The Ninth Devil, Kuranos

Regarding the so-called God, while we may not fully understand Him, we are at least not completely ignorant of Him.

The name "Seven Deadly Sins" is a religious term, and members all refer to their leader as "Lord," making it hard not to associate it with that...

More importantly, the Mythical Zoan Yamata no Orochi, a fruit possessing self-awareness, is searching for "My Master"...

While it's not yet 100% certain that "My Lord" and "Lord of the Seven Deadly Sins" refer to the same person, judging from the current situation, it's pretty close.

"Gurarara, I really want to meet your 'master,' he seems like a very interesting guy."

"Hmph, my Lord is God! Do you think you can just see him as you please?"

Samael curled his lip and gracefully approached the Whitebeard.

Before he could even get within ten meters, a group of team leaders blocked his way.

"Don't come near me, Samael!"

Jozu warned seriously that this guy was capable of easily destroying an island; let alone within ten meters, even just having him stand on the ship would be a huge threat.

Whitebeard waved his hand and chuckled heartily:

"Don't be so nervous, I'm not so old that I need you kids to protect me."

After dispersing the captains, Whitebeard took out the Mythical Zoan Yamata no Orochi and said directly, "Is this what you're looking for?"

Before Samael could speak, Yamata no Orochi initiated the conversation:

"This aura... you are... one of our kind?"

"Ha?"

Upon hearing this, Samael almost threw a punch at him with his Fire Fist.

"Who's your kind? You mere Zoan, do you even deserve to be considered the same kind as me, a noble Logia?"

He paused, then added sarcastically, "Oh, my apologies, I almost forgot. You're Mythical Zoan, a tiny bit more noble than a regular Zoan, but still a hundred Grand Line away from being as powerful as me. Understand? Idiot!"

The Whitebeard Pirates fell silent.

They actually got into an argument with a Devil Fruit...

Yamata no Orochi did not retaliate; his voice was quite somber, like that of a gloomy man who had stayed at home for thirty years.

"... Where is my lord?"

"The Lord is everywhere."

Sigma was genuinely afraid that Samael would bully a fellow human who had not yet fully taken shape, so he deliberately lowered his altitude.

The enormous dragon head hovered above the Moby Dick, speaking in a deep voice to the Yamata no Orochi:

"We will take you back to the Lord."

"Quickly, take me back!"

The Yamata no Orochi could not hide its excitement and kept urging it on.

Whitebeard, however, did not immediately hand over the fruit. Instead, he grinned and said:

"Gurarara, how interesting! I think I understand now! It is indeed looking for the Lord of the Seven Deadly Sins, and you are looking for it too."

"It's good that you know. Thank you all. That bottle of wine is a gift from my Lord. Please accept it with gratitude."

Samael snorted. Although it was of no use to them demons, Longevity Wine was an invaluable treasure for humans.

"This fruit can be given to you, but before that, I have a question that I need you to answer."

"Hurry up and speak, old man, I'm in a hurry."

What an impudent fellow... Whitebeard's captains glared angrily at Samael.

Whitebeard himself, however, didn't seem to care and asked directly:

"Are all the Devil Fruit collected by the Seven Deadly Sins like this one, possessing self-awareness?"

Based on the fact that the Seven Deadly Sins have appeared in the news several times, and judging from some of the clues, the purpose is almost easy to guess.

They attacked the Navy in the Sabaody Archipelago and stole Devil Fruit.

Destroy Punk Hazard and seize another Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon, or more accurately, the Pink Dragon Fruit.

They kidnapped members of the Charlotte Family and demanded Devil Fruit as ransom.

Wasn't it all for the Devil Fruit?

Whitebeard's confusion stemmed from the fact that Devil Fruit possessing self-awareness are extremely rare; otherwise, he would have encountered one before.

Many people know that Zoan Fruits contain the consciousness of animals, but that faint "consciousness" only manifests when the user Awakening.

Unlike the one in his hand now, which, when in fruit form, could even speak.

It was precisely because of this that Whitebeard did not choose to let the people on his ship eat it, but instead took the initiative to contact the "Master" mentioned by Yamata no Orochi.

However, Samael remained silent in response to the question posed by Whitebeard.

He could not answer without his master's permission.

Sigma shrunk in size, instantly transforming into a young dragon over a meter long. He descended and stood before Whitebeard, saying:

"Regarding this, if you are to meet my Lord one day, He will tell you the answer."

"Yeah?"

Whitebeard laughed; that statement itself was the answer.

He tossed the Yamata no Orochi Fruit to Sigma, then turned and headed towards the cabin.

"Take your things and get off my ship now!"

Sigma bit down on the top stem of the Yamata no Orochi, then exchanged a glance with Samael, and the two simultaneously activated the teleportation array.

In an instant, a dazzling golden light shone forth, so bright that people could not open their eyes.

Vista squinted, trying to see what was happening. He saw a pentagram magic circle enveloping the dragon and the fire dragon in golden light. Their bodies were covered in golden light, and then they vanished in a flash.

"Disappeared?" Vista looked stunned.

The Whitebeard man, who was walking back to the cabin, suddenly turned around and muttered to himself:

"This ability..."

"Pops!"

Marco landed on the deck, transformed back into human form, and handed the Longevity Wine to Whitebeard, saying:

"Drink this quickly!"

Fourth Division Captain, Chef Thatch, immediately stepped forward to stop it:

"Wait a minute, Marco, what if it's poisonous? Do you want to kill Pops? At least let others try it first to make sure it's safe."

Whitebeard took the bottle, flicked the cork off with his thumb, and then tilted his head back to take a swig.

What is a bottle for an average person is just a cup for someone of his size.

The rich aroma burst on his tongue, Whitebeard couldn't help but Big Eye and exclaim in admiration:

"Fine wine! Of all the wines I've tasted over the years, calling it the best in the world wouldn't be an exaggeration..."

Before he could finish speaking, something unexpected happened.

Everyone saw that time seemed to be flowing backward on the Whitebeard, and his originally aged appearance was visibly fading away.

Just seconds later, the image of the young Pops from Marco's memory reappeared before his eyes.

"It really can restore youth!" In the corner, Blackbeard's eyes were filled with disbelief. If there were many such wines, wouldn't one achieve immortality?

"Pops, how are you?"

The pirates inquired with great concern.

Whitebeard took a deep breath, tried clenching his fist, and the powerful feeling of his youth returned.

"Gurgling... this feeling!"

He slammed his right fist to the side, the force of his fist shaking the air, and in that instant, the sky seemed to be covered with cracks.

A terrifying shockwave swept towards the sea, and in an instant, a colossal wave hundreds of meters high rose from the ground...

Chapter 146 The Ninth Demon, [Kuranos]

If the spring breeze has a heart to pity the flowers, could it grant me back my youth?

On this day, Whitebeard lived a second life!

A colossal wave hundreds of meters high surged toward the deep sea, and the power of the punch thrown by the now-youthful Whitebeard sent shockwaves thousands of kilometers away.

The people on Wave Tide Island were filled with fear, and panic spread.

If such a giant wave were to crash into a city, it could instantly destroy everything on the entire island; it would be a scene straight out of an apocalypse.

"Pops!"

"Stop it now!"

"The ship is about to capsize!"

The Moby Dick swayed violently in the shockwaves, tilting at an angle of over 60 degrees, as if it were about to capsize at any moment.

On the deck, the captains of the Whitebeard Pirates exclaimed in surprise.

Only a few veteran Pops, such as Marco, who joined in the early days, had ever witnessed this kind of power.

"Gurarara... I never thought that I, a remnant of the old era, would have my youth again. That 'master' is indeed an interesting being."

The Whitebeard laughed heartily, believing that this "gift" was not chosen randomly, and that God clearly knew his situation, which was why He sent him this wine.

Seeing that their Pops had withdrawn the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, everyone on the ship breathed a sigh of relief.

"Pops, how are you feeling now?"

Marco asked with concern, noting that Whitebeard looked to be around thirty years old.

"There shouldn't be any traps in this wine, right?" Chef Thatch still expressed his doubts.

"I'm fine, don't worry. As for the alcohol..."

Whitebeard savored the enticing flavor, but regretted that the quantity was too small. Even setting aside its ability to restore youth, the Longevity Wine alone, based on its aroma alone, was enough to make it the best in the world.

"Gurara, I really want to meet that master and have a drink with him. Minions, prepare to set sail!"

"Oh!!"

The pirates shouted excitedly.

Soon after, the Moby Dick set sail again for a new adventure.

Blackbeard returned to his cabin, his mind replaying the image of Whitebeard becoming younger after drinking.

He joined the Whitebeard Pirates at the age of 14 and lived on the ship for 21 years. He is now 35 years old.

His motives for joining were not simple. On one hand, he sought protection, and on the other hand... only by joining the Whitebeard Pirates would he have the greatest chance of obtaining that Devil Fruit.

Twenty-one years have passed, Blackbeard has long since calmed down. If he never gets the Devil Fruit of his dreams, then staying on Pops's ship and living out the rest of his life is not so bad.

After all these years, he hadn't even seen a glimpse of that fruit, and sometimes he even forgot his original purpose.

But what happened today gave him a different perspective.

"If there were such a wine... in infinite time, in eternal life, sooner or later one day I would obtain the Dark-Dark Fruit."

There was only one bottle of wine, which Pops had already finished in one gulp.

Even if there were any left, Blackbeard wouldn't dare to have any ulterior motives. After all, he knew better than anyone how terrifying his Pops when he was young.

"Um?"

Suddenly, Blackbeard froze, standing blankly at the cabin door, staring at the desk inside.

The quill pen on the table swayed gently, stood up gracefully, then dipped itself in ink and wrote a passage on the paper.

[Hello, human, I am the messenger of the Lord. You may call me... Ain!]

A pen wrote a passage?

Blackbeard was completely dumbfounded and immediately suspected that someone with the ability was toying with him.