"Captain York! We caught a suspicious person!!"
A group of pirates brought a suspicious man wearing a dinosaur mascot suit before York.
York stepped forward to inspect him.
The dinosaur suit was entirely pink, crudely fashioned from a modified quilt, appearing worn and shabby. Inside it was a man with large cheeks and an out-of-shape body.
"Who are you? Why are you here?"
York pretended not to know the other's identity.
The man in the suit looked around nervously, his gaze finally settling on York. He pretended to be a destitute wanderer—which, given his current appearance, wasn't far from the truth.
"Are you the Captain?"
"Answer my question!"
"Yes..."
The man in the suit feigned compliance and recounted his story.
He claimed he used to live a normal life on an island until one day, a giant Sea King swallowed the island. Everyone else died, and only he survived by disguising himself as a dinosaur.
"You're lying!!"
York exposed the man's lie with a single sentence. Leaning in to look directly into his eyes, he smiled playfully. "Your real name is Myskina Acier! A top scientist in materials science!"
"And the reason you are here is that you created the legendary Pure Gold!!"
"The light emitted by the Pure Gold attracted this super-giant Sea King! It ate the island you were on, which is why you are here!!"
York's words revealed the entire mystery. Acier dared not admit it and could only continue to play dumb.
"Captain, what are you saying? I don't understand at all!"
However, playing dumb had no effect. The surrounding pirates clearly trusted York's words more than his.
Although they didn't know much about the "Pure Gold" York mentioned or what exactly it was, they were clear on one thing!
A treasure that could catch York's attention was definitely no ordinary item!!
"Wahahaha! Let's go treasure hunting! Captain York!!"
"We'll find the Pure Gold for you!!"
...
Listening to the jeering of the surrounding pirates, York straightened up again.
He looked down imperiously at Acier kneeling on the ground.
"Someone, take him away and feed him raw meat!!"
"Wait! Wait a minute!!"
Hearing the words "raw meat," Acier, who had been playing the fool just a moment ago, instantly panicked.
"I... I don't want to eat raw meat! I don't want to eat meat!"
"Do you have vegetables?! I'm most afraid of vegetables! Give me vegetables, and I'll tell you everything!!"
York chuckled.
"Trying to go back on your act now? Too late!!"
Then he casually pointed to a dinosaur captured by the pirates.
"Slaughter that dinosaur! Cut its meat to feed this guy who likes to lie!! Oh right! Before feeding him raw meat, give him two oranges first, let him recall the fragrance and sweetness of fruit! Then feed him the raw meat!!"
"No! No! Please don't do this! I admit it! I admit I am Myskina Acier! I made the Pure Gold!!"
Hearing that York was serious—and worse, planned to feed him oranges before the raw meat—Acier, knowing how painful that contrast would be, dared not play dumb any longer.
"I am Myskina Acier!! I can create the Pure Gold you want!!"
Hearing this, York finally revealed a satisfied smile.
"That's the way! Confess earlier, and you wouldn't have to suffer this fear!"
"Since you're willing to admit you are Myskina Acier, things will be easy. Take us to find the Pure Gold you made!"
Acier nodded dejectedly.
This man before him knew his weakness clearly. Moreover, the ship was held aloft by red clouds, indicating that this pirate crew possessed very powerful ability users. Finding the island where he stored the Pure Gold wouldn't be difficult.
"Lord Lantern has three stomachs in total. We are currently in the first stomach. The Pure Gold I made is in its third stomach. So we need to go to the second stomach first, and then to the third stomach, to find the Pure Gold I made..."
Under Acier's guidance, York and his crew successfully reached the second stomach.
Then, just as before, York issued the order to capture all living creatures on the island.
Unsurprisingly, the pirates caught two suspicious individuals here as well.
A little girl with a head full of golden hair, and her companion, a green-skinned lizard capable of walking upright.
"Ol... Olga... is that you? Olga?!"
The little girl was brought before York by the pirates. Before York could say anything, Acier rushed forward immediately.
"Huh?! Pops? You're actually still alive?!"
"No! It's you! You're actually still alive! This is wonderful! You're still alive!!"
...
Through the dialogue between the two, everyone understood their relationship.
However, the touching reunion scene between father and daughter hadn't lasted long before Olga pushed her old father away.
"Don't hug me! I hate you the most!!"
The surrounding pirates were ready to shed tears, but this sudden twist shocked everyone.
As the person involved, Acier naturally knew the reason for Olga's hatred.
But it was a long story, and with Olga in a fit of anger, it was hard for him to explain.
York, of course, had no intention of meddling to resolve the father-daughter conflict.
Anyway, as long as they followed the plot and found the laboratory where Acier hid the Pure Gold, along with Acier's notebook, the conflict would naturally resolve itself.
So next, everyone continued to follow Acier and Olga's guidance, successfully arriving at the third stomach of the Sea King Lanternfish.
Looking at the island in this stomach, both Acier and Olga felt sentimental seeing the familiar scene.
Unfortunately, under York's urging, they didn't have much time for nostalgia and could only continue leading York and the others inward.
Along the way, York and his group encountered quite a few traps, all built by Acier back then to guard against pirates.
These traps were sufficient for ordinary pirates, but against those with bounties over 100 million or powerful Devil Fruit abilities, they were ineffective.
Naturally, under Acier's hopeful yet despairing gaze, York and the others arrived at the laboratory deep within the island without obstruction.
An oval piece of metal, resembling a goose egg, was stored in a jar of fluorescent green liquid.
Shining through the liquid, the metal emitted a dazzling golden light, involuntarily drawing one's gaze.
"This is... the legendary Pure Gold!!"
York reached out and picked up the jar. Even though he knew of its existence from the plot, holding it in his hand, he couldn't help but feel as if the world was in his grasp.
"Eternal life... truly a mesmerizing temptation..."
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