A few days later.
West Blue, God Valley.
"Have your clansmen pack their things. Call me when you're ready, and I'll come pick you up."
As Rocks and Fang Huo secretly arrived at God Valley, Fang Huo was already impatient to find that red-haired woman.
"What exactly is in the town, or who is it that's attracting you?"
Rocks thought Fang Huo had discovered some precious Devil Fruit or a powerhouse with potential.
However, if Fang Huo wouldn't say, he couldn't force him to.
Thus, Rocks and Fang Huo split up in God Valley; one headed straight for the Davy Clan's secluded residence, while the other went straight to the bustling town.
God Valley, this non-Affiliated Kingdom, besides being home to the secluded Davy Clan, was targeted by the Celestial Dragons because it possessed abundant resources.
Of course, daring to use the word 'God' in the name God Valley was also an offense to the majesty of the Celestial Dragons, the descendants of gods.
So, with the four buffs of 'non-Affiliated Kingdom', 'Davy Clan', 'Name of God', and 'abundant resources' stacked together, it was impossible for God Valley not to be erased.
Fang Huo did not let Charlotte Linlin, Stussy, Shimotsuki Furiko, and the others out to go shopping.
After all, he was going to pick up a girl, and more importantly, he had promised Rocks not to let anyone else know about the existence of God Valley.
So Fang Huo had no choice but to let his women stay in the Lost World for a while longer.
Anyway, it wouldn't even take half a day inside the Lost World before Fang Huo would likely have finished picking up the girl and Rocks would be ready to move.
---
Looking like the noble young master Sesshomaru, Fang Huo quietly appeared in the bustling town of God Valley.
If it weren't for Rocks warning him multiple times to keep a low profile.
Fang Huo would have wanted to appear in God Valley with the Divine Full Moon Disk behind him, descending like a god to directly play out a classic scene of a god picking up a girl.
Fang Huo just casually asked about keywords like "Red Hair" and "beauty," and he immediately obtained a lot of information from these friendly residents.
He didn't know if it was the looks of the supreme great succubus that worked.
Or if it was the Luck Halo.
Originally, he thought that if these people were uncooperative or wary of his inquiries.
He would directly use the seven star demon sword to control the residents and forcibly extract information.
But clearly, his thoughts were too unfriendly, and he had underestimated the invincible halo of his looks and luck.
When you're handsome, you can get by anywhere.
There's no fear of being mistaken for a bad person.
After all, one's values follow their looks.
Moreover, Fang Huo naturally carried a noble and holy aura, with the Luck Halo added to it.
No matter how you looked at it, he didn't seem like a bad person.
But as it happened, Fang Huo was a Great Pirate with a bounty of 2.88 billion Berries, and the Great Demon Lord who struck terror into the hearts of the Celestial Dragons.
With the information provided by the friendly local residents, he quickly found the God of Vortices Shrine where the red-haired beauty was located.
"Red Hair, and her surname is even Uzumaki—what a coincidence!"
"Uzumaki Erza, a family of Shrine Maidens who worship the God of Whirlpool."
"No wonder they are so respected by the island's residents; it turns out they are the Shrine Maiden family of the god worshipped by the people of God Valley."
"No wonder Garling took a fancy to this beauty at first sight; there's the added bonus of her Shrine Maiden status."
"Most importantly, why does this girl have Kaya's script? She's weak and sickly..."
"Her grandfather and parents went to sea for something a year ago. A battle broke out; her grandfather fell, and her parents returned heavily injured, dying shortly after."
"Her grandmother also died six months ago due to excessive grief..."
"What kind of bullshit plot is this!"
Fang Huo complained while analyzing the information... "She's only 16 this year; looks like I have to raise her for two more years..."
"Just enough time to nurse her weak and sickly body back to health. All her relatives have passed away; the blow must indeed be heavy."
Fang Huo looked at the shrine, which was still fairly popular, and walked in slowly, his Radio Wave Observation Haki quickly spreading out.
In the original timeline, Figarland Garling landed on this island two years before the God Valley Incident, met Erza, and left after sowing his seeds.
Garling only returned to God Valley when the children were one year old, listing the island for the Native Purge Competition.
Erza still wanted to live happily with Garling.
In the end, that scumbag Garling, in order to marry the supreme great succubus Shakky, heavily wounded the red-haired woman with a sword, keeping the children and leaving the mother, taking away the twin offspring.
---
Just as Fang Huo entered the shrine, his eyes suddenly narrowed.
He actually saw a Devil Fruit being offered on the altar right there in the open.
This is a Devil Fruit worth hundreds of millions of Berries; it's just sitting on the altar like that?
Aren't they afraid of the islanders snatching it or taking it away?
Fang Huo had still underestimated the simple folk customs and faith of such a remote non-Member island.
It turned out his own thoughts were dirty; seeing such a thing, he actually felt it was unbelievable.
Just like Wano Country's national treasure, the black blade shusui, which sat on Shimotsuki Ryumon's grave for hundreds of years without anyone stealing or snatching it.
This is perhaps the power of pure reverence and faith.
"You must be an outsider, sir?"
As Fang Huo was looking at the Devil Fruit, a gentle and soft voice reached his ears.
Pleasant to the ear!
A voice even gentler than Shimotsuki Furiko's, giving off a feeling of being even more suitable as a wife than a Yamato Nadeshiko.
"Yes..."
When Fang Huo and Uzumaki Erza made eye contact, both were shocked and attracted by each other's looks and aura.
'How gentle!'
'How handsome!'
These were the first reactions in the hearts of Fang Huo and Uzumaki Erza.
"This is a memento from my grandfather and parents; I hope you won't take it away, sir."
How could Uzumaki Erza not know that this was a Devil Fruit worth hundreds of millions?
Before her grandmother passed away, she had told her to eat this Devil Fruit for self-protection.
But Erza had never eaten this Devil Fruit, which was obtained at the cost of three family members' lives.
"Why don't you eat it?"
"Perhaps if you eat it and master the power of the vortex, it would better suit your identity as a Vortex Shrine Maiden."
Fang Huo spoke softly, for fear of scaring this gentle Shrine Maiden who looked like a porcelain doll.
He had already recognized this Devil Fruit; it was the Paramecia Type whirlpool fruit.
This might be the Devil Fruit ability of the 'Man Marked by Flames' who would control a Red Poneglyph in the future.
A dangerous ability that could create massive whirlpools in the sea, swallowing warships and pirate ships.
It's just unknown where this Devil Fruit went by the time Saint Garling landed.
I wonder if it became a prize for the Celestial Dragons.
Or if it became the spoils of war for some powerhouse in the Rocks Pirates or the Roger Pirates.
Could the Man Marked by Flames be a veteran powerhouse who participated in the God Valley Incident?
"Don't you want to obtain it, sir?"
Erza claimed to the residents of God Valley that this was a token of the God of Whirlpool, so the simple islanders who believed in the God of Whirlpool would not touch this Devil Fruit.
But people from the Outer Seas are different.
"I'm not interested in it yet."
Nine Soul Fires appeared around Fang Huo, making him look like a god, filled with a holy aura.
This made the young Vortex Shrine Maiden's heart suddenly race.
This aura was too addictive and intoxicating, warmer even than her grandmother's embrace.
She really wanted to lean on him.
"The island's residents are indeed simple, but do not underestimate the greed of outsiders. Put it away."
"I hope you understand the principle of not flaunting your wealth."
With a gentle flick of Fang Huo's index finger, the Devil Fruit on the altar floated over and was delivered in front of Erza.
Fang Huo's hands, which seemed to emit a warm Gekko, naturally grasped Erza's hands, and the Devil Fruit landed in their palms.
Fang Huo's touch instantly made Erza's cheeks flush red.
How could this handsome young master, who was like a god, rudely grab her hands like this?
But this big brother's hands are really so warm and comfortable... the weakness and illness in her body seem to be healing...