Chapter 240: Infinity Stone!
A week later.
Aboard the Dragon Hunter Pirates' flagship, the Ship of the Gods...
"Captain, I have an update from Yahiko of the Third Division," Najenda reported, stepping forward with a scroll in hand. "They're in position."
"We've entered the East Blue, just as you planned. They're currently stationed in the Kingdom of Akoslan. Do you have any new instructions?"
Ryuunosuke looked up, his mind still occupied with the deeper affairs of the East Blue. "Tell Yahiko and the others not to make any moves yet. Let them proceed with their usual training routines."
"Understood," Nahenda replied, giving a nod before leaving to handle the ship's many affairs.
The Dragon Hunter Pirates' influence had grown significantly—from the East Blue to the New World. Their territory now spanned far and wide. Were it not for the World Government's oppressive oversight, Ryuunosuke might've already reshaped several key strongholds.
As for Najenda, the expansion meant a mountain of administrative work. Thankfully, Hawkins had brought in a team of capable assistants to manage operations across the territories.
"Captain, did you call for me?"
Kuina approached, her tone laced with curiosity. Ryuunosuke rarely summoned individuals without reason—especially with the current focus on opposing the World Government and investigating the mysteries surrounding the so-called Valley of the Gods.
"Kuina," Ryuunosuke said, his voice calm but firm, "how much do you know about the East Blue?"
The moment she heard the question, Kuina's demeanor shifted. A subtle but clear change in her aura—tense, guarded.
"…A little," she admitted. "Mainly about the material called Shiraishi. But I'm not exactly sure what it is."
Her gaze lowered slightly, her fingers subconsciously brushing against a pendant around her neck.
"All I know is that it was used in crafting the swords Enma and Ame no Habakiri. And it has the power to harm even Kaido."
She paused before adding, "Even with his monstrous regeneration, the wounds left by Lord Kozuki Oden—inflicted with a blade forged from Shiraishi—never fully healed."
Ryuunosuke furrowed his brow and drew his own sword: Ame-no-Habakiri. Not the One Piece version known as Ame no Habakiri, but the mythological Ame-no-Habebizuan, a blade with deep spiritual origins.
He knew now—Kuina had touched on something vital. This white stone, Shiraishi, wasn't just a rare forging material. It was something far more profound. If it could wound Kaido, a man enhanced by the Mythical Zoan, then this wasn't mere ore.
"Are you planning to recreate such a weapon?" Kuina asked softly. "Is that why you brought me here?"
"You have a piece, don't you?" Ryuunosuke asked. "Let me see it."
Without hesitation, Kuina unclasped the pendant from her neck and placed it gently in his palm.
It was warm—carrying her body heat and a faint, floral scent.
Ryuunosuke stared at the stone embedded in the pendant. "This is Shiraishi?"
The moment he touched it, a powerful energy pulsed through his arm. It wasn't overwhelming in size—but the intensity… it was enough to send chills down his spine.
Then—
"Infinity Stone?"
A surprised voice broke the silence.
Ryuunosuke turned. "Enel?"
The thunder god stepped forward, eyes locked onto the pendant. "Yeah… that's definitely one of them. The Infinity White Stone."
"You've seen one before?"
"I've used the Infinity Blue Stone," Enel explained, tapping the side of his head. "It enhanced my mantra—the Heart Network. Ever since then, developing my Observation Haki became ridiculously easy. Practicing even a little pushed me to new heights."
He stared at Kuina's pendant again. "White corresponds to annihilation. Or maybe… destruction."
That lined up. Kuina's swordsmanship had changed drastically since she'd returned. Her strikes carried a strange, almost decaying power—one that seemed to eat away at energy itself.
So this was the source?
Ryuunosuke turned the pendant over in his hand. "So these stones… there's more than one kind?"
"Yeah," Enel nodded. "At least two that I know of—white and blue."
"How do you use them?" Ryuunosuke asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Depends on the stone," Enel said. "The white one—like Kuina's—you embed it into a weapon or wear it as an accessory. It grants the wielder powers aligned with destruction or decay."
"And the blue one?"
"That one's more internal. If you come across it, absorb it. It'll settle inside your body and boost your spiritual network permanently."
With a casual flick, Enel raised his hand.
A glowing blue gem hovered above his palm, radiating a tranquil yet potent energy.
"This," he said proudly, "is the Infinity Blue Stone."
Just gazing at it filled Ryuunosuke with clarity. Questions he hadn't even voiced suddenly had answers.
The implications were staggering. If he could find more of these stones… he could forge an army beyond imagination.
And the World Government—ruling the world for centuries—there was no doubt in his mind that they had their own supply.
His head ached.
"So this battle really won't be easy," he muttered.
"Enel," Ryuunosuke said, straightening, "how far can someone go with a stone like this?"
Enel scratched his head. "I'm not really the one developing them. It's more like the stones awaken potential—very specific potential—in people."
He closed his palm, and the blue gem vanished into thin air.
"But prolonged external use drains you," he added.
"I see…"
Ryuunosuke's gaze hardened. "Then I need you to do something. Write down everything you know about the Infinity Stones."
"Got it." Enel pulled out a notebook and began scribbling at once.
A few minutes later, he handed it over.
At the top of the page, Ryuunosuke read aloud: "Eternal Clock? What's that supposed to mean?"
"You mean the Eternal Bell," Enel corrected. "It's not the same as the Golden Bell from Sky Island."
"Then what is it?"
"It's a legend from the Infinite Continent. I've never been there, so I don't know the full details. But I've got a rubbing of it—though it's incomplete. It mentions the Infinity Stones, and how the Eternal Bell is connected to them somehow."
Ryuunosuke stared at the document, his mind racing.
The mysteries of the East Blue. The secret materials. The weapons that could harm gods. And now, the Infinity Stones…
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