Ma'am, You're Losing a Little Hair

"How could flowers that turned toward the sun bloom in an environment like this?"

John narrowed his eyes slightly. After some thought, he withdrew his Mantra.

People would always encounter all kinds of malice in life—perhaps born of jealousy, vanity, conflicts of interest, or perhaps for no reason at all.

If he planned to live here, he would definitely have to solve this problem.

But he was only a passerby here, and as he went on to accomplish major deeds and become famous throughout the world under a new identity, unprovoked malice would only grow more frequent.

He could not possibly kill every person around the world who bore him ill will, the countless thousands who insulted him.

"An old saying goes: 'People fear fame as pigs fear growing fat.' Since I want fame to satisfy my vanity, I have to accept the negative things that come with it."

He would treat this bit of gossip as practice in adapting ahead of time.

"Godfather, were you talking to me?"

Hearing the muttered words, Teach, who had been walking ahead, stopped and turned around to look at John in confusion.

"No, you heard wrong."

John gave Teach a faint smile, strode past him, and continued forward.

Only, he had changed direction and was now heading for Dr. Kureha's home.

Before long, the two arrived outside a wooden house built from a hollowed-out, thick tree trunk. John stood at the door and raised a hand to knock lightly.

"Come in."

A slightly hoarse voice sounded. Having received permission, John pushed open the door and walked in.

A warm current of air rushed toward him, carrying the faint fragrance of medicinal herbs that made him feel refreshed.

The interior was warmly furnished. Alice and Kureha sat on the sofa beside the fireplace, both turning to look at the two who had entered.

"You are..."

The unfamiliar face brought a trace of wariness to Alice and Kureha's eyes.

Teach obediently closed the door, then stepped out from behind John and happily explained to Alice.

"Mom, this is Godfather! He looks different, but I recognize him!"

"John?"

The furrow between Alice's brows quickly smoothed away, and the joy of reuniting with an old friend appeared on her face.

"You're alive! Didn't the newspaper say you had already..."

"Shh!"

John raised a finger to his lips, signaling Alice that some things were better left unsaid.

As a shrewd former pirate, Alice understood at once and nodded heavily.

"It's good that you're alive."

As she spoke, Alice rose from the sofa, intending to pour John a cup of hot tea at the log table.

But Kureha moved first, tossing a bottle of liquor to John.

"I smell one of my own kind. Boy, do you want to know the secret to my eternal youth?"

"Of course!" John caught the bottle with one hand, pulled out the cork without hesitation, and tipped it back to pour the liquor into his mouth.

Kureha was quite pleased by the "trust" John displayed, but she gave him a meaningful smile.

"I'm not telling you."

"Could I pay for it?"

John drank more than half the bottle in one go, wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, and stared intently at Kureha.

He had come to find Alice and Teach for two reasons.

Other than Rocks's request, the more important reason was that he wanted to learn the secret of how Teach could possess multiple Devil Fruits.

After meeting Kureha, he had temporarily gained another objective.

Kureha should already have been over a hundred years old by now. Not only was she still full of life, but she would even live until forty years later, when Chopper became famous as "Chopper."

One hundred and forty-one years old!

According to scientific theory, the human brain could survive for a thousand years, but the frail body confined human lifespan to around a century.

Therefore, it was utterly incredible that Kureha could still be so energetic at one hundred and forty-one, drinking heartily every day!

Compared to the Giant Tribe's lifespan of over three hundred years, Kureha was absolutely a miracle among "humans."

If he could learn the secret behind it, wouldn't John be able to live many more years as well?

"Paying for it? What an interesting boy."

Kureha chuckled, then shook her head regretfully.

"For the sake of a fellow drunkard, I won't rip you off. I don't know why I can stay young forever either."

"If I had to give an explanation, I could attribute it to... bloodline."

Bloodline?!

Even though he had been mentally prepared, John's fist still clenched tightly when he heard that answer.

He was filled with unwillingness!

It was not just this world. Even John's homeland was ruled by "fate" and "bloodline."

Even in stories supposedly centered on "ordinary people," the protagonist would ultimately turn out to be the reincarnation of some great figure.

It was as if ordinary people overturning and crossing class barriers had been denied from the very beginning.

And countless ordinary people deeply believed this as well. They fantasized that their ancestors possessed noble blood, hoping that one day their bloodline would awaken and send them soaring to greatness.

They denied and disparaged bloodlines and fate while yearning for and fantasizing about bloodlines and fate.

It was simply ridiculous!

"Ma'am, could I buy a vial of your blood? I want to study it."

John pulled a heavy gold brick from his coat pocket.

"If you're reluctant to have blood drawn, I can take a step back and ask for a lock of your hair instead. Would that be all right?"

"Boy."

Kureha narrowed her eyes, her expression abruptly turning serious.

"You speak politely, but your attitude leaves no room for refusal."

"John, Kureha is my friend. Don't do anything rash."

Sensing that something was wrong, Alice hurriedly stepped between their locked gazes.

The two completely ignored Alice, their eyes burning as they stared past her at each other, locked in confrontation.

Just as the atmosphere grew increasingly oppressive and left Teach at a loss, on the verge of tears, John raised a hand to his forehead and began to laugh softly.

"Ms. Kureha, you're losing a little hair. I have some very good shampoo here. Would you like some?"

As his words fell, strands of pale golden hair from every corner of the wooden house floated up under the influence of a magnetic field and flew before John beneath Kureha's astonished gaze.

Seeing that the matter had become a foregone conclusion, Kureha relaxed her taut body, picked up the bottle on the low table, and tipped it back for a deep drink.

After drinking her fill, she exhaled a mouthful of alcohol-scented breath and shook her head helplessly.

"What an awful boy. Do as you please. There are plenty of strange things on the sea anyway. One more won't make a difference."

"Thank you."

John smiled faintly and slipped the gold brick and hair into his pocket.

Those born with powerful bloodlines were indeed formidable, but that did not mean they were intelligent.

Since powerful bloodlines could bring such miraculous power, he would use wisdom to seize those bloodlines—and even create new ones!

As it happened, John also knew Buckingham Stussy, who could create clones. With Shiki's "S.I.Q" and Vegapunk's "Lineage Factor," they would surely be able to create entirely new and powerful bloodlines!

"John, did you come looking for me just for this?"

Alice was very unhappy. She had thought John had specifically come to find her, his "fugitive companion," but now it seemed...

This guy had come for Kureha!