In that breathless silence, Lucian was the first to speak.
Facing the shocked and bewildered stares of the two men, he slowly raised his right hand.
Buzz—
Two glowing seals appeared in his palm, like miniature suns.
They radiated an aura that transcended space and reigned over time.
"I know what you're both worried about."
Whitebeard and Marco's gazes were instantly fixed on those two divine marks.
"These are Temporal Imprints."
"I'll leave one on you, Pops, and the other on you, Marco."
He flicked his fingers.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two streaks of golden light flashed out, diving into Whitebeard and Marco's foreheads.
Both men felt a brief surge of heat between their brows—followed by an indescribable sensation.
"For the next two years, you'll continue developing as normal—recruiting, strengthening your territory. Don't worry about me."
Lucian's voice was filled with unwavering confidence.
"However…"
His tone sharpened, and his golden eyes gleamed with absolute dominance.
"If the Whitebeard Pirates ever face a true crisis of annihilation—or if your lives are truly threatened—the Temporal Imprints will activate instantly."
"When that happens, no matter where in time I am… no matter who I'm fighting… whether it's thirty-eight years ago in God Valley or anywhere else…"
"I. Will. Return. Instantly."
Upon hearing this—
The heavy weight on their hearts finally dropped with a solid thud.
Marco's eyes widened. He instinctively touched his forehead—nothing there.
But he could clearly feel it: a seal capable of transcending time had fused with his soul.
Return at will.
Unbound by space and time.
The hell is this—some kind of insurance policy? This is basically full-map teleport hacks!
Whitebeard stared at Lucian, opened his mouth, then shut it again—anything he could say felt redundant.
This son of his… was always like this.
You think he's about to blow a hole through the sky—then he turns around and hands you the whole damn sky instead.
"Also…"
Seeing they were still reeling from the shock, Lucian's lips curled into a mischievous grin, like a kid about to hand out candy.
"Since I'll be gone for quite a while, I naturally prepared proper gifts… for the people most important to me."
Gifts?
Whitebeard and Marco exchanged a glance—both saw confusion in the other's eyes.
Lucian's "gifts" were never small.
His gaze landed first on Whitebeard's towering, scar-riddled body.
"Pops."
He spoke with solemn gravity.
"I know… the injuries from the Paramount War, the wounds left from your younger days fighting Roger, Golden Lion, and the rest, plus the hidden damage caused by overusing the Tremor-Tremor Fruit… They've been tormenting you all this time."
"These injuries prevent you from fully using your strength—even at your current age. You, the world's strongest man."
Whitebeard remained silent.
This was the root of his decline—the greatest thorn in his heart.
"So my first gift is…"
Lucian's voice suddenly rose, filled with unquestionable divine authority.
"I will use my power to cleanse your body of every old wound, hidden illness, chronic affliction—even the erosion of time itself! Completely!"
"You will no longer be burdened by pain and sickness!"
"You will once again possess the strength to shatter seas and crack islands—with no more restraints!"
Buzz!!!
Marco felt like something slammed into his brain—he was stunned.
Those words, pulsing with unimaginable power, struck deep into the very souls of both Whitebeard and Marco.
Marco stared at Lucian, then at his father, his mind completely blank.
Heal Pops' wounds?
Restore him to the peak state where he could suppress the entire sea alone?
How… how is that even possible?!
He knew Whitebeard's condition better than anyone.
Even with his medical skills—and the regenerative flames of the Phoenix—he had been powerless. Those were injuries accumulated over decades!
Whitebeard's body shook violently.
For the first time, those weathered eyes revealed a flicker of desire.
A healthy version of himself—maybe not quite as strong as his prime, but definitely far beyond his current state.
To him, returning to a healthy body… was a dream even more unattainable than finding One Piece.
And yet—that wasn't all.
Lucian's gaze now turned to Marco, still frozen in disbelief.
His eyes burned hot and sharp, as if piercing through Marco's soul—through to the slumbering phoenix within him.
"Marco."
Marco jolted and instinctively stood straight.
"Your strength ranks at the top among Vice-Captains in today's seas—just a bit behind that old undead Rayleigh and that future green-haired swordsman Zoro we met before."
Lucian's words made Marco blink.
He knew Rayleigh. And he had met that mosshead Zoro.
"But!" Lucian's tone sharpened. "Because Pops has protected you all like a great tree shielding from wind and storm… you've grown lazy!"
"Not just you, Marco—Jozu, Vista… all of you. Your growth has stagnated because of that protection!"
Each word hit Marco like a hammer.
He couldn't deny it.
Lucian was right.
They'd grown too used to charging behind Whitebeard. Too used to letting him handle enemies they couldn't beat. Over time, their drive to push past their limits had dulled.
"Let's not talk about Jozu or Vista for now—just you, Marco."
Lucian's voice held deep regret.
"Your Phoenix Fruit is a Mythical Zoan—rarer than even Logia. Its potential is limitless. But your development of it? Frankly… I'd call it 'average' at best."
"If I had your fruit, it would've become the most supreme power in this world—combining offense, defense, healing, and burning into one divine force!"
Sweat formed on Marco's brow.
For the first time, he realized… in Lucian's eyes, he was just "mediocre."
"Sadly, Marco—you've passed your golden age of potential. You can't grow the way Luffy or Ace do—by constantly pushing through life-and-death battles."
Lucian paused, then smiled with divine grace.
"So… we'll have to rely on external force to help you grow."
"My second gift is…"
He raised a finger. A flame—pure and golden like the sun's core—ignited at the tip.
Its aura was destructive. The temperature in the room instantly began to rise.
"I will use my Solar Divine Power… as both catalyst and furnace… to help your Devil Fruit…"
"Evolve—once more!"
BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Restoring Whitebeard to peak strength—that was a miracle.
But evolving a Devil Fruit?
That shattered every law.
Marco was completely stunned.
His mind froze, mouth hanging open wide enough to fit an apple.
Fruit… evolution?
What kind of concept was that?
It was like rewriting the very rules of the world.
The mood in the captain's cabin had flipped from oppressive despair… to fiery frenzy.
"Lucian…"
Marco's voice trembled with emotion. He gulped and used every ounce of strength just to speak.
"Is this… really… possible?"
Lucian looked at his dumbfounded face and smiled with calm confidence—the confidence of a man who had absolute control over his power.
"Of course."
He turned and patted Whitebeard on the shoulder.
"Let's start with you, Pops."