Chapter 180: Shaki's Rip-Off Bar
"That's right! This is the Blue Demon brand stone brick, co-launched by our company and the great pirate of the New World—Blue Demon! Legend says the mighty Lord Blue Demon possesses unmatched durability. Back in the day, when he fought Fleet Admiral Kong…"
As he spoke, Les began rubbing his hands together in an exaggerated motion.
"Just like this, Admiral Kong rubbed against him for ten days and ten nights without even scratching a flake of Lord Blue Demon's dandruff. That just shows how incredibly wear-resistant he is!"
At this point, Luo Han's face had gone completely dark. Aishi and the others were tightly covering their mouths, but muffled laughter still escaped.
Les seemed oblivious to their expressions, lost in his own world. "And of course, that battle also proved that Lord Blue Demon's stamina is top-tier—ten days and ten nights!"
"So, if you buy our Blue Demon bricks, you're making a worthy investment. Your house will be ultra-durable and long-lasting—live in it as long as you like, dear custo—!"
Before he could finish, Les suddenly began struggling and gasping, clutching at his throat, face turning red. He couldn't breathe. Luo Han had had enough and used his telekinesis to block his mouth.
Being "rubbed" by a Fleet Admiral for ten days and nights? What do you think I am, a pair of friction-proof sneakers? Luo Han silently groaned.
"Heehee… Haha! I think he… had a point, Luo Han!" Aishi cackled, her lips twitching from laughter. "Blue Demon bricks, you deserve them! Haha!"
"Alright, let him go already, or he's gonna pass out," Sister Spoon chuckled, casually pointing at Les.
By now, Les was rolling his eyes and nearly unconscious. At this rate, he'd be meeting his maker soon.
Luo Han blinked, turned around, glared at Les, then released his telekinesis. He wasn't about to kill a regular guy just for being annoying.
Gasping for breath, Les hunched over, hands on knees, desperately sucking in air. That had been close—one second he was talking, and suddenly he couldn't breathe. He genuinely thought he was going to die.
Phew! Les let out a silent sigh of relief—until he looked up and met Luo Han's icy glare. He froze, realizing he'd probably misunderstood what had excited his customer.
Still, Les wasn't discouraged. With his usual smile, he turned away and said as he walked, "No worries, dear guests. If you're not a fan of Blue Demon, we also carry Whitebeard and Golden Lion series stone bricks. There's something for everyone!"
Uh… Luo Han and Sister Spoon both paused briefly, exchanging glances before silently following.
"Today's gonna be… fun," Luo Han thought with a sigh.
It didn't take long for Sister Spoon to choose all the necessary materials. She even picked a set of "Whitebeard" bricks.
Luo Han mused that maybe he should invite Whitebeard to inspect the company someday—see if his endorsed bricks crumbled as easily as the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's powers shattered everything.
"Heh…" Luo Han chuckled at the thought.
After purchasing the materials, they all gathered outside the warehouse.
With a thought, Luo Han levitated all the materials into the air, then took off along with the rest of the group, flying toward Island 13.
"Wait… that power—could it be…?!" Les stood dumbfounded at the warehouse entrance, cold sweat pouring down his back. "Whew! Good thing the big guy didn't hold a grudge."
…
Back on Island 13, Luo Han and the others had been back for about an hour, and all the materials were sorted.
The spot Sister Spoon had chosen for the bar was at the base of a small slope beneath the mangrove roots. The group stood nearby, watching Luo Han prepare to build a staircase.
"Heh! Alright, here goes!" Luo Han grinned and activated his powers.
Countless "Whitebeard" brand bricks floated up, manipulated like invisible hands arranging them. They formed a staircase, complete with dug-in steps and notched connections. In no time, a solid stairway stretched to the top of the slope, complete with carefully placed railings on both sides to prevent falls.
Now they wouldn't need to fly up every time—they could just walk.
"How's that? Pretty nice staircase, huh?" Luo Han said proudly.
"Very nice!"
Sister Spoon walked over and touched the railing, then said meaningfully, "But let's remove these. They're a bit of an obstacle."
"…?" Everyone looked puzzled.
"My bar will be expensive. If anyone tries to skip out on paying, these railings would get in the way," she said seriously.
Well then… you win. Everyone went silent, mentally vowing never to spend money at Sister Spoon's bar—for their own safety.
"Fine. No railings," Luo Han shrugged. With a thought, the railings vanished. "Any other changes? If not, I'll start solidifying it."
"No need. Looks much better now," Sister Spoon nodded.
Luo Han's face twitched. He took a moment of silence for all future patrons who might get scammed and beaten.
"Alright, let's do this!" he declared.
Using telekinesis, he began the process of hardening the bricks—a technique that fused psychic energy into the wood to increase its strength. It wouldn't match the full power of his psychic constructs, but it was still far tougher than anything a regular Vice Admiral could break.
It didn't take long. With the staircase done, next up was the bar itself.
Everyone moved to the top of the slope, and before long, an unusual building took shape before their eyes.
"This is Luo Han's so-called minimalist design…? I've never seen anything like it," Ellis said, puzzled.
She had spent the last few days reading all sorts of books about human architecture and styles, but none of them matched what Luo Han had built.
"What a strange structure."
"Cole, have you seen anything like this?"
"Nope."
"What?! Haven't you grown up with Luo Han? How could you not know?"
Aishi and Cole's exchange surprised everyone. For Luo Han to create such a stylistic building, it couldn't have been spontaneous—he must have studied or practiced extensively. As someone who grew up with him, Cole should've at least seen it before.
"…." Cole scratched his head and said nothing.
"Ellis, do you know when Luo Han learned this architectural style?" Aishi turned her questions to her.
"I don't. Back on the island, I never saw him build anything. We lived in caves on Tree Ring Island," Ellis replied.
At that, all four girls turned to Luo Han with strange expressions. Not only did he build odd structures, he often used weird phrases like "showing off." Even Ellis, who'd lived on the island for centuries, didn't know where he got it all from.
"Fess up, Luo Han. Where did you learn all this? You're way too young to have this kind of skill," Aishi said, giving him a look like she'd seen through him.
Luo Han didn't answer directly. He just smiled. "Don't sweat the details. Just tell me—this house, yes or no? Impressive or not?"
Fine. If he didn't want to say, they wouldn't push.
The four girls stared at the house, deeply impressed—though it still felt strange. It wasn't exactly beautiful or grand, but it had a kind of minimalistic perfection to it.
"Come on. Let's look from above—that's where the magic is," Luo Han said, lifting Aishi , Sora, and Sister Spoon ten meters into the air.
"This really is…"
"So that's how it works…"
The girls were in awe. They'd never seen a structure so symmetrical yet asymmetrical.
The building below was made of four rectangular blocks—each 10 meters wide, 6 meters high, and 20 meters long. Each block connected to the next at two-thirds its length, forming a square from above with each corner protruding by a third. All the inner corners were rounded off, giving the house a mix of sharp outer edges and smooth inner lines.
In the center was a 20-square-meter courtyard, perfect for flowers or relaxing.
One block even extended off the slope, perfectly parallel to the staircase.
"Haha! Well? Not bad, right? Living in a house like this would be amazing," Luo Han laughed, satisfied.
He couldn't believe that skills from his past life—once the mark of a mediocre student—were now shining in a world ruled by strength. It made him excited about his future plans to transform Ark Island.
With psychic reinforcement, building a skyscraper taller than the Red Line might actually be possible. Luo Han smiled to himself.
"Very nice. A bit flashy, but I love it," Sister Spoon said with a mysterious smile. She was also intrigued by the interior layout. "Let's go inside and take a look."
"Alright!" Luo Han replied.
They descended the stairs. In front of them was a long, horizontal building. On the left side was the part that hung over the slope.
They headed into the overhanging building, through a tall door. Cole, too large to fit, remained outside.
Inside, the left side featured a massive floor-to-ceiling glass window that immediately caught the girls' eyes.
"Such beautiful glass!"
"The view from here is amazing!"
"This floating feeling is so special!"
"It's nothing like being on a ship."
The four girls admired the scenery through the window.
"I think this wall would be perfect for a giant bar counter," Aishi pointed to the wall near the staircase, which had several square windows. "Then place a few sofas and tables on the other side—it'd be perfect."
"Yeah! You could sit here and enjoy the view through the window. Not bad," Sora agreed after some thought.
"Don't rush. Let's check out the other rooms. In the end, Sister Spoon should decide," Luo Han said with a smile.
"Right! She's the boss after all," Aishi nodded.
They explored the other three buildings, and Sister Spoon decided the overhanging one would be used for the bar. The rest would be left undecided for now.
"Now it's time to name the bar. Sister Spoon, any ideas?" Luo Han asked outside the building. The others perked up.
After thinking for a moment, Sister Spoon smiled and said, "Let's call it Shaki's Rip-Off BAR!"
(END CHAPTER)
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