White Night seemed deeply stung by those words. He clutched his chest with one hand, a look of profound grief on his face, his handsome features scrunched up.
"Vice Admiral Garp, those words truly wound my heart."
"What kind of relationship do we have? I treat you like family, yet you doubt me like this?"
"Who am I doing this for? Isn't it for your own good, for the reputation of you Marines!"
Garp pouted, clearly unconvinced.
"For this old man's good? For the Marine's reputation?"
He picked at his ear with a finger, eyeing White Night askance.
"If you were truly so noble, you'd just give the Dungeon to the Marines for free, let us mass-produce powerhouses, and unify the seas!"
"That won't do, this is a small business for me."
White Night immediately shook his head, then put on a sincere expression, as if to say, "I'm genuinely thinking of you."
"Think about it, Admiral Kuzan was beaten so badly, where is the Marine's prestige? Everyone outside is going crazy with the news!"
"Only you, the marine hero Monkey D. Garp! By personally stepping in and reclaiming the field, can you silence the gossiping masses!"
White Night spoke with such impassioned fervor, he almost believed himself.
"Don't worry!"
He thumped his chest, guaranteeing with absolute certainty.
"I swear! I stake the golden signboard of my 'Dungeon Shop' on this!"
"The Dungeon I'm recommending to you this time is absolutely tailor-made for you!"
"With your strength, you won't just walk through it, you'll definitely be among the top-tier combatants! There will absolutely be no repeat of the tragic scene where Kuzan was rubbed into the ground!"
The suspicion on Garp's face finally showed a hint of loosening.
He did care deeply about Kuzan's crushing defeat.
It wasn't just the failure of an Admiral, but a heavy blow to the Marine's highest combat power.
If he could go in and perform magnificently... Garp rubbed the stiff stubble on his chin, his eyes flickering.
"Is that true?"
He was still a bit uneasy.
"Don't you dare trick me, kid! If this old man goes in and gets beaten to a pulp too, I'll come back and flip your whole pathetic stall over!"
Seeing that the fish was about to bite, White Night revealed a pure and harmless smile, throwing out the final, and most lethal, bait.
"To show my sincerity, and to celebrate the great victory that is about to come for our Marines!"
White Night leaned in closer, lowering his voice, with a mysterious, seductive tone.
"This time, as long as you can clear the Dungeon..."
"The reward, I'll double it for you!"
"Double?!"
These two words, like a bolt of lightning, exploded in Garp's mind.
The previous Chakra Refining Technique had already made him ecstatic, boosting his combat power by 30% out of nowhere!
If he got another one, and a doubled reward at that... The scene was too beautiful; Garp dared not even imagine it.
All suspicion, all caution, instantly vanished in the face of the four words "Reward Doubled"!
"Puhahahahahahaha!"
Garp slapped his thigh, letting out a deafening roar of laughter, tears almost streaming from his eyes.
"You said it, kid!"
He extended a thick finger, almost poking White Night's nose.
"Deal!"
"A gentleman's word is his bond! This old man is going to go and meet this Dungeon you speak of right now!"
"If you dare to trick me, just you wait! Puhahaha!"
White Night displayed a pure and harmless smile, like a genuinely caring boy next door.
He patted Garp's shoulder, his tone utterly sincere.
"Don't worry, Vice Admiral Garp, you'll be satisfied!"
"This Dungeon will definitely be spectacular!"
White Night's eyes were clear and transparent, showing no impurities.
But deep in his heart, a silent whisper was slowly flowing.
"I just wonder..."
"This time, facing that Grandson standing on the execution platform, what choice will you make, having already witnessed 'beyond the world'?"
"I'm really looking forward to it, marine hero."
Garp knew nothing of this; he was only immersed in the euphoria of soon receiving a "doubled reward."
He tossed his fishing rod aside, his knuckled fists cracking, and an eager, soaring fighting spirit emanated from his entire body.
"Puhahaha! Good!"
"This old man wants to see what kind of world can live up to the four words 'Reward Doubled'!"
"Come on! White Night, kid! Don't dawdle!"
"As you wish."
White Night smiled slightly and snapped his fingers.
His consciousness sank into the system, and a brilliant blue light screen, visible only to him, suddenly unfolded before his eyes.
Countless Dungeon names streaked across like meteors.
"Battle of New York"
"Cyber Asylum"
"Ant King's Rebellion"
...White Night's gaze finally locked onto one Dungeon that had just refreshed, emitting a faint reddish glow.
"Dungeon Type: Intermediate"
"Dungeon Name: Marineford War!"
"Dungeon Synopsis: The largest war since the Great Pirate Era began! Marineford gathers one hundred thousand elites, the Seven Warlords of the Sea stand ready, all for the public execution of the Pirate King's son—'Fire Fist' Ace! The world's strongest man, 'Whitebeard' Edward Newgate, will lead his most powerful pirate crew to rescue his family, engaging in a world-shaking showdown with the Marine!"
"Clearance Conditions: Join the Marine or Pirate faction and help them achieve final victory."
"Dungeon Rating: Calculated based on the participant's contribution to the war."
"Found it."
A playful curve appeared at the corner of White Night's mouth.
He reached out a finger and lightly tapped the blood-red Dungeon name.
"Then, I wish you... a pleasant time."
No sooner had he spoken than, before Garp could react, an intensely dazzling white light instantly engulfed him completely!
The light dissipated.
On the beach, only the empty lounge chair and the overflowing fish basket remained.
Again, that familiar sensation of weightlessness.
Again, that boundless, deadly silent darkness.
Garp had once again arrived in this strange space.
"Here we go again."
He pouted, crossed his arms, and skillfully floated in the void, no longer flustered as he was the first time.
But this did not mean he was numb to it.
Quite the opposite.
The more Dungeons he experienced, the stronger the shock in his heart became.
Every time he entered here, it was like perusing the historical records of myriad worlds.
Garp's Adam's apple bobbed uncontrollably.
His heart, forged as hard as steel, now felt a sense of awe.
These inconceivable, utterly abnormal "worlds" were all created by that white-haired kid?
Could this kid really be some kind of god?
Like, a god with a twisted sense of humor who enjoys toying with mortals?
Just as Garp's mind was reeling, all the surrounding world fragments suddenly began to spin faster.
Streams of light intertwined, finally converging into a fixed image.
A clear blue sky.
A crescent-shaped bay.
Tens of thousands of Marine soldiers in white uniforms, with solemn expressions.
And... a towering, cold execution platform.
A cold and grand mechanical voice boomed in Garp's mind.
"Dungeon selected: Marineford War!"
"Mission Objective: ..."
"Please choose your faction!"