Chapter 71: Calamity of the Serpents
Clink! Clink!
Cheers erupted across the temporary square as everyone laughed, shouted, and downed their drinks. The banquet had reached its peak—and now it was time for a drinking contest.
Luo Han, who wasn't a fan of alcohol, skipped out on the party games and walked over to the head chef instead.
"Is it ready yet?" Luo Han asked.
"Almost there," the chef replied with a smile, flipping a massive chicken steak on the grill. It sizzled enticingly.
Gulp! Luo Han swallowed hard. The sound, the smell—the rich aroma from the chef's special spices—it was mouthwatering.
Thankfully, the chef didn't make him wait long.
"Here you go, Lord Luo Han," he said, using tongs to hand him the chicken steak.
Luo Han took it without hesitation. Ignoring the heat, he sank his teeth into it. The rich flavor exploded in his mouth, juices flowing over his tongue—absolutely divine.
Perfect.
Just as Luo Han was savoring the taste, Cole walked over and pointed toward the horizon.
"Brother Han, look over there. What's that in the sky?"
Luo Han paused, lowered his food, and looked in the direction Cole was pointing.
What the—?
From the direction of the coastline, brilliant aurora-like lights shimmered across the sky.
"When did you notice that?" Luo Han asked.
"Just now," Cole answered after thinking a bit.
"I see," Luo Han muttered. "Something must be happening near the coast."
He walked to the mountain's edge and extended his spiritual perception.
Instantly, his body tensed—cold sweat poured down his back.
If judged purely by the scenery, it was stunning. The white stones of the beach seemed to be releasing the sunlight they had absorbed during the day, illuminating the entire coastline in a glowing ribbon of white light. Through the refraction of seawater, it created a dazzling aurora-like effect.
But with his spiritual perception active, Luo Han saw something terrifying.
Within the twisted coastal forest were countless interwoven sea serpents. Under the faint glow, their colorful scales reflected different hues—some small, others up to two meters thick.
Stretching endlessly along the coastline, the scene was utterly horrifying. Even though, by One Piece standards, these weren't particularly large creatures, the sheer density of them was unnerving.
Luo Han shivered and patted his chest. Good thing we listened to Whitebeard and stayed up on the mountain. If we'd camped on the beach... I don't even want to imagine it.
"Boss Luo Han! You and Lord Cole are here!" Tuck stumbled over, holding a piece of flatbread, clearly tipsy.
"Here, Boss! Try this one I grilled—urp!"
Tuck burped, waving the bread close to Luo Han's mouth. Luo Han's stomach turned. Even the delicious chicken steak he had been enjoying lost its appeal.
Ugh. What is that smell?
Before he could respond, Tuck turned toward the coastline, eyes wide in amazement.
"Hey! Everyone come look! The sea is glowing!"
His shout echoed across the mountaintop.
The entire crowd turned and saw the aurora dancing across the sky.
One by one, they ran to the edge, dazzled by the beautiful sight.
"It's so pretty! I wanna go down and see—hic!" one drunken pirate shouted, raising his wine jug.
"Right? Let's go!"
Everyone started murmuring excitedly.
Luo Han shook his head. Idiots. That's a death wish.
Just as he stepped forward to stop them, Sister Shao and Whitebeard arrived.
"Fools! If your Observation Haki is trash, then keep your mouths shut!" Whitebeard bellowed, silencing the crowd. Confused, they paused.
"Just don't leave the mountaintop tonight. Go back to the square," Sister Shao said, her tone serious.
"Oh—right! Forget the glowing sea. Drinking is way better! Hic!"
"Yeah! Drink more!"
With that, everyone relaxed and stumbled back toward the fire. Whitebeard's scolding still lingered in their ears.
Soon, only Luo Han, Whitebeard, Sister Shao, and Cole remained at the edge.
Hmm… Luo Han furrowed his brow, then nodded slowly. So that's it.
"What is it, Luo Han?" Whitebeard asked curiously.
Sister Shao and Cole also turned to him, waiting.
"Try using Observation Haki. Focus on the valley between the peaks."
The three did as instructed—and their faces darkened in surprise.
From what they could sense, numerous animals from the island's interior were passing through the mountain gap and descending into the coastal forest—only to vanish. Occasionally, faint cries echoed out.
"It's like something in the forest is luring them in at night to die," Sister Shao murmured.
But it wasn't the forest—Luo Han had seen it more clearly. Their Observation Haki couldn't perceive the subtle changes, but his spiritual perception had picked up everything. The animals would pause every few steps, look up at the auroras, then continue onward as if mesmerized.
He examined the auroras again. Nothing visibly unusual. They seemed to only affect certain animals. The giant chickens, for example, were unaffected.
Also, the mountain seemed to serve as a barrier. Even when animals came within a meter of the sea serpents, the snakes didn't cross into the mountain's base.
So the mountain has some kind of protection effect, Luo Han realized.
"Alright. Let's head back. Those serpents won't come up the mountain anyway," Sister Shao said.
The three nodded.
They returned to the square to enjoy the rest of the banquet. But neither Luo Han nor Sister Shao touched any more food—the memory of the snakes had killed their appetite.
…
Morning.
The sun rose once more, and thick mist rolled back over the forest below.
Luo Han lay on the ship deck, staring at the sky, eyes bleary from a sleepless night.
Just thinking about all those snakes sent a chill down his spine. He had always feared them—even in his past life. And now, even after reincarnation, the fear remained.
Still, at least his body was strong now. No sleep? No problem. He could go days without rest and still function in battle.
He scanned the area with his spiritual sense. Everyone else was still asleep.
With a thought, Luo Han decided to revisit the sensation of manipulating the pebbles from the night before.
Raising his hand, he felt the familiar swirl of psychokinesis—a liquid-like flow coiling around his fingers.
He stood, focused his energy, and gathered all his power into an invisible stream of force spiraling gently around his body.
Then, with his spiritual perception, he carefully traced the strength within his muscles. He tried to guide that power, channeling it through his mind and into the psychokinesis.
He closed his eyes, fully focused—trying to imagine the psychokinesis as an extension of his body.
…
No good.
After a while, he sighed. Something's missing. I need a medium to bridge the gap.
"What could it be?" he muttered, disheartened. He'd thought this was a path to a major power-up, but it wasn't working.
His inspiration had come from the way the pebbles transferred force through contact. If he could transmit his physical strength into his psychokinesis, his attacks would leap to a whole new level.
After all, his body strength was comparable to Cole 's—it was only his defense that fell short.
(END CHAPTER)
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