Chapter 215: I Like a Fate That Cannot Be Controlled
"I already expected this."
Most people who've spent years at the peak waver a little upon hearing they've been surpassed, their pride shaken.
But Whitebeard didn't even hesitate. He nodded and said frankly, "I saw the battle between the Navy and the Revolutionary Army leader, and just now I sensed Garp's state. Even at my peak, I'd be slightly inferior."
Even if he were fully healed and fighting at full power, he wouldn't have absolute confidence in defeating them.
Take Garp, for example—though slightly weaker than himself during their prime, they were both top-tier. The gap was never wide.
Now that Garp had been strengthened by the Reincarnation Game, it was only natural he'd surpass him.
"So, what kind of power are you seeking?"
Fang Yi looked at the towering man before him—seemingly strong, yet still burdened by illness—and added,
"But I recommend you heal your injuries first."
If Whitebeard's body were fully digitized, a negative status would appear:
[Painful Ailment]: Lose 5 HP per second, all base stats reduced by 20%...
If it couldn't be cured, then no matter how powerful his exchanged abilities were, they'd still be held back.
"That's exactly what I had in mind."
Whitebeard nodded.
He didn't care about holding the title of the strongest. Gaining new powers was secondary—he had come to the Game Shop primarily to be cured.
"Gene therapy from a technological world can completely remove such injuries at the genetic level."
Fang Yi reached out,
and a pale golden vial floated down from the second shelf and landed on the counter.
"The one you traded for with the gold vein earlier—that was a low-grade version. You've already experienced its effect. This one is ten times more effective."
This vial came from a high-tech world that had already pushed past its solar system, exploring the entire Milky Way.
Even in its native world, this level of medication required rare materials gathered from various planets and wasn't cheap.
Price: 4,000 reward points.
"Not expensive at all."
Whitebeard raised his eyebrows in surprise. He had expected it to be far more costly.
After all, this was an exclusive foreign-world item being sold to what used to be the strongest man in the Pirate World. Most merchants would have charged him a fortune.
The rarer the item, the higher the price—especially a one-of-a-kind, life-saving cure.
"In the Reincarnation Game, all items have fixed prices."
Fang Yi explained with a smile,
"What's extremely rare in the Pirate World might be as common as weeds in another."
"Likewise, Devil Fruits from the Pirate World could be priceless treasures in some other universe."
Different world rules gave birth to different kinds of items.
For example, if a world traveler tried to develop technology in a magic world,
the basic physical laws would be so different that nothing based on Earth's science could even be created.
And even if a world happened to have similar rules, if someone tried to build intercontinental missiles in a martial arts world,
the world's consciousness would erase them.
"If that's the case, you could make a fortune."
Even Whitebeard, who normally cared little for wealth, felt a bit tempted.
Imagine holding a product the entire world covets—something they had no way of obtaining themselves.
Just from that disparity, one could grasp power and treasure with ease.
No need to run a shop like the Game Merchant, selling fairly to all.
Just sell one item to the right buyer, and you could devour an entire world's riches.
Fang Yi, seemingly able to read his thoughts, smiled and said,
"Using weak abilities to travel between worlds and flip items for profit—those are the acts of the weakest time-space merchants, desperate for assets."
The weakest?
Even the Pirate World's strongest, with all its mysterious Devil Fruits, couldn't even glimpse other worlds.
Yet to the Game Merchant, interdimensional travel was something only the weak did to chase money.
Whitebeard asked in return,
"Then what is your purpose, Mr. Fang Yi?"
In less than half a year since arriving, he had turned the Pirate World upside down.
The mighty World Government now teetered.
Countless players had gone from nobodies to powerhouses who could challenge even infamous pirates with bounties in the tens of millions.
They roamed freely across the seas.
The once helpless nobles and kingdoms had become fortified bastions,
poised to overthrow the World Government.
All of this—
was the handiwork of the mild-mannered man before him.
"My purpose?"
Fang Yi's tone was that of someone who had answered this question a thousand times before.
He paused deliberately, as if considering.
"Maybe world domination? Or maybe manipulating the world for fun? Or perhaps basking in the awe of countless people?"
Each word he spoke
weighed heavier on Whitebeard, as if gravity itself intensified.
If this man truly desired such things, the entire Pirate World likely wouldn't be able to stop him.
"But those things long ago lost their novelty for me."
Fang Yi simply shook his head with a tinge of weariness.
"No longer novel?"
That was… unexpected.
Whitebeard pondered.
That meant the man before him—who seemed so gentle—had indeed once treated entire worlds like toys.
Fang Yi concluded calmly,
"So I suppose, creating unpredictable surprises… that's my goal now."
"Surprises?"
Whitebeard repeated the word, mulling it over.
"Surprises."
Fang Yi placed his palm on the counter.
The solid wood suddenly turned crystal clear,
transforming into what looked like a shimmering river of stars.
His finger gently touched one of the stars and said,
"This is the space-time of the Pirate World. Every star here represents a life that left its mark on this world—past, present, and future."
Whitebeard's eyes widened.
Those dim and radiant stars exuded a strange allure.
But whenever he tried to get closer, he instinctively felt danger.
He watched Fang Yi's finger press down on one particularly bright star.
"The danger you sense comes from a soul's instinctive fear."
As Fang Yi touched the star,
countless film-like memories flashed before Whitebeard's eyes.
"This is… me?"
Whitebeard watched the images unfold in shock.
The scenes depicted the entire arc of his life.
Born in a poverty-stricken village on an island in the New World,
too poor to pay the Celestial Tribute, ravaged by pirates and slavers, until his homeland was destroyed.
Then came his voyage to sea, joining the Rocks Pirates, fighting in the God Valley War,
and finally founding the Whitebeard Pirates and all that followed.
"The future beyond this point—if known in advance—would alter the Pirate World's course.
That's why the danger you sense is both your soul's fear and the world's warning."
The vision ended at the moment Shanks stepped aboard the Moby Dick, asking him to abandon his pursuit of Blackbeard.
By the current timeline, that was today.
Fang Yi didn't show him more—future reveals were a premium service.
"Gurarararara…"
After a moment of silence, Whitebeard burst into hearty laughter.
"Even from an outsider's perspective, my life has been one hell of a ride—epic enough to earn a standing ovation!"
Get 30% off on my Patreon and enjoy early access to new chapters.
You can also purchase the next 100 chapters of the novel directly from my Patreon page.
Hurry up! The promotion ends on January 2, 2026.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Franklin1