Law's gaze was fixed on the strange fruit, its spiral patterns as if they were alive, writhing slightly, the black textures giving off a dark red glow in the light.
"Big Brother Roy..." Law said in a low voice, his tone filled with an undisguised wariness and curiosity. "What exactly is this fruit?"
Roy chuckled lightly, his fingertip tapping the edge of the box, his tone casual yet low. "The Zoan-type Bat-Bat Fruit, Mythical Model: Vampire."
The moment his words fell, the air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Law's pupils constricted suddenly, and he leaned forward sharply. "A Mythical Zoan?!"
That was a being even rarer and more impossible to replicate than a Logia. And "vampire," a species that only existed in legends and dark myths—it shouldn't even exist in the real world.
At this moment, Tesoro, who was leaning on the sofa, his face turning grave, slowly added, "According to ancient texts, whoever eats this fruit will gain basic abilities such as bat wings for flight, night vision, ultrasonic perception, and sonar locking."
"But what's more powerful is its terrifying control over the dark night—once night falls, the user's various attributes will be greatly enhanced, and they can also release an 'absolute dark domain,' depriving the enemy of their sense of direction, hearing, and even the synchronization of their heartbeat."
Law's face gradually became grave, but Tesoro was not finished. He lowered his voice and continued, "And its most fatal core—is its unique blood-sucking ability."
"Sucking the target's blood can directly deprive them of their life force, accelerate the enemy's aging, and even, at a certain frequency, pull the enemy into a dreamless slumber, into a state of permanent mental stagnation."
Law's breathing became slightly rapid as he listened, and countless possibilities flashed in his mind—this was a perfect ability tailor-made for an assassin, a manipulator, a ruler. He slowly looked up at Roy, his expression complex and awestruck. "This kind of thing... should not fall into the hands of ordinary people."
But Roy just smiled faintly upon hearing this, slowly closing the golden box. The metal lid fell with a "clack," as if sealing the topic. His tone was calm but held a bottomless sharpness. "It was never meant for the weak in the first place."
Tesoro leaned on the sofa, a glint in his eyes, his expression a mixture of complexity. He stared at the impassive Roy opposite him, his eyes filled with contemplation and a hint of... awe. "You really are the most inscrutable person." He gave Roy a meaningful look, his tone laced with a hint of helpless admiration. "'Sleepy Ancient Town'—that kind of forbidden place that has been almost wiped off the map, even the underworld's intelligence network is secretive about it. You were actually able to accurately give the range where the target fruit might appear."
He paused, as if waiting for Roy's response, but Roy just smiled without speaking, his fingers gently tapping the edge of the golden box, as if beating the drum of fate.
After a few seconds of silence, Tesoro changed his tone and said slowly, "Back then, you instructed me to search for two fruits. This 'Vampire Fruit' is one of them."
"The other one—our people are still tracking it, but the clues are intermittent..." he said, his tone slightly hesitant, and he glanced at Roy again.
But Roy just waved his hand casually, as if he didn't care about the matter. "It's fine." He leaned back on the sofa, his expression lazy, but his tone held an inexplicably firm and composed quality. "If we really can't find it... then let's just wait." He paused for a moment, his gaze lifting slightly, and said lightly, "Perhaps, when it wants to appear, it will naturally appear."
This sentence was calm and without ripples, but it was like a stone falling into a deep abyss. Law and Tesoro were both shaken and fell silent in unison. That silence was not one of doubt, but an instinctive awe of the unknown. They had both heard the hidden meaning in Roy's words: he was not waiting for a fruit, he was as if waiting for it to appear on its own? Did the fruit have...?
Law's brow furrowed tightly, his throat moving. He finally couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Big Brother Roy..." his tone was a cautious inquiry. "This 'Vampire Fruit,' who are you planning to give it to?"
That was a power that could even devour life. Once misused, it would probably bring not power, but disaster.
But Roy just closed the golden box with a "clack," as if sealing the topic. He leaned back in his chair and smiled mysteriously. "You'll know when we get back."
That smile held no explanation, but it made both Law and Tesoro feel a slight chill down their spines. They knew very well that every decision Roy made was never on a whim.
Tesoro pushed the last file towards Roy, his tone finally returning to his usual composed and teasing manner. "The people from Skypiea have already been contacted by my people. I will handle the matters you have arranged."
Roy glanced at the file, casually tossed it, and it disappeared into a spatial distortion. His tone was calm. "Well done. I believe in you." He stood up and walked towards the door with Law. "Alright, we've said everything we need to say. We should be going..."
Gran Tesoro, Golden Palace
In the magnificent hall, the lights flickered, the reflection of the gold seeming unable to illuminate the echoes in the depths of some shadows. Tesoro stood in the center of the main hall, the golden throne silent behind him, his gaze fixed on the door that had just closed. A moment ago, Roy and Law had stopped at the door—Roy had said, as if casually, but every word was branded in his heart.
"The day you shatter your nightmare, I will let you personally light the first fire."
A light statement, but it struck his heart like a heavy bell.
"Shatter my nightmare...?" Tesoro murmured in a low voice, his golden pupils reflecting the silhouette of the giant crystal chandelier on the ceiling. His fingertips trembled slightly. That usual flamboyant confidence, at this moment, could not hide a hint of a long-hidden pain and anticipation.
He slowly lowered his head and bowed deeply to the empty hall. His voice was low but unusually firm. "...I believe."
Time seemed to stand still. In the air, a long-lost presence seemed to float. Tesoro slowly looked up, as if he had heard something, or as if he had heard the echo buried deep in his heart—
"Stella..."
That name, long since sealed behind the gold, like a gentle whisper, echoed in the silent hall.
Grand Line, Paradise Shipping Lane, on the deck of a warship
On the azure sea, the waves crashed against the hull. The warship, like a white whale breaking through the waves, created a trail of white. On the deck, the sun was bright.
Roy had changed into casual clothes and was lying lazily on a wooden sun lounger, his hands behind his head, sunglasses covering his face, a blade of grass, which he had picked up from somewhere, in his mouth. He was in a state of Garp-style "top-tier slacking."
"Law, we're going back to Headquarters~" he said with his eyes closed, his tone relaxed and lazy, as if he had just come out of a hot spring.
Law stood not far away. He had already quickly arranged the course instructions. The confirmation of the route came from the control room, and the warship began to accelerate towards Headquarters. But his gaze couldn't help but fall on Roy.
The person in the sun seemed as carefree as the wind, but from the dispatch to Skypiea, the secret meeting in the City of Gold, to the sudden appearance of the Mythical Zoan "Vampire"—every action seemed to have been calculated long in advance, and he could even foresee the future, laying it out in his mind.
Law's gaze gradually darkened, and ripples appeared in his heart. "Big Brother Roy... just how far have you planned?"
"Shatter the nightmare"—that phrase, the more he thought about it now, the heavier it became. He wanted to ask, did it refer to the World Government? The Celestial Dragons? Or some deeper taboo?
But the next second, Roy, as if by telepathy, spoke leisurely, "Kid, don't think too much~" He turned over, his tone still carefree. "When it's time for you to know, you'll naturally know."
"For now..." He smiled, the blade of grass swaying gently, his tone soft but with a hint of an indescribable weariness. "...while we can still slack off... let's enjoy it~"
The wind lifted the corner of a cloth on the deck and also gently brushed through Law's hair. Law looked at the face that was "pretending to be asleep" with closed eyes and finally sighed helplessly. But a slight smile quietly appeared on his lips.
That's right—since the storm was eventually coming, at least for now, they could have a brief moment of peace.
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