Free Web NovelChapter 400: Chapter 400: Life Return
"Luffy really can eat."
Looking at Luffy, who was still devouring food like crazy, Neptune’s face showed a hint of emotion as he said, "Is this the appetite of a strong person?"
"A strong person..."
Prince Fukaboshi fell into thought after glancing at Luffy, whose mouth was dripping with grease.
"Although the appetites of strong people are indeed exaggerated, but..." Meiser twitched the corner of his mouth and said, "It’s rare to see someone as exaggerated as him."
Uncle Rayleigh’s strength is no joke, but his appetite isn’t as outrageous as Luffy’s.
Upon hearing this, Neptune fell silent for a moment before asking curiously, "Could it be because of his Devil Fruit?"
If he wasn’t mistaken, the other party should be a Gomu-Gomu Fruit Ability User, right? After all, during fights, he loves shouting things like "Gomu Gomu" and the like.
"Maybe," Meiser said.
He didn’t know whether Luffy had become like this because of the Devil Fruit, after all... he wasn’t a Devil Fruit Ability User.
"It probably doesn’t have much to do with the Devil Fruit," Luffy said, lifting his head. "Because I’ve been able to eat a lot since I was very young."
When he was three or four years old, his grandfather threw him into the forest to survive, and even back then, he could eat a ton.
"Well, it seems you’re just a special case," Meiser said. "Your stomach must be much more impressive than I imagined."
"Stomach..."
As if remembering something, Chopper suddenly lifted his head and said, "Luffy, you haven’t learned Life Return, have you?"
"Life Return?"
Question marks popped up above everyone’s heads. What was that?
"Actually, I don’t really know what Life Return is either, but I’ve seen its effects," Chopper said. "Remember that man we met at Enies Lobby, the one with hair like a lion?"
Listening to Chopper’s words, everyone began recalling events from two years ago.
"Thinking back carefully..." Usopp said, frowning. "There was such a person."
"There was."
Nami said helplessly, "I almost got killed by him back then."
To be honest, that memory wasn’t exactly pleasant.
Shaking her head, Nami looked at Chopper and asked, "What about that person?"
"He had a strange move called Life Return," Chopper said. "After eating a huge amount of food, he used Life Return to quickly digest everything in his stomach."
As he spoke, Chopper gestured exaggeratedly on his own body.
"That must be it," Jimbei said. "I’ve seen this ability in many people."
Thinking about it carefully, many strong individuals possess the ability to quickly convert food into energy.
Like Pops, like Ace, like Marco, and so on.
All of them have this ability!
"So this ability is called Life Return," Merry said, walking over to Luffy and curiously examining his stomach. "That’s amazing!!"
"Anyway, I’ve been like this since I was little," Luffy said.
After speaking, he ignored everyone and continued burying his head in his food.
This scene made everyone laugh.
Luffy really never forgets to eat, no matter the situation.
"Can I have an ability like that too?" Usopp asked curiously.
"I don’t know about that," Jimbei said, shaking his head.
"You don’t know how?"
"I don’t," Jimbei shrugged. "And my appetite isn’t that big either."
To be honest, he still hadn’t figured out how those guys could digest food so quickly.
"Seems like it’s a matter of talent, then," Usopp frowned.
After a moment of thought, Usopp turned to Luffy and said, "Luffy, can you tell me how you do it?"
Hearing this, Luffy paused his eating, then tilted his head with a piece of meat in his mouth and looked at Usopp. "You mean the ability to digest quickly?"
"Yes!"
"Just like this."
"Whoosh, and it’s digested!"
As he spoke, Luffy pointed to his stomach and demonstrated what Life Return was to everyone.
Usopp:
What kind of explanation is that, you jerk?!
Who could possibly learn from that?
Meanwhile, Meiser wore an indescribable expression. This unique way of explaining... it reminded him of something Naruto Uzumaki had done before.
"It seems this can only be understood through personal insight," Zoro said.
It probably can’t be taught.
Hearing Zoro’s words, Usopp sighed helplessly.
Personal insight?
That didn’t seem like an easy thing for him.
"If only we could capture that CP9 agent who knows Life Return," Meiser said, shaking off the strange thoughts in his head. "Then we could figure out the principles behind this move."
"That’s probably not going to happen," Sanji said, shaking his head.
Those CP9 agents had already been defeated by them, and whether they survived was uncertain. So, Sanji didn’t think they’d encounter them again.
This time, Meiser just nodded without saying anything more.
"By the way, Uncle Neptune," Chopper looked up at Neptune and asked, "What’s the deal with that Energy Steroid? How did the Hody Pirates get their hands on something like that?"
"Energy Steroid..."
As soon as he heard the words "Energy Steroid," Neptune’s cheerful expression immediately turned serious.
After a moment of silence, Neptune said, "It’s a terrifying banned drug that was sealed away. Although it can temporarily enhance a person’s strength, it consumes a significant amount of their lifespan."
"Trading lifespan for power..." Nami said. "That sounds so evil..."
This so-called Energy Steroid gave her the feeling of making a deal with a demon.
"Exactly, it is evil!" Neptune affirmed with a nod. "That’s why it was classified as a banned drug."
After a pause, Neptune sighed and continued, "As for how the Hody Pirates obtained it... they likely stole it from Ryugu Palace ten years ago."
At the time, it was stored inside the Jewelry Box.
As for how Hody entered the Treasure Vault... he had no idea.
"So, this was something from your Ryugu Palace all along?" Meiser said in surprise.
"Yes."
Neptune openly admitted, "This item has indeed been passed down from the past."
"But it’s far too dangerous, so we never dared to use it."
"Then how did Hody know about its effects?" Usopp asked curiously.
"I have no idea."
Neptune shook his head. How could he possibly know where Hody obtained that information?
As for questioning him?
How could they question someone who was already dead?
After sighing quietly, Neptune said, "In any case... I’ve decided to destroy this item so that such a situation won’t happen again."
False power is ultimately false, so Neptune had no intention of keeping it.
Just then, the voice of a Fishman soldier echoed through the corridor, sounding extremely urgent.
"Your Majesty King Neptune, where are you?"
Hearing the soldier’s voice, Neptune turned and called out, "I’m here."
Upon hearing the response, the Fishman soldier’s face lit up with relief, and he immediately ran toward Neptune’s location.
Upon entering the balcony, the Fishman soldier said, "Finally, I’ve found you, King Neptune."
"What’s the matter? Why the panic?"
"Just now, we received news that someone escaped through the Connection Corridor," the Fishman soldier reported. "The Minister of the Right suspects this person is the thief who emptied the Treasure Vault!"
"The thief..."
Neptune frowned upon hearing this, clearly not expecting the thief to be so bold.
Didn’tt he fear that Neptune would send people to search Ryugu Palace and capture him?
"Was the Connection Corridor not closed?" Meiser asked in surprise.
"It wasn’t," the Fishman soldier replied, shaking his head.
Due to the welcome for the Straw Hat Pirates, their Connection Corridor had remained open, which was how the thief managed to leave directly.
After a moment of thought, Neptune asked, "Was anyone injured?"
"No," the Fishman soldier said. "The thief fled immediately without any conflict."
"As long as no one was hurt, that’s fine," Neptune sighed in relief.
He truly didn’t want to see anyone else injured at this point.
"Your Majesty King Neptune?"
Seeing that Neptune showed no intention of pursuing the matter, the Fishman soldier’s eyes filled with confusion.
Shouldn’t they be sending people to chase the thief now? Why was King Neptune...
"It’s fine. Let the thief go," Neptune said. "As long as no one was hurt, that’s what matters."
"But Your Majesty, that was the entire treasure of Ryugu Palace!" the Fishman soldier exclaimed anxiously. "Are we just going to let them take it?"
At these words, Nami, who had been lost in thought, suddenly perked up.
The entire treasure of Ryugu Palace?
Huh?
Huh!!
"Let it go," Neptune waved his hand dismissively. "Treasures are ultimately just worldly possessions."
"Besides... the situation on Fish-Man Island is quite special right now. Even if we wanted to catch the thief, it wouldn’t be easy, would it?"
With tens of thousands of human pirates currently on the island, that meant a large number of pirate ships would be leaving Fish-Man Island!!
Under such circumstances... how could they possibly catch the thief?
"This..."
The Fish-Man soldier’s expression turned somewhat grim, but since King Neptune had spoken, he said nothing more.
"The money will come eventually," Prince Fukaboshi said.
"Yes, I understand."
"Speaking of which... how did that thief get in?" Jimbei asked curiously. "I remember that Ryugu Palace can’t be entered unless the gates are open."
Could it be that Hody and his men forgot to close the main gate after they left?
"The main gate wasn’t opened, but the tower of Ryugu Palace was somehow cleaved open," the Fish-Man soldier explained. "I suspect the thief entered the palace interior from there."
Upon hearing this, Zoro’s expression immediately became somewhat subtle.
"To cleave an entire building open?" Neptune said in astonishment. "Could the thief be a powerful swordsman?"
A swordsman capable of such a feat is no ordinary one.
"No, that was done by this guy," Pappag said, pointing at Zoro. "He cleaved the entire building open with a single slash to escape."
Zoro: ?
Hearing Pappag’s words, several question marks instantly popped up above Zoro’s head.
Then, somewhat annoyed, he knocked Pappag on the head and said, "Just pin it all on that guy! You dumb starfish!"
"Absolutely not!"
Rubbing his head, Pappag declared, "Lying is the beginning of theft, so I absolutely refuse!"
Zoro:
Is there really such a saying?
"So it was you who cut it open," Neptune said, looking at Zoro with surprise. He hadn’t expected this swordsman to possess such strength.
Then, he waved his hand with a smile and said, "It’s fine. If it’s cut open, it’s cut open. We’ll just repair it later."
However, Neptune’s attitude instead made Zoro feel somewhat embarrassed.
"Then maybe I should..."
"It’s fine. Repairing a building is nothing to us," Neptune said.
Compared to what the Straw Hat Pirates had done for their Fish-Man Island... what was a mere building?
Seeing Neptune’s insistence, Zoro didn’t press further.
"I’ll handle this matter," Prince Fukaboshi said. "I’ll arrange for someone to take care of it right away."
With that, Prince Fukaboshi turned and left.
Seeing this, Neptune smiled, then turned to the Fish-Man soldier and said, "You may go to the banquet hall. Remember to enjoy yourself."
"Yes, Your Majesty King Neptune!"
The Fish-Man soldier nodded upon receiving the order, then quickly left with his weapon.
Watching him depart, Neptune’s gaze gradually grew somewhat melancholic.
Although the treasure was gone, as long as Fish-Man Island was saved, that was what mattered.
"Wait a minute, Uncle Neptune!"
Nami, who had just snapped out of some fantasy, walked up to Neptune with shining eyes and said, "You just said all the treasure in Ryugu Palace was stolen, right?"
"Yes."
Seeing Nami’s gleaming eyes, Luffy and Zoro immediately widened their eyes and said, "I suddenly have a bad feeling..."
Ignoring the two of them, Nami looked seriously at Neptune and said, "That’s the treasure of an entire kingdom! Aren’t you going to pursue him?"
"The safety of the citizens is most important," Neptune said. "So... treasure isn’t that significant."
"It’s very significant, hey!"
After saying that, Nami paused for a moment, then her eyes turned into the shape of money as she said, "Then, if we can retrieve the treasure..."
"You can have it all," Neptune said. "Being able to give these things to you is also a good thing for us."
After all... the Straw Hat Pirates are the saviors who rescued Fish-Man Island!
"Really?!"
"Really!"
"That’s fantastic!" Nami exclaimed excitedly. freewebnøvel.coɱ
The treasure of Ryugu Palace... must be an astronomical amount!
Thinking of this, Nami grew even more excited.
Then, she turned to Meiser and said, "Meiser, your clones should be able to find that guy, right?" frёewebnoѵēl.com
"If I release more clones, finding him shouldn’t be too difficult, but..." Meiser looked at Nami with a complicated expression and said, "Nami, we’re not short on money."
They currently had assets close to a hundred billion, with Berries alone amounting to tens of billions.
Was there really a need to keep going?
"What do you know?" Nami rolled her eyes at Meiser. "There’s no such thing as too much money."
"Alright, stop fussing. Uncle Neptune has already agreed to give it to us, so hurry up."
"And... Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, you three go with Meiser!"
The named individuals twitched their eyelids slightly. Why did they feel so conflicted at a time like this?
But after seeing Nami’s clenched fist, Zoro decisively chose to follow his heart.
"Ah..."
"It’s my honor to retrieve the treasure for Miss Nami!" Sanji said, twisting his body.
Jimbei, who took in everyone’s reactions, was rendered speechless.
Then, he thought to himself, ’Why does it feel like everyone is a bit afraid of Nami...
Is it just my imagination?’
"I’ll have Hordy take you there," Neptune said.
Hearing this, Meiser glanced at Merry and, noticing the little one’s belly was still round and full, reluctantly nodded and said, "Then we’ll trouble you."
Merry was too full to go with them, so it was better for them to go alone.
"Hordy!"
Hearing the call, Hordy rushed over from the end of the corridor, shouting his catchphrase as he came.
"Hordy!"
"Hordy, take them down," Neptune said.
"Hordy!"
Receiving the order, Hordy nodded, then walked over to Meiser and the others, smiling as he gestured for them to ride him down. Soon, the four of them, riding on Hordy, disappeared from sight.
"What should we do now?" Merry looked up at Nami and asked.
"Of course, we wait."
Nami said, "Wait for them to bring the treasure back."
"Oh!"
Since she didn’t need to do anything, she decided to lie down again and digest her food.
Thinking this, Merry walked over to Usopp and lay down on the ground beside him.
"What about the Log Pose issue?" Perona asked.
"I’ll take care of that," Neptune said. "Meiser has already spoken to me about this. I’ll send someone to deliver the Log Pose later."
Hearing Neptune’s words, smiles appeared on Perona and Nami’s faces.
"So reliable!"
Well done, Meiser!
This way, all they had to do was wait.
"Alright, I won’t disturb your rest any longer." Neptune turned and walked toward the exit, adding, "I’ll go have another drink."
With that, the seemingly easygoing, portly uncle swayed his way out of the room.
However, not long after he left, he encountered an unexpected person.
"You are... Nico Robin of the Straw Hat Crew, right?" Neptune smiled as he looked at Nico Robin standing in the vast corridor. "Why aren’t you continuing with the banquet?"
"I came to find you," Nico Robin replied. "Let’s talk alone."
Neptune was taken aback by her words. Alone? Why would she want to speak with him?
Wait... Could it be that she had taken a liking to him?
At this thought, Neptune immediately waved his hands and said, "Miss... let me make it clear beforehand. I already have a wife, Otohime, whom I’ve sworn to love for life, so I have no intention of..."
"Who is Joy Boy?"
As soon as these words were spoken, Neptune, who had been rambling, immediately fell silent. A flicker of shock appeared in his eyes. "You... why do you know that name?" Neptune stared at Nico Robin in astonishment.
Wasn’t this a name known only to a select few?
"Because I can read the Poneglyphs," Nico Robin said calmly. "And that name is what I saw on the stone in the Sea Forest."
"Who exactly was he apologizing to?"
"You can actually read that?" Neptune exclaimed in shock. "You..."
"I am a survivor of Ohara," Nico Robin explained. "That’s why I can read the Poneglyphs."
"Ohara..."
Hearing these three words, Neptune’s eyes glazed over briefly before he murmured, "So you’re a survivor of Ohara..."
No wonder she could read the Poneglyphs.
"That’s right," Nico Robin nodded. "So... can you tell me what this is all about?"
"Of course, if you’d rather not say, you don’t have to."
Although she was deeply curious about this matter, she wouldn’t force someone to reveal what they didn’t wish to share.
Neptune fell silent for a moment upon hearing this, then replied with a complicated expression, "No, if it’s for you all, there’s no harm in speaking about it."
With that, Neptune turned and gestured toward a large room nearby. "Come, let’s talk inside."
What he was about to say was of great importance, so it couldn’t be overheard by too many people.
"Alright."
Nico Robin didn’t refuse and obediently followed him into the massive room.
"This matter is a long story," Neptune said, sitting on a large bubble with a complex expression. "Because it traces back eight hundred years... no, more accurately, to the Void Century."
"And Joy Boy was a real human who existed during that Void Century."
"To put it bluntly, we don’t really know what kind of person he was. We only know that he existed."
"And that inscription... was written by him to the Mermaid Princess of this island at the time."
"It was his apology for failing to keep the promise he made with Fish-Man Island."
"A promise?"
Nico Robin, who had been deep in thought, was taken aback by the question, then asked in confusion, "What promise?"
"I’m not sure about that either," Neptune shook his head and said, "Because the details haven’t been passed down. All we know is that it’s related to Noah."
After finishing his words, Neptune paused for a moment before continuing, "However... although the specific details have not been passed down, I believe that one day, someone will appear who can fulfill the promise in place of Joy Boy."
"This is the legend that has been passed down through generations of our royal family."
"This is also why we are willing to protect Noah from generation to generation."
When the person who fulfills the promise appears, Noah will truly reveal its purpose!
At that time... the Fish-Man race will finally be able to live on land.
"Noah..."
Recalling the massive ship that Meiser had moved using the Water Release Technique earlier, Nico Robin said, "How is that ship, which is half the size of Fish-Man Island, powered?"
"Is it driven by the power of the Sea Kings?"
"Did Joy Boy possess such power?"
"No, not at all." Neptune shook his head and said, "The one who possessed this power was the Mermaid Princess from eight hundred years ago."
"The Mermaid Princess..."
Listening to Neptune’s explanation, Nico Robin seemed to understand something and said, "Could it be that Princess Shirahoshi..."
"Yes."
Neptune sighed and said, "Shirahoshi also possesses this power."
To be honest, he truly did not wish for his daughter to awaken such power, as it would inevitably draw unwanted attention!
Thinking of this, Neptune let out a deep sigh.
"No wonder the Hody Pirates targeted Princess Shirahoshi," Nico Robin murmured.
Now she understood why the Hody Pirates were so intent on killing Princess Shirahoshi—it was all because they feared that girl’s power!
Summoning the Sea Kings...
Such power could easily destroy an island."
"Indeed."
"That guy feared Shirahoshi’s power so much that he wanted to use the lives of the four of us to lure her out," Neptune said. "If it weren’t for all of you, we would truly be dead."
As he spoke, a look of gratitude immediately appeared on Neptune’s face.
"Thank you..."
He genuinely thanked the Straw Hat Crew from the bottom of his heart.
Upon hearing this, Nico Robin shook her head, indicating that he should not dwell on such matters.
After all... neither Luffy nor Meiser seemed to care much about it, right?
Then, Nico Robin said, "Two years ago, when I was on Sky Island, I saw a description of the Ancient Weapon."
"And the location indicated by that Poneglyph is right here!"
"Combined with what you said earlier..."
"I believe the name of this Ancient Weapon originates from the Mermaid Princess from eight hundred years ago."
"And that name is... Sea King Poseidon!"
Listening to Nico Robin’s words, Neptune closed his eyes in pain.
"Yes. Sea King Poseidon..." Neptune said with anguish. "Who would have thought Shirahoshi would awaken this power?"
If possible, he wished his daughter were just an ordinary mermaid.
Perhaps sensing Neptune’s thoughts, Nico Robin said, "Fear is useless, King Neptune."
"Moreover, for this country, Princess Shirahoshi awakening this power is not a bad thing."
"While that may be true, but..." Neptune said, "Young lady, aside from being the king of this country, I am also a father."
Upon hearing this, Nico Robin immediately fell silent.
Indeed, from the other’s perspective, this matter might not be a good thing.
However...
"King Neptune, have you ever considered one question?"
"What question?"
"The Mermaid Princess has already appeared, so... what about Joy Boy?" Nico Robin looked at Neptune seriously as she spoke earnestly. "Will he also appear in this era?"
Hearing Nico Robin’s words, Neptune was instantly shocked, his eyes widening.
Yes, in the previous era, Joy Boy and the Mermaid Princess appeared simultaneously. What about this era?
Would they appear together as well?
If they appear together... does that mean the moment Fish-Man Island has been waiting for has already arrived?
Thinking this, Neptune turned to look at the sea outside, his gaze growing profound.
"Perhaps... you are right!"
