Chapter 230: Four Seas! Four Years! The Sea King Legion
Boom! A thunderous crash sent towering waves rippling across the sea.
Niu Niu felt wronged—its own boss had dropped it from 100 meters in the air! Flying wasn't like swimming at all. It felt... unnatural.
Up in the sky, Luo Han said, "Ellis, you go back to the ship first."
"Alright," she replied and flew back to the Penguin.
Luo Han then hovered about fifty meters above the sea and released a wave of spiritual energy.
"Um... Niu Niu, was it?"
"Come on out."
Splash, splash... The self-proclaimed Niu Niu slowly surfaced, revealing its massive bull head. Its big, innocent eyes blinked up at Luo Han.
Without wasting time, Luo Han asked if it had seen the lantern fish and described its appearance.
"Boss, Niu Niu hasn't seen it."
Expected. Luo Han wasn't surprised. He then asked what Niu Niu usually did.
"Boss, Niu Niu wants to sleep now."
Sleep? Luo Han's face darkened. So it really just wandered aimlessly?
He asked again, "Haven't you been roaming around?"
"Huh? Niu Niu just woke up and met Boss."
Just woke up? Luo Han frowned. Did that mean when its original will was sealed away, it was essentially unconscious, and now its awareness had only just returned?
No—wait!
Luo Han entered Niu Niu's spiritual world.
Sure enough, the willseed Luo Han had planted had fused with Niu Niu's original will, forming a new spiritual consciousness—as if a brand-new personality had been born.
"No wonder it sounded like a five- or six-year-old child when it spoke."
Too much time sealed away must have worn down its original consciousness. Luo Han realized this revealed more about the mermaid princess's mental abilities.
Her willseed didn't just control—it erased the mind. There was no chance of rebellion. Even if her control was lifted, the Sea Kings wouldn't remember who they once were, nor hold a grudge.
"She really thought it all through. That power has a lot more depth than I imagined."
Clearly, Luo Han had underestimated the willseed ability. There was more to it. He made a note to study it later—he was still using it without fully understanding it.
Then came a new mental wave.
"Boss! Can Niu Niu go back to sleep now?"
Luo Han nearly facepalmed. "No. I still need you to do something."
"Oh! Niu Niu's listening."
Luo Han looked at Niu Niu and suddenly had an idea: Could he use talent-flame transformations to encode a 'human' form into its body, reverse-engineer Zoan Devil Fruit transformations, and let Niu Niu shift into humanoid form?
His eyes lit up. So many possibilities…
But first, he needed to focus on developing his mental powers further.
Right now, finding the lantern fish was still the top priority—and the Sea Kings were essential.
"What if other Sea Kings sense something off and attack Niu Niu?"
To prevent that, Luo Han decided to give Niu Niu some protection.
With a thought, he summoned a Talent Flame—specifically Charlotte Linlin's.
But as he looked at it, he hesitated.
Wait a minute… I've been handing out Big Mom's talent like candy—Ellis, the others, even Cole. Now even a Sea King? What would she think if she found dozens of Sea Kings with her signature Iron Balloon defense?
She probably wouldn't even notice, Luo Han thought to himself.
"Bring your head over here," he told Niu Niu.
"Niu Niu knows!"
With another mental wave, Niu Niu obediently moved its head closer. Luo Han infused the Talent Flame into it.
Soon, the flame spread throughout Niu Niu's body. Just like Ellis, the transformation completed almost instantly. Niu Niu now had a steel-balloon-like body—an insane level of defense, combined with its original massive strength.
Heh, not many Sea Kings could rival that!
Charlotte Linlin's Iron Balloon talent was formidable. Even in Sea Kings, it gave a huge boost.
Luo Han could feel Niu Niu's defense reach a cohesive, fortified state.
Her talent shared structural similarities with Luo Han's perfect Armament Haki—both built on ultra-dense layering, though hers was cellular-based.
Either way, the defense was monstrous.
Now, only extremely refined Armament Haki could break through it. And among Sea Kings? He hadn't seen any use Haki.
With that, Luo Han was reassured—but he needed to test if other Sea Kings would react aggressively.
He called for Niu Niu and led it toward the Calm Belt.
Above them, the Penguin followed.
Upon entering the Calm Belt, Sea Kings parted around Niu Niu like peasants before a king. They bowed their heads in submission.
Niu Niu exchanged words with them, but Luo Han watched from above with a sigh.
He couldn't understand a thing.
"Looks like only Sea Kings I personally control can communicate with me."
Still, that was already a huge advantage for finding the lantern fish.
Since Niu Niu hadn't been attacked, the plan could begin.
Luo Han proceeded to control five Sea Kings at 6,000 meters long, three at 7,000, and two at 8,000 meters.
Eight in total!
Each one developed new personalities—also childlike, with five- to six-year-old mentalities.
Smart enough, but childish in behavior.
"Niu Niu, you'll command these eight from now on."
"Boss, Niu Niu understands."
Luo Han smiled and crafted two rings, sliding them onto Niu Niu's horns.
Then he instructed: "Your mission is to lead your brothers and search the first half of the Grand Line for the lantern fish. Once you find it, break one of the rings. I'll come immediately. The other is for location tracking."
Niu Niu shook its massive head, amused by the rings now stuck on its horns. Like a child with a new toy, it kept shaking and playing.
So innocent… Luo Han chuckled. He gave the same instructions to the other eight Sea Kings.
"Farewell."
With a sigh, Luo Han turned and flew back to the Penguin.
"Where to next?" Ellis asked.
"Anywhere," Luo Han replied casually. "Let's cross the Calm Belt and go wherever we end up."
"Alright!"
She went off to help Aishi with dinner—it was already evening.
After dinner, the trio enjoyed the moonlight in the sky, then, as always, made their way to Akatsuki's large bedroom.
Only on that massive bed could three people paddle in peace.
...
In the days that followed, Luo Han and his two women planned to travel across all four seas.
Ellis would plant her divine tree avatars in each sea.
Meanwhile, Luo Han would use his powers to control one Sea King over 10,000 meters long in each sea. Each would lead the Sea King legions under Luo Han's command, all hunting for the elusive lantern fish.
The process would be the same as with Niu Niu—two rings: one to break when the fish was found, the other for tracking.
That reminded Luo Han of a previous oversight. Sister Shao's ring, when broken, only showed where it had shattered—if she had been taken elsewhere afterward, he wouldn't have found her.
So now, along with finding the lantern fish, Luo Han aimed to evolve his Mind Fruit powers to cover such gaps. He sensed it—awakening wasn't far off.
...
In the blink of an eye—
Four more years passed.
Luo Han now had Sea King legions across all four seas and the first half of the Grand Line helping him search.
Yet the lantern fish was still missing—like it had vanished.
After a year planting trees and deploying Sea Kings in East Blue, Luo Han and his companions decided to return to the New World.
But this time, they wouldn't fly directly. They would sail through the first half of the Grand Line, starting at Reverse Mountain and ending at Sabaody Archipelago.
That noon
The sun shone brightly over Reverse Mountain. The Penguin hovered above it.
Luo Han stood at the ship's edge, gazing down with a sigh.
"What a... big mountain."
Ellis rolled her eyes and tossed him a bundle of newspapers.
"These are all the major events in the New World over the past four years."
"We're about to return—I figured you'd want to know."
"Alright." Luo Han took the papers and lay down on a lounge chair to read.
The first headline: Roger Pirates Return to the New World! Epic Clash with Garp's Fleet!
The date... was from four years ago.
So, shortly after their encounter on Sky Island, Roger's crew had entered the New World.
But it seemed the World Government was watching them closely.
As soon as they appeared, Garp ambushed them. The resulting battle was fierce.
The navy suffered a crushing defeat—possibly catastrophic.
Luo Han guessed Roger's crew had been simmering with rage after their Sky Island humiliation. They held nothing back.
Garp expected a duel like before—but this time, Roger's crew attacked in full force. With Garp overwhelmed by Roger, he couldn't protect his men. Rayleigh and the others slaughtered most of the fleet.
If Sengoku and Zephyr hadn't arrived, Garp's heroic career might've ended then and there.
That battle solidified the Roger Pirates' terrifying strength.
"I wonder if Garp and Roger can still be 'best buddies' after that…"
If so, their bromance must be the real deal.
Luo Han chuckled and moved on.
Next: Cole's turn... also four years ago.
Captain of the Beast Pirates, Cole, battles Red Count Ledfield on an unnamed island!
So Cole really had formed his own crew. Luo Han was curious—how did the food-loving Cole fare as a captain?
"Heh." He smiled.
Reading further: After two days of intense fighting, Red Count lost. But Cole didn't kill him—instead, he tried to recruit him. Red Count refused, and Cole let him go.
Impressive! Luo Han gave Cole a mental thumbs up.
He'd shown true leadership—trying to tame a lone wolf like Red Count.
"Since leaving me, he's really come into his own."
Only when you stand alone do you realize who you are.
Through this duel, the New World finally understood why Cole and Luo Han were given equal bounties when they attacked Mary Geoise.
The World Government saw Cole's potential from the start. The rest of the world was just catching up.
Luo Han nodded in approval and turned the page.
Akatsuki's headline—two years ago.
Queen Akatsuki clashes with World Destroyer Bundy Wald on Iron Pot Island. After fierce fighting, Wald's crew is annihilated—only he and his brother escape.
Queen Akatsuki... Her fiery red hair and cold, stunning face emanated regal dominance—even through the paper.
The future Empress was just a child playing make-believe compared to her.
"Looks like... it's time to step up. I'll be the man behind the Queen—no, the man who supports her from the shadows!"
Luo Han grinned wickedly and kept reading.
Next was Tucker—also two years ago.
During Akatsuki's battle with Wald, Tucker led the newly named "Green Demon Pirates" into a fierce battle over a glass-producing island.
"Tucker, you really wasted that mythical Zoan Mantis Fruit…"
He had lost badly to Golden Lion, even after Luo Han gave his officers talent flames.
Not one of them had reached pre-admiral level—all were elite Vice Admiral at best.
Tucker himself ended up with two crossed scars on his chest, and his crew suffered heavy casualties. They escaped, barely.
"Sigh... I'll have him stay on Ark Island and be a foreman," Luo Han muttered.
Too weak. Even with flash teleportation, he couldn't handle Kyo (Silver Axe) —only managing a sneak attack after Akatsuki disrupted him.
Luo Han gave up hope for Tucker.
He continued flipping pages, gaining a full picture of the New World's past four years.
It remained chaotic, but Luo Han's alliance had risen to dominate.
Three years ago, Roger's grand fleet clashed with Cole, Akatsuki, and Tucker's fleets on an unknown island.
Cole again displayed terrifying power, transforming into his full beast form and releasing a massive 1,000-meter-wide scalding water blast.
Roger countered with a colossal crescent slash. Though it split the blast, it couldn't stop the damage.
A brutal battle followed.
Roger and Rayleigh were powerful—but Cole's side was even stronger.
Roger and Cole were deadlocked.
Akatsuki fought Rayleigh, who was in his prime—his sword swings were faster than her movements. Even with future-sight Haki, she couldn't break through.
Still, holding off Akatsuki was already Rayleigh's limit—she would've destroyed anyone else in a single strike.
That's what made her so terrifying.
Any enemy—no matter who—would be obliterated before they could react.
As the battle raged, Sora unexpectedly stepped in.
Already Admiral-level, her combination of massive Sea King body and talent flames elevated her above even Rayleigh.
From there, the tide turned decisively.
After five days of intense battle, Roger's crew retreated.
Cole's alliance became the dominant New World force—but they didn't expand territory. They ruled a dozen islands around Ark Island and stayed put.
Meanwhile, Golden Lion and Whitebeard built their own empires, nearing legend status.
Red Count still challenged Cole every few days.
Bundy Wald had rebuilt his crew in secret, clearly planning something.
"Still… Charlotte Linlin and Kaido have been unusually quiet?"
That surprised Luo Han.
Big Mom, sure—probably busy having kids.
But Kaido? Was he… also having kids?
"Does Kaido even have a son?" Luo Han wondered. Nothing came to mind from his past-life memories.
Forget it. Time to return to the New World.
Reading all this reignited Luo Han's fighting spirit. He didn't feel like wandering the Grand Line anymore.
"Finished reading?" Ellis walked over with a cup of coffee, blew on it, and handed it to him.
"Mm." Luo Han took a sip and exhaled steam.
She took the empty cup, placed it on the table, then sat in his lap, arms around his neck, breathing her fragrance into his ear.
"When are we going back to the New World?"
"Right... now!"
Luo Han stared at her. He'd just made that decision.
"You gave me those papers on purpose, didn't you? To push me into going back."
"Yup! Hehe~"
Her melodic laugh filled the air.
Luo Han smiled—of course his woman knew him best.
"Come eat!" Aishi peeked from the lounge door, fork and knife in hand.
"Coming!" both answered in unison.
They got up and joined her for a feast.
"Let's go! First stop: Alabasta. There's something I need to pick up."
After the meal, Luo Han steered the Penguin toward Alabasta.
It was time to retrieve the Poneglyph there.
(END CHAPTER)
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