One Piece: The Celestial Dragons' Self-Cultivation

Page 112

"This time I'm bothering you not only because of this matter, but also because we have news about the giant lanternfish you previously instructed us to find."

A flash of dark red lightning crossed Blake's eyes, his expression turned serious, and he slowly sat up from the recliner:

"go on."

His voice was steady, yet carried a subtle sense of pressure.

Far away in the South China Sea, Huang Mu seemed to have sensed the importance Blake attached to this matter, and without keeping him in suspense, hurriedly reported:

“Its tracks have been found near the boundary between the Western Sea and the Doldrums.”

"Witnesses say it is the size of an island and the whirlpools it creates when it moves are enough to swallow a fleet."

It seems that it really might be the fish from the original story.

Blake succinctly stated:

"Where is the specific location?"

Huang Mu immediately provided a series of precise nautical coordinates.

"Okay, I understand. Keep an eye on related news."

Blake hung up the Den Den Mushi after he finished speaking.

He sat in a recliner, his fingertips unconsciously tapping lightly on the casing of the Den Den Mushi, his eyes as deep as the sea.

"Pure gold..."

A moment later, Blake uttered those two words softly and put away the Den Den Mushi.

The sun was shining brightly, and the sea breeze, carrying a salty, fishy smell, blew in.

Blake waved towards the other end of the deck:

"Rami, where are we now?"

Rami, who was impersonating a navigator, immediately jogged over, carrying a nautical chart that was wider than herself.

She frantically spread the nautical chart on the deck, gesturing back and forth on it with her fingers:

"Wait... let me see... we should be... right!"

Her finger finally stopped at a point:

"We have just crossed the Sea of ​​Jellyfish and are sailing along the current."

"If the wind direction doesn't change, we'll be able to see the next island in three days."

Blake glanced at the spot Rami was pointing at and frowned slightly.

It's still at least another ten days' journey to Reverse Mountain. If he continues to travel at this leisurely pace, by the time he reaches the West Sea, the lanternfish will have vanished.

Stella is not a combatant, and due to physical limitations, her development of the Door-Door Fruit is limited to short-distance movement and storage space.

Blake had already used the ability cards that could improve physical fitness on himself, so there was no way to temporarily improve them now.

He thought for a moment and then gave the order:

"Keep the slaves at the bottom on duty without stopping, set the speed limit to maximum, and head to Upside Down Mountain immediately!"

Rami looked up and glanced at Blake in surprise:

"But Your Highness, what will happen to the slaves..."

Blake chuckled and patted her little head:

"Go give the order!"

Rami nodded vigorously, rolled up the nautical chart and put it aside, then ran quickly towards the cabin.

Blake turned and walked off the deck, his steps steady.

But only he knew that when he first heard the news about lanternfish, he could clearly feel his blood rushing and his heart beating faster than usual.

Although Blake knew he would eventually find the way to immortality in this world, he still couldn't help but feel excited when immortality actually appeared before him.

He was not usually too harsh on the slaves because he was proud and little things were not worth affecting his mood.

But when enormous profits are presented, the lives of those insignificant slaves become the least worthwhile concern.

Get to the pedals, everyone!

If you can't kick me to death, then kick me to death!

Chapter 148 Things are getting interesting.

As Blake gave the order, Rami strode to the megaphone leading to the lower deck, took a deep breath, and clearly relayed the command:

"His Highness commands! Full sails! Engine room full speed!"

The command hummed through the copper pipes into the depths of the ship's hold.

The foreman, Buford, who was dozing against the gearbox, jumped up at the command and immediately shouted into the megaphone:

"Received! Full speed guaranteed!"

Buford put down the megaphone, quickly turned around, grabbed the whip lying to the side, and lashed it against the gearbox with a piercing sound.

"You damned vermin! Listen up!"

His roar echoed in the sweltering cabin:

"From now on, all three groups will operate at full capacity simultaneously!"

He strode up to Cyrus and tapped the transmission lever Cyrus was pedaling with the handle of his whip:

"You! You're in charge of leading the way and keeping the pace!"

After saying that, he turned to the other side and kicked the newcomer next to Tesoro:

"You! Move to the middle! Don't block the drive chain!"

Cyrus, whose spirit had been worn down by his environment, had no glimmer of hope in his eyes and obediently did as he was told.

Tesoro, who had just arrived, glared at Baford, who instantly flew into a rage and lashed Tesoro with his whip.

"Damn slave! You dare glare at me?!"

"Get the hell out there and get to work!"

"If I weren't worried about delaying Lord Black's business, I would have killed you today!"

Tesoro, after all, had been to slave markets and gladiatorial arenas; what he did just now was merely a momentary impulse.

After calming down, they dared not argue and hurriedly began to act according to the foreman's orders.

Seeing that Tezzolo had become obedient, Baford spat fiercely and turned his gaze to the other slaves:

"What are you all standing there for?! Get to work right now!!!"

The entire lower deck was instantly engulfed by the sounds of whips, shouts, and the rumble of gears.

All the gears meshed and rotated simultaneously, and the Temple surged forward.

The bow lifted, and the speed at which it cut through the waves suddenly increased, like an arrow shot from a bow toward the Upside-Down Mountain.

Baford's status was not that of a slave, but rather that of a family member of a World Government official.

There are many people like him in Mary Geoise; they were all sent to work for the Celestial Dragons through connections.

Even if there are some dangers, once someone catches the eye of a Celestial Dragon and stands out, the entire family can immediately rise to a higher level.

Spandam, who now holds a significant position in CP, rose to power in this way, and now he can even arrange for his mentally challenged son to work in CP.

Blake felt a surge of joy as he experienced the ship's newfound speed.

He paid no attention to what was happening in the lower cabins; his mind was entirely focused on the pure gold.

Personally, he doesn't have an urgent need for pure gold.

Even if the main characters encounter the lanternfish, it will only be a little over ten years, and Black will only be forty years old at that time.

But if you can look younger, who would want to have the face of a middle-aged person?

The Vampire Fruit can indeed preserve youth forever, but it's hard to say exactly how long that youth can be preserved.

After all, even though Red Earl ate the Vampire Fruit and regained his youth, he didn't seem to get any younger.

As for the issue that wearing pure gold will cause the body to stop developing and make it difficult to improve strength?

Blake said he didn't care, since he didn't train and the enhancements from the ability cards were rock solid.

However, some of the maids around him were quite old.

If Blake hadn't asked, he wouldn't have even realized that Tengetsu was already 41 years old.

Although there are no obvious changes yet, according to Blake's estimate, her appearance will start to plummet in a few years.

No matter how stunningly beautiful a woman is in her youth, once she reaches old age, she will become an unsightly sight.

When Charlotte Linlin's first profile picture was released, many people thought it was fake.

Can you imagine that the bandit Dadan was actually a beautiful woman in her youth?

Not only Tianyue, but Ginny and Olvia are also in their thirties.

What worries Blake the most is Stella.

The woman who was with him from the very beginning managed his estate perfectly, and even took care of the underage children.

It can be said that the reason why Black's maids' group grew larger and larger was not only due to his own collecting obsession, but also because of Stella's worry-free nature, who deserves at least one-third of the credit.

Time passed slowly, and the journey that originally took more than half a month was completed in just three days thanks to the slaves' tireless efforts.

Of course, the cost was also heavy; at least half of the slaves were rendered unusable, and Lord Black would have to spend money to replace them the next time he returned.

Arriving at the foot of Upside Down, Blake, holding a wine glass, didn't even get up from his deckchair, but simply looked up at the miraculous mountain.

Rami stood beside him and reminded him:

"Your Highness, we have arrived at the entrance."

Blake's tone remained unchanged:

"Activate the auxiliary propeller and go uphill at full power."

The command was given through a megaphone, and a deep, mechanical hum, distinctly different from the slave pedals, came from deep within the ship.

The massive hull of the Temple shuddered slightly, and the blades extending from below the stern began to spin at high speed, stirring up a deep power beneath the surface of the sea.

Compared to the boats struggling in the rapids on the mountain, relying on sails and oars, its posture was calm to the point of arrogance.

Even the Revolutionary Army had the ability to cross the Reverse Mountain, so Black's Temple could easily do the same.

"So this is how the Celestial Dragons travel..."

Recalling the scene in the original story where the main characters traversed the Upside-Down Mountain, even while following the ocean currents, it was still breathtaking, and Blake couldn't help but sigh.

While pirates and merchant ships around the world consider crossing the Reverse Mountain a life-changing feat, the privileged class can already go against the current and come and go as they please.

The bow smoothly cut into the upstream current, climbing upwards along the almost vertical channel, the whole process as smooth as taking a walk in a garden.

After entering the West Sea Channel, the Temple officially entered this vast and familiar sea area.

Following the coordinates provided by Huang Mu, they quickly adjusted their course and headed towards the boundary between the Western Sea and the Calm Belt.

After several days of sailing, the target point marked on the nautical chart was finally in sight, but Blake was at a loss.

Even though he rushed as fast as he could, it still took him a week, and by then the lanternfish had disappeared to who knows where.

Just then, the sea in front of the ship suddenly arched upwards.

Accompanied by a deep, energetic hum, a streamlined submarine, entirely made of an unknown metal, broke through the water.

The submarine's hull was bathed in a pale blue glow, exuding a technological feel that seemed out of place in this world.

As soon as the submarine stabilized, an arc-shaped device on its hull lit up.

The slightly distorted sound, amplified electronically, echoed across the sea:

"Attention! This is Dr. Fran's private research area!"

"Vessels without permission, turn around and leave immediately!"

"Repeat: Leave this area immediately!"