Chapter 132: Fountain of Youth and... The Promised Neverland!
In the Grand Line, what is the leading cause of death each year?
Pirate raids? Wars everywhere?
Neither.
The correct answer is—Shipwrecks.
On the most dangerous sea route in the world, even seasoned sailors, navigators, and meteorologists make misjudgments.
And once a shipwreck occurs, survivors are few.
Even those few survivors must face a cruel reality.
That is...
They will face the vast ocean with their flesh and blood.
A despair greater than the shipwreck itself.
For example, on a 'ship' floating on the sea right now, this despair was playing out.
Of course, to be precise—this so-called 'ship' wasn't a ship, just a wooden plank.
A young man sat on the plank.
The cold night sea breeze blew, and he shivered in his thin undershirt.
He could feel his body temperature dropping rapidly, almost making him lose consciousness.
But even in this situation, his hand tightly gripped a soaked bag.
The clinking sound from the bag indicated it contained money.
True—money should be meaningless when drifting alone on the boundless sea after a shipwreck.
But for the young man, this bag of money was all he had, and the reason he set sail.
"...I'm probably doomed."
Holding onto the last bit of consciousness, the young man's mind began to blur.
"I will die here, but maybe my body will be found by another ship someday. I hope they see the message I left in the bag... Hope it's not pirates who find my body; they definitely won't help me..."
His thoughts wandered.
Even though his rationality told him the chance of even encountering pirates was low.
The most likely ending was falling into the sea during a storm, being eaten by sea beasts, or sinking into the deep ocean.
But this desperate rationality wasn't what he needed right now.
He needed comfort, fantasizing about a miracle.
"..."
But the next moment, the young man's blurry gaze saw something.
On the distant sea, there seemed to be something.
"...A ship?"
His mind reacted slowly.
But soon he realized it wasn't a ship—it seemed too large.
As the behemoth approached.
The young man felt his blurry consciousness sharpen instantly.
Because he saw the true form of the massive object.
It was...
"An island?"
He muttered, daring not to believe it.
Because the island appearing before him was abnormal.
It was surrounded by a veil-like mist.
From the back of the island, light particles fell.
These particles seemed to merge with the falling starlight and moonlight from the sky, drifting with the sea breeze.
This left a trail of brilliance wherever the island passed—as if it dragged the starlight into a ribbon.
"Mirage? No... it's not..."
"Am I dying... is this my dying dream?"
The young man suspected he was dying—they said dying people saw illusory, dreamlike scenes.
But moments later, he dismissed this thought.
He knew he wouldn't have such imagination even in a dream.
Especially as the island approached, he inexplicably felt his body revitalizing—his consciousness cleared, thoughts became sharp again.
Then...
"!!!"
He sat up abruptly on the plank.
Because now, he realized the truth.
Not a dream, not a mirage—an incredible island truly appeared before him.
And now...
Splosh!
With the sound of waves being cut, he saw the island stop in front of him.
This allowed him to see its vastness and unparalleled beauty directly.
The island had countless trees and mountains, all growing strange, dreamlike plants.
In the center of the island was a forest.
The trees in the forest were taller than normal, even displaying translucent, strange colors.
Their leaves weren't green but dazzled with five colors.
Every breeze caused a wave of light to ripple across the canopy.
Countless tiny blue light spots drifted across the island, like the island's breathing.
Deep in the forest, the young man seemed to see a peak standing tall—atop the peak was a massive stone statue resembling a sheep's head, looking like the island's guardian deity.
From the top of the peak, a brilliant 'Water Flow' shimmering with seven-colored light gushed out, forming a massive rainbow spring below, emitting radiant light in the night.
Trees dancing, flowers singing.
This scene left the young man speechless.
Because at this moment...
"Lost traveler of the sea."
He heard an ethereal voice.
He turned instinctively and saw.
Not far away, a figure walked out of the thin mist of the island.
The young man swore it was the most beautiful, dreamlike figure he had ever seen in his life.
Her legs were fair, wearing a beautiful skirt, and her face seemed covered by a constantly flowing, changing veil.
Strangely, even through the veil, the young man felt he could see her beautiful face—the changing face couldn't be described specifically, but possessed a unique, unchanging beauty.
Mist from the veil surrounded her. She held a seven-colored lantern, and beside her was a small dark red dog wearing a sword-shaped pendant.
As she appeared.
The young man saw the edge of the massive island change. Massive stairs formed and extended toward him.
"..."
He stepped onto the stairs instinctively, and then...
VMMM!
The stairs retracted rapidly, and he appeared in front of the girl.
A fragrance entered his nose, snapping him back to reality.
He averted his gaze instinctively. "You... you... here... I..."
He didn't know what to say.
"This is 'Neverland' (Dream Island), the place where wishes come true."
The girl naturally understood him. "I am 'Miss Faerie', following the Island Spirit's order to guide lost travelers."
Her voice seemed to tremble slightly—perhaps out of shyness.
But the young man didn't notice.
"Neverland... Miss Faerie..."
These terms made him feel like he had become part of the legends spread across the four seas.
But just then...
"Rare lost traveler, warm yourself first."
Miss Faerie said softly.
The next moment, the young man heard the dark red dog beside her bark, "Awoo."
Immediately after...
WHOOSH!
He saw balls of fire appear from the forest behind the dog.
Looking closely, the fireballs seemed to have faces and eyes, even soldier-like attire.
They marched to the young man and jumped onto him amidst his exclamation.
"Ah! I... I'm on fire... Eh?"
The young man saw himself burning and screamed instinctively.
But the next instant, he was surprised to find...
"Not hot at all?"
Although the flames burning on him distorted the air, he felt no pain of burning. Instead, his body gradually warmed up.
"This is 'Faerie Fire'."
He heard Miss Faerie whisper. "They are familiars of 'Yazi', one of the Mythical Beast Lords of Neverland. They can control their flames not to burn people."
"..."
Hearing this, the young man looked at the flames on his body again—he even saw a wisp of fire waving at him.
This made him suspect he was dreaming again—maybe the shipwreck never happened, and he was still sleeping in the cabin of the merchant ship?
But moments later, he saw the flames jump off him, bow to the dark red dog, and hop away, disappearing.
The young man snapped awake completely.
The next moment, he heard Miss Faerie's follow-up question.
"So, lost traveler..."
"Do you wish to make a wish?"
The words fell, and the young man froze. "Make a wish?"
"Yes."
Miss Faerie smiled. "Neverland is a 'Place of Wishes'—the Island Spirit has an agreement with the Master of the Stars to grant a wish to everyone who comes to the island."
"If the visitor voluntarily offers something precious, the Island Spirit will grant their wish accordingly."
Hearing this, the young man froze again.
Then...
"I... I want food, water, and a ship... is that okay?"
He asked tentatively—these three things were essential for survival on the sea.
But as his words fell...
VMMM!
He saw, at the edge of the island.
Strange clouds of blue, gold, and white flowed.
Then, a seven-colored, semi-transparent ship appeared out of thin air.
On the ship, as he wished, were food and water—even the food was the chickpea soup made by his mother, which he missed most.
But the food and water seemed to flow with blue light spots.
"The 'Dream Ship' can exist for thirty days, immune to wind and rain, enough for you to reach nearby islands."
Miss Faerie's tone remained gentle, seemingly accustomed to such dialogue.
"These food and water have the best taste and won't spoil. Consuming them will restore your stamina and vitality."
"Your wish has been granted—so, are you willing to offer something precious in exchange?"
Saying so, she looked at the young man.
"Something precious?"
The young man hugged the bag tightly. "Do... do you mean money?"
"Yes, and no—gold and silver are useless to the Island Spirit, but precious to worldly people. So the Island Spirit accepts gold and silver, but not exclusively."
Miss Faerie smiled.
"Besides gold and silver, other things you possess can also be chips for exchange."
"Like your health, your life... After all, a wish is something one would achieve at all costs, right?"
Something to achieve at all costs.
These words shook the young man's heart.
From his heart.
"Maybe..."
An instinctive thought rose.
The reason he chose to set sail and become a sailor in the dangerous Grand Line.
He took a deep breath.
"If... if I want to exchange for my mother's health, can this wish be granted too?"
His voice trembled, hiding clear excitement.
"She has a strange illness. I found the best doctor on nearby islands, but he said he'd never seen such a disease—curing it requires a lot of money, so I came to the Grand Line. Sailors earn the most here."
"I... I..."
This young sailor, who didn't cry even when facing death, now had tears in his eyes.
"I just want to save her."
As he spoke, perhaps due to excitement.
The bag in his hand slipped, revealing the crumpled, worn Berries and coins inside.
And the text written in blood on the wooden plank.
[If anyone finds my body, I beg you, take this money to Ms. Mohe on 'Payla Island' in the South Blue. Please leave at least two-thirds; it's the money needed for her treatment.]
[Please tell her—her son 'Raiden' loves her forever.]
"..."
Miss Faerie fell silent.
"Is... is it impossible?"
Despair rose in Raiden's heart.
Since learning of his mother's illness, he had prayed countless times to gods, to no avail.
But this time was clearly different.
Because this time.
The god responded.
"So, Mr. Raiden—what are you willing to offer?"
He heard Miss Faerie's answer.
She seemed to have just composed herself, asking.
Clearly.
For a son brave enough to run toward the most dangerous sea without fearing death.
The answer was self-evident.
"Everything."
He answered firmly. "Money, health, life—Miss Faerie, take it all. But please leave me a little lifespan to go back and see my mother."
As his words fell, he saw Miss Faerie pause again.
Then...
She nodded.
"In that case..."
Raiden saw—beneath the sheep-head statue atop the distant peak, the seven-colored strange water flowed backward.
A drop of seven-colored water streaked across the sky like a meteor, landing in front of Miss Faerie.
Miss Faerie caught the drop, raised her hand, and a glass bottle appeared in the air.
She put the water in it and looked at Raiden.
"This is Neverland's most precious treasure, the Island Spirit's greatest creation—its name is 'Fountain of Youth', or you can call it 'Water of Life'."
"It can cure all diseases, regrow severed limbs, and return the old to youth."
"It can grant your wish—so, please close your eyes..."
Her soft words were like a lullaby. "The Island Spirit will take your exchange and grant your wish."
Hearing this, Raiden was shocked by the effect of the 'Fountain of Youth'.
But then, he closed his eyes without hesitation.
The next moment...
VMMM!
Golden brilliance flashed from his body.
Countless golden life essence surged out, and Raiden felt his body becoming incredibly weak.
As Miss Faerie said, the Island Spirit was taking his 'Life'.
But at this moment, Raiden felt no fear.
On the contrary.
VMMM.
Faint red brilliance surged from his head—what flowed in his heart now was 'Joy'.
At some point...
"Yazi, 'Joy' isn't a dream belonging to you... Give it to me quickly, the Lord needs it to create another Mythical Beast Lord."
"Those life essences aren't yours either. Lord Hitsujii said—golden essence is precious. Give it to me, or I'll tell on you."
"Wuwu."
He seemed to hear vague voices, but like a dream, his muddled brain couldn't understand the content.
His vision went black, and he fainted.
Until some time later.
Splash! Splash!
Raiden woke up groggily.
The sound of waves and familiar coldness returned.
"Was it a dream?"
His brain instinctively recalled the dreamlike island and the dreamlike Miss Faerie.
He instinctively thought he was back on the wooden plank.
Maybe everything before was a dream.
But the next moment, opening his eyes slightly, he found it wasn't so.
With the sound of breaking waves.
He was on a phantom ship.
"This is... that 'Dream Ship'?"
He widened his eyes, then seemed to react, looking around.
Soon he found what he was looking for.
Not far away, the bag he held tightly before lay there.
"..."
Raiden stood up trembling—he felt incredibly weak.
But he still tensed up and approached the bag.
Sure enough—the Berries inside were gone, replaced by a glass bottle.
Inside the bottle, the seven-colored 'Fountain of Youth' emitted radiant brilliance.
Beside the bottle, on the wooden plank where he wrote with blood.
Lines of seven-colored text floated above it.
[Your wish has been granted.]
[The Island Spirit has an agreement with the Master of the Stars to grant wishes to beautiful things and reward the brave.]
[The reward you won for yourself is your 'Life'.]
As the words fell, the seven-colored brilliance dissipated.
"..."
Raiden's weak body hugged the bag tightly.
The morning sun rose on the distant sea. Everything seemed like a fantasy.
But he knew...
It wasn't a dream.
That island truly existed.
That Promised Neverland.
☆☆☆
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