Chapter 169: Angel (No), Succubus (Yes)
The Golden Lion slowly opened his eyes, feeling the lightness of his body after the terrible burden on his head had been relieved. However, the next moment, a large, gauntleted hand quickly reached out and grabbed the patient's gown he was wearing.
The Golden Lion looked up, and a bad feeling flashed in his eyes. He subconsciously raised a hand and gave a wave. "Yo, Ochoku! It's good to see you again!"
To this, a ferocious grin appeared on Ochoku's face. "I'm not feeling good at all right now!"
As his words fell, a double-edged sword that was incomparably familiar to Shiki was instantly reflected in his eyes.
"Is that—Kogarashi!" Observation Haki, after many years, played a vague role, making Shiki subconsciously lean back.
A sharp slash swept past, cutting a smooth gash in the operating room. With undiminished force, it flew into the sky and split a dark cloud in two. Shiki's face was pale, but since he was in the wrong first, he said nothing.
Just then, Louis's voice sounded. "One hundred million Berries."
The meaning was obvious. The building damaged by Ochoku's sword strike would cost one hundred million Berries to repair.
To this, Ochoku, his face grim, casually tossed the sword aside and said coldly, "Put it on this guy's tab."
Then, Ochoku clenched his fists and began to punch Shiki in the face, one after another. What Pirate Admiral? Although Ochoku couldn't beat Shiki, he had never been a coward. If he needed a beating, he'd get one.
Soon, under Ochoku's merciless assault, Shiki's just-healed head was once again bruised and swollen.
Nearby, even the doctors who were fiercely loyal to Shiki pretended not to see, methodically packing up their various instruments. They were loyal, yes, but that didn't stop them from thinking that Lord Shiki really deserved a beating.
Soon, Ochoku, having vented his anger, threw the bruised and swollen Shiki aside and, with a dark face, slowly returned to his original seat.
At this moment, Louis narrowed his eyes and asked nonchalantly, "You've forgiven Shiki just like that?" Louis was trying to stir up trouble. He didn't mind seeing more fun, and it would be best if the alliance between the two also fell apart.
To this, Ochoku's face was as black as the bottom of a pot. He spoke in a aggrieved tone, "What else can I do? I can't really let the alliance we just agreed on fall apart, can I?"
Ochoku indicated that he had invested too much in this alliance. If it really fell apart, then everything, including the two Ancient Zoan fruits, would have been for nothing. Moreover, the Golden Lion, as proud as a Pirate Admiral, had already made a gesture of admitting his mistake by taking a beating. So, the matter was over.
A dozen or so minutes later, in the reception hall.
Louis sat at the head of the table. The fully armed Yelena sat quietly to his right, her scarlet eyes watching the two men from behind her gas mask. Not long after the Dyna Stones were removed by the doctors, the rest of Louis's crew had also returned and were already in the reception hall, waiting for the three to appear.
Opposite Louis was Ochoku, his arms crossed, his face dark, and exuding an aura of displeasure. On the other side was the Golden Lion, dressed in a golden kimono, his head wrapped in many bandages, with only his eyes showing.
Their gazes first fell on the figure completely covered in heavy armor, with her face covered by a gas mask, and only a pair of straight black horns exposed.
After a moment, Ochoku was the first to speak with emotion. "The young people nowadays... at such an age, they have already surpassed us when we were young."
To this, Louis had no intention of responding. Instead, he shifted his gaze to the Golden Lion Shiki. "Where are the remaining two Devil Fruits?"
To this, Shiki, whose face was completely obscured, snapped his fingers and let out an arrogant laugh. "Relax. I'm not going to offend the world's number one doctor over two Devil Fruits."
Drifting on the great sea, getting injured is a common occurrence. Being seriously injured and on the verge of death is not a rare thing either. And as someone who had personally experienced Louis's ability, Shiki would naturally not be so rash as to offend him. On the contrary, he had further ideas.
Then, two wooden boxes flew in from outside the door and landed directly in front of Louis. The next moment, Yelena, who was sitting to Louis's right, reached out and opened the two wooden boxes one by one, revealing the Devil Fruits inside to them.
Louis first glanced at the fruits, then looked at the Golden Lion, signaling him to introduce them. Although the Golden Lion was annoyed by Louis's gesture, which was like ordering a subordinate, he still lit a cigar and, through the smoke, introduced them.
"The one on the right is the Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Ancient Model: Carnotaurus."
"And the one on the left..." Shiki paused for a moment, then continued in a tone devoid of any psychological burden, "I don't know either!"
"Don't know?" Louis raised an eyebrow, subconsciously repeating the word. Not only that, but even Ochoku beside Shiki cast a questioning glance.
Facing everyone's varied gazes, Shiki, with a cigar in his mouth, began to tell the origin of this fruit. "This one... when I just entered the New World, I happened to run into a World Government fleet and took it from them. Although I don't know what fruit it is, something that the World Government values can't be too bad. It's not an excessive payment for you healing me."
Louis heard him and showed an "I knew it" expression. "So, the news about the two unknown powers... it was all your doing."
Then, Louis signaled for Yelena to put away the two Devil Fruits.
With the Devil Fruits in hand, Louis gave Shiki a deep look. "In that case, then the transaction is temporarily concluded. Shiki... you'd better not forget that you owe me two favors."
To this, Shiki waved his hand. "Of course I won't forget."
Hearing this, Ochoku on the side just wanted to sneer.
"Alright, you can go now." Louis had no intention of keeping the two and unceremoniously told them to leave.
However, at this moment, the Golden Lion and Ochoku exchanged glances, and then their gazes once again focused on Louis. Facing their stares, Louis's expression did not change. "What?" he asked calmly. "Is there something else?"
After a moment, Shiki let out a wild, unrestrained laugh. "Shishishishi. Louis, do you want to join our alliance? If you join, our pirate alliance will be invincible!"
"..."
Louis once again showed an unsurprised look. Another invitation to join an alliance. And the number of times he himself had refused was about to be equal to the number of times he had been refused when inviting others.
Nearby, the face under Yelena's gas mask was already numb. She was now certain that Louis was not an angel, but a legendary succubus, because every powerful person they met eventually invited him to join them.
Soon, Louis composed his thoughts and asked calmly, "And what is your alliance?"
To this, Shiki explained with a laugh, "During this time, Ochoku and I have decided to re-establish the Flying Pirates with Hachinosu as the core. If you join, then you, I, and Ochoku will be three people of equal status, commanding and sharing everything together!"
Louis heard this and instantly lost interest. "Forget it. Not interested."
Shiki, Ochoku, Big Mom, and Kaido had all extended an invitation of alliance to Louis one after another. But in Louis's view, apart from some differences in wording, their core essence was exactly the same.
And hearing Louis's refusal, the Golden Lion and Ochoku were not angry at all, as if they had long anticipated it.
"Is that so— We will always welcome you to join."
The Golden Lion and Ochoku both considered themselves to be ordinary humans, unlike the monstrous physiques of Linlin and Kaido. A small knife could injure them. Therefore, they were quite tolerant of this young man who could both fight and heal. Since they couldn't use force to coerce him into providing treatment for them, they could only build a good relationship with him.
Everyone gets seriously injured and is on the verge of death at some point. But if you have a good relationship with Louis, in many cases, it's equivalent to having several extra lives.
Then, the Golden Lion habitually floated up, preparing to leave with Ochoku and his doctors.
And just at this moment, a strange light appeared in Louis's eyes, and his expression slowly became serious. He had sensed that a powerful aura had already entered the range of his Observation Haki.
Nearby, Yelena instantly noticed the change in Louis's expression. "What is it?" she asked in a hoarse voice. "Did you notice something?"
Louis looked to the side, his gaze seeming to pierce through the walls and the atmosphere, seeing the massive figure arriving on a cloud.
"Kaido of the Beasts. He's here."
At these words, the Golden Lion and Ochoku, who were preparing to leave, heard him and raised their eyebrows. After exchanging glances, they were no longer in a hurry to leave.
They both knew Kaido, the guy who had joined the Rocks Pirates as an apprentice back then. In those days, he was already unbelievably strong. Although he was just an apprentice, many still believed that with Kaido's addition, the Rocks Pirates had truly become invincible. However, the reality was quite embarrassing. Not long after Kaido joined, the Rocks Pirates were finished.
And later, Kaido was once given titles such as "The Strongest Creature" and "The Incarnation of Military Might."
The Golden Lion casually tore off the bandages on his head, revealing a face that was no longer bruised and swollen. He lit a cigar and slowly exhaled a puff of smoke. "Hey, Louis. Want me to lend a hand? If you and I team up, we can take down even Kaido in no time."
To this, Louis glanced at him and replied casually, "Don't think that just because your body is healed, your Haki can immediately return to its peak. With your current Haki, at best, it's a 30/70 split with me."
It was the same as before: Louis uses 30% of his power, and Shiki gets his seven-day funeral.
The Golden Lion heard this, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly. For a moment, he wanted to pick up his two swords and stab Louis a few times.
With that, Louis slowly stood up, picked up the Seven Star Sword and his spear, and slowly walked out the door. Louis stood at the edge of the plaza, his gaze fixed on the distance, facing off against the massive dragon shadow that was arriving on a cloud.
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