Chapter 69: Everything Was Fine When He Came, So Why Can't He Go Back?
Although he'd learned that his senior/big brother was from another world, after brief surprise, Zoro accepted this fact with an open mind. After all, this really was another world.
No matter where Bane came from, he'd been extremely kind to him. He'd even shared the secret of world travel, which made Zoro feel very warm.
Bane didn't tell him anything about keeping secrets, but Zoro naturally understood the value and danger of this revelation. He secretly decided he wouldn't reveal it even if tortured to death.
He even considered that many Devil Fruits were unreasonable, and felt uneasy. 'What if the secret gets exposed in the future?'
After thinking it over, there was only one answer—become stronger. He had to become stronger as quickly as possible, so strong that no one could discover the secret!
"Is it dangerous here?" After suppressing his thoughts, Zoro asked curiously.
"It's not a matter of whether it's dangerous or not. It's the kind of thing that—how do I put it?" After a brief pause to organize his words, Bane continued, "This world is too complicated. Not to mention you, I can't grasp it either. Apart from anything else, this world is like a garbage dump. There are often portals connecting to other worlds. But even so, this world's power is still controlled by the Empire. Speaking of the Empire, let me give you a brief introduction, though I don't know much about it."
Soon, Bane and Zoro sat on the chopped wooden blocks, discussing this world's affairs. Zoro listened with great interest, asking questions from time to time as Bane explained the situation. After more than two hours, they ended their conversation.
"This should be a forest. Want to go down the mountain and take a look?" Bane asked.
The door in his body had a shortcoming—it always opened randomly. Now he didn't know where they were, and they might not even be in the Empire's western region. If he returned to the pirate world, he didn't know if they could still land at the origin. After all, he'd never experimented before. The first time he'd opened the door, he hadn't dared enter because he'd been at Teach's murder scene. He'd taken advantage of the space-time freeze release to snatch the Dark-Dark Fruit and flee.
If they couldn't land at the origin, he'd have to contact Issho, Nami, and the others to find a meeting place.
Zoro was somewhat tempted, but after a moment, he shook his head. "Since this place is very dangerous, let's wait until we're strong enough before exploring, so as not to cause you trouble. Let's go back first."
"All right." Bane nodded.
He also had no intention of staying in the Empire. If he returned to the pirate world, he'd be able to improve his strength in many ways and stay aware of developments and opportunities in all aspects. If he stayed in the Empire, he'd be completely in the dark. It would be better to return and accumulate strength first, then come to the Empire to develop when he had sufficient confidence.
As he spoke, Bane's mind moved, preparing to open the portal. His consciousness communicated with the mysterious power in his heart, and a colorful halo flashed within. Then, based on previous experience, Bane focused his mind and prepared to open the portal.
But after a moment, his expression froze and his mouth twitched several times.
Zoro was very curious about Bane's mysterious ability, so he stared at Bane without blinking. But he saw Bane's embarrassed expression. He was stunned momentarily, then quickly asked, "What's wrong?"
"The door won't open," Bane said somewhat embarrassedly.
"Ah?" Zoro was stunned.
'I never expected that everything was fine when we came here, but we can't go back?'
"Don't joke at a time like this!" Zoro said anxiously.
He still had to return and work hard to become the world's greatest swordsman—he still had an unfulfilled promise with his old friend!
"Of course I'm not joking!" Bane responded first, then closed his eyes and felt the portal in his body again.
The blue halo connecting to the pirate world had indeed dimmed and gone out. Perhaps this was the energy that opened the door to the pirate world. In other words, Bane had opened the door three times before and used up this energy?
'Damn, how do I recharge this? Do I have to go to the Naruto world and learn space-time ninjutsu? Use chakra to charge?' Bane thought anxiously.
But this guy had strong mental resilience. Whether he'd traveled to the Empire alone for unknown reasons or opened the portal to the pirate world for the first time, he could adjust his state quickly. It was the same now. Knowing it was useless to be anxious about this matter, he suppressed his impatience and began trying to charge the blue halo.
Physical strength—Bane didn't know how to inject physical strength into it, and the same happened with Haki. Just when Bane tried the dark power of the Dark-Dark Fruit, the blue halo was touched. It seemed to brighten slightly, which made Bane happy!
"There's a way. I'll be able to do it soon." Bane opened his eyes and said to Zoro with some excitement.
However, before he could finish his words, the dark power in his body was suddenly swallowed up by the blue light, surging like a flood.
As a natural power, the Dark-Dark Fruit could be said to have endless energy, but the problem was that using this energy consumed the user's physical strength!
Almost in the blink of an eye, Bane felt his body being hollowed out. His legs went weak, and he was about to collapse.
Fortunately, Zoro was quick to support Bane and asked with concern, "What's wrong with you?"
"I—" Bane quickly cut off the connection between the dark element and the halo, then felt slightly relieved. With cold sweat on his forehead, he said, "Damn it, if I want to open that door again, I need to recharge the mysterious power in my body. I tried the Dark-Dark Fruit just now, and it worked, but it almost drained me completely."
Zoro was relieved after hearing this. He helped Bane sit back on the wooden block and said, "At least there's still hope. That's good news. You don't need to worry. We can replenish it slowly. It doesn't matter if it takes a few more days."
After a brief pause, Zoro asked again, "How long do you think it will take to open the door again?"
Bane closed his eyes and felt for a while, then opened them and said, "At that rate, if I supply it once daily, it'll take about three months."
Three months—not to fill up the blue halo completely, but to reach the level where the door could be opened once, which was about one-third.
"Three months?" Zoro stroked his chin. "That's not bad. It's not unacceptable. After all, before we came, you told Nami it might take a long time."
That's right. Before Bane had come, he'd told Nami many things because he wasn't sure about the situation. He'd said that if it was fast this time, they'd be back in half a day, but if it was slow, it might take an indeterminate amount of time. Nami and the others could definitely wait three months.
The only thing that made Bane feel slightly regretful was that when they returned, they might not catch up with the Navy's battle against Whitebeard. After all, it would take some time to travel.
But this wasn't something unacceptable. More importantly, Bane was now unsure whether time had returned to normal after he'd left the pirate world this time.
After all, when he'd brought Zoro through here, the time there hadn't returned to normal after a brief freeze like the last time with Teach. Instead, time there had remained frozen until he'd closed the door.
Bane suspected it was most likely because the blue halo's energy had been used up!
In other words, it was possible that only when they returned would the passage of time return to normal. If that was the case, it would be wonderful!
It was the same for him and Zoro—they could become stronger with just three more months!
Even if he figured out this mechanism in the future, he could exploit this bug to become stronger!
'Hey, I can't beat you? It doesn't matter. I'll go practice for three months or even longer, then come back to fight you again!'
But for Bane's opponents, it might just be a matter of moments.
To break through during battle—he was a genius, so it was understandable!
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