Snake Kiss Orchid

Julian prepared to consume a snake gallbladder and see what effect it had. He used the Mud Space within his body to absorb and digest one gallbladder. Instantly, Julian felt his entire body break into sweat, his bloodline rushing faster. He said, "As expected, a giant snake's gallbladder is a treasure. Yang Guo really didn't lie to me." Feeling the heat coursing through his body, Julian immediately began training his Body Techniques. Getting stronger was never something that happened overnight; it required persistence, especially after obtaining such an opportunity.

Julian began training. About two hours later, ship's doctor Rose arrived at the bottom of the valley with Beatrice, Alice, and a squad of nurses. At the sight of giant snake corpses carpeting the ground in blood-red heaps, even those with trypophobia were overcome with fear. Julian stopped training and said to them, "Come take a look at these flowers below. Does anyone recognize them?"

Julian asked, "Alice, can you identify these plants? They should be what made those giant snakes grow so large, right?" Alice looked puzzled as Julian watched her. She carefully examined them before saying, "I have indeed seen these enormous plants before. There are records of them in some ancient books." She added, "These plants should be called Snake Kiss Orchids. They prefer growing in cool, damp valleys. They are particularly effective at relieving fatigue and can also improve physical fitness to a certain extent. I don't know what other effects they might have. How about bringing some aboard to cultivate?"

Julian said, "They really are excellent plants. We can refine them into medicine later and use them to improve the physical fitness of the other Division Captains."

Julian asked Alice, "Are these flowers related to why those snakes grew so huge?" Alice answered, "To some extent, yes. The snakes may also have been affected by the island's unique environment." Rose said, "These snakes also seem to have lived for a very long time." Julian asked, "What kind of snakes are they?" Alice replied, "They might be a species like the Ancient Titan Python."

Julian said, "There doesn't seem to be any more danger ahead. Let's keep exploring. We can take these flowers with us when we return." Alice said, "These plants are also very beautiful. They would be nice for baths, and they can even be prepared as food." Once she finished speaking, Julian activated his Devil Fruit ability and summoned the Mud Dragon Giant Soldier mech. A giant dragon soldier made of earth element, over sixty meters tall, appeared. Julian said, "Everyone, climb on. Walking is too slow. We need to speed up our exploration."

Julian no longer intended to explore at a leisurely pace and waste time. He had once wanted to imitate pirates and explore on foot, but then he thought, I'm a modern man. Why would I waste time walking around like those people? With that, he activated Elementalization and transformed into the sixty-meter-tall Mud Dragon Giant Soldier mech. Julian also used the Earth-Earth Fruit ability to create two enormous earthen wings behind the mech. The wings were made of lightweight earth and were used to accelerate running and jumping. Julian could not fly, but he could pilot a mech.

Using a mech consumed a great deal of stamina, but in order to save time, Julian ignored that concern. He led the group in a rapid exploration of the island. At the bottom of the valley was a two-hundred-meter-wide pool, which Julian guessed was freshwater. Many giant creatures were drinking beside it: wild cattle, wild horses, wild sheep, and wild boars crowded around the pool. Julian laughed. "What a haul! One of those wild cattle is nearly as big as an elephant. We need to catch a few more when we head back." Then they continued running toward the far end of the island.

In a little over two hours, Julian reached the other side of the island. There were not many carnivores on the island, perhaps because the Titan Pythons had already wiped them out. The route Julian had taken was now fully explored, so he sat down to rest and recover his stamina. Using his Devil Fruit ability and unleashing powerful moves consumed enormous amounts of energy. Stamina was one of Julian's weaknesses. When he thought of people fighting for three days or even ten days straight, he did not dare imagine it.

Of course, Julian was still young. If he were older, he would definitely have more stamina than this. He looked at the reefs scattered across the sea and the ocean currents, but there was nothing particularly unusual.

As afternoon approached, Julian said, "It's time for dinner. We're heading back." Alice replied, "All right." Julian prepared to lead everyone back. He took out a Den Den Mushi, informed the other Division Captains, and asked how their explorations were going and whether they had found anything good. The other Division Captains had not yet reached the center of the island. After all, the trees here were enormous, and there were quite a few carnivorous animals.

Holding the Den Den Mushi, Julian said to the Division Captains, "Let's call it a day. It isn't safe at night. Return to camp and rest up first. We'll continue exploring tomorrow!" Every Division Captain replied, "Understood, Captain!" Julian hung up the Den Den Mushi, activated the Earth-Earth Fruit ability again, and wrapped his body in earth, transforming into an eighty-meter-tall Mud Dragon Giant Soldier. He formed two pairs of oversized wings and carried everyone back to camp first.

By the time Julian returned to camp, it was nearly six in the evening. Activating the mech consumed a huge amount of energy, but it could also speed up Devil Fruit development. Julian thought, The Earth-Earth Fruit really lives up to its name as the Earth-Earth Fruit. It's insanely powerful. It can fuse with other types of earth, or fuse with the traits of the earth it wraps around. Its versatility is incredible. Today, Julian had also developed an extremely heavy red mud, which he named Gravity Mud.

Julian waited on the beach for the other divisions to return. Pekki had even brought back a gigantic tiger the size of a domestic cow. All the Division Captains gradually returned. Julian called them all over and said, "Brothers, I've got something good for you." As he spoke, giant snake gallbladders dropped from his hands one after another.

Julian continued, "These are Ancient Titan Python gallbladders. They can strengthen your bodies. One each, so hurry and take them!" The other Division Captains stared blankly at the enormous gallbladders. They were bigger than their faces. What were they supposed to do with those? Julian said, "Don't worry. Pierce the gallbladder with a knife. George, you can transform into Great Bear Form and consume yours directly."

Julian looked at the snake gallbladders stored inside his body and summoned all the crew members. He had them bring out large basins. Julian took out the gallbladders and pierced them, letting the liquid flow into the basins. George said, "These are Titan Python gallbladders. Eating them can improve physical fitness, and you can't find them just anywhere. Drink as much as you can. Our great captain gave all of this to us."

Each Elite Crew Member took a bowl and poured the snake gallbladder juice down their throats. Julian watched as many people's faces darkened from the bitterness, yet they stubbornly forced it down. It was a gesture of goodwill from Julian. Weather at sea was unpredictable, and ordinary people could easily fall ill with fevers and other diseases. It was easy to die out there.

Julian did not want his crew to fall sick so easily. Wouldn't they need resources for treatment when that happened? And if they died, it would be such a waste. Julian had no intention of doing something like forcing people onto the ship only to throw them overboard later. He watched Beatrice and Alice drink the snake gallbladder juice as well. Both beauties wore miserable expressions, but the effect was indeed obvious. They felt their bodies heating up, their blood circulating faster, and their resistance increasing. George said, "Captain, after eating it, my whole body is bursting with power. I could slap that little bastard Momonosuke to death right now."

Pekki also said, "It really tastes awful, but after drinking it, my body feels indescribably comfortable." Herbert said, "Such giant snake gallbladders are truly extraordinary. They speed up blood circulation and make one want to practice swordsmanship." White Wolf Allison said, "Captain, I'm not afraid of bitterness. I can eat two more." Julian took out another twenty enormous snake gallbladders and said, "They're all yours." That evening, everyone held another bonfire party on the beach. Logistics Officer Pablo sang songs from this world, including "Hometown Wine," while other female crew members sang many songs as well. Julian almost sang "Chicken You're So Beautiful." After all, as an Earth-Earth Fruit ability user, it was perfectly reasonable for him to sing "Mud You're So Beautiful."

Everyone had a wonderful time. Julian sat together with the Division Captains, Elite Crew Members, senior crew members, and many other crew members, talking about dreams and aspirations, sharing amusing everyday stories. Julian knew that a leader who constantly berated people was destined never to earn the loyalty of his subordinates, so he focused on encouragement in daily life and helped his crew build confidence.

Everyone loved the atmosphere. It felt like a picnic or an outing. Julian did not stop anyone else from dating. Many Division Captains were surrounded by girls, and Julian was surrounded by girls too, though Beatrice and Alice sat on either side of him. George, Pekki, and the other Division Captains were having a sweet time. George said, "Ladies, I'm not considering finding a partner for the time being. Maybe next time."

As midnight approached, Julian said, "Brothers, that's enough for today. We still need to investigate this island tomorrow, so get some rest. We'll hold another feast tomorrow night." Then Julian raised his wine cup and said, "Brothers, let's drink to making the Mud Dragon Pirates bigger and stronger, and creating new glory!" George said at that moment, "Captain's presence has become even more majestic." He raised his bowl as well. All the crew members lifted their cups and shouted, "Cheers!" After drinking, Julian burst into laughter and said, "Our Mud Dragon Grand Pirate Crew is invincible!" The Mud Dragon Pirates shouted, "Long live the captain! The captain is invincible!"

Julian laughed inwardly. These workers already have quite the team spirit. Some of the female crew members shouted, "I want to have the captain's children!" Watching their words grow increasingly wild, Julian said, "Brothers, sisters, family, get some rest early tonight. We'll continue the feast tomorrow. Everyone, disperse." The crowd then broke up and returned to their respective ships.

Julian said to the other Division Captains, "Brothers, we still need to strengthen our vigilance tonight. Don't let your guard down. The safety of the other brothers is in our hands." The other Division Captains nodded solemnly.

George said, "Don't worry, Captain. We'll arrange personnel to patrol and stand watch tonight." Julian looked at the Division Captains before him and said, "You worked very hard today. Rest well tonight. Tomorrow morning, around eight, we'll gather on the beach." All the Division Captains said, "Understood, Captain." Julian smiled at them. "See you tomorrow."

Julian began walking back to the ship. He returned to his main room on the third floor and consumed another Titan Python gallbladder stored inside his body that night. He also took out two snake eggs and gave them to Beatrice and Alice. The two women looked at the gallbladders with dark expressions and said, "These gallbladders are indeed good, but they're too bitter. If they were smaller, I could swallow one in a single bite." Julian smiled. "With something this good, don't be picky. Come on, split them between yourselves."

Julian asked, "Can these gallbladders be soaked in liquor? If so, would the effect be even better?" Alice said, "Digesting them like this to improve physical fitness is already very good." Julian looked into the Mud Space within his body. There were not many gallbladders left. After the two women had eaten more than half, they could not continue and both said they did not want any more. There was still over half left. Afraid of wasting it, Julian gulped it down in one go. His face immediately twisted up, almost as badly as if he had eaten a Devil Fruit.

After finishing it, Julian said with a dark expression, "It really is a little bitter, but my body has been supercharged. This medicinal power is going straight to my head." Seeing the slight flush on the two women's faces, Julian had an idea. He took the two women with him to practice the Awei Eighteen Styles. They did not rest until the latter half of the night, and both women were left panting. Julian said, "This snake gallbladder really is fierce."

At eight in the morning, Julian woke up, washed up, and went to the dining room for breakfast. He ate twenty eggs, ten large loaves of bread, thirteen meat dishes, and four vegetable dishes. On the fourth-floor deck, Julian had the logistics crew plant a large patch of vegetables. Vegetables were the hardest thing to obtain while sailing at sea, while meat was easy enough to get by fishing on the ocean.

Marine creatures were everywhere, after all. At two in the morning last night, the island had been shrouded in thick fog, and many beasts could be heard calling and roaring from within. Julian had considered camping on the beach overnight, but the beasts in this world were powerful too. If some gigantic creature launched a surprise attack, they could lose many crew members. So Julian still had everyone stay aboard the ships, where it was safer.

This was not the Calm Belt, the territory of the Sea Kings. Any random Sea King there could be four or five hundred meters long, and Julian's giant ship would instantly become a little boat. There were Sea Kings in the South Blue as well, though not as many as in the lawless waters. The only island inhabited within the Calm Belt was Amazon Lily. In the future, the Marines would also be able to travel through the Calm Belt by embedding Seastone beneath the bottoms of their ships.

That made the Sea Kings think that the ships were part of the ocean, allowing them to pass safely through the Calm Belt. Julian said, "Seastone is produced in Wano Country. There is basically no news of Seastone anywhere else. Even the Gorosei mostly buy it from Kaido."