Return to Life

"Luffy can really eat!"

Watching Luffy still devouring his food, Neptune's face showed a hint of admiration as he said, "That's the appetite of a strong person, huh?"

"A strong person, huh...?"

After glancing at Luffy, whose mouth was greasy from eating, Sharks fell into deep thought.

"While it's true that strong individuals have enormous appetites, it's still..." Xi Yan's lips twitched, "It's rare to see one as exaggerated as his."

Uncle Rayleigh is quite strong, but his appetite isn't as exaggerated as Luffy's.

Neptune paused for a moment upon hearing this, then asked curiously, "Could it be because of his Devil Fruit?"

If I'm not mistaken, the other person should be Devil Fruit User, since he likes to shout things like "Gum-Gum" when he's fighting.

"Perhaps," Xi Yan said.

He didn't know if Luffy became like this because of Devil Fruit, after all... he wasn't Devil Fruit User.

"It probably has little to do with this Devil Fruit," Luffy said, looking up. "Because I've always had a huge appetite since I was little."

When he was three or four years old, his grandfather threw him into the forest to survive, and even then he had a big appetite.

"So it seems that's why you're a bit special," Xi Yan said. "Your stomach must be much stronger than I thought."

"Stomach..."

Chopper, as if remembering something, suddenly looked up and said, "Luffy, you didn't learn Return to Life, did you?"

"Return to Life?"

A few question marks appeared above everyone's heads. What was that?

"Actually, I don't know exactly what Return to Life is, but I've seen its effects," Chopper said. "Remember that man with lion-like hair we met on Judicial Island?"

Listening to Chopper's words, everyone began to recall some things that happened two years ago.

"Thinking about it carefully..." Usopp said, frowning, "There is such a person."

"Some."

Nami said helplessly, "He almost killed me back then."

To be honest, that memory wasn't very pleasant.

After shaking her head, Nami looked at Chopper and asked, "What's wrong with this guy?"

"He has a strange technique called Return to Life," Chopper said. "After eating a large amount of food, he uses Return to Life to quickly digest the food in his stomach."

As he spoke, Chopper gestured to himself in an exaggerated manner.

"That must be it," Jinbe said. "I've seen this ability in many people."

If you think about it carefully, many strong people possess this ability to quickly convert food into energy.

For example, Pops, Ace, Marco, and so on.

These people all possess this ability!

"So this ability is called Return to Life." Walking up to Luffy, Merry curiously Luffy Merry's stomach and exclaimed, "Amazing!!"

"Anyway, I've always been like this since I was a kid," Luffy said.

After saying that, he ignored everyone and continued to eat heartily.

This scene immediately made everyone laugh.

Luffy never seems to forget about food.

"Can I have that ability too?" Usopp asked curiously.

"I don't know," Jinbe said, shaking his head.

"You don't know how?"

"I can't," Jinbe said, shrugging. "Besides, I don't eat much."

To be honest, he still doesn't understand how those guys can digest their food so quickly.

"So it seems this also depends on talent," Usopp said, frowning.

After saying that, Usopp thought for a moment, then turned to Luffy and said, "Luffy, can you tell me how you did that?"

Upon hearing this Luffy paused in his eating, then, with a piece of meat still in his mouth, tilted his head and looked at Usopp, saying, "You mean the ability to digest food quickly?"

"Right!"

That's it~

"It digested in a flash!"

As he spoke, Luffy pointed to his stomach, demonstrating to everyone what it meant to Return to Life.

Usopp:...

What kind of explanation is this, you idiot?!

Who can learn this?

Xi Yan wore a rather complicated expression. This peculiar way of explaining things... it seemed like Naruto Uzumaki had done something similar.

"It seems this is something I can only figure out myself," Zoro said.

It's impossible to teach it.

Hearing Zoro's words, Usopp sighed helplessly.

To comprehend this thing?

It doesn't seem like an easy thing for him.

"If only we could capture that CP9 member who can Return to Life," Xi Yan said, shaking his head to clear the strange thought from his mind. "That way we could figure out the principle behind this move."

"Then it's probably not going to happen," Sanji said, shaking his head.

Those CP9 members have already been defeated by them, and whether they can even survive is another matter, so Sanji doesn't think they'll ever encounter them again.

This time, Xi Yan simply nodded and said nothing more.

"By the way, Neptune," Chopper said, scratching his head as he looked at Neptune, "What's with that Energy Steroids? How did Hody's Crew get their hands on something like that?"

"Energy Steroids..."

Upon hearing the words "Energy Steroids," Neptune's previously smiling expression immediately turned serious.

After a moment of silence, Neptune said, "This is a terrible, sealed-away Forbidden Drug. Although it can temporarily enhance a person's strength, it will consume a great deal of their lifespan."

"Trading lifespan for power..." Nami said, "It feels so evil..."

This so-called Energy Steroids gave her the feeling of making a deal with the devil.

"That's right, it's evil!" Neptune nodded firmly. "That's why it's listed as Forbidden Drug."

After speaking, Neptune paused, then sighed and said, "As for how Hody's Crew obtained it... they must have stolen it from the Ryugu Kingdom ten years ago."

That thing was kept in Tamatebako at the time.

As for how Hody got into the treasure Treasure Vault... he had no idea.

"So this is something from your Ryugu Kingdom after all this time?" Xi Yan asked in surprise.

"Yes."

Neptune readily admitted, "This thing was indeed passed down from the past."

"But this thing is far too dangerous, so none of us dare to use it."

"How did Hody know that thing had that effect?" Usopp asked curiously.

"I don't know."

Neptune shook his head; he had no idea where Hody had gotten his information.

As for the inquiry?

How can we inquire about the deaths in the area?

After letting out a silent sigh, Neptune said, "Anyway... I've decided to destroy this thing so this won't happen again."

False power is ultimately false, so Neptune had no intention of keeping it.

Just then, the voice of a Fish-Man Race soldier appeared in the corridor, sounding extremely anxious.

"Your King Neptune, where are you?"

Hearing the soldier's voice, Neptune turned around and shouted, "I'm here!"

Upon hearing the sound, the Fish-Man Soldier lit up with joy, and they immediately ran towards Neptune's location without hesitation.

Upon entering the balcony, the Fish-Man Race soldier said, "We've finally found you, King Neptune."

"What's wrong? Why are you in such a panic?"

"Just now, we received a message that someone escaped through the Connecting Corridor," the Fish-Man Race soldier said. "The Right Minister suspects this person is the thief who emptied the Treasure Vault!"

"Thief..."

Neptune frowned upon hearing this, clearly not expecting the thief to be so audacious.

Isn't he afraid that I'll send people to search the Ryugu Kingdom and find him?

"The Connecting Corridor isn't closed?" Xi Yan asked in surprise.

"No," the Fish-Man Race soldier said, shaking his head.

Because the Straw Hat Pirates were being welcomed, their Connecting Corridor remained connected, which is why the thief was able to leave directly.

After a moment's thought, Neptune asked, "Was anyone injured?"

"No," the Fish-Man Race soldier said. "They simply fled without engaging us in any conflict."

"It's good that no one was hurt," Neptune said with a sigh of relief.

He really doesn't want to see anyone else get hurt.

"His King Neptune?"

Seeing that Neptune showed no intention of pursuing the matter, the Fish-Man Race soldier's eyes immediately showed confusion.

Shouldn't they be sending men to pursue them at a time like this? Why is His King Neptune...?

"It's alright, let the thief be," Neptune said. "It's good that no one was hurt."

"But Your His Majesty the King, that's a treasure of our entire Ryugu Kingdom!" the Fish-Man Race soldier said anxiously. "Are we just going to give it away like this?"

Upon hearing this, Nami, who had been lost in thought, immediately perked up.

The treasures of the entire Ryugu Kingdom?

Um?

Um!!!

"So be it," Neptune waved his hand and said, "Treasures are just external possessions after all."

"Besides... the situation on Fish-Man Island is rather unique right now. Even if we wanted to capture him, it wouldn't be an easy task, would it?"

There are currently tens of thousands of human pirates on this island, which means that a large number of pirate ships will leave Fish-Man Island!!

In this situation... how do we catch the thief?

"This..."

The Fish-Man Race soldier looked rather grim, but since King Neptune had spoken, he said nothing more.

"We'll have the money sooner or later," Sharks said.

"Yes, I understand."

"By the way... how did that thief get in?" Jinbe asked curiously. "I remember you can't get into the Ryugu Kingdom if the gates aren't open."

Did Hody forget to close the Great Gate after they left?

"The Great Gate isn't open, but the tower of the Ryugu Kingdom has been cleaved open by someone," the Fish-Man Race soldier said. "I suspect the thief entered the Ryugu Kingdom through that opening."

Upon hearing this, Zoro's expression immediately became somewhat subtle.

"He actually managed to split the entire building in two?" Neptune said in astonishment. "Was the thief also a powerful swordsman?"

A swordsman who can do something like this is no ordinary person.

"No, that was done by this guy," Pappagu said, pointing at Zoro. "He cleaved the entire building in two with one slash to escape."

Zoro:???

Upon hearing Pappagu's words, several question marks immediately appeared above Zoro's head.

Then, somewhat annoyed, he tapped Pappagu on the head and said, "Just put all the blame on that guy, you stupid starfish!"

"Absolutely not!"

Pappagu, clutching his head, said, "Lying is the beginning of stealing, so I absolutely won't!"

Zoro:...

Is this saying still valid?

"So it was you who cut it open." Neptune looked at Zoro with some surprise, not expecting this swordsman to have such strength.

Then, he waved his hand with a smile and said, "It's okay, it's fine if it's cut open, we can fix it later."

However, Neptune's attitude made Zoro feel a little embarrassed.

"Then how about I..."

"It's nothing, just repairing a building, it's no big deal for us," Neptune said.

Compared to what the Straw Hat Pirates did for their Fish-Man Island... what is a mere building?

Seeing that Neptune had already said so, Zoro didn't insist.

"Leave this to me," Sharks said. "I'll arrange for someone to handle it right away."

After saying that, Sharks turned and left.

Neptune smiled at this, then turned to the Fish-Man Race soldier and said, "Go to the banquet hall, and remember to have fun."

"Yes, Your King Neptune!"

The Fish-Man Race soldiers nodded upon receiving the order, then quickly grabbed their weapons and left.

As Neptune watched the other person leave, a hint of melancholy gradually crept into his eyes.

Although the treasure is gone, at least Fish-Man Island can be saved.

"Wait a minute, Neptune!"

Nami, who had just snapped out of her reverie, walked up to Neptune with shining eyes and said, "You just said that all the treasures of the Ryugu Kingdom have been stolen, right?"

"Yes."

Seeing Nami's sparkling eyes, Luffy and Zoro widened their gazes and said, "I suddenly have a bad feeling..."

Nami ignored the two guys and looked seriously at Neptune, saying, "That's the treasure of the entire country! Aren't we really going to chase after him?"

"The most important thing is the safety of the people," Neptune said. "So...treasure and such are not important."

"This is very important!"

After speaking, Nami paused for a moment, then her eyes turned into the shape of coins as she said, "What if we could get the treasure back..."

"You can have them all," Neptune said. "It would be a good thing for us to give them to you."

After all... the Straw Hat Pirates were the saviors of Fish-Man Island!

"Really?!"

"Real!"

"That's wonderful!" Nami exclaimed excitedly.

The treasure of the Ryugu Kingdom... must be an incredibly vast amount!

Thinking about this, Nami became even more excited.

Then, she turned to Xi Yan and said, "Xi Yan, your clone should be able to find that guy, right?"

"If we release more clones, finding him shouldn't be too difficult, but..." Xi Yan looked at Nami with a complicated expression and said, "Nami, we're not short of money."

They now have assets approaching 100 billion, with Beli alone worth tens of billions.

Is it even necessary to continue?

"What do you know?" Nami rolled her eyes at Xi Yan and said, "There's no such thing as complaining about having too much money."

"Alright, stop arguing. Neptune has already agreed to give it to us, so hurry up."

"And... Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, the three of you will go with Xi Yan!"

The eyelids of those whose names were called twitched slightly; why did their feelings feel so complicated at a time like this?

However, upon seeing Nami's clenched fist, Zoro decisively chose to follow his heart.

Ah~

"It's my honor to retrieve Miss Nami's treasure!" Sanji said, twisting his body.

Jinbe, who had taken in everyone's reactions, was immediately rendered speechless.

Then, he thought to himself, 'Why does everyone seem so afraid of Nami...?'

Is it just my imagination?

"I'll have Hall take you there," Neptune said.

Upon hearing this, Xi Yan turned to look at Merry and, seeing that the little one's belly was still round and bulging, nodded helplessly and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you."

Merry is in such a state that she's really not fit to go with them, so they should go on their own.

"Hall!"

Hearing the call, Hall rushed from the end of the corridor, muttering his favorite phrase.

"Hall~"

"Hall, take them down there," Neptune said.

"Hall~"

Hall nodded upon receiving the order, then went to Xi Yan and the others, smiling and gesturing for them to ride downstairs with him.

Soon, the four people who boarded Hall disappeared from the group's sight.

"What do we do now?" Merry asked, looking up at Nami.

"Of course we'll wait."

Nami said, "Let's wait until they return with the treasure."

"Profound!"

Since she didn't need to do anything, she lay back down to digest her food.

Thinking of this, Merry walked over to Usopp's side and lay down next to him on the ground.

"How do we solve the problem of Log Pointer?" Perona asked.

"Leave this to me," Neptune said. "Xi Yan has already told me about this, and I will send someone to deliver the Log Pointer later."

Upon hearing Neptune's words, Perona and Nami both smiled.

"So reliable!"

Well done, Xi Yan!

In this way, all they have to do is wait.

"Alright, I won't disturb your rest any longer." Neptune turned and walked outside, saying, "I'm going to have a drink some more."

After saying that, the seemingly easy-going, chubby uncle swayed away.

However, not long after he left, he saw someone he hadn't expected.

"You are... Nico Robin from the Straw Hat Crew, right?" Neptune chuckled, looking at Nico Robin standing in the vast corridor. "Why aren't you continuing the party?"

"I'm here to see you," Nico Robin said. "Let's talk alone."

Neptune was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this. A private meeting with him?

Why are you looking for him?

Wait a minute... could it be that she's taken a liking to him?

Thinking this, Neptune immediately waved his hand and said, "Miss... let me preface this by saying that I already have a wife Otohime, with whom I have sworn to love for life, so I have no intention of..."

Who is Joy Boy?

Upon hearing this, Neptune, who had been rambling on, immediately stopped, a look of shock appearing in his eyes.

"How...why do you know this name?" Neptune asked Nico Robin in shock.

Isn't this name known only to special people like them?

"Because I can read the Historical Text," Nico Robin said calmly. "And this name is what I saw on a stone in the Sea Forest."

Who exactly is he apologizing to?

"You can actually read that?" Neptune exclaimed in shock. "You..."

"I am a survivor of Ohara," Nico Robin said, "Which is why I can read the Historical Text."

"Ohara..."

Upon hearing those three words, Neptune's eyes flashed with a hint of disbelief, before he murmured, "So, you're a survivor of Ohara..."

No wonder they were able to read the Historical Text.

"That's right." Nico Robin nodded and said, "So... can you tell me what happened?"

"Of course, you don't have to say if you don't want to."

Although she was very curious about this matter, she wouldn't force the other person to say anything they didn't want to say.

Neptune paused for a moment upon hearing this, then said with a complicated expression, "No, if it were you, there wouldn't be any problem saying this."

After saying that, Neptune turned to the huge room beside him and said, "Let's go inside and talk."

What I'm about to say is very important, so I can't let too many people know.

"Good."

Nico Robin didn't refuse and obediently followed the other person into the huge room.

"This is a long story," Neptune said, sitting atop a giant bubble, his expression complex. "It goes back eight hundred years... no, to be precise, to that Void Century."

"And Joy Boy was a real human being who existed during that Void Century."

"If we had to say, we wouldn't know exactly what kind of person he was; we only know that he existed."

"And that article... was written by him for the Mermaid Princess on that island at the time."

"That was his apology for failing to keep his promise to Fish-Man Island."

"Agreement?"

Nico Robin, who was deep in thought, paused for a moment upon hearing this, then asked in confusion, "What agreement?"

"I don't know either," Neptune shook his head and said, "Because the details haven't been passed down; all we know is that it's related to Noah's Ark."

After saying that, Neptune paused for a moment, then continued, "However... although the specific details have not been passed down, I believe that one day someone will appear who can fulfill the promise in place of Joy Boy."

"This is the legend passed down through generations of our Royal Family."

"This is why we are willing to protect Noah's Ark for generations."

The Noah's Ark will truly show its purpose when the person who keeps the promise appears!

By then... their Fish-Man Race will be able to truly live on land.

"Noah's Ark..."

Recalling the enormous ship that Xi Yan had previously moved Water Release Technique, Nico Robin asked, "How was that ship, which was half the size of Fish-Man Island, propelled?"

"Is it powered by the power of the Sea Kings?"

"Joy Boy has such power?"

"No, that's not it," Neptune shook his head and said, "The one who possessed this power was the Mermaid Princess from eight hundred years ago."

"The Mermaid Princess..."

Hearing Neptune's explanation, Nico Robin seemed to understand something and said, "Could it be that Princess Shirahoshi...?"

"Yes."

Neptune sighed and said, "Shirahoshi possesses this power as well."

To be honest, he really didn't want his daughter to Awakening such power, because that would make her a target!

Thinking of this, Neptune sighed deeply.

"No wonder Hody's Crew had their eyes on Princess Shirahoshi," Nico Robin murmured.

Now she understood why Hody's Crew wanted to kill Princess Shirahoshi so much; it turned out they were afraid of that girl's power!

Summon the Sea Kings...

This power could easily destroy an island!

"Yes."

"That guy was afraid of Shirahoshi's power, so he tried to lure Shirahoshi out using the lives of the four of us," Neptune said. "You could say that if it weren't for you, we would really be dead."

At this point, Neptune's face immediately lit up with gratitude.

Thank you so much...

He was genuinely grateful to the Straw Hat Crew.

Nico Robin shook her head upon hearing this, indicating that the other person shouldn't worry about such things.

After all... Luffy and Xi Yan don't really care, do they?

Nico Robin then said, "I saw descriptions of Ancient Weapons two years ago when I was on Skypiea."

"And the location indicated by the Historical Text is right here!"

"And combining that with what you said before..."

"I think the name of this Ancient Weapons must have originated from the Mermaid Princess from eight hundred years ago."

"And that name is... Poseidon, the Sea King!"

Listening to Nicole Robin's words, Neptune closed his eyes in pain.

"Yes, Poseidon, the Sea King..." Neptune said with some pain, "Who could have imagined that Shirahoshi would Awakening this power?"

If he could, he truly wished his daughter were just an ordinary mermaid.

Perhaps sensing Neptune's thoughts, Nico Robin said, "Fear is useless, King Neptune."

"Moreover, for this country, Princess Shirahoshi's Awakening of this power is not a bad thing."

"That's true, but..." Neptune said, "My lady, besides being the king of this country, I am also a father."

Upon hearing this, Nico Robin immediately fell silent.

Yes, from the other person's perspective, this might not be a good thing.

but...

"King Neptune, have you ever thought about this question?"

"What's the problem?"

"The Mermaid Princess has appeared, so... what about Joy Boy?" Nico Robin looked at Neptune earnestly and asked, "Will he also appear in this era?"

Upon hearing Nico Robin's words, Neptune's eyes widened in shock.

Yes, in the last era, Joy Boy and the Mermaid Princess appeared at the same time. What about this era?

Did they appear together?

If they appear together... does it mean the time they've been waiting for on Fish-Man Island has finally arrived?

Thinking of this, Neptune turned to look at the sea outside, his eyes becoming deep and thoughtful.

"Maybe..."

You're right!