Whitebeard quickly approved Yang Tao's teleport request.
Through the teleportation portal, Yang Tao arrived on a massive ship floating on the ocean—the Moby Dick, Whitebeard's ship.
Seeing the towering figure of Whitebeard sitting on his throne, Yang Tao greeted him.
"Living the easy life, huh, Whitebeard?"
Everyone else on the ship immediately went on high alert at Yang Tao's sudden appearance.
Marco stepped forward, wary. "Who are you?"
Yang Tao wasn't nervous at all. Instead, he grinned and said, "I'm Whitebeard's friend, which makes me your uncle!"
This brat is taking advantage of me!
"You arrogant little punk!" Jozu's arm turned to diamond as he rushed forward, ready to teach Yang Tao a lesson.
"Stand down!" Whitebeard's voice rang out, stopping Jozu. "He's a friend of mine. You can't treat a guest like this."
Everyone was stunned.
They had never heard Whitebeard mention having a friend before—especially not one this young.
Marco turned to Whitebeard. "Dad, how come you've never mentioned this friend before?"
Whitebeard explained, "We haven't known each other long, but he's someone I trust. He's the one who healed my injuries."
Hearing that, the skeptical crew members suddenly looked at Yang Tao with gratitude.
Marco's attitude shifted instantly. "Thank you for healing Dad! From now on, you have my utmost respect. If you ever need anything, just say the word!"
As Whitebeard's doctor, Marco knew better than anyone how serious his injuries were. Whitebeard was getting old, and years of internal damage had greatly weakened him. Marco had tried everything but couldn't stop his condition from worsening. It had always weighed heavily on his heart.
But then, just a few days ago, Whitebeard's injuries completely healed, and it even seemed like he had grown even stronger! The person who cured him was now standing right in front of him—how could he not be excited?
Yang Tao got straight to the point. "I came here because I need a favor. Whitebeard, can you take me to Impel Down? I don't know the way!"
Whitebeard said, "You mentioned you were looking for someone. Need my help?"
Yang Tao replied, "I'm not going there to fight. I can handle it myself. If I knew the way, I would've just flown there! If I need help, I'll call you."
Seeing that Yang Tao really didn't need assistance, Whitebeard didn't insist. "Marco, go with him. You're the fastest."
Marco agreed without hesitation.
After getting a Log Pose from the ship's navigator, he walked over to Yang Tao and asked, "When do you want to leave?"
Yang Tao didn't plan on staying in the One Piece world for long—he still had Pokémon to level up and a Master Ball to find! He wanted to get this done quickly.
He pulled out a vehicle from his backpack and motioned for Marco to get in.
"We're leaving now. You handle the directions, I'll take care of the flying!"
After waving goodbye to Whitebeard, Yang Tao took off in the direction Marco pointed.
Looking down at the vast ocean, Yang Tao felt amazed. But after a while, flying over the endless sea started to feel disorienting.
As they traveled, the two of them chatted along the way.
"This ocean is incredible," Yang Tao couldn't help but say.
You might not notice it while sailing, but from the sky, the view was breathtaking.
One moment, the sky was clear and bright. Just a little further, dark clouds gathered, and heavy snow fell. Fly a bit more, and you'd run into raging tornadoes.
"Haha! That's what makes the sea so thrilling to conquer, right?" Marco laughed.
He was already used to the unpredictable ocean—after all, he had lived in this world his entire life.
Before long, they reached the Calm Belt.
The sea was completely still, without even a hint of wind.
"We've arrived. This is the Calm Belt. From here on, the Log Pose won't work. I only know the general direction, so we'll have to look around a bit," Marco said.
Yang Tao nodded in understanding. After all, aside from the Marines, what pirate would bother recording a Log Pose to Impel Down?
Following Marco's guidance, they continued forward. But after searching for a long time, they still hadn't found Impel Down.
What they did spot, however, was a Marine warship.
"That'll do. Marco, you can head back now. I'll just follow that warship," Yang Tao said, preparing to trail the Marines to Impel Down.
Warships in this area were almost certainly heading there.
"I can stay and help," Marco offered.
Yang Tao pulled out an invisibility potion, drank it, and vanished before Marco's eyes.
Marco quickly activated his Observation Haki, but he couldn't sense Yang Tao at all!
Then, Yang Tao's voice came from the same spot. "Relax, Marco! Like this, I can move around easily without being noticed. If you stay, you'll just make things harder."
Feeling a bit disappointed, Marco had no choice but to agree. He transformed into his phoenix form and flew back.
Meanwhile, Yang Tao put away his vehicle and, still invisible, flew down toward the warship below.
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