Lanternfish / Immortality and Eternal Youth

"Heh heh~ That guy, not only did he not lose out this time, he actually generated a lot of buzz." Doflamingo said with a wicked smile, "Since the succession of the two Admirals, apart from the news about the Shichibukai filling the vacancies a while ago, which attracted a lot of attention, the sea has been very calm. This time, that old bird is so excited that he's lost all his feathers."

"Hehe..."

Arthur smiled slightly and hung up the phone.

"Oh dear... it seems I've heard something terrible."

Just as Arthur sat on the armrest, enjoying the sea breeze.

Suddenly, a gentle, teasing voice reached my ears, and Robin, wearing a swimsuit, appeared out of nowhere.

Her dark blue hair reached her waist, and her smooth hair was combed back. Orange Sun were perched on her forehead. Her naturally gifted figure exuded an intellectual and mature aura.

In a year and a half, Robin had become a ripe, juicy peach.

Not only her, but Nami has also undergone a tremendous change.

Her orange hair cascaded down to her waist, and her beautiful and lovely face had delicate features. She had lost some of her youthful naiveté and had become exactly the same as she looked two years later in the original story.

"What? They heard us? Looks like we'll have to kill them to silence them..." Arthur feigned shock, then jumped off the railing, revealing a 'fierce' expression, and stretched out his hands as if to strangle Robin.

"Hehe..." Seeing Arthur's rare 'cute' appearance, Robin was amused and covered her mouth to chuckle. Her beautiful face seemed to bloom like a flower, making her even more beautiful and charming.

After laughing, Robin leaned closer, wrapped her arms around Arthur's arms, and pressed herself against his large breasts.

With her head resting on Arthur's shoulder, the two gazed at the sea before them like a couple.

The mature Robin, rarely showing such feline enjoyment, nuzzled his cheek against Arthur's arm and slowly said, "Although I don't know what you've been writing in that notebook all this time, many of the characters are different, clearly an Ancient Script I can't understand."

"I know you must have your own ideas... whatever you want to do, just do it!" Robin rested her chin on Arthur's shoulder and said with a smile, "We'll all support you."

"I'm so touched, Miss Robin..." Arthur's lips curled up slightly, and he reached out to hook Robin's delicate chin, leaning in to give her a kiss.

"They're both inside the cabin... It's so fitting, don't you want to join in?" Robin pursed her lips, her cheeks flushed, and stared directly at Arthur, asking with a foul mouth.

Upon hearing this, Arthur revealed a playful smile and said, "Are you ready to beg for mercy?"

"..."

Night fell, and the sea became calm.

A three-masted sailboat, entirely silver-white, rests on the tranquil sea.

On the deck of the "East Starion," Arthur, after a day of intense battles, was not sleeping in his room.

Instead, after the three women had all fallen asleep, he went out alone in his pajamas to the lawn to look at the night view.

Arthur swung on the swing, looking straight ahead.

His eyes were deep and he seemed lost in thought.

"Not enough!

That's far from enough.

Just as he had told Doflamingo during the day, defeating Golden Lion did indeed bring Arthur immense prestige, making him almost on par with the Four Emperors, much like the "Red the Aloof" Patrick Redfield of the previous era.

However, this level of prestige is far from enough.

Even defeating Whitebeard wouldn't be enough to complete the [Achievement Quest - Never Defeated].

Just like the essay writing in my previous life had the task of understanding the prompt, World's Strongest does not mean being invincible.

If they truly couldn't defeat him, the Marine Headquarters wouldn't dare to go to war with Whitebeard Pirates.

Therefore, even if Arthur (Wang Nuo Zhao) defeated Whitebeard, he would only gain the title of the World's Strongest.

Moreover, the title of the World's Strongest will surely be challenged by countless people.

Even those with distorted thought processes might develop the idea that Arthur is just a person, making it easier for him to seize the title of the World's Strongest from Whitebeard, and thus flock to this idea.

Being challenged and attacked by countless people means that Arthur is not powerful enough to inspire fear in people just by hearing his name.

Thus--

"Not enough!

That's far from enough...

Arthur's lips curled up slightly, revealing a faint smile.

If Doflamingo were to see that smile, even this inherently evil and ruthless tyrant would likely feel a chill run down his spine.

Chapter 209 Deng Huo~

"Roar..."

'Whoosh-- Boom!'

On the vast, boundless sea, waves surge continuously.

The sky was rather gloomy today, with dark clouds gathering, lightning bolts rolling, and the Gale seeming rather violent.

The waves were sometimes high and sometimes low, one after another.

A three-masted sailboat, entirely silver-white, bobbed and swayed with the ocean currents.

A gigantic sea serpent emerged from the sea, its gaping maw revealing sharp, drooling teeth, poised to tear at the "East Starion".

At that moment, an orange beam of light, like a laser, shot out from the railing of the "East Starion" with a sonic boom, blasting the sea serpent's head into pieces. Countless pieces of flesh of varying sizes, emitting a meaty aroma, fell into the sea and were swept away by the rolling waves.

"How terrifying... It's been a long time since I've had such a thrilling adventure."

Gale howled, whipping up a high wave. The three-masted sailboat bobbed up and down with the waves, and Nami, who was at the helm, suddenly shouted loudly.

His voice was not fearless, but rather filled with a long-lost sense of excitement.

As the saying goes: Confidence makes one fearless!

If it were the old Nami, she would have been scared half to death by this kind of weather.

But now, I feel incredibly excited by the power of nature that I haven't experienced in a long time.

Everything naturally stems from Arthur and her Paramecia Space-Space Fruit - Alternate Space Form.

With Arthur around, there's no need to worry about any danger, no matter how dire the situation.

This was almost a subconscious thought of Nami and Robin.

Furthermore, Nami can integrate those around her and the "East Starlion" into another dimension at any time, so she doesn't have to worry about encountering a shipwreck.

Therefore, Nami was in particularly high spirits when she encountered such bad weather after a long time.

Even Robin and Hancock were tidying up the sofas and other wet items on the deck as usual, in preparation for the impending downpour.

"Um?!!"

At this moment, Arthur, who was sitting on the railing of the ship, and Hancock, who was carrying the sofa, had slight changes in expression, and their pupils contracted slightly.

'Boom--!'

Suddenly, the sea began to boil, the water level rose sharply, and a huge mountain formed by the sea rose up.

The seawater burst open, and a dazzling golden light shone down, turning the waters around the "East Starlion" golden under the heavy, overcast sky.

A colossal Sea Kings, as large as an island, emerged from the seabed, its menacing eyes fixed on the tiny "East Starion" before it.

It was a huge, brightly colored croaker.

"Wow, it's huge!!"

Looking at the enormous lantern in front of her, Nami opened her mouth wide, still exclaiming without fear.

"Ah... what a bright light," Robin responded, but her attention was actually focused on the top of the lamp.

"Dirty eyes, what an unpleasant beast." Hancock placed one hand on her hip, smoothing her long, straight black hair. A hint of displeasure appeared on her beautiful face. The snake-shaped earrings on her ears shimmered with gold. Her figure, clad in a cheongsam, was graceful and alluring. Her waist was incredibly supple, the most flexible in the world. Her long, fair legs strode arrogantly towards Deng Huo. Her beautiful sky-blue eyes revealed a domineering expression.

An overwhelmingly domineering aura was about to erupt from his body.

"Wait and see what it wants to do."

Just as Hancock was about to take action and deal with this lamp-wielding monster...

Suddenly, an arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her into a strong and powerful embrace.

"Yes..." Sensing the intoxicating scent, Hancock, who had been like an empress, suddenly transformed into a timid and submissive woman, tightly embracing Arthur's waist, her large breasts, hidden beneath her cheongsam, rubbing fiercely against his chest.

"Hmph, you woman, you're always looking for an opportunity to act cute." Seeing this, Nami, the Nami, muttered speechlessly, "'You look like a lovesick fool!'"

"That thing was thrown away somewhere long ago by me," Hancock said nonchalantly.

"Oh my... this little lamp~, could it be hungry?" Robin looked up at the lamp~ whose mouth was starting to split open and suddenly said.

"Does it intend to eat us all?" Nami's expression changed slightly, and she looked at Arthur, asking, "Arthur, what should we do?"

Nami's "What should I do?" has two meanings.

One possibility is that Arthur killed it, or he used his Devil Fruit power to make the lantern miss its target.

"Let it devour us..." Arthur said thoughtfully, staring at the gradually opening, blood-red maw of the lamplighter.

"Eh--"

Arthur's words clearly Nami's eyes widen.

Aside from Hancock, who was completely infatuated with Arthur and didn't care about any of his decisions, even Robin couldn't help but show a thoughtful expression.

She knew Arthur wouldn't say such a thing without reason.

So, this light fixture must have quite a history!

Indeed, Arthur initially felt a sense of déjà vu about this lamp. After Hancock's actions, he followed this familiar impression and retrieved information about it from his memories.

This information made Arthur's eyes light up with fervor.

--Lamp, Pure Gold!!

The sea is filled with many incredible islands, among which Laugh Tale is the most mysterious. Apart from Roger the Sea King, no one has ever seen its appearance.

Furthermore, Sky Island is a legendary island in the first half of the Grand Line, and along with Fish-Man Island, it is known as a dream island 10,000 meters above the sky and 10,000 meters below the sea.

However, apart from Laugh Tale, Sky Island and Fish-Man Island are nothing in Arthur's eyes.

For the vast majority of people in the New World, Sky Islands and Fish-Man Islands are not unusual islands; the strong can come and go as they please.

Of all the islands Arthur has found most difficult to locate so far, 'Zou,' the moving, dreamlike island, is one, and the other is Alchemi, inside this lamp...

Chapter 210 Immortality and Eternal Youth

Alchemi, a dream island from two hundred years ago.

There once was a scientist who, in an effort to save his daughter from an incurable disease, refined a mysterious metal known as 'Pure Gold' that could buy the world.

This special metal, called 'Pure Gold', emits a kind of light.

Within the light lies a magical power that can slow down the growth of all things and greatly extend human lifespan.

This is the legend of 'Pure Gold' on the high seas, which has been woven into stories and spread throughout the world.

The stories of "Liar Noland," "Germa 66," and "Sky Island" are widely circulated, and countless people believe them to be fictional, but a few know that they are true.

Following Arthur from the East Blue to the Grand Line, Nami and Robin boarded the ship at Whiskey Peak, personally confirmed that the stories of "Liar Noland" and "Sky Island" are true.

And they are about to confirm the existence of Alchemi Island.

"Nami... don't use your powers, pilot the 'East Starrion' straight in," Arthur commanded, holding Hancock.

Generally speaking, you can't find this lamp unless you have Pure Gold in your possession.

But Arthur just happened to encounter it, which can only be described as his extraordinary luck today, definitely EX level.

Now that he had encountered it, Arthur had absolutely no chance of giving up this coveted adventure.

"Yes, I understand..." Nami nodded seriously after hearing Arthur's words.