Chapter 129: Gentlemen, Let Us Drink Together!
Inside the cave, Issho held a piece of fragrant roasted meat.
"Smells good... No need, this old man is full."
He finished the meat in a few bites and politely declined another piece offered by Kori.
His sharp senses told him—this meat was incredibly clean. Not just free of poison, but almost all impurities harmful to the body were removed.
"It is indeed an ability..."
His 'gaze' shifted slightly toward the figure in the Sheep Mask not far away.
He had no ill intent toward Hitsujii; his observation was merely the instinctive curiosity of a powerhouse.
Because Hitsujii's ability seemed quite unique to him.
He was certain that when the beast corpses were pushed to the cave entrance, the island's ground had indeed changed.
Furthermore, the fire roasting the meat was summoned by Hitsujii—it burned without any fuel, unlike any real fire.
Most importantly...
"It really..."
Watching what Hitsujii was doing, Issho muttered internally.
Hitsujii was walking among the survivors.
From his hand, incredibly clear and transparent liquid dripped continuously, turning into mist that followed his steps.
At this moment, a survivor whose body had turned purple-black and lost basic mobility was enveloped by the mist.
As the mist infiltrated his body, an incredible scene unfolded.
The purple-black color on the survivor faded at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Then, his painful groans weakened, replaced by the sound of smooth breathing.
"I... I..."
He touched his body instinctively.
"My poison... Eek! Good! I'm cured!"
His exclamation caused many other healed survivors in the cave to cheer along!
"Surt's poison is gone too!"
"Lord Hitsujii... is amazing!"
"Long live! We can leave alive!"
"Wuwuwuwu..."
They looked at Hitsujii walking in the cave as if looking at a god walking among men.
But Issho could clearly sense...
"That terrifyingly effective antidote... is actually a terrifying poison itself?"
In Hitsujii's hand, the dark purple liquid that just emerged... was actually some extremely terrifying poison.
Its effect shocked even Issho.
The poisons on Plague Island were gathered by Celestial Dragons from all over the world, already extremely potent and almost incurable.
But the poison in Hitsujii's hand, in Issho's 'sight', surpassed the island's toxic mist by countless times.
Yet, the moment these terrifying poisons appeared from Hitsujii, they underwent a transformation.
Their internal toxicity seemed to flip to the complete opposite extreme instantly, forming that incredible antidote.
"Amazing ability..."
So Issho could only sigh—he couldn't understand what fruit Hitsujii had eaten, but the ability was undoubtedly remarkable.
And it was true.
[Roy Amos (Slice Clone - Hitsujii)]
[Venom-Venom Fruit LV5: Creates terrifying poison. The venom encompasses effects of almost all poisons in the world, including 'Neurotoxin', 'Corrosive Toxin', 'Cytotoxin', 'Myotoxin', making it the strongest deadly poison. The user is immune to almost all poisons.]
[Reverse-Reverse Fruit LV4: Deep-Dive Development. Can reverse the properties and attributes of non-living objects, including the taste of food and properties of medicine.]
Two of the Devil Fruits Hitsujii possessed were the source of this miracle.
The venom from the Venom-Venom Fruit was the strongest poison in the world—encompassing all toxic properties, troublesome even for monsters like 'Teach'.
The Reverse-Reverse Fruit, obtained from 'Vice-Warden' Saldeath during the Tri-Force Demonstration, could reverse the properties of non-living things. At LV4, it could reverse medicinal properties.
Combining the two created the potion Hitsujii used.
The Venom-Venom Fruit's 'Destruction' of nerves, cells, blood, and muscles was converted into 'Restoration' by the Reverse-Reverse Fruit.
This made the potion effectively a 'Panacea'.
On this poison-filled Plague Island, he was indeed no different from a god.
But this wasn't all.
Kori, also detoxified by Hitsujii, watched the joyous scene happily—seeing those who saved her be saved was delightful.
But looking closely...
Although the survivors were detoxified and their cell/muscle damage repaired, restoring their health...
Their aura and complexion were still far from 'normal'.
Almost all survivors bore marks of deformity or disability, and almost all had weak auras.
Limbs amputated or mutated due to poison pain, vitality whittled down to near-death by poison erosion.
These were the unavoidable marks left by this island.
"..."
After the joy, Kori's gaze dimmed slightly.
Including herself—due to Anbokamu, her physical disability was perhaps the most severe among all survivors.
But clearly, Kori understood.
This couldn't be helped.
"Everyone being detoxified and reuniting with family is already a great ending."
As for the more beautiful parts?
Kori was no longer a child. She knew—the world wasn't a fairy tale.
But...
"Now, prepare for the next step of treatment."
Hitsujii's chuckling voice told her.
Even in the real world, fairy tales can exist.
Hitsujii extended his hand again.
But this time, the liquid dripping from his hand wasn't the ordinary dark purple fluid.
That single drop was pure, death-like Black.
"!!!"
At this moment, Issho, who had been silent due to the survivors' appearance, gripped his cane sword abruptly—an instinctive reaction to danger.
His closed blind eyes stared straight at Hitsujii, facial muscles twitching in shock.
"Sir... that is?"
In that instant, his Observation Haki sensed not 'poison'.
In that instant, the thing emerging from Hitsujii's hand... seemed like 'Death' itself!
In Fujitora's 'sight', that drop of liquid was like a black hole devouring everything.
And it was true.
[Venom-Venom Fruit · Awakening: Can create a tiny amount of pitch-black 'Death Venom'. This venom doesn't act via neurotoxin/cytotoxin effects but directly targets the victim's life force, continuously depleting it until death.]
Looking at the terrifying poison in his hand, Hitsujii remained calm.
"Reverse."
The whisper fell.
Within death, light was born.
The pitch-black 'Death Venom' became clear instantly, just like before.
Only this time, its clarity was dreamlike—almost invisible at a glance.
Death Venom acted directly on life force.
Naturally, its reversed effect was consistent—it could directly boost and restore the user's Life Force.
But this still wasn't all.
Hitsujii raised his hand gently.
Then...
"!!!"
Kori, Issho, and everyone present saw.
His hand transformed into a strange beast claw.
A slender, beautiful claw covered in scales—golden and blue brilliance flowed and shifted between the colors, filled with the aura of life.
Blue and white interwoven Flame Clouds circled his arm, making him look even more like a deity.
From the tip of the claw.
Wisps of Blue Light flowed out slowly.
Kori recognized immediately—that light was identical to the 'Blue Brilliance' in the forest before Hitsujii appeared.
Next, Hitsujii gently merged the blue light into the liquid in his hand.
Then...
VMMM!
Seven-colored brilliance bloomed within the liquid.
"Gentlemen."
"Let us drink this 'Water of Life' together."
Laughing, Hitsujii spoke, and the water turned into a seven-colored mist, sprinkling over the entire cave.
The miracle of life descended here.
Where the seven-colored mist fell.
The deformities on all survivors began to be corrected instantly.
Their bodily foundations, inevitably weakened by poison, began to fill up rapidly.
Most importantly—their missing limbs began to itch, new flesh sprouting, and then...
"My... my hand!"
"My leg... my leg grew back!?"
"Am I dreaming?"
The regenerated limbs made them feel like they were in a dream.
Especially Kori.
She felt strength return to her leg with severed tendons.
Her broken hand bones, shattered shoulder blade, and all scars on her body seemed to be repaired in a warm current.
Finally, she realized... her blind eye had returned to brightness.
"..."
She touched her face and eyes instinctively.
Hitsujii seemed prepared, handing her a mirror.
Kori saw herself in the mirror.
The beautiful face made her almost cry again.
Not for beauty—after everything, she cared little for appearance.
But clearly.
Issho understood her feelings.
"Oh..."
The swordsman who blinded himself out of guilt and unease over the tragedy of Plague Island opened his eyes again.
In his gaze, he saw a scene he would never forget.
Cheering people who had once suffered.
A beautiful elf-like girl, a once-amputated strong man, a once-desperate old man—surrounding the white-clad figure with a Sheep Mask.
"..."
Issho turned his head.
He saw that inside and outside the once poison-filled, barren cave...
Green vegetation and beautiful flowers had bloomed unknowingly.
Life always finds a way.
Even in a foul environment with no foothold, once hope appears, they will bloom again.
"This old man's eyes... can still see beautiful things..."
Issho revealed a gentle smile.
"Truly... wonderful."
☆☆☆
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