第43章 出发,蜂巢岛

"Do you really intend to wait another thousand years?"

The Sea King overlords took turns blaming Zunesha.

"So this is what the new king is like?"

After hearing of Ye Zhuo's deeds, Zunesha was left utterly stunned.

Could it really have been in the wrong?

"They're talking."

Shirahoshi's head hurt badly as she heard the Sea Kings conversing with Zunesha.

It sounded as though they were reminiscing.

"Don't be afraid. I'm here."

Ye Zhuo stroked her enormous head.

Then he unleashed his Conqueror's Haki!

Boom!

Overwhelming Haki erupted.

Tsunamis, lightning, dark clouds, and storms arrived with it.

Zunesha beheld these natural disasters capable of destroying the world.

At last, it sighed. "New King, please allow me to apologize."

It swayed slightly.

Ye Zhuo's hundred meteors and the towering waves he had summoned earlier had taken their toll.

"But I can no longer stand steady. If I fall into the sea,

the lives upon my back will be destroyed.

New King, please protect them."

Zunesha was about to fall into the sea. The Sea King overlords had wanted to save it.

But compared to Zunesha, they were like tiny fish.

The Sea King overlords were roughly five thousand meters long, while Zunesha, including its legs beneath the sea, stood thirty-five thousand meters tall.

Even the part of it above the sea dwarfed the Sea King overlords.

"Die? It won't be that easy."

The power of Ye Zhuo's Horse Talisman erupted.

It immediately poured into Zunesha's back without end.

The Twelve Talismans did not consume their owner's strength.

Using them caused Ye Zhuo no harm whatsoever.

Its powerful life force rapidly healed the injuries on Zunesha's limbs, head, and trunk.

Its staggering body abruptly steadied.

It stood upon the sea in utter disbelief.

"What incredible healing power! New King, you truly are merciful!"

"Address me as Lord Demon King!"

Ye Zhuo did not appreciate that at all.

[Ding!]

[Hidden chain mission completed: Conquer Zunesha and become its new master]

[Mission reward: Advanced Armament Haki: Iron Fist]

After Ryuo, the new Iron Fist Armament Haki also merged into his body.

Ye Zhuo clenched his fist with satisfaction.

He truly wanted to find someone to test his fist on!

[Side mission activated: Head to Hive Island, defeat the great pirate Wang Zhi, and claim a place to station yourself]

[Mission reward: Life Grail: Perfect Version]

Wasn't this an artifact from the world of the Twelve Talismans?

As long as one drank the water from the Life Grail, one could remain forever young.

However, if they stopped drinking it for a while, they would revert.

The mission reward specifically emphasized "Perfect Version."

That meant it had become a genuine artifact that granted eternal youth.

"Barely passable reward."

Ye Zhuo was more interested in taking Hive Island.

The Life Grail's effects were inferior to the Dog Talisman's. It was insignificant to him.

"Lord Demon King, when the final battle begins, I shall follow you unto death!"

Zunesha had submitted in its heart before acknowledging it aloud.

"I'll give you a shout when it's time to call people in."

Ye Zhuo figured there probably was no Den Den Mushi in the world that Zunesha could use.

He stopped chatting with Zunesha.

Looking around, he saw everyone staring in dumbfounded shock.

Zunesha had submitted?

This colossal being, an existence capable of destroying the world,

had simply submitted just like that!

The powers Ye Zhuo had unleashed earlier had chilled everyone to the bone.

Nekomamushi and Inuarashi were secretly alarmed.

So those meteors had merely been child's play to Ye Zhuo.

Momousagi, Tashigi, and Tashigi swallowed hard.

They could only pray that Marine Headquarters would never send anyone to rescue them!

Betty was completely convinced by Ye Zhuo and finally understood Dragon's painstaking intentions.

"What are you looking at? Use the proper title!"

At Ye Zhuo's command,

everyone spoke in unison.

"Lord Demon King!

Have something to eat.

Once we've rested, we'll continue conquering territory."

Nekomamushi and Inuarashi immediately got moving.

Carrot, who had watched everything from start to finish, felt her little heart pounding wildly.

Wasn't this exactly the adventure she had dreamed of?

The sea was truly thrilling!

Demon King Ye Zhuo had made the entire Mink Tribe, the Zou Kingdom, and even Zunesha submit!

This was the kind of powerhouse she had imagined!

Night fell.

A bonfire celebration began.

The Mink Tribe members woke from their unconsciousness.

When they learned that they had a new king,

and that Nekomamushi and Inuarashi were no longer fighting, they were overjoyed.

A grand banquet began.

Ye Zhuo had not expected the Mink Tribe to possess their own unique wine.

After draining it in one gulp and feasting heartily,

his body grew once more.

Amplified by the Mountain Demonic Energy, he grew until he reached a height of five and a half meters.

"What kind of monster is our Lord Demon King?"

The Musketeers and Guardians were both guessing at Ye Zhuo's strength.

Only after hearing Carrot's vivid account were they scared half to death.

"Over a hundred meteors? Enough to make Zunesha afraid?"

The more they listened, the more confused they became. Could Carrot have made it all up?

Besides, Ye Zhuo was the one who could understand Zunesha's words.

Outsiders could only gauge its emotions from roars of rage, fear, and the like.

"You just don't believe me! I'll definitely set sail!"

Carrot clenched her little rabbit paws, unable to contain her excitement.

The following day.

The Demon King flew off Zunesha's back.

It sailed into the sea.

Only after they had gone far away did a cautious figure emerge.

"Carrot!"

"Carrot!"

Carrot circled everyone, rubbing her cheek against them even when she reached Ye Zhuo.

She was worried that Ye Zhuo would refuse to let her go to sea with them.

"Congratulations, Carrot!"

Ye Zhuo was not the least bit bothered.

He had long since planned a path for Carrot.

A Target-Target Fruit appeared in his hand.

"From now on, you'll be our pet rabbit and sniper!"

"It tastes awful!"

Carrot had thought it was some delicious fruit.

She had not expected it to taste so terrible. It was downright disgusting!

"How am I supposed to become a sniper? Carrot!"

To Carrot, Ye Zhuo was the captain she admired most.

"Whatever. Find the enemy you want to attack, then throw something at them."

Ye Zhuo gave her a Target-Target Fruit.

Wasn't that the perfect fruit for becoming a sniper?

"However, if you want to hit an enemy one hundred percent of the time,

you first need to touch them."

Every Paramecia had its own characteristics.

The absurdly overpowered Target-Target Fruit was no exception.

"Our ship has Violet with the Glare-Glare Fruit, Rebecca with the Invisibility Fruit,

Tashigi with the Warp-Warp Fruit, and Tashigi with the Cage-Cage Fruit.

They are my royal guards.

You can have them work with you for perfect sniping!"

Ye Zhuo shook his wine bottle, returned to his cabin, and promptly fell asleep.

This time, he had obtained three kinds of advanced awakened Haki.

He had also gathered all eight demonic energies, and his Demon King body was already quite powerful.

The journey to Hive Island was the perfect time to adapt to them.

"I'll work hard!"

Carrot clenched her rabbit paws.

She thought about it and realized she had only brought a large bag of carrots. She wondered whether it would be enough to eat.

Future Kingdom.

Seventy-year-old Black Arm Zephyr had just put on his Seastone mechanical arm—the Crusher!

Five years later, he would betray the Marines.

For now,

he was still one of them, though he increasingly seemed unable to keep up.

"Teacher, our warship is ready, and the Pirate Pursuit Force has been assembled!"

Blue-haired Ain, dressed in black stockings, and Binz, carrying twin swords on his back, stood at the doorway.

The Pirate Pursuit Force was the predecessor of the Neo Marines.

Zephyr left the laboratory and bid farewell to Vegapunk and the other researchers.

The newspaper in his hand unfolded with him.

A bounty poster fell to the floor.

Demon King Ye Zhuo, whose first bounty was 3.999 billion Beli.

He was stubbornly clinging to that final sliver.

Once he crossed it, he would become a true Emperor of the Sea.

"Find information on him!"

In Zephyr's eyes, Ye Zhuo was the source of all the chaos in the New World.