:

"My body... My heart hurts..."

The empress's jade-like hand trembled as she held the newspaper. Her other hand pressed against her chest, her fingers digging into the flesh as her heart raced. 

For some reason, every time she saw something about Lynch in the news, her reaction was intense.

After many attempts to suppress her feelings, the empress finally decided to take action.

"Someone, write a letter to Emperor of West Blue, Lynch."

…

West Blue

The wedding proceeded as planned, just as extravagant as the last one. However, the guest list had changed dramatically.

At the previous wedding, nearly all the nobles of West Blue, along with figures like Garp, Zephyr, Tsuru Vice Admiral, Kaido, Katakuri, red-haired Shanks, Tokikake, and many others had attended. This time, none of them were present.

Most of the nobles in West Blue were gone. Lynch had originally intended to eliminate the criminal nobles. 

After inspection, he found that it was nearly impossible to find a truly good person among the twenty nobles he checked.

The guests at the wedding included:

The five kings of the underground world, the Great Prince of Mermaid Island, the Golden Emperor, Enel, Moria, Perona, the Germa family, Rayleigh, Gabban, and Marco.

The rest were loyal supporters who stayed in West Blue, such as Gion, Hina, Mark, Crayon Shin-chan and his family, Kujaku, Yakushi Kabuto, Loki, and others.

The congratulatory messages included:

[Fish-Man Island congratulates the emperor on his wedding. Wishing the emperor a long and happy marriage. Gift: 200 million Baileys, twelve pairs of deep-sea night pearls, and a pair of luminous fish.]

[Dark King Rayleigh and Gabban congratulate the emperor on his wedding. Wishing the couple to have a baby soon, three in one year!]

The guard reading the notes struggled to keep a straight face and continued reading:

[Dark King Rayleigh sends a congratulatory gift—himself.]

.

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TO BE CONTINUED

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