Chapter 122: Is This the Golden Sparkle?!
The banquet square buzzed with excitement. Everyone was celebrating—except Luo Han's table, which remained unusually quiet.
Aside from Cole, the others were all shocked by Luo Han's latest leap in strength. Each time, it came without warning: a sudden breakthrough in his Devil Fruit ability, followed by a massive jump in power. They were used to it by now—numb to it, even.
But this time felt different.
From what Luo Han had said, this new breakthrough was similar to how he'd awakened his Devil Fruit powers as a child. That meant this upgrade would likely surpass anything they had seen before. Hence their awe.
Of course, for the girl who could glimpse the future—Toki—this was no surprise. But lately, she'd developed a new obsession: a love for spoilers.
Like now.
"Hey! Luo Han, Luo Han! Is this where the golden sparkle appears?!" she exclaimed excitedly.
"What golden sparkle? Toki, did you see something again?" Aishi perked up. "Hehe, tell us!"
Spoon-jie, Sora, even Cole and Tucker leaned in, ears perked. Everyone was curious.
Toki, smug with the attention, lifted her chin and narrowed her eyes, basking in that "I-know-something-you-don't" moment. The expectation in everyone's gaze made her feel like she'd reached the peak of life.
"Alright, it's—"
THWACK!
Before she could finish, Luo Han smacked her face into the table with a flick of telekinesis.
"You! Stop spoiling everything! And stop using your ability to peek into the future!" he snapped coldly. "Or else… find your own way back to Wano!"
Ever since she had refused to go to Whitebeard, she'd been constantly peeking ahead and leaking spoilers—a habit Luo Han now deeply regretted letting slide.
Everyone fell silent. It was clear Luo Han didn't want to talk about it anymore, so they quietly resumed eating and drinking. The party picked up again.
…
While Luo Han and the others partied, word of their return to Battleship Island reached both Garp and Roger.
And as if fate were playing tricks, the two people who had unresolved tensions with Luo Han made the same decision—head immediately to Battleship Island.
The first miracle of the new world was about to unfold.
—
The next morning, atop the same peak as yesterday, Luo Han sat bathed in the golden light of dawn. His eyes were closed as he recalled the essence—the aura—he had sensed from Golden Lion's slash.
"Aura and power… they can be transformed. Or maybe… every object has its own aura. They coexist."
He remembered what he saw on Frenzy Island. The fragrant aura had surged into the tiger's brain the moment it locked eyes with the stag. Physically, the madness stemmed from the scent—but mentally, it was the aura that drove the animal wild.
He returned to his core question: how could he implant aura into someone else and make it work?
Before, aura couldn't move because it lacked form. Like Perona's Hollow-Hollow Fruit—no one had seen a "ghost" before, so its ability didn't resonate. But once the world gave it form, gave it shape, it could affect people directly.
Luo Han realized: if he could give aura a tangible image—like the form of a slash or a scent—he could guide it.
With that in mind, he began experimenting, first by using his spiritual sense to scan the island for emotional auras—starting with people.
As his spiritual sense spread, the morning lives of the residents came into focus… and immediately burned his eyes. He expected to see heartwarming scenes of families eating breakfast. Instead—
Early morning… vigorous adult activity between couples.
Oh come on! Luo Han, still a virgin, felt deeply traumatized.
"Don't these people sleep at night?! Why the morning?!" he grumbled. Of course, the ever-naive Luo Han had no idea what "morning cardio" actually meant.
Still, he didn't close his spiritual sense. Within that intense activity, a particular aura burned brightly—one that reminded him of fire.
"Hm? Fire… interesting. Let's try this."
He recorded the aura and pulled his sense back, ending the short (and painful) observation.
"This… must be the legendary Flame of Desire!"
He opened his hand. A small, orange-yellow flame appeared, glowing softly with a faint pink light.
It was incredible. Once Luo Han understood the concept of giving aura a form, it came to him naturally. All auras now manifested as flame—probably because it was the first form he chose.
"But wait… what if I try this?"
The flame vanished from his hand and reappeared in his spiritual domain. Now it wasn't just visible in the real world—it could exist in the spiritual one as well. This meant he could stealthily implant aura into others without them knowing.
"Let's see if it works."
His spiritual sense activated again. He found a middle-aged couple resting post-exercise, now in "sage mode."
Whoosh! With a thought, a flame of desire appeared before them—unseen, of course. Then he split it into two, guiding one into each person's body.
Just like Perona's ghosts, the effect was instant. The couple immediately went at it again.
Pulling back his sense, Luo Han was ecstatic. Next, he would test something else. If it worked… he'd be headed down a very peculiar path.
"Kyoka suigetsu ," he murmured, merging his mind with his spiritual sense.
The flame of desire hovered in his mind's eye. Gradually, it darkened in color, its light growing more concentrated.
"Success!" Luo Han beamed. He summoned it into the physical world—a flame even stronger than before, glowing pink so bright it could blind.
"Hahaha! Hahahahaha!!" Luo Han's laughter echoed across the mountaintop, going on for minutes.
This new aura manipulation had massive potential.
With the help of Kyoka suigetsu , he could now not only alter and amplify aura—he could weaponize emotional extremes like Perona's Hollow-Hollow Fruit. But unlike her, he could induce any extreme: desire, sorrow, fear—anything.
And then there was what Toki had called the "golden sparkle."
Luo Han's eyes sharpened. Whoosh! A spear-like ancient weapon flew into his hand from a distant home.
Ever since his mind power had broken through, Luo Han had begun sensing a wide range of previously undetectable auras—like the fragrance on Frenzy Island or the essence in Golden Lion's slash.
(END CHAPTER)
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