In the ship's corridor, Luo Chen smiled and said, "Alright, wait for me in your room tonight."

Since Kalifa requested it, he reluctantly agreed.

He believed it wouldn't take too long.

With that, Luo Chen and Robin departed.

Leaving Kalifa in silence before her room door.

She lightly bit her lower lip, looked at Luo Chen's retreating figure, and took a deep breath.

In reality, her heart was beating very fast; she was extremely nervous.

It was only thanks to her mastery of Navy Six Styles that she managed to forcibly control her body and not show any flaws.

Seduction was definitely a first for Kalifa.

Although it had been taught in her CP agent training for the World Government, this was her first time putting it into practice.

She tidied the golden hair by her ear and slowly walked back into her room to prepare for tonight's special operation... On the deck of the Fallen Star.

Douglas Bullet, Enel, Shiryu, Byrnndi World, and others had been waiting for a long time.

They were preparing to go with Luo Chen to meet Whitebeard.

Staying on the ship all these days had been incredibly boring.

Luo Chen raised his hand and created a Wood Dragon, and everyone stood on it, heading towards the island below.

In the sky, dozens of other giant Wood Dragons were still circling.

Tens of thousands of Kuja Island residents stood on the edge of the Wood Dragons, watching Luo Chen and the others depart.

There was hope in their eyes.

After flying at high altitude for many days, they finally had a place to land.

Everyone knew that Luo Chen was going to receive territory.

During the Summit War, Whitebeard, to repay a favor, voluntarily offered to give half of his wealth and territory... On the island, Whitebeard and his sons, Marco, Ace, Jozu, and others, were holding a meeting in the village clearing.

Their expressions were all somewhat heavy.

Marco sighed with worry, "I didn't expect the Five Elders's deployment to cause such panic among the islanders under our command."

"Luo Chen should be arriving soon, what do we do now?"

Yesterday afternoon, news of Luo Chen's confrontation with the Five Elders at Sabaody Archipelago had spread.

Many islands in the New World had received the news.

Whitebeard commanded over fifty islands in total.

He had originally planned to give half of his territory to Luo Chen to establish his forces.

However, this morning, messages came from the islanders of that half of the territory, sending representatives who jointly declared that they were unwilling to be placed under Luo Chen's command.

The reason was simple.

The Five Elders had personally mobilized, and the World Government had expressed its determination to annihilate Luo Chen's Fallen Star Pirates.

If they now joined Luo Chen's command, they would inevitably be implicated.

Once Luo Chen was defeated, they would be massacred by the World Government.

The residents of more than twenty islands were simply unwilling to join Luo Chen's command.

To this end, the resident representatives even wrote blood letters, knelt, and kowtowed, begging Whitebeard not to allocate them to Luo Chen.

The tall and burly Commander of the Third Division, Jozu, looked troubled:

"Pops has already promised Luo Chen."

"Going back on our word now, wouldn't that be seen as a betrayal?"

Ace, Vista, Izo, and the other Commanders all looked at Pops.

They were equally troubled.

On one hand were the common people who had been governed in their territories for many years.

Many of these common people even had family members who had joined the Whitebeard Pirates.

They could be considered their family.

Now that they came to beg Pops, it was hard to refuse.

On the other hand, there was Luo Chen, who had saved their lives.

Going back on their word now would be a breach of trust.

Whitebeard sat on a giant wooden chair, his expression serious, his eyes deep in thought.

He slowly said, "Let's forget about the territory."

"When Luo Chen arrives, I will personally apologize to him."

"As for the half of the wealth I promised before, we'll give him even more, keeping only one-tenth and giving the rest entirely to Luo Chen."

The Five Elders personally mobilizing to encircle and suppress Luo Chen was something even Whitebeard hadn't expected.

The World Government's determination to eradicate Luo Chen could be said to be very firm.

Whitebeard didn't even doubt that the World Government would dare to venture deep into the New World to hunt down Luo Chen.

At this critical juncture, handing over the citizens of half of his territory to Luo Chen, he truly wasn't at ease.

Whitebeard treated all the people in his territory as family.

He didn't want them to encounter danger.

Marco, Ace, and the others had no objections to Pops's decision.

They only hoped that Luo Chen would understand.

At this moment, Whitebeard looked up at the distant sky.

Marco, Ace, Jozu, and the other Commanders also turned their heads to look into the distance.

A lifelike dark green Azure Dragon was flying from the horizon.

On the back of the Azure Dragon stood several figures.

"Pops, it's Luo Chen!" Marco flew high into the sky to get a better view, confirming the arrivals.

Upon hearing this, Whitebeard rose from the giant wooden chair to personally greet them.

He looked at Jozu and instructed, "Bring all the prepared treasures over."

Jozu acknowledged the order and temporarily departed.

Not long after, the dark green Azure Dragon approached and, guided by Marco, landed in the village clearing.

Whitebeard saw Luo Chen leap from the dragon's back and laughed heartily:

"Gurahahahaha, I've been waiting for you, Luo Chen."

"I trust you've been well." Luo Chen smiled.

He observed Whitebeard.

This robust old man's aura was even weaker than during the Summit War.

The sword that Squard had used to backstab him and pierce his chest had left a permanent scar.

His face also looked older than before.

Luo Chen couldn't help but sigh, even the strong individuals of this world couldn't escape the ravages of time.

The reason the Five Elders submitted to Imu was inextricably linked to immortality.

"If I want eternal life, I either need to use Law's Ope-Ope no Mi to perform the Immortality Operation."

"Or I need to find Pure Gold."

Pure Gold was a special kind of gold that appeared in the movie versions.

Using Pure Gold could grant eternal youth, immortality, and cure all diseases.

But finding it wouldn't be easy.

Luo Chen collected his thoughts and took a seat in a chair prepared by Marco and the others.

Robin, Douglas Bullet, Enel, Shiryu, and the others also sat down beside him.

Whitebeard's gaze swept over everyone, lingering on Douglas Bullet for a few extra moments, and he laughed:

"I didn't expect to see you again in my lifetime, you brat."

Douglas Bullet grinned, "Whitebeard, with your aged appearance, you no longer deserve the title of the World's Strongest Man."

"Gurahahahaha..." Whitebeard laughed heartily, but he didn't mind.

He actually knew that he probably wasn't Luo Chen's opponent anymore.

Capturing two Admirals alive was something he couldn't do.

After some pleasantries, Jozu and a few crew members brought over boxes of treasure.

Ace and Marco, meanwhile, called out to the villagers to serve food and drinks.

There were also more than a dozen young and beautiful women performing enthusiastic, spicy dances, swaying gracefully to the music.

Whitebeard raised his cup and drained it, then said seriously, "Luo Chen, I must first apologize. The territory I promised you before, I'm afraid I cannot give it to you."

The smiles on the faces of Marco, Ace, Jozu, and the others instantly vanished, and they looked at Luo Chen with some concern.

Douglas Bullet, Enel, Shiryu, and the others also stopped drinking and eating meat, looking up.

The atmosphere became somewhat stagnant for a moment.

Luo Chen asked with considerable surprise, "Something happened?"

Whitebeard nodded helplessly, and just as he was about to say something, a commotion came from a distance.

"Is it the Fifth Emperor, Lord Luo Chen?"

"We have something to discuss."

"..."