Chapter 155: Stomach Baron, Heracles!

Chapter 155: Stomach Baron, Heracles!

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The next moment, Ryuunosuke vanished without a trace.

As soon as he disappeared, the rest of the crew got to work gathering supplies.

But before they did anything else, there was one thing they all agreed on—they needed to eat first.

After all, you can't work on an empty stomach, right?

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Crunch... crunch...

Walking through what looked like a primeval forest, Ryuunosuke heard a familiar sound and couldn't help but smile.

Not long after, a massive beetle lumbered into view.

"Heracles. You're still here, huh..." Ryuunosuke muttered with a grin.

Hearing the voice, the beetle turned around with a puzzled expression.

Heracles stared at the unfamiliar young man in front of him, clearly confused.

"Who are you supposed to be?" Heracles asked warily, tilting his oversized head.

He couldn't wrap his head around how this guy knew his name. That information wasn't exactly public, and most people who did know it weren't exactly young anymore.

Maybe one of his old acquaintances sent this guy?

But why the hell didn't they say anything!?

"Ah, sorry—it's our first time meeting," Ryuunosuke replied with a smile. "I'm Ryuunosuke, captain of the Dragon Hunter Pirates."

"I came here today to invite you to join my crew."

Straightforward, no fluff.

Heracles blinked at him, even more confused now.

"Join your pirate crew?" he repeated, raising a brow under his armor.

Over the years, plenty of pirate crews had tried to recruit him. Hell, even the Revolutionary Army had come knocking.

He turned them all down.

So where the hell did this kid get the balls to think he'd succeed?

"Sorry, but I'm not interested in joining any pirate crew," Heracles said flatly. "If that's why you're here, you're wasting your time."

He wasn't being rude—he was just focused. His research was at a critical stage. There was no way he could afford distractions right now.

"Is it because of your body?" Ryuunosuke asked, eyes narrowing slightly. "If I could fix that... would you consider it?"

"Mr. Heracles... or should I call you something else?"

Heracles froze.

For the first time, a flicker of genuine surprise passed across his face.

No one was supposed to know the state of his body.

His armor covered everything. It even had a special layer to block Observation Haki. There was no way this guy should've been able to tell.

So...

What kind of eyes are those...?

As Heracles stared into Ryuunosuke's eyes, he felt a chill crawl down his spine.

The Rinnegan —deep, dark, and dangerous—stared back at him.

Just one glance, and Heracles felt like he was about to be sucked into a bottomless vortex.

Cold sweat rolled down his back.

This kid... wasn't ordinary.

"Your body... is being held together by something unusual, isn't it?" Ryuunosuke continued calmly. "Something that manipulates time, maybe?"

"A Devil Fruit power? Or... pure gold?"

He didn't wait for Heracles to answer. Instead, he kept talking, his tone casual—almost teasing.

"With these eyes, I can see the truth. Your body is wrapped in death."

"Not just sick... it's decaying. But you're still alive. Why?"

"There's only two explanations. One—you've eaten a time-based Devil Fruit that slows down your decay."

"Two—you've got pure gold, slowing the passage of time around your body."

"Either way... your actual body's a wreck."

Heracles stared at him in silence.

Finally, with a sigh, he raised his arm and slowly removed part of his armor.

What was revealed made even Ryuunosuke's expression tighten.

A withered, dried-up arm—barely more than skin and bone. It looked like it belonged to a corpse.

And on Heracles finger... was a ring, embedded with a golden gem that shimmered faintly.

Pure gold.

Even with that, he was barely clinging to life.

"Still want me on your crew after seeing this?" Heracles asked quietly. "I could die any day now. And I still have a lot of research left to finish."

"I don't have time to play pirate."

His voice held a bitter edge, but also pride.

No one had ever been able to help him. Not even Ivankov of the Revolutionary Army. After examining him, Ivankov had shaken his head and walked away.

So how could this kid possibly—

"What... is that?"

Heracles eyes widened as Ryuunosuke pulled out a small glass vial.

Inside, a glowing emerald-green liquid shimmered with power.

The moment it appeared, Heracles could feel it—a dense, vibrant aura of life that filled the air.

Just being near it made his body react.

Was this... hope?

"This," Ryuunosuke said, "is Life Essence. It stimulates rapid cellular regeneration."

"With this, I think your body can recover."

Heracles opened slightly, speechless.

This wasn't normal healing. This was something that could reawaken dormant self-repair functions buried deep in his genes.

"If I take that," Heracles said slowly, "does that mean I have to join your crew?"

He didn't say it like a rejection. It was a real question.

Temptation was dangerous.

Because deep down, he was already tempted.

But he had worked so long, so hard, to get this far in his research. If he walked away now, all of it might be for nothing.

And in that case...

Dying might be better.

"I won't force you," Ryuunosuke replied gently. "I'm not handing it over for free either."

"But we can trade."

"Your plant cultivation tech... it's complete, isn't it?"

"That's valuable to me. Very valuable."

He paused, then smiled faintly.

"Of course, if you do join the Dragon Hunter Pirates, I'd be happy."

"But even if you don't, I won't stop you from continuing your research."

He knew.

Ryuunosuke could see that Heracles was already wavering.

No need to pressure him. Just let him think.

Make it his choice.

Because sometimes, the gentlest nudge is all it takes to change a person's path.

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