Chapter 143: The Human-Human Fruit Appears
While the CP0 Commander and his three lieutenants battled Rocks with all their might, the slick-haired Admiral and the Diamond Admiral descended into the crater left by Rocks' earlier attack.
In the dim morning light, they saw it—what remained of a charred body, still smoking, lying motionless at the center. Waves of residual heat shimmered from the ground.
This was the tragic result of the "Life Return – Burning Life" technique. When faced with an unstoppable attack, the user's body instinctively burns their entire remaining lifespan in an instant to temporarily amplify physical strength. If the user survives, the aftershock alone often reduces their body to ashes.
Former Admiral Gildarts had met exactly such a fate. The first Admiral-level casualty of the battle.
Thud! The slick-haired Admiral dropped to his knees beside the charred corpse. His usually jovial face was now twisted in pain, eyes brimming with tears as he muttered,
"Gildarts…"
The Diamond Admiral remained silent. His cold gaze betrayed a buried grief. After a moment, he stepped beside his comrade and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Come on, Kaide. Rocks is still up there. If we let him reach the palace, then Gildarts' death will be for nothing."
Kaide slowly rose to his feet. The sorrow on his tear-streaked face hardened into determination.
"I know, Salas. I won't let Rocks win."
After one last glance at their fallen comrade, the two rocketed out of the crater toward the raging battlefield.
…
Meanwhile, the battle between Golden Lion's group and Rocks' original crew had pushed dangerously close to the massive palace. The noise was so intense, the Celestial Dragons inside the palace had awoken—confused and furious.
They stormed the hall, demanding answers from the CP0 Commander.
"What's going on out there?! Why is it so loud?! Go kill those noisy scum immediately!"
They had no idea the Rocks Pirates had arrived on the island. The sun had just risen, and most of them were still groggy from sleep when the battle shook them awake.
The CP0 Commander could only sigh and relay the situation—minus one critical detail. He didn't mention the Five Elders' secret order: that the Celestial Dragons were expendable if necessary.
"What?! Pirates on this sacred island—our haven?!"
"You're joking, right?! It's been over an hour and those filthy rats still aren't dead?! Even with three Admirals and several CP0 elites?"
The hall erupted in rage. The Celestial Dragons couldn't fathom the idea that anyone would dare defy them.
"Enough!" snapped the leader among them, silencing the others. He marched to the CP0 Commander.
"Take me outside. I want to see what kind of trash dares defile this place. This island is known only to us Celestial Dragons!"
The CP0 Commander panicked. The battle sounds were drawing closer, and he didn't need more complications. He pleaded, "Please, sir. It's extremely dangerous outside. These pirates are incredibly powerful. The Navy is on its way—soon they'll be eliminated. You'll be free to punish them yourself."
But his words only enraged them further.
"You mean to say we—the gods—should hide from these mongrels? Huh?!"
The leader's face twisted with fury. "We are the ones to be revered. They should be hiding from us!"
The CP0 Commander lowered his head in frustration. "Sir, the Five Elders instructed that you remain here until reinforcements arrive."
"Enough! Don't mention the Five Elders to me. CP0 serves us, the Celestial Dragons! Now take me outside—now!"
He stormed off, followed by the other Celestial Dragons.
Damn it… the CP0 Commander cursed silently, following after. What a headache... Years of being treated like gods had warped their perception of reality—they couldn't even grasp danger anymore.
When they reached the palace exterior, they didn't see any "vermin." Only the warped shimmer of a powerful energy barrier surrounding the entire building. From inside, the outside appeared distorted—like peering through flowing water. It was even slightly nauseating to look at too long.
The battle noise now echoed like thunder, and tremors could be felt beneath their feet. Some of the Celestial Dragons began to feel a creeping sense of fear—but their arrogance wouldn't let them acknowledge it.
"Open this thing! I want to see what kind of filth dares to offend the gods!" barked the leader. He had to dispel this creeping fear, even if just through rage.
The CP0 Commander reluctantly used his Observation Haki to check the battlefield. With no sign of Rocks nearby, he cautiously opened a five-meter gap in the barrier to allow the Celestial Dragons to see.
At that very moment—
"Oh? It opened. Heh." Luo Han's eyes lit up.
Hearing him laugh, Whitebeard turned. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing," Luo Han waved it off. He didn't have time to explain. His spiritual sense had already darted through the gap—extending deep into the palace.
Let's see what Rocks has been after all this time...
Excited, Luo Han's spirit roamed the palace interior.
The structure was massive—roughly 10 kilometers in diameter. It wasn't a complex with courtyards, but a single enormous domed building filled with enormous rooms. Every room was stacked with gold, silver, jewels, scrolls, and ancient texts.
But that wasn't the real shock.
Below the palace, hidden behind a secret chamber, was a vault equal in size to the palace itself—overflowing with gold and treasure.
But Luo Han didn't care about riches. He was sure that wasn't what Rocks wanted. Something else—something mysterious—had drawn him here.
Then, as his spiritual sense swept through another room, his eyes lit up with uncontrollable joy.
He found a box containing three Devil Fruits and a rolled-up nautical chart.
What caught his attention first was the map—depicting the approximate location of Wano Country.
Finally! Luo Han had been struggling to find a way to send Amatsuki back. This was the breakthrough he needed.
But the real treasure... was one of the Devil Fruits.
One of them had the unmistakable appearance of the Human-Human Fruit.
Luo Han had memorized the description from the Devil Fruit encyclopedia long ago—ever since he began searching for a way to help Little Huan, the Divine Tree, be reborn.
A yellow, banana-shaped fruit with green humanoid markings—it was unmistakable.
He didn't know what model it was yet, but that didn't matter.
Just knowing it was a Human-Human Fruit was enough.
(END CHAPTER)
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