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Chapter 64 - "The Golden Bell Tolls, The Pure Gold Calls."

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"The woman of the King of the World, huh? Gotta say, that's got a nice ring to it."Logan nodded with satisfaction, clearly pleased by Robin's new title for him.

Robin suddenly looked straight at him, her lips curling into a teasing smile."Captain, you've got so many women… where do I rank in your heart?"

She said it casually, but honestly, which woman wouldn't want to know the answer?

Logan froze.Ah, the classic death trap question.

"What's wrong, Captain? Is that one too hard to answer?" Robin purred as her long, silky legs brushed lightly against his.

Logan raised a hand, stopping her little game with a smile. "Of course it's you."

Smack!

The sharp sound echoed, and Robin's hips jolted slightly from the impact.

Her face flushed bright red as she instantly stopped teasing him, falling silent.

Logan's grin turned playful. "What's this? Out of tricks already?"

"Captain, I was wrong. I won't do it again," Robin said quickly, lowering her voice and giving in.

There was no one else around, but she still didn't dare push him further.If the other girls saw, she'd never live it down.

She was the so-called Demon's Child, after all—she had her pride!

Logan pointed to his cheek. Robin instantly understood and leaned closer.

A soft, warm touch followed.

She pecked his cheek like a shy bird. "Captain, I really know I was wrong. Please forgive me this time."

Feeling quite pleased with himself, Logan pretended to act stern."Fine. Just this once."

"Thank you, Captain." Robin stuck her tongue out playfully and slid her arm through his like it was second nature.

Logan gave her a sideways glance. He hadn't expected the usually cool, distant Robin to have such a cute side.He liked it—a lot.He'd definitely have to train her more later.

"Alright, back to business." Logan pushed aside his playful thoughts and turned to face the massive Golden Bell before them.

For hundreds of years, that bell—carrying the faith and dreams of so many—had been silent.It was time it rang again.

Logan clenched his fist and struck out toward the bell.Armament Haki surged outward, rippling invisibly through the air—

Then—

DONG! DONG! DONG!

The deep, powerful toll echoed across the sky.

Far away in the Hidden Cloud Village, Wapol suddenly looked up toward the sound, tears welling in his eyes.The promise they made to Noland… finally fulfilled.

Meanwhile, ten thousand meters below, on Jaya Island—

The moment that solemn, distant ringing reached their ears, the people below froze.

"The Golden Bell! That's the sound of the Golden Bell!""You hear that?! Someone's rung it!""Hahaha—so the legend was real after all!""Our ancestors were right! Sky Island really exists!"

The island erupted in tears and laughter.For them, this was a day that would be remembered for generations.

Eventually, the sound faded, fading into the clouds.

"They must be so moved right now," Robin said softly.

Even her calm heart rippled a little at the bell's echo.

"Maybe," Logan said with a faint smile. "But now… it's our loot."

With a wave of his hand, he stored the Golden Bell and two massive golden pillars into his system warehouse.

"Let's go grab the rest of the gold."

When Logan and Robin returned, the girls were busy hauling huge, bulging bags of gold back to the ship.

Even though they'd packed a ton, it was barely a fraction of what remained.

Watching them sweat and laugh, Logan chuckled."Alright, everyone, clean up. We're heading out."

"Aye, Captain!""Coming, Logan!"

One after another, the girls responded cheerfully.

Logan collected the remaining gold into the system, and with the bell and pillars added in, the total haul easily reached hundreds of billions.

Jackpot.

"LOGAN!!!"

Before he could even celebrate, Nami's shout rang out.

Everyone turned to see a massive golden ship—the Ark Maxim—cutting through the sky with thunder crackling around it.

"Where's the gold?! Logan, you said this was the City of Gold!""How come there's nothing here?!""Where did my gold go?!"

She was practically shaking as she looked around—only to find a ruined city and not a single golden brick.

The other girls covered their mouths, giggling.

"Let's go," Logan said casually. "I'll explain on the way."

Without waiting for more questions, he stored the golden ark and ushered everyone back onto their ship.

With a roar of the engines, the Sky Island adventure came to an end.

Over the next few days, Logan truly came to appreciate the perks of having an all-female crew.

After Conis and Raki officially joined, he didn't even have to talk them into anything—the other girls did it for him.Before long, the two had completely opened up and decided to face whatever challenges lay ahead together.

Sisters united could cut through gold.

They were confident they could live up to Logan's expectations.

…Two hours later, both were exhausted and lying flat.

"Claim rewards." Logan lounged on the sofa in the luxury suite, legs crossed.

[Congratulations, Host! You have recruited crew member Conis. Reward: Navy Six Powers Training Manual.]

[Congratulations, Host! You have recruited crew member Raki. Reward: Information on the location of Pure Gold.]

Navy Six Powers manual? Meh.

Pure gold? Also meh—

Wait. Pure gold?!

Logan shot up from the couch.

He checked the message again just to be sure.

[Congratulations, Host! You have obtained the location of Pure Gold.]

His eyes gleamed brighter than ever.

Pure gold. The real thing.

A metal said to grant eternal youth, halting one's growth and aging entirely—the single greatest treasure in the entire pirate world.Even the Celestial Dragons coveted it.

Logan took a deep breath, recalling the old legend.

Two centuries ago, the scientist Misqueena Acier had a daughter, Olga, dying of a rare illness.To save her, Acier and his wife created a mysterious metal known as pure gold.

After wearing a ring made from it, Olga recovered completely—and went on living for over two hundred years.Even now, her appearance remained exactly the same as it had been back then.

But their miracle drew greed.Pirates learned of Acier's creation, and tragedy followed.Olga's mother was murdered, and Olga and her father were swallowed—along with half their island—by a creature called Lord Lantern.

From that day on, pure gold vanished into legend.

Even Logan, calm as he usually was, couldn't help feeling a rush of excitement.

To him, pure gold wasn't just about eternal youth or immortality—it was about power.

In this world, even the strongest warriors had their peak.Age dulled everyone eventually—reflexes, endurance, everything.

But if he could lock his body at its peak with pure gold, he'd never decline.He'd only keep growing stronger.

Originally, he'd planned to head for Water 7 next.That could wait.First, he was getting that pure gold.

The moment the system finished speaking, a virtual map appeared in his mind—a blinking red dot somewhere along the Grand Line, constantly shifting.

Had to be Lord Lantern.

"Gotcha," Logan murmured, a grin slowly spreading across his face. "You won't escape me this time."

Pure gold… was his for the taking.

The next morning, Logan changed course.At their current speed, they'd reach Lord Lantern's waters in three days.

The day began, as usual, with "bonding time" with the girls.After several hours of "poker," everyone gathered in the café lounge.

It was the coziest spot on the ship besides the training room—spacious, bright, and relaxed.

Kaya and Robin were lounging on rocking chairs with books in hand.Conis and Raki, the newest members, were learning how to make coffee from Sara, Golden Week, and Miss Valentine.

Meanwhile, Vivi and Nami were both resting with their heads in Logan's lap, eyes closed peacefully.The others were busy with their own things, the atmosphere calm and domestic.

Logan glanced around the room, taking it all in.

Vivi, Nami, Tashigi, Makino, Robin, Kalifa, Kaya, Nojiko, Golden Week, Miss Valentine, Sara, Conis, Raki—thirteen story heroines he'd somehow managed to recruit.

He couldn't help but think… what would they look like when they got older?

In this world, beauty faded fast.The moment a woman aged, it was like her entire aura vanished.

Just look at Big Mom, or Gloriosa the former Empress of Amazon Lily, or even Bakkin—all of them had once been breathtaking beauties.Now… well, best not to describe it.

Once he got the pure gold, he was making sure every one of his girls had some.

Two days passed peacefully.

Along the way, Logan took the girls to a few islands.With their newfound wealth, they shopped like crazy, buying all kinds of rare and ridiculous trinkets.

Money was no issue now.

Logan himself picked up a few dozen hollow rings—just in case.Once he got the pure gold, he'd hide bits of it inside the rings so each girl could wear one.Bathed in the light of pure gold, their beauty would never fade.

By the third morning, after an intense training session and a hot shower, Logan walked into the café.

All the girls were sitting together, chattering in low voices, sneaking glances at him, faces flushed.

Logan raised an eyebrow. "What are you all talking about? I swear I heard my name."

They turned toward him, their cheeks pink.

"What's going on?" Logan asked, confused.

Could they all be thinking the same thing? No way—probably not.

"Logan," Kaya said softly, blushing as she leaned into his chest. "We all know already. Stop hiding it and show us."

Logan blinked. "Show you what? What are you even talking about?"

Nami crossed her arms, smirking. "Don't play dumb. I saw you yesterday—you were out buying rings."

"Are you… planning to propose to us?"

"Ahhh—"

All the girls clasped their faces in their hands, eyes sparkling dreamily as they imagined the scene.

"Logan, is it true?" Vivi asked with wide, hopeful eyes.

Every woman's happiest moment…

The others looked just as expectant, breath held, cheeks flushed.

Logan sighed.

Women's drama, honestly.

He'd only bought the rings to hold pure gold.

Still, with all those hopeful eyes staring at him, he could only sigh again, then pull out thirteen beautiful rings.

The girls gasped in unison.

Their faces turned the color of ripe apples.

"Captain, I want one!"

"Me too, Logan!"

"Give me one first!"

"No, I want the first one!"

Logan laughed helplessly and handed them out—one for each.

They slipped the rings onto their fingers, admiring the sparkle under the light.

"Thank you, Captain! It's gorgeous!"

"Logan, look—it fits perfectly!"

"Logan, I love it!"

Logan smiled faintly.If only they knew what really made those rings special.

The girls' reactions were exactly what Logan expected.

Those rings were the most expensive ones in the whole shop—he'd dropped a serious amount of Berries on them.

Still, seeing how much the girls liked them made it totally worth it.

"Logan…" Kaya bit her lip softly, swaying his arm with both hands.

Logan: …

Her odd behavior immediately made Logan suspicious.

After spending so much time together, he'd gotten a solid read on all their personalities.

Girls like Sara, Karumen, and Nami were the bold, passionate type—if they felt something, they'd say it without holding back.

On the other hand, Makino, Nojiko, and Miss Valentine were the "shy but willing" type—they'd sneak over and confess quietly when no one else was around.

But Kaya, Vivi, and Tashigi were the real bashful ones. When they got flustered… they'd clam up completely, just like Kaya was doing now.

Still, their eyes, their breathing—those subtle, physical tells—made their thoughts impossible to hide.

The rising wave of hormones filling the café, combined with Kaya's unusual reaction, made the once noisy group suddenly fall silent.

They all looked at Logan, swallowing hard.

They'd gone in around noon and didn't step back out until eight in the evening.

After activating his healing ability, Logan once again felt refreshed and recharged.

By the time he walked out of the room, the airship had already reached the stretch of sea where Lord Lantern resided.

"Captain, what are we doing out here?!" Tashigi asked, glancing around at the empty ocean with confusion written all over her face.

The other girls frowned too.

Over the past few days, they'd all noticed Logan acting… unusually tense.

It was the first time any of them had seen him this worked up.

Even when he'd stumbled across mountains of gold, Logan had only looked mildly surprised.

So what could possibly be out here that was even more valuable than gold?

"You'll find out soon enough." Logan gave them a teasing smile, clearly enjoying keeping them in suspense.

He focused on the virtual map that only he could see—the red dot on it was glowing brighter and brighter.

It wasn't far now. The only weird thing was that the red dot kept shifting position.

Logan frowned. "Still trying to run around this late at night, huh? Just wait till I catch you…" he muttered under his breath.

"....."

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