"Thanks for your gift, little—wait, no." Suddenly, Sengoku shivered.
Why had Qingcheng always wanted them to leave? There had to be some secret he didn't want them to discover. Although Sengoku hadn't found any background information on Qingcheng in the records, it was impossible he had no background at all. Otherwise, where did his medical documents come from? But Sengoku had already searched through his entire house!
Sengoku looked extremely conflicted. During this period, he had tried to trace the source of those medical documents, but the townspeople all claimed they were brought by merchants delivering goods. He didn't believe them—because some of those documents were one-of-a-kind!
Some of the addresses noted in the materials were from kingdoms that had vanished for over a hundred years. One-of-a-kind originals—who would believe those could be bought? What Sengoku didn't know was that these rare documents had been obtained by Whitebeard during his adventures and sent to Qingcheng. Since Whitebeard hadn't sent anything in years, the villagers never made the connection. Besides, very few people on the island still remembered Whitebeard at all. And so, Sengoku became trapped in a web of his own assumptions.
Time flowed on, unceasingly.
In the year 1485 of the Sea Circle Calendar, a doctor named Harvis D. Villa Qingcheng rose to fame in the North Blue.
In 1486, the renowned doctor Qingcheng successfully overcame a terminal illness known as Muras, and for the first time, his name appeared in other seas beyond the North Blue.
In 1490, Qingcheng announced through newspapers a method to prolong the life of patients infected with the terminal Stellao Virus, and he invited doctors from all over to come to Starfish Island for further collaborative research on eradicating the disease.
In 1492, after two years of joint research with Dr. Berat from the Grand Line and Dr. Laublon from the West Blue, Qingcheng officially declared the Stellao Virus had been conquered.
That same year, Drs. Berat and Laublon returned to their homelands, while Harvis D. Villa Qingcheng's name entered the world stage. He was hailed in the medical world as a once-in-a-century genius doctor—though skepticism also arose.
On January 5, 1493, Qingcheng's name once again made headlines across the seas. This time, he published a paper on the pathogenesis and treatment of the so-called incurable and deadly Scurvy. He revealed that the illness was simply due to a lack of plant-based nutrition—nothing terrifying. As long as ships stored long-lasting fruits and consumed them regularly, scurvy would not occur. For those already afflicted, recovery depended on the severity, but simply increasing intake of plant nutrients would cure it.
The fact that the terrifying "Devil of the Sea"—Scurvy—had such a simple cause shocked the world. At first, most didn't believe it. But after three months, once a majority of patients were successfully cured using this method, people were stunned. From then on, Harvis D. Villa Qingcheng's reputation as a medical genius was completely solidified.
On May 5, 1493, less than 27 years remained before the start of the main storyline.
Qingcheng had now lived in this world for 36 years. Including his age before transmigration—23—he was now 59. Yet, his appearance remained youthful. Other than his height, now just over two meters, he looked young—without a trace of stubble. Even his once-plain features had grown remarkably handsome.
Half a year ago, rumors had even spread that he had taken one of his own developed drugs and achieved eternal youth. When a reporter asked him directly, he simply smiled without answering. Yet, just that one smile convinced everyone. Some wealthy individuals even offered 1 billion Berries to purchase such a drug...
Somewhere in the Grand Line, a pirate ship sailed steadily across the sea. If Qingcheng had seen the Jolly Roger on the ship's sails, he would have recognized it instantly—it was the emblem of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Onboard, Whitebeard sat silently in his seat, staring at a wooden pendant in his hand. It was a gift from Qingcheng. However, this pendant now bore three or four visible cracks—clearly held together only by glue.
Seeing their captain deep in thought, the usually noisy young men and women on the ship fell silent, afraid to disturb him.
They all knew their "Old Man" (Whitebeard) had an older brother—an exceptionally famous doctor. They also knew Whitebeard had broken a promise made to his brother. Yet they were certain that their father was not someone who took promises lightly.
He broke that promise not out of disregard, but because he didn't want the revered and beloved Doctor Qingcheng to bear the stain of having a pirate for a brother. Because of this, Whitebeard had stopped sending letters or gifts for years. He didn't want the world to know that the famed doctor Qingcheng had a notorious pirate sibling.
They looked at the wooden pendant—the most treasured item their father owned, aside from them. They remembered clearly that the cracks on it had come from a clash with the Navy. And they would never forget Whitebeard's rage when it shattered. The result of that anger? An entire island was sunk. In that same battle, the Navy lost three Vice Admirals, several Rear Admirals, and numerous elite forces. That incident was the very reason the Fleet Admiral had dispatched Admiral Sengoku to capture them.
Watching their captain's silent figure, the youths felt a wave of sorrow—and guilt. It was their mischief that had made him a wanted man. They vividly remembered what he used to say before becoming a pirate.
He once said that when he became strong enough to protect everything, he would take them to pick up his brother Qingcheng, and they would travel the world together. Sadly, after becoming pirates and facing the scornful gazes of society, that dream was never mentioned again.
In the North Blue, in Morisaka Town on Starfish Island, the abandoned Qingcheng still waited for Whitebeard's arrival, unaware he had been forsaken.
Elsewhere, at a Navy base, Garp was napping with a bored expression. Just as Qingcheng once said, after gaining fame, Starfish Island had become a magnet for pirates—some with bounties exceeding 500 million Berries, straight from the Grand Line. They came for one reason—to recruit the famed doctor Qingcheng. But instead, they were captured by the Navy.
Sengoku and Garp, working together, were an unbeatable team. Over the years, no pirate who landed on the island ever escaped. Thanks to his soaring military merits, Sengoku was now promoted to Admiral. As for Garp, he could have been promoted too—if he hadn't refused the offer.
After those frenzied years, the pirates were clearly terrified. For the past two years, no pirates dared show their faces on Starfish Island. And so, Sengoku was recalled to Navy Headquarters, which was why only Vice Admiral Garp remained there now.