Stepping through the broken stone gate, they entered a vast space that stretched as far as the eye could see.
Grass and vines covered the ground. Though the structure had been built underground, it was filled with sunlight, and a giant tree in the middle reached straight toward the sky.
Just like the one depicted on the gate, the tree was laden with green fruit that looked a bit like mangoes.
"This—this is incredible. We're at least a thousand meters underground. How was this built?"
Seeing King Brunen's stunned expression, Luo Ya smiled.
Fish-Man Island had sunlight ten thousand meters beneath the sea, after all. What was this in comparison? A little black technology in the world of pirates wasn't all that unusual.
"Something's up there! In the tree!" Annajia cried, pointing toward the canopy.
At her words, Luo Ya looked where she was pointing. His half-baked Observation Haki was even less useful than Annajia's.
He could just make out a pair of enormous eyes, emerald green and almost blending in with the leaves.
As Luo Ya focused his gaze, the creature in the tree sensed his faint killing intent and stopped hiding.
It let out a long roar and dove from the canopy.
Roar!
A gigantic green creature dropped from the treetop and landed on the ground, crouching on its hind legs like a bird. Even crouched, it stood at least seven meters tall.
It folded its wings at its sides. Green feathers covered its body, while fine white down ran from its lower jaw all the way to its claws.
"It's a dragon!" King Brunen moved to shield the two women behind him, watching the newly appeared giant creature warily.
Looking at the monster before him, Luo Ya finally remembered what it was.
"Isn't this a Millennium Dragon? I saw it in the anime. Apparently, dragon bones can be used to make an elixir of immortality or something."
As he recalled the story of the Millennium Dragon, Luo Ya's hands were already moving.
While the Millennium Dragon stared wide-eyed at the group, he stomped forward and swung Ryujin Jakka at its white-feathered chest.
Clang!
A black, feather-covered wing blocked Ryujin Jakka.
Luo Ya wasn't surprised. It wasn't all that rare for animals to master Armament Haki, especially since this one seemed to be the guardian of the ruins.
Luo Ya used the momentum to kick the wing and retreat, watching for an opening.
The Millennium Dragon seemed enraged by the blow. It roared, and the massive sound waves made Luo Ya's eardrums ache.
Riding the sound waves, the Millennium Dragon flapped its wings and charged at Luo Ya. It raised one wing, its surface coated in black Haki, while every feather stood on end, gleaming with a razor-sharp chill.
Clang!
The tremendous force sent Luo Ya skidding back several meters, carving two deep furrows in the grass with his feet.
He shook his numb arm, held Ryujin Jakka level with his chest, and slowly closed his eyes.
"Do you think Master can't beat it, Father? Hurry and help him!" Madalina said anxiously from the side.
If Luo Ya had heard her, he would definitely have whacked her a couple more times during training. How dare she doubt his strength!
King Brunen had no time to deal with the anxious Madalina. Watching Luo Ya, he murmured,
"This is... This is the opening stance of Infernal Fire Prison!" Just as King Brunen finished speaking,
Four long swords made of black-and-red flames appeared around Luo Ya, who was holding Ryujin Jakka level.
The four flaming swords slowly took shape, their tips pointing straight at the Millennium Dragon.
Luo Ya suddenly opened his eyes and charged at the Millennium Dragon, shielded by the four flaming swords.
Clang!
The Millennium Dragon blocked Luo Ya's slash with its wing again.
Squelch! Squelch! Two of the flaming swords circled behind it and stabbed into its back, spraying a broad splash of green blood.
Roar!
The wounded Millennium Dragon roared in pain and swung its other wing down at Luo Ya.
Clang!
The remaining two flaming swords crossed and held the wing back. Luo Ya pressed forward with his sword, locking blades with the Millennium Dragon's wing and forcing it down.
He took a step back with his right leg, gathering a surge of Armament Haki and force into it.
Drill Dragon Nail! He kicked the Millennium Dragon in its soft belly.
Boom!
The Millennium Dragon was sent flying backward. The two flaming swords followed through, crossing as they slashed toward its neck. It was a dragon, after all: though the blades tore through flesh and sprayed blood, they couldn't sever its neck outright.
After kicking, Luo Ya sheathed Ryujin Jakka, preparing to end the fight with Line-Cutting Void.
For now, this was probably his strongest single-target attack. Its only drawback was that it required time to charge in order to compress his sword intent perfectly.
The Millennium Dragon had lost the ability to move and was bleeding green blood onto the ground when
a shout interrupted Luo Ya's charge.
"Stop, Master! It doesn't mean us any harm!" Madalina shouted as she ran toward the Millennium Dragon and touched its slashed wound.
The Millennium Dragon let out a faint whimper and looked at Madalina with its dragon eyes.
"Hmph, how boring." Hearing her, Luo Ya put Ryujin Jakka away, lit a cigarette, and walked over to the Millennium Dragon.
Watching the girl and dragon communicate effortlessly, Luo Ya scratched his head.
"She's my disciple. You'll be responsible for protecting her from now on. Nod if you understand. If you don't, I'll cut you down."
He blew out a stream of smoke.
"Master, don't scare Ala." Madalina rolled her eyes at Luo Ya, then explained what had happened to everyone.
It turned out that animals had been drawn to Madalina ever since she was a child. Of course, being close to them didn't mean she could understand what they said.
Powerful creatures like Millennium Dragons were more intelligent than ordinary animals. Thanks to that, Madalina could understand it.
The tree was the god depicted in the murals they had seen earlier.
The reason that country revered the tree as a god was its fruit. Eating it could improve one's physical fitness and mental strength.
After the animals in the country ate the fruit, their intelligence increased dramatically, allowing them to communicate with people. When humans ate it, their physical fitness improved and their minds grew much stronger, too.
Together, humans and animals had guarded the country, bound to each other without reservation.
Later, the country was destroyed in a disaster. The Millennium Dragon had been placed in the tree as a hatchling, tasked with guarding the Divine Tree.
Ala was the name its former master had given it. Its master was the Great Swordsman who had left Red Flame outside the gate.
After listening to Madalina's explanation, Luo Ya hurriedly asked whether the fruit on the tree came with any restrictions. If not, he planned to try some.
When he learned that the stupid dragon Ala had kept eating the fruit until it was so dizzy it couldn't eat another bite, Luo Ya immediately climbed up to the treetop. He signaled for Annajia and King Brunen to take off their clothes and catch the fruit, then picked a large amount.
After picking them, Luo Ya immediately grabbed one and ate it. The fruit looked like a mango and tasted much the same, except there was no need to peel it, and the flesh was green.
After finishing one, Luo Ya exclaimed that it was delicious. It was sweet and sour, and he could clearly feel that the two Great Grade Swords in his Soul Space were dissolving a little faster. His body, on the other hand, felt no obvious difference.
Luo Ya's soul was far stronger than other people's. He could feel the improvement after eating just one, while Annajia and the others staggered around like they were drunk, their bodies swaying from side to side. Their mental strength had clearly increased so much that they could no longer control their bodies.
Luo Ya wiped his mouth and wrapped up the remaining fruit. He waited until everyone else had mostly recovered before speaking.
"Madalina, the Millennium Dragon is yours from now on. Brunen, take care of delivering the fruit to my room later."
"Of course, Lord Luo Ya. Madalina, stay here and look after Ala. We'll head back and contact a doctor to treat its injuries."
Madalina immediately agreed.
Seeing this, everyone picked up the bundle and left the secret realm. On the way back, King Brunen worried that Ala wouldn't survive its injuries, so he hurried all the way back to the palace.
After all, they'd gotten a powerful ally for free. It would be a real shame if it died because they hadn't treated its injuries in time.