One Piece: Starting at the War of the Best

"Dad, how are you feeling?"

Just like Whitebeard, Marco was also worried that whatever Katie had given might have had some harmful side effects. Although Katie had no reason to do so, the situation was just too bizarre—injuries that would normally take months to recover from had suddenly vanished in the blink of an eye. It was hard not to worry.

"Relax, I feel great! Actually, I haven't felt this good in a long time."

Whitebeard gave Marco a reassuring look, signaling that there was nothing to worry about.

Watching the changes in Whitebeard's condition with his own eyes, Sengoku felt unexpectedly relieved that the war hadn't erupted. If just the revitalized Whitebeard alone had joined the fray, it would've already posed a massive threat.

Not to mention, no one even knew what Katie had given him. How much more of that stuff did Katie have?

If it was only one dose, fine—but if she had three or more? Just the attrition alone could wipe out the Marines.

Realizing this, Sengoku's gaze toward Katie grew even deeper. A plan formed in his mind for the Navy's next phase: Do everything possible to capture Katie!

"Ms. Katie, I can't thank you enough. If you don't mind, would you be willing to come stay aboard the Moby Dick for a couple of days?"

After confirming Whitebeard was indeed fine, Marco invited Katie aboard, his eyes full of gratitude. His top concern had always been Whitebeard's health, and now that the crisis had passed, he was deeply thankful.

Naturally, the invitation wasn't just extended to Katie—Barrett and Red were also invited, and neither refused.

"Well then, I'll gladly accept."

For Katie, sticking with Whitebeard was currently the best option. She didn't know her way around this world, and if she wandered aimlessly, she might even accidentally stumble into Mariejois and hand herself over.

The other two were likely in the same boat. Though they wouldn't be foolish enough to head to the Holy Land, they had spent decades locked away in Impel Down and badly needed to reacquaint themselves with the world. As one of the Four Emperors, Whitebeard could easily provide everything they needed—there was no reason to refuse.

Just then, the Red-Haired Pirates walked over.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Shanks."

Katie was momentarily stunned as Shanks reached out his hand—not expecting to be the first one Shanks approached—but quickly came to his senses and shook it.

"Hi, I'm Katie."

The moment their hands touched, Katie felt a pressure unlike anything she'd experienced before. It was like a mountain had dropped on her back—overwhelming and immovable. And yet Shanks didn't even budge an inch!

"Hmph."

With a low grunt, Katie's aura erupted in response, matching Shanks' pressure head-on without retreating a step.

"Haha! Excellent, excellent! Truly promising youth. If we're leaving the future in the hands of people like you, then we old-timers can finally retire."

Shanks laughed heartily, and the intense pressure from her body vanished instantly, as if it had never been there.

"You're going to embarrass me." Katie was surprised by how highly Shanks regarded her. While she personally thought she deserved it, she still tried to be modest.

"Then let's leave." This was directed at Whitebeard.

"Yes, it's time."

And so, under the gaze of tens of thousands of Marines and the entire world, the Whitebeard Pirates retreated from Marineford—victorious.

Not a single person tried to stop them.

As the ships disappeared from the screens, Marineford returned to calm—but the onlookers were far from composed.

No one had expected this outcome. Before the battle, the overwhelming majority thought the Navy would win.

After all, despite Whitebeard's reputation as the world's strongest man, he was old, long past his prime. Aside from Marco, the division commanders weren't really a match for the Navy's top admirals. The power gap at the top tier was wide.

And yet, the Whitebeard Pirates won.

How could anyone not be shocked?

"What do you think the Marines will do to retaliate against Katie?"

Looking at the bounty poster in their hands, the spectators couldn't help but wonder. It was undeniable that Katie was the biggest reason for the Navy's defeat.

If they were Sengoku, they'd never let her go. Katie's personal strength and the havoc she caused would be more than enough to justify total annihilation.

What others thought, Katie didn't know.

Because at this very moment, he was completely dazed. As the Moby Dick sailed out of Marineford's territory, the system delivered one good and one bad piece of news.

Main Mission Completed: Help Whitebeard Win the War at Marineford

Outcome: Successfully rescued Ace.Successfully saved Edward Newgate (Whitebeard), though lost one arm.Defeated Admiral Akainu.Mission Grade: S-Rewards: 50 million exchange points, 150 skill points, 1 A-rank Dimensional Mission Summon Card.

Just as Katie was about to ask what the final reward did, another system notification appeared:

"Due to the host's massive increase in strength, system upgrade is required to better serve you. Estimated update time: 24 hours. Please wait patiently."

"System? System?!"

No matter how Katie called out, there was no response. If she hadn't experienced everything personally, she would've thought this was all a dream.

"Phew… finally, I can rest."

Once she was sure the system had gone silent, a wave of unbearable fatigue overwhelmed her. No matter how strong she was physically, even she couldn't fight off sleep. Just one second later, Katie drifted off into deep slumber.

She was exhausted.

Though she had brief periods of rest over the past 30+ hours, her mind had been under constant stress, never relaxing for a moment. While Senzu Beans could restore her body, mental fatigue couldn't be helped—it had to be endured. And now she had finally reached his limit.

Everything had ended perfectly.

It was like dancing on a tightrope—one wrong move, and she would've fallen into the abyss.

"Ms. Katie, I'd like to ask you about the Flame-Flame Fruit..."

Ace stopped mid-sentence when he saw Katie fast asleep in the corner, dead to the world. He held his tongue and quietly told the others not to disturb her, then turned and walked away.

Even though he really wanted to know everything about the Flame-Flame Fruit, now was clearly not the time. Ace couldn't help but feel a deep respect for the woman who, despite being younger than him, had made it possible for his father to walk away without greater injury.