Chapter 167: Ancient Zoans and the Eve of the Incident
A floating sailing ship crossed the atmosphere, heading straight for Dressrosa.
This scene made the citizens, who were trembling from having witnessed the floating archipelago, turn pale. At this moment, they were all reminded of the fear from decades ago, when the New World was ruled by the Flying Pirates.
In the crowd, some spies from other forces saw this, and a mysterious look appeared in their eyes. They secretly raised their Den Den Mushis and began filming the sky.
In an area outside the town, King Riku and Kyros looked at the sailing ship flying straight toward the King's Plateau, their eyes filled with worry.
Although the Golden Lion Shiki had come once before and had not clashed with the Archangel Pirates, his second visit still filled the heart of King Riku, who was deeply concerned for his people, with anxiety.
Beside him, Kyros took a deep breath, his gaze becoming resolute. "Should I go over?"
"The Archangel invited me before. If I go, and a conflict breaks out between them, I can also lend a hand. Perhaps I can help end the conflict sooner." Although he knew his strength might not be of great help, even the smallest assistance could end the turmoil a minute sooner and prevent more citizens from dying.
King Riku heard him, his face filled with conflict. But in the end, he still shook his head. "No need. I've already lost Scarlett. I can't lose you all too."
Just then, a little girl with long pink hair and a simple dress also hugged Kyros's remaining leg. "Father, don't go—"
Seeing this, a difficult expression appeared on Kyros's face. In the end, he put down his sword.
Meanwhile, on the King's Plateau.
The Golden Lion, with a strange expression, jumped off the ship. He looked with some surprise at the dense forest-like vegetation before him and was momentarily dazed.
"Did the ship's wheel on my head cause my memory to fail? Why do I remember this place being a bald rock?"
At this moment, the Golden Lion felt his memory was in disarray, and he was a little bewildered.
Beside him, Ochoku heard him and said, annoyed, "Have you not heard of Devil Fruits?"
Shiki heard him and looked as if he had a sudden realization.
Just then, a young man in a black suit with short stubble slowly walked out and came before them. "Follow me, everyone."
Then, the Golden Lion and Ochoku, leading a group of doctors and various pieces of floating equipment, followed Daz Bonez along a road wide enough for giants to walk side-by-side, heading straight for the solemn Gothic building at the end of their vision.
The group walked straight ahead and soon crossed the huge plaza, entering the solemn manor. At the end of the spacious area, which was large enough to hold dozens of giants, Louis's figure was revealed to them.
The first glance, Ochoku felt a heavy pressure, and his expression instantly became serious. It was only at this moment that Ochoku was certain that the information circulating on the seas was not the least bit false. The young man before him, who was at most 18 years old, truly possessed the power to rival those three monsters.
Then, Ochoku glanced thoughtfully at the Golden Lion beside him and subconsciously remarked, "No wonder you actually resorted to negotiation to get a chance for treatment." The Golden Lion Ochoku knew was a cruel, domineering, and extremely vicious person who would kill a whole family at the slightest disagreement. Whatever he wanted, he would usually first use force to obtain. For slightly more troublesome matters, he would use a combination of strategy, schemes, and force. A situation like today, where he was honestly paying a price, was something Ochoku had never seen before. It made him sigh at how formidable the blade of time was; even a cruel fellow like the Golden Lion had become honest.
To Ochoku's remark, the Golden Lion showed no dissatisfaction. To this, the Golden Lion stated that if Ochoku had had the same experience as him, he might not have been able to rally his forces and march into the New World again.
Soon, the two of them, with the doctors, arrived directly in front of Louis.
Louis's gaze first fell on the still-bloody wound on Shiki's abdomen. "Shiki," he said thoughtfully, "what happened to your abdomen?"
To this, the corners of Shiki's mouth turned up in an arrogant smile. "I was late leaving, and this guy here stabbed me!"
Ochoku: "???" Although his face was as calm as still water, he was already cursing Shiki in his heart. Now, Ochoku was certain that there was a problem with Shiki's abdomen, because his two answers were inconsistent.
Louis heard him, first gave Shiki's stomach a deep look, and then calmly nodded. "You two have a pretty good relationship. To still be able to stand together after stabbing each other."
To this, Shiki waved his hand casually. "You're still young. You haven't experienced a time when you can drink together after trying to kill each other."
With that, the Golden Lion got to the point and snapped his fingers. The next moment, three wooden boxes flew in from outside the door and landed directly on the huge round table, which was large enough to accommodate giants. "Here are three Devil Fruits. The remaining two, I'll give them to you after the treatment is over."
Louis raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected Shiki to have obtained five powerful Devil Fruits so quickly. After some thought, Louis shifted his gaze to the tall man standing with his arms crossed. After entering the New World, Louis had seen this person's photo on intelligence reports and bounty posters. The ruler of Hachinosu, one of the last remnants of the Rocks era, Ochoku.
"How did this guy Shiki manage to trick these fruits out of your hands?" Facing the two who seemed to have already teamed up, Louis directly voiced his question.
Hearing this, Ochoku's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot, as if he had recalled some unbearable memories.
To this, Shiki seemed a little dissatisfied and knocked heavily on the table. "Don't get it wrong! Most of these fruits are my own!"
"I see." Louis nodded and didn't ask any further.
Just then, the slender girl puppet nearby slowly stepped forward, opened the three wooden boxes one by one, and revealed three strange-looking Devil Fruits.
At the right time, the Golden Lion Shiki, with a cigar in his mouth, spoke.
"The one on the left is the Bear-Bear Fruit, Ancient Model: Short-Faced Bear."
"The one in the middle is the Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Ancient Model: Carcharodontosaurus."
"The one on the right is the Cat-Cat Fruit, Ancient Model: Cave Lion."
As Shiki's last two sentences fell, a pained expression appeared on Ochoku's face beside him.
"Are they all Ancient Zoans?" Louis took the fruits from the girl puppet and examined them closely. "No Logias, Mythical Zoans, or powerful Paramecias?"
Nearby, the smoke-wreathed Golden Lion let out a laugh. "Do you think Logias, Mythical Zoans, and top-tier Paramecias are easy to come by?"
Louis did not answer. After checking the fruits and finding no bite marks, he placed them back in the wooden boxes and had the puppets take them away to the warehouse.
Nearby, Shiki and Ochoku saw this and both thought of Big Mom's Homies. To this, Shiki said meaningfully, "The Mythical Zoan you ate has quite a few abilities, doesn't it?"
Louis glanced at him and said casually, "In mythology, angels are this kind of mythical beast."
"Heh heh." The Golden Lion smiled but said nothing.
With the Devil Fruits in hand, Louis, as agreed, prepared to help Shiki deal with the ship's wheel on his head.
"Come with me. The sterile operating room is ready." With that, Louis turned and walked toward a room deep within the manor. Shiki and the other followed, and behind them were the professional doctors Shiki had brought, along with various pieces of floating equipment.
In the huge corridor, the Golden Lion walked slowly, the hum of his sword-legs scraping against the ground echoing throughout the passage. As they walked, Shiki and Ochoku looked around, searching for what they wanted to see, but in the end, they found nothing.
To this, the Golden Lion slowly floated into the air, making his twin sword-legs more suitable for attack. At the same time, he lit another cigar and spoke through the smoke, "Hey, Louis, where are your subordinates? Even the one who led the way just now is gone. The whole manor is empty except for us. It's hard not to suspect that you're planning to kill me!"
Behind him, the group of doctors were stunned.
To this, Louis replied casually, "If I wanted to kill you, you wouldn't have had the chance to leave last time."
"Then why did you send your people away?" Ochoku asked in a deep voice.
To this, Louis chuckled lightly. He first glanced inconspicuously at the wound on Shiki's abdomen, then looked meaningfully at him. "I was worried that the Golden Lion would go back on his word after the treatment and not give me the remaining Devil Fruits. By moving my people out, it'll be more convenient to take care of a Golden Lion who tries to go back on his word."
Ochoku heard this and raised an eyebrow, mentally calculating the probability of Shiki doing such a thing. Soon, he got his answer: very high, because Shiki was this kind of person before he had a ship's wheel stuck in his head. Among the three great legends of the old era, the one who was the least liked was the Golden Lion.
To this, Ochoku nodded lightly. "Reasonable—"
The Golden Lion wanted to say something to refute, but in the end, he could only shut his mouth with a frustrated look.
Soon, Louis led everyone to the prepared operating room.
After the doctors Shiki had brought had re-sterilized everything, arranged the instruments, and set up the surgical tools and blood bags, Shiki changed into a patient's gown and lay on the operating table. Then, he had the doctors take out a pair of legs and showed them to Louis. "Help me attach these legs while you're at it."
"Two ordinary Devil Fruits," Louis looked at them and stated his price.
"Deal!" The Golden Lion smiled again.
Louis looked at the doctors' slow, methodical, and extremely professional movements and couldn't help but ask, "How long will it take for you to remove the wheel?"
The doctors were clearly not expecting Louis to ask a question. They were visibly stunned for a moment, then replied respectfully, "Lord Archangel, it will take about four to five hours. And during that time, we will need you to keep Lord Shiki alive—"
"Four to five hours—" Louis turned to look at the Golden Lion, who was already lying down, and frowned. "As I thought, it would be better for me to just violently rip that rooster comb off your head. After all, whether you live or die is up to me."
Hearing this, the Golden Lion almost lost control. He for a moment wanted to get up and stab Louis a few times, but in the end, he was coaxed and pressed back down by the doctors.
At the same time, dozens of nautical miles away, a massive dark shadow churned in the dark clouds.
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