Chapter 124: Pure Gold Storage Bracelet
The moment the giant silver-gray snake opened its bloody maw and lunged at him, Hippolyte D. Asa suddenly shifted sideways.
The deep sea was not his territory, offering him no advantage. If he took that terrifying impact head-on—an impact comparable to a strongman's charged punch—he would gradually lose stamina and drown.
Anticipating the strike, Asa avoided the mountain-sized snake head. His strength surged to the limit as his fists were instantly covered in Armament Haki. He kicked off the seawater with force, targeting the weakest point for most visual creatures—the eyes.
A direct hit.
With that move, the tide of battle shifted. He charged at the creature's massive eye with blinding speed.
Despite the immense water resistance slowing him, and limiting even the speed of his punches, the snake was too large to defend effectively in time.
It could only watch helplessly as Asa's thunder-charged fist struck its eye.
"Ho ho ho ho!!!"
The powerful impact ruptured the eye, and the excruciating pain drove the silver-gray serpent into a frenzy. Its massive body thrashed uncontrollably.
Its eyeball cracked, oozing thick fluids that quickly dissipated into the seawater.
Enraged by pain, the Neptune-class creature went berserk.
"ROAR~!"
It writhed violently, its snake-like body twisting and coiling as it attacked with both its huge maw and its powerful tail.
Asa couldn't move freely in the water and was eventually struck by the massive tail.
BANG!!
The enormous force slammed into Asa. Though partially offset by the isolated pressure zone around him, he still had to endure the constant burden of the surrounding seawater, which drained his strength and suppressed his movements.
His face paled slightly, sweat beading on his forehead.
Still, Asa's eyes remained cold. In battle, he never panicked—only his fighting spirit soared sky-high.
"The body's too large. Without a powerful, wide-range attack, I can't deal serious damage to it," Asa thought calmly, regulating his breathing.
Had this thousand-meter-long Sea King reached the surface, he could have killed it with a flick. But deep in the ocean, things were different.
No matter how big it is, if it doesn't suffer a fatal blow, it's irrelevant.
This rule applies to everyone. No land creature can fight at full power in the sea. The limitations are too severe.
Focusing once more on the snake's ruptured eye, Asa narrowed his gaze.
Only the eyes, unarmored and vulnerable, could be truly injured.
Dodging another bite, Asa accelerated, rushing straight into the creature's eye socket.
"ROAR!!"
The serpent sensed something moving inside its eye and panicked. It thrashed wildly, swatting away all other approaching Neptunes.
BANG!!
A muffled impact echoed from within its head. The snake froze mid-writhing, the red glow in its eye gradually fading.
A tremendous blow had scrambled its brain into paste.
"Whoosh!"
Asa leapt out from the snake's eye socket and turned his gaze toward the now-still pure gold storage bracelet. At that moment, the bracelet was surrounded by a grid of unique castle-like patterns.
A satisfied grin spread across Asa's face. He had accomplished his goal using Vegapunk's method.
Without the electromagnetic isolation method, the bracelet had slowly begun to sink.
Asa swam like a fish through the sea, darting across hundreds of meters. He snatched the pure gold bracelet—covered in strange markings—and enclosed it in a silver-white, light-blocking metal, strapping it to his left wrist.
"Hahahahaha!"
Laughter welled up in his chest. Looking around, he noticed more Neptunes gathering, and likely even larger ones lurking farther off.
The light from the pure gold may have attracted Lord Lantern. He had to leave quickly.
His body darted away at top speed, escaping this perilous place.
Moments after Asa departed, the dead silver-gray snake was torn apart and devoured by surrounding Neptunes.
More and more Sea Kings joined the gruesome feast.
Not far away, Lord Lantern was drawn by the golden glow. When he realized the pure gold that had attracted him had vanished, he went berserk...
…
"Splash!"
Asa burst from the sea and landed back on the Sabaody Archipelago.
Everyone nearby was stunned.
They had thought Asa jumped into the sea to take his own life. Hours later, the man reappeared from the depths. Had they seen a water ghost?
Asa cast an emotionless glance their way, uninterested in explaining himself.
He adjusted his blue cloak and walked away.
Back at Bubble Park, at Jessica's Dream House—
Under the waiter's respectful gaze, Asa ordered without hesitation, "How much food can you get for the 30 million beli I left earlier? Buy it all. I'll take everything!"
"Thirty million? All for food?!" the waiter gasped.
Thirty million beli wasn't a small sum. That much food could fill the entire restaurant.
"Got a problem? Use it to buy high-energy food like Neptune meat," Asa said coldly.
Low-energy food wouldn't fill his stomach or aid in recovery. After a battle, only high-energy meals could quickly restore stamina.
Intimidated by Asa's gaze, the waiter stammered, "N-no problem! Right away!"
He rushed out to prepare the feast.
Asa passed the main dining area and entered the lounge. From his left hand, he retrieved the pure gold storage bracelet...
A soft smile appeared.
The plan he'd dreamed about since setting sail had finally come to fruition.
He couldn't help but admire Vegapunk even more.
Pressing the bracelet to his skin, a circular alien space gate materialized in mid-air.
The moment it appeared, Asa felt a portion of his stamina vanish.
But after thinking a moment, he understood.
Using Devil Fruit powers always consumed physical energy. Whether used directly or through an object, the cost couldn't be avoided.
(End Of Chapter)