Chapter 393: Calamities and Hopes (Conclusion)

"This place is truly a treasure trove," Daniel remarked as he finished hunting down a massive beast. However, rather than focusing on more creatures, he redirected his attention toward the second "Hope" on his list, all while collecting valuable resources along the way.

Earlier, when he was hunting for Nitrolomi, Daniel hadn't paid much attention to the surrounding resources. He had been eager to move toward his next goal, but upon discovering a few thousand-year-old herbs, he realized he almost overlooked something vital. Given that the Dark Continent is so untouched by human hands, its herbs are naturally extraordinarily precious. Finding medicinal plants that had matured over a thousand, or even ten thousand years, was not uncommon. This prompted Daniel to split his focus, now making sure to search for these valuable herbs along the way.

"Alchemical plant Metallion, the source of the Zoba-E Disease, an illness that tricks people with hope but ultimately traps them in endless despair—this place is incredibly dangerous. Luckily, I have this. Room."

The second "Hope" was the alchemical plant known as Metallion, associated with one of the Five Great Calamities—Zoba-E Disease. It's the one disaster that left no survivors, with its sole victim sealed in V5's underground facility, still alive but trapped by the disease. Among the Five Great Calamities, "Hell's Bells" and the "Plant Weapon: Gold-Silver Ingot" have the highest survival rates, but the others—like the Zoba-E Disease—leave survivors twisted into monsters.

Daniel proceeded with the utmost caution in dealing with these three calamities.

"So, it really is the air," he observed. Using the powers of the Op-Op Fruit, Daniel quickly detected an atmospheric anomaly around Metallion. "The suit has a filtration system, but it's better to avoid taking any risks."

The Zoba-E Disease fascinated Daniel with its ability to grant humans immortality without the need for food or energy. However, the grotesque condition of those afflicted quickly dispelled any curiosity he had about researching it. Daniel wasn't one of those mad scientists who would sacrifice everything in pursuit of knowledge. With his current abilities, combined with the longevity rice Nitrolomi and the pure gold he had from the One Piece world, he saw no reason to waste time or energy on something as twisted as the Zoba-E Disease.

"This should be a safe distance," Daniel decided. He donned his nanotech Iron Man armor and, from five kilometers away, activated the Op-Op Fruit's powers. With his immense strength, he could extend the "Room" to cover dozens of kilometers. If Trafalgar Law, in his injured state, could envelop an entire city in his ability, it was child's play for Daniel to cover such distances now.

"Room—Slaughterhouse." Using spatial manipulation, Daniel swapped out a section of the area, retrieving ten Metallion plants without ever needing to approach them directly.

"Second 'Hope' acquired."

"Now for the Unmanned Stone." Daniel quickly moved on to the third "Hope." This time, he harvested several tons of Unmanned Stone, a resource so rare that V5 would likely be shocked. They had suffered tremendous casualties to obtain even a fist-sized piece, but Daniel managed to collect entire tons in one go.

Although the Unmanned Stone was located in a dangerous area guarded by the terrifying Calamity known as the Breeding Beast, Daniel didn't need to enter its territory. He simply used the Op-Op Fruit's powers to slice through the mountain containing the mineral and transported it away. 

For Daniel, the Unmanned Stone wasn't particularly valuable compared to the Ark Reactor he used. But for nations, it was a game-changer. The entire mountain of Unmanned Stone could fuel the Six Continents for centuries, ensuring that humanity wouldn't run out of energy for generations. 

Energy resources have always been central to human conflicts, and in modern times, many wars are fought over energy. Daniel's acquisition of the stone could prevent such future struggles.

As for the Breeding Beast, Daniel had already deduced its true nature—a massive, strange plant hidden underground.

"The quantity of the Tri-Source Water is too low," Daniel remarked as he approached the fourth "Hope"—the source of a vital elixir. The Tri-Source Water was guarded by the fog creature known as Aye, but this Calamity was far easier to deal with. Daniel simply opened a portal beneath the stone that produced the water, gathered what he needed, and closed the gate. The fog creature was none the wiser.

Aye's elemental form reminded Daniel of Logia-type Devil Fruit users, but after obtaining the water, Daniel sent a few massive fireballs its way and moved on.

"Now for the final 'Hope'—the herb that cures all diseases, the Vanilla Herb." Daniel had left this one for last, as it was the least useful to him personally. Between the Op-Op Fruit, the magic of Kamar-Taj, and the many artifacts he had collected, Daniel already had the means to treat most illnesses. Still, the Vanilla Herb had significant value. For instance, if Gol D. Roger had access to it, the history of the One Piece world might have changed entirely. Similarly, it could potentially restore much of Whitebeard's strength.

More importantly, the Vanilla Herb was the most likely of the Five Hopes to be mass-produced. If it could be cultivated, it would free humanity from the threat of disease. That alone made it worthy of being called a "Hope."

If Nitrolomi, the longevity rice, could also be mass-produced, it would represent an era-defining leap forward for humanity.

Combined with the endless energy of the Unmanned Stone, the Tri-Source Water, and the Alchemical Plant, humanity stood on the brink of a new golden age. The Five Hopes weren't just legends—they had the potential to change the world.

Of course, these were idealistic outcomes. Even Daniel had doubts about whether Nitrolomi or the Alchemical Plant could be cultivated, despite his considerable knowledge.

The Vanilla Herb was the most promising because it grew in a man-made environment—a labyrinthine ancient city—rather than in the wild, like the other Hopes.

"They're fast," Daniel noted as he observed the V5 team setting up outside the ancient city. The Vanilla Herb had been brought back more times than the other Hopes, though it was unclear if V5 had managed to cultivate it.

"They haven't entered the city yet. Are they waiting for one of the Five Great Nen Users, Calvin?" From the safety of the Mirror Dimension, Daniel watched as the V5 members set up their camp three kilometers from the city's entrance. There were close to twenty wounded among them, with several in critical condition, indicating that their journey here had been far from peaceful.

"The Hunter Association's intelligence is really unreliable," Daniel mused. He had always suspected that V5 had sent more than just a handful of expeditions to the Dark Continent over the years, and now his suspicions were confirmed. Despite the Association's claims that barely a hundred people had ventured here, Daniel discovered that V5 had sent at least several thousand—perhaps even tens of thousands. During one expedition alone, the V5's Begrose Union had dispatched over a thousand investigators, of whom only seven survived.

V5 is composed of the five most powerful nations on the Six Continents, and when they first explored the Dark Continent, each nation sent at least a thousand soldiers. The Five Great Hopes were distributed among them, with each nation responsible for one.

The Begrose Union was in charge of the Unmanned Stone, the Sahelta League handled the Vanilla Herb, the Okhma Federation oversaw Nitrolomi, the Mingpo Republic monitored the Tri-Source Water, and the Goganite Kingdom dealt with the Alchemical Plant—these were the same nations that had collaborated with Beyond in the past.

After these nations faced disastrous losses, they combined their efforts and formed Nen user battalions for subsequent explorations.

"I knew V5 wouldn't ignore the Five Hopes, especially with their bureaucratic ways. It turns out they've already suffered enormous casualties." To those in power, human lives were often expendable resources. Just like King Bradley in the Fullmetal Alchemist world, who was willing to sacrifice an entire nation for immortality, V5's leaders would not hesitate to sacrifice tens of thousands of lives for the Five Hopes, especially the old guard desperate to extend their lifespans.

The grand vision of the Five Hopes leading humanity into a golden age was nothing but a pipe dream for the majority.

After gathering all the intelligence he needed from the V5 camp, Daniel ignored them and turned his attention to the ancient labyrinthine city. He climbed to the roof of one of the colossal buildings, surveying the sprawling urban landscape.

"Was this a city for giants?" The smallest buildings were tens of meters tall, while the largest stood nearly a hundred meters high. It was clear that this was no ordinary human city.

In the streets below, numerous "Plant Weapons" in the form of Gold-Silver Ingots patrolled the labyrinth. From the tattered uniforms hanging on some of these constructs, Daniel could tell that they had once been members of the Six Continents' earlier expeditions.

There were not only human-shaped constructs but also those resembling animals. Fortunately, Daniel hadn't seen any bird-like constructs yet, which would have posed a serious threat to V5's Vanilla Herb expedition.

The Gold-Silver Ingots were the least dangerous of the Five Great Calamities on the surface because they could be destroyed if one had sufficient strength. Their greatest weakness was fire.

However, that was only on the surface. In reality, these constructs were as infectious as zombies infected with the T-Virus. Anyone injured by them would become one of them. Individually, they

 were easy to handle, but in large numbers, they could overwhelm even the most capable Nen users.

For some unknown reason, the Gold-Silver Ingots never left the ancient city. Otherwise, they would be a significant threat to the entire Dark Continent.

If these constructs were to spread into human society, it would mark the end of humanity. They were far more dangerous than T-Virus-infected zombies. Even an ordinary person transformed into a Gold-Silver Ingot would experience a significant increase in power. If a Nen user were to transform, they would become even stronger.

Luckily for Daniel, he didn't need to fight these constructs. Using the Mirror Dimension, he bypassed them entirely and arrived at the Vanilla Herb's location.

"What a huge field of chives," Daniel remarked. The Vanilla Herb looked remarkably like chives, which explained why it was considered the most likely to be mass-produced.

Of the Five Hopes, only the Unmanned Stone was a mineral resource. The rest, particularly the Vanilla Herb, grew in abundance here. Coupled with its controlled growing environment, it was clear that these herbs had been cultivated deliberately.

"Finally, it's mine." Using the Eye of Agamotto's abilities, Daniel summoned multiple clones of himself to begin harvesting the herbs. He could have used the Op-Op Fruit to cut out the entire field, but after some consideration, he decided against it. He didn't want to risk damaging the crop before fully understanding how to cultivate it.

"They've already found me? Fast response." Just as Daniel started gathering the herbs, a group of Gold-Silver Ingots charged in from outside the building. Normally, these constructs didn't enter buildings unless there was an intruder.

"I don't have time for you." Daniel conjured a massive Portal of Kamar-Taj, cutting off the constructs' approach. If used correctly, the portal could be a massive nuisance, especially against dim-witted foes like the Gold-Silver Ingots.

The constructs would be baffled as to why they suddenly appeared on the other side of the city without ever reaching their target.

"Farewell." After collecting a significant amount of Vanilla Herb, Daniel retreated into the Mirror Dimension.

"Maybe I can find a way to cultivate the herbs from these inscriptions." Before leaving the city, Daniel took pictures of various murals and inscriptions around the labyrinth.

"Everything here is oversized—nothing a normal person could use." The ancient city had many strange tools and artifacts, but they were all too large for human use. It was evident that the city had once been inhabited by giants.

Whatever had happened to the giants, though, was a mystery. They had all vanished, leaving behind this empty labyrinth and the Gold-Silver Ingots.

The fact that the city was undamaged suggested that it hadn't been destroyed by external invaders.

"Now that I've secured all Five Hopes, it's time to head back and study them." With the Vanilla Herb in hand, Daniel was ready to return. How V5 managed to obtain the herbs afterward was none of his concern. Even if they all perished, it was of no consequence to him.

As for the Gold-Silver Ingots, Daniel had no interest in them. He wasn't looking to destroy the world, so researching such a dangerous weapon was pointless. He didn't even bother collecting samples this time.

"Is that... a fight?" Just as Daniel was about to return to Ada and Robin, his telescope picked up something unusual in the distance. A massive white gorilla, standing hundreds of meters tall, was locked in battle with a similarly enormous black bird.

"It wouldn't hurt to explore the deeper parts of the Dark Continent. Maybe I'll find something even more valuable, or at the very least, I can take down that black bird." After weighing his options, Daniel decided to head toward the battle between the two giant beasts.

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