Buggy stared at the ancient-looking dark gold armband on Luffy's arm. His eyes lit up again.
He had had his eye on this thing for a long time. It might very well be the legendary armband containing Captain John's treasure map.
Golden Lion also glanced at the armband and grinned, showing his white teeth. "You red-nosed bastard really have an eye for treasure. You noticed John's treasure?"
Buggy shuddered all over, nearly splitting apart on the spot.
Damn!
He had forgotten that Golden Lion was also an old-timer who knew what was what. He had been a great pirate of the same era as Captain John.
Just as Buggy thought he had no chance, Luffy smiled casually and slipped the armband off with his still-functioning hand, tossing it to Buggy. "Sure. It is yours."
"Eh?!"
Buggy fumbled to catch the armband. He was dumbfounded. "R-Really? For me? This is Captain John's treasure! It is worth a lot! A lot!"
"It is fine. It is yours." Luffy grinned.
Treasure could be dealt with later.
Pirates loving treasure was natural. But at least for now, he was not interested.
It might be a while before he could go on an adventure again with his crew.
After this war, Luffy knew that for his crew to hold their own in a battle of this level, they would need at least some time to train.
As for money?
After their trip to Skypiea, his crew was probably the richest pirate crew in the world. Almost all the gold from the city of gold had been melted onto the Merry.
When all his crewmates were together again, they could go look for it together. That would be an adventure.
In a sense, Luffy was not a traditional pirate.
Seeing Luffy giving away what might be the clue to a shocking treasure so easily, even Golden Lion was taken aback.
Back at God Valley, for the sake of treasure, the Rocks Pirates had fought quite fiercely.
That was also where Golden Lion had suffered a harsh betrayal from his own crewmates.
There was certainly a reason Luffy got along so well with Whitebeard. Whitebeard had no interest in treasure. He wanted family.
And what about Luffy?
"Jihahaha! Straw Hat, there is a pure spirit and charm of a pirate about you," Golden Lion could not help but remark.
This air of treating precious treasure as nothing, acting on preference and loyalty, was something he had only seen in a very few.
Rocks's extravagant spending was for ambition. Roger's extravagant spending was for freedom and joy. Whitebeard's was for family.
Their unique charisma attracted countless strong fighters to join them.
No wonder Luffy could gather such a troublesome and powerful group of people around him.
Buggy clutched the armband tightly, afraid Luffy might change his mind, but he could not help muttering, "Really. Giving away something so valuable just like that. Are you generous or an idiot?"
"Alright, Red Nose. You have your favor. You have your treasure. Now get lost."
Golden Lion waved impatiently. "Stay any longer, and once the Marines collect themselves, they might arrest you too."
Buggy flinched. He looked at the Marines gathering their forces in the distance, then at the two monsters in front of him. Clutching the armband tightly, as if afraid Luffy might take it back, he set Luffy down and hurriedly said, "I-I am going then! Remember to call me for the banquet!"
Then he split into dozens of pieces and flew to his surviving men in the distance.
He had to study this armband immediately.
Golden Lion and Luffy looked at the Heart Pirates before them.
"Yo, Tra-guy!"
Luffy landed on the submarine and greeted Law. "How did you get here? This place is pretty dangerous, is it not?"
The two had fought on the Sabaody Archipelago. The result was Luffy beating the Supernovas, including Law.
Law leaned against the submarine's hatch, holding Kikoku. His expression under his hat was complicated.
Why had he come?
For you, of course, the Fifth Emperor who had just shaken the world.
On the Sabaody Archipelago, when Luffy had crushed them, the Supernovas, Law had realized that this man was no ordinary fish.
And this war had pushed Luffy into the spotlight.
To form a good relationship now would be nothing but beneficial for his future in the New World.
What was most needed after a war?
A doctor.
Law was quite confident in his medical skills.
Among pirates, favors mattered. Adding flowers to the brocade was not as good as delivering charcoal in the snow. So Law had come directly after watching the broadcast on the Sabaody Archipelago.
Of course, he could not say that directly.
"I just happened to be in the area." Law explained without changing expression.
"Shanks said you could help with my condition?" Luffy blinked, curious.
Law paused. So the reason Straw Hat and Golden Lion had come here was because of Red Hair.
It was no surprise that Red Hair knew the origin of the Ope Ope no Mi.
Law nodded. "Straw Hat-ya, Golden Lion-senpai, your current conditions urgently require professional treatment. If you do not mind, you can leave your injuries to the Heart Pirates. The submarine has complete medical facilities."
That was what he said.
But as his gaze swept over Luffy, his expression could not help but shift slightly. He also looked at the ship's wheel embedded in Golden Lion's head.
How were these two still jumping around?
It was challenging his medical knowledge.
"So you are the Ope Ope no Mi user?"
Luffy suddenly realized.
His passive ability, Jōhō Ensei, kicked in again. Scattered information about the Ope Ope no Mi surfaced in his mind.
"I heard it is an ultimate Devil Fruit worth over five billion berries? The one that can perform the immortality surgery? But I do not think I have seen that in the newspapers."
Luffy could not help but mutter.
Law's heart skipped a beat. He nearly crashed.
How did you know?!
And so clearly?
Worth five billion. The immortality surgery... these were the Ope Ope no Mi's most core secrets.
Had Red Hair told him?
Even Red Hair would not know that much.
So how did Straw Hat Luffy know...
Law's hand instinctively went to Kikoku's hilt. His gaze became sharp and wary.
If this secret was revealed, he would become the target of every ambitious person in the world.
"Ope Ope no Mi? Jihahaha. The fruit said to grant eternal life?"
Golden Lion's eyes also lit up. He looked at Law with undisguised interest and pressure.
The atmosphere grew tense.
"Old man, let us go."
Luffy seemed not to have noticed. Grimacing, he limped toward the submarine's hatch. "My whole body hurts like hell. Tra-guy, I am counting on you."
"I wonder what you even care about."
Golden Lion curled his lip. His interest faded somewhat, replaced by his usual mocking attitude. "Whatever. The Ope Ope no Mi and all that. That is just a legend from hundreds of years ago, is it not?"
Law said nothing.
Only an Ope Ope no Mi user knew whether it was a legend.
The immortality surgery.
Only a user with enough skill could perform it, granting eternal life to another.
Once the surgery was performed, the user would die.
"Hey, kid."
Golden Lion pointed at the ship's wheel in his head. "If you can get this damn thing out of my head, without killing me, this old man owes you a favor. How about it? Is that a good deal?"
Law took a deep breath. His hand left his blade. "I can try."
Golden Lion nodded slightly. Then he followed Luffy into the cabin. "Hey, Straw Hat. Wait for this old man. Do you think this is your home?"
Without his special Devil Fruit, Law would not have warranted a second look from Golden Lion.
There were Supernovas every year on the sea. Very few truly became famous.
Law took a deep breath. "Bepo. Dive. We are leaving."
The presence Golden Lion had just shown was the presence of a true great pirate.
And a man like that had not even been at the absolute core of the earlier battlefield. That showed how terrifying Straw Hat-ya was.
This good relationship was worth forming.
"Y-Yes, Captain!"
Bepo quickly agreed. He scrambled to the controls on all fours. But as he passed Luffy, he could not help but shrink his neck.
Golden Lion followed Luffy into the cabin, still complaining. "Tch. 'Everywhere hurts'? You were not complaining when you were fighting."
Luffy had already plopped down on a simple operating table. "That is different. When you are fighting, the pain is like a stimulant."
Law watched these two monsters, who had crawled out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, now bickering like ordinary injured people. For a moment, he did not know what to say.
It was the first time he had seen patients like this.
Patients whose injuries were so severe they could die at any moment.
The submarine began to slowly descend. Law took one last look at the battlefield, growing smaller in the distance.
The setting sun was red as blood, shining on the shattered ice plain, the tilted warships, and the countless tiny figures.
The war was over. But the world would not calm down.
The Marines' prestige had fallen. Whitebeard had lost the Gura Gura no Mi. Straw Hat Luffy, having stolen a fruit and with his astonishing record, was on the rise. Golden Lion had reappeared on the sea. A flood of prisoners had escaped from Impel Down.
The waves of the new era would come with even greater force and chaos.
His gaze moved through the crowd and locked onto a figure in a pink feather coat, laughing arrogantly.
"Doflamingo."
A cold glint passed through Law's eyes.
After this war, his path to revenge and to destroying the birdcage seemed a little clearer.
He would also enter the New World soon.
Some accounts needed to be settled.
"Straw Hat-ya."
Law turned and walked into the cabin. He thought to himself, "To have been born in the same era as you, I do not know if that is lucky or unlucky."
He had thought he was specially gifted as an Ope Ope no Mi user. That he would surely stir the seas.
But Luffy's appearance had been like a supernova explosion, instantly overshadowing all his contemporaries.
But that also meant that the sea of the future would be even more magnificent.
"Bepo. Full speed ahead. Leave this sea area." Law pulled down his hat.
"Yes!"
...
"Gura Gura no Mi! My Gura Gura no Mi!!"
Hidden in the shadows of an ice cave, Blackbeard clutched his chest. His face was twisted with rage and jealousy.
"That was my Devil Fruit! The plan is completely ruined!" Blackbeard growled.
"Captain, can Straw Hat also hold two Devil Fruits, like you?" Burgess asked, incredible.
"I do not know! I do not know!" Blackbeard's expression was dark.
He really did not know.
What was Straw Hat's body made of?
His Yami Yami no Mi and special body structure were what let him hold two fruits. So why could Straw Hat do the same?
How had he done it?
Blackbeard clenched his fists. He could not figure it out.
"Then what do we do?"
Burgess scratched his head.
The fruit the captain wanted had been taken by Straw Hat.
"Ze ha ha ha. Let us go kill him!"
Blackbeard laughed. "Compared to the Gura Gura no Mi, I am more interested in the other fruit he has now."
Straw Hat was definitely badly injured now.
This was the best time.
"Is that not just an ordinary Paramecia? The Gomu Gomu no Mi?"
Shiryu of the Rain was taken aback. "Could it just be that it has been developed to be special?"
Blackbeard said, "This old man has never heard of any 'Gomu Gomu no Mi.' That thing is definitely not the Gomu Gomu no Mi."
The others looked surprised.
If it looked like rubber abilities, how could it not be the Gomu Gomu no Mi?
Was it a fruit with rubber-like properties?
Sanjuan Wolf's enormous body crouched in the ice cave, making the space seem even smaller. He said in a deep voice, "Teach. It seems impossible."
"What?"
"Straw Hat escaped on a submarine. And Golden Lion Shiki is with him."
"Submarine?! Where the hell did a submarine come from?!"
Blackbeard nearly jumped.
Who knew where Straw Hat would go once he was on a submarine.
He had calculated everything.
He had calculated Whitebeard's fall. He had calculated the Marines' weakness. He had calculated the chance to take the fruit in the chaos. He had even calculated possible unexpected enemies. But he had not calculated that a submarine would be waiting at the edge of the battlefield.
Blackbeard had intended to go out now and stir things up again. Even war with Red Hair would have been acceptable.
He had to take Straw Hat's Devil Fruit.
"Besides, we cannot get over there, little Teach."
Catarina Devon licked her bright red lips.
"The open sea is blocked by the Red Hair Pirates and Whitebeard's remaining forces. I think someone's Observation Haki swept over us. We may have been noticed."
"Go around! Chase them!"
Blackbeard grew without hesitation.
He could not stand watching his prize fly away.
Straw Hat was definitely seriously injured. Golden Lion was not at full strength. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
If he could kill Straw Hat and take his two top-tier fruits...
"Go around? That is not the most rational thing to do in this situation."
Avalo Pizarro rubbed his chin. "We are all newly escaped prisoners. We do not even have a decent ship. Chase two monsters in a submarine? Teach, I admire your ambition. But I will not throw my life away."
"Exactly, Teach."
Vasco Shot drank some sake and said drunkenly, "The strongest Gura Gura no Mi is gone. Whitebeard did not die. We did all that and got nothing. What is in it for us anymore?"
In an instant, the vicious prisoners Blackbeard had brought from Level Six all began to look at him differently.
They had followed Blackbeard because of his unique ability to take powers and his crazy plan to hunt Whitebeard.
Now that the plan had failed, Blackbeard's value seemed greatly diminished.
Blackbeard's heart tightened. He knew they would scatter.
"Ze ha ha ha! Do not rush, my friends!"
He put on a grin, missing a few teeth. "The Gura Gura no Mi is gone. But do you not think the fruit Straw Hat has, the 'Gomu Gomu no Mi,' is more interesting? I can now say with absolute certainty that it is not an ordinary Paramecia. And the World Government seems to value it highly. Its worth might even exceed that of the Gura Gura no Mi."
He paused, watching their reactions, and continued his cajoling. "And who said we got nothing? You are free! You have escaped from the bottomless darkness of Impel Down. That itself is the greatest gain. As long as you live, as long as you are on the sea, there will be chances."
"As for a ship and a base, what about the place I mentioned last time? What have you decided?"
The place Blackbeard mentioned was a kingdom the Marines themselves did not dare to approach lightly.
Hachinosu, in the New World.
Long ago, a legendary pirate crew had been based there.
Catarina Devon, Avalo Pizarro, and the others exchanged glances. For now, they quieted their thoughts of leaving.
After all, they had nowhere else to go.
Seeing Straw Hat Luffy with two abilities, it seemed Blackbeard's claim that he could hold two Devil Fruits might not be false.
"Then we will listen to you, for now, Teach."
Catarina Devon stretched lazily. "But if I find out you have lied to us..."
"Ze ha ha ha! Do not worry. I, Marshall D. Teach, am the man who will become the king of the world!"
Blackbeard laughed.
But in his heart, he was still bleeding.
He had endured for so long. This was the first time he had lost to the same person so many times.
He had to find out what secret Straw Hat Luffy held.
...
The submarine dove smoothly. Soft lights lit up the cabin. As the surroundings grew quiet, Luffy found it strange.
[The temporary plan time has ended. Devil Fruit ability development time has ended.]
The familiar, mechanical voice sounded in Luffy's mind.
There it was. That voice.
He leaned against the operating table and let out a small breath.
"The timing... was perfect."
From the outbreak of the Impel Down riot, to the fierce fight with Magellan, to rescuing Ace, to fighting Blackbeard, to facing Aokiji, Kizaru, and Garp, and finally to the clash with Imu and taking the Gura Gura no Mi from Whitebeard... so many events had made it feel like a long time.
In reality, only half a day had passed.
And the Devil Fruit ability development time that had been active the whole time had ended.
That meant that, for now, he did not need to worry about being punished for not completing the plan.
Though most of the time, in the heat of battle, those punishments had been easy to ignore, it was always good to have a little less to deal with.
***
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