[103] : Reunion!!
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BOOOOOOM!
While Arthur was still marveling at the creature, the anglerfish swallowed half the island in a single bite, as casually as a human eating a cracker. Then, creating a massive wave, it sank back into the depths.
"Could that be…the anglerfish?" Arthur's body trembled with excitement as he launched himself into the air.
The creature's sheer size, its lure brighter than the moon—it had to be the one. Anglerfish were common, but not of this scale, and their lures…they weren't this color.
If he was right—that lure was pure gold!
A scientific miracle, created by accident, a treasure that could practically halt the aging process—a unique, one-of-a-kind phenomenon.
Pure gold meant a drastically slowed metabolism—near immortality—the ultimate dream of countless people.
The World Government had offered 5 Billion Belly for the Op-Op Fruit, believing its ultimate power was the "Immortality Operation."
They were blissfully unaware of its true potential.
As long as there was life, there was hope. And immortality? That was infinite hope—a chance to live until hope itself died.
"I can't be sure—but I have to check it out. Hahahahaha!" Arthur's laughter echoed through the night as he shot towards the sea, a streak of blue lightning.
Immortality didn't interest him much. He lived for the thrill, the excitement—the sheer, unadulterated joy of the moment. He'd rather burn bright, a meteor streaking across the sky, than live a long, dull, meaningless life, fading into dust.
A single moment of brilliant glory was better than a lifetime of flickering embers.
He didn't need the gold for himself, but it would make a perfect storage device for the Castle-Castle Fruit. And a longer lifespan meant more adventures, more thrills. A pure gold storage bracelet—the most valuable treasure in the world.
Hehehe!
Blue lightning crackled around Arthur, his body enveloped in the Isolation Field—a protective barrier, impervious to water, fire, and practically any physical attack.
Splash!
He plunged into the sea, pursuing the massive anglerfish.
——
Centuries ago, an island nation called Alchemi had been swallowed whole by a giant anglerfish.
A metallurgist in Alchemi named Myskina Acier—whose daughter suffered from an incurable disease, the South Blue Emperor Fever, was desperate to save her life.
Following an ancient alchemist's notes on refining "pure gold," he began a series of experiments, hoping to create a miracle cure.
And through a series of unrepeatable accidents, he had actually done it!
Scientific breakthroughs often came from unexpected places—penicillin from moldy boots, gravity from a falling apple.
Such discoveries were often serendipitous. If Newton hadn't discovered gravity, someone else would have.
But Acier's pure gold wasn't just a rediscovery. It was a unique creation, born from a series of improbable accidents—impossible to replicate.
The author of those ancient notes must have created it himself—where else would the gold in the anglerfish's lure have come from? But if so, why had no one else succeeded in replicating it until Acier?
This miraculous gold emitted a unique light, imbued with the power to drastically slow down an organism's life processes.
A human, wearing it, wouldn't live forever—but a lifespan of thousands of years was within reach.
Such a treasure couldn't be ignored.
Arthur swam deeper, following the massive anglerfish. It was much faster than him. He couldn't catch it, but he wouldn't give up.
——
Splash! Crash!
The anglerfish, diving and surfacing, creating massive waves, disrupted the calm waters of the Calm Belt.
The chase continued, fish and man, one fleeing, one pursuing, until they were nearing Marineford.
"Bwahahaha! Another donut record broken!" Garp's boisterous laughter echoed through the night.
Three Marine warships, their progress slow in the swirling currents, approached the Gates of Justice. The currents near the Gates were notoriously treacherous, but the anglerfish seemed unfazed, creating even larger waves within the maelstrom.
"What's that? A Sea King attacking Marineford? Bwahahahaha!" Garp, having finished his donuts, paused mid-nose-pick, observing the commotion in the water, then resumed his laughter.
"Such a bright light…That's not normal for an anglerfish…And it's gold?" Tsuru frowned, lost in thought, then her eyes widened in realization. "Could it be…?"
"Garp, after it! That might be the one…from two hundred years ago!"
"The one that swallowed Alchemi. The World Government put a bounty on it. They say it holds the secret to immortality," Akainu added, his usually stoic demeanor momentarily shaken, his voice tight with a rare excitement.
Few could remain indifferent to the promise of eternal life—except for thrill-seekers like Arthur and carefree souls like Garp.
After Acier's discovery, the World Government had learned about the pure gold, intending to seize it. But the entire island, along with Acier and his daughter, had been swallowed by the giant anglerfish. The sea was vast. They might never find it again.
For two centuries, the World Government had searched, but the anglerfish had vanished without a trace—a brief entry in the Sea King registry, a whispered legend among the Marines' high command.
Until today…when Garp, Tsuru, and Akainu encountered it once more.
"Anglerfish tastes awful!" Garp grinned. Immortality couldn't compare to a good donut.
"Be serious!" Tsuru snapped. "After it!"
"No need. The currents at the Gates of Justice will trap it."
Akainu, his arm glowing with molten lava, stepped to the bow, unleashing an attack. He wouldn't let it escape.
"Great Eruption!"
Sizzle!
The lava hit the water, creating a massive cloud of steam.
BOOOOOOM!
The anglerfish, surfacing, roared in pain as the searing heat of the magma struck its flesh, its massive tail thrashing, sending waves crashing against the warships.
Then, its massive head broke the surface, its jaws, capable of swallowing islands, opening wide, lunging towards the insignificant Marine vessels.
The Marines on board were terrified, their faces pale, only Garp, Tsuru, and Akainu remaining unfazed.
——
Arthur, following the anglerfish into the churning whirlpool created by the Gates of Justice, was swept upwards, bursting through the surface and soaring into the sky.
Zzzzzzt!
Blue lightning crackled around him, a brilliant display against the night sky.
The extended use of his Isolation Field underwater had taken a toll on him. Fortunately, the anglerfish, its path blocked by the currents, had finally stopped.
Garp, the first to notice the commotion, looked up, his jaw dropping. "That brat, Arthur? Isn't he a Devil Fruit user? He can…swim?"
He couldn't believe his eyes. This defied everything he knew.
"Vice Admiral Garp! Fancy meeting you here! Hahahahaha!" Arthur hovered in mid-air, licking his lips, a predatory grin spreading across his face.
But then…
BOOOOOOOM!
The anglerfish swallowed the three warships whole.
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