Chapter 201: The Cursed Fruit Assault
The next morning!
Everyone got up and tidied themselves up… though truthfully, there wasn't much to clean. They had arrived in a rush, and their ship was still docked at the Sabaody Archipelago.
They didn't even know if it was still there—it was likely the World Government had seized it by now.
"Akatsuki , aren't you going to say goodbye to your family?" Luo Han asked as he walked up to Akatsuki , speaking seriously, "It'll be a long time before we return to Fishman Island!"
"No need!"
Akatsuki replied, then turned the question back on him, "Lord Blue Demon, weren't you going to take some fishmen with you to the New World islands?"
"Not anymore! I'll deal with that later."
Luo Han shook his head and smiled, "Also, just call me Luo Han from now on. No need for the 'Lord Blue Demon'."
"Alright!" Akatsuki replied, not insisting otherwise.
As soon as their conversation ended, Sister Shao and the others finished packing as well and walked over to Luo Han together.
"We're ready!" Sister Shao said. Everyone turned their gaze toward Luo Han.
"Then let's go!"
Luo Han replied simply, activating his telekinetic shield with a thought. With it surrounding them, the group of seven burst through Fishman Island's bubble shield and sped toward the Sabaody Archipelago.
…
At the same time—
Holy Land Mariejois, Five Elders' Office!
"Reporting to the Five Elders, Blue Demon still hasn't shown up as of yesterday!" the CP0 intelligence agent, half-kneeling on the ground, reported the same information he had been for over ten days.
"Still hasn't appeared, huh?"
The elder wielding a sword murmured, then asked, "That ship is still there, right?"
"Yes sir, it's still docked near Island 20. There's surveillance around it at all times," the CP0 agent replied.
"Alright, you may go."
"Yes, sir!"
The CP0 agent quickly stood and left.
"The ship's still there, so that guy Blue Demon is bound to come back!"
"Given Blue Demon's personality, if he finds out the ship's being watched, he'll kill the watchers before leaving."
"That's our chance. There may be sacrifices, but…"
"Yingluo and the others are ready. The moment they detect Blue Demon, they'll immediately use the fruit ability to attack."
"Not giving him a single chance to react—one strike, one kill."
"Let's hope everything goes smoothly!"
The Five Elders exchanged looks, each seeing the gravity in the others' eyes. For some reason, the longer time dragged on, the heavier the unease in their hearts grew.
It was as if something terrible was about to happen!
…
In the sea off Island 20 of the Sabaody Archipelago, a 300-meter-long standard battleship of the Rocks Pirates was docked.
It was the same ship Luo Han and his group had used!
Onshore and nearby, over a dozen figures in black suits from CP0 were hidden, all eyes fixed on the ship, watching for the slightest movement.
"Will you really come back, Blue Demon?" the squad leader among them wondered silently.
They were part of CP0's special surveillance and tracking unit. Every member was an expert in concealing breath and disguises, having undergone specialized training. When motionless, not even Observation Haki could detect them.
Of course! That's only what they thought—the Five Elders were already using them as bait!
They didn't know that. They believed they were summoned to counter Blue Demon's high-level Observation Haki, hoping to avoid detection and monitor him in time for an immediate response.
But after more than ten days, there had still been no activity!
Besides these dozen surveillance agents, five or six visual Den Den Mushi were hidden in nearby grass, their eyes focused on the ship and streaming live footage back to CP0 headquarters.
"Why would the Five Elders give you that Devil Fruit power?"
"You're CP0's youngest squad leader. With a few more years of training, you could reach the level of Fleet Admiral!"
An aged voice sounded, tinged with regret.
"Maybe it's precisely because I'm the youngest. The more life force you sacrifice, the stronger the power. To face Blue Demon—a monster possibly stronger than Rocks—we need to strike lethally in one blow. The Five Elders made the right call."
A younger voice responded, carrying a tone of forced nonchalance.
Their conversation wasn't hushed, yet the CP0 agents nearby didn't react at all, as if they hadn't heard a thing.
In front of Luo Han's ship, on a massive tree root, two black-clad CP0 agents—both 3.5 meters tall and wearing black-and-white masks—sat cross-legged, conversing calmly.
The voices just now came from them. The one with the black spiral mask was the elder, and the white eagle-patterned mask belonged to the youth.
From their position, they had a clear view of Luo Han's ship. If Luo Han's group were on board, they would've easily seen the two.
The pair made no effort to hide, openly waiting for Luo Han's return.
Oddly, a Den Den Mushi sat right behind them, yet it seemed unaware of their presence, its gaze fixed solely on the ship.
At CP0 headquarters in Mariejois, their monitor also showed nothing at the pair's location—just an empty space.
…
In the dark depths of the ocean, a round telekinetic shield was pushing through the current, rapidly ascending.
It was Luo Han and his group. They had left Fishman Island some time ago.
"We can already see the Yarukiman Mangrove. We're almost at the Sabaody Archipelago," Luo Han whispered.
They had arrived at the deep waters beneath the archipelago, where the enormous tree trunks loomed faintly in the distance.
Soon, sunlight filtered through the water, illuminating strange and wondrous sea life all around them.
"Hmm…!"
Luo Han frowned and halted about 100 meters from Island 20's shore, spreading his spiritual sense to the max.
"What's wrong?" Sister Shao asked seriously, "Is something happening above?"
Everyone tensed and turned to Luo Han.
"There are World Government spies hiding above, and a lot of surveillance Den Den Mushi!"
"They're not strong—probably just here to monitor us!"
Luo Han explained briefly, then looked at Aishi with a serious expression. "Aishi ! For now, you'll stay with Sister Shao and train. Once I'm done here, I'll come back for you."
Turning to Sister Shao, he added solemnly, "There's definitely an ambush waiting for us on the island. It's aimed at me, so we're not going ashore."
"You and Aishi were once members of the Rocks Pirates. In the eyes of the World Government, you're not with me. They won't focus much attention on you."
"So I'll send you and Aishi to land on the far side. Once I've dealt with the agents, we'll take the ship and leave directly."
At the end, Luo Han looked at Aishi and Sister Shao, eyes filled with reluctance but firm resolve. "This is where we part ways."
"..."
Aishi wanted to speak but said nothing in the end, her face somber. She knew it was because she was too weak—Luo Han was protecting her by not taking her along.
Sister Shao patted Aishi on the shoulder. She understood what Aishi was feeling, but couldn't tell her the real reason.
She simply looked to Luo Han and said, "Then we'll part here. I'll take good care of Aishi !"
"And don't forget—find a way quickly. My sister must be whole again!"
"Whole? Is she talking about me?" Aishi was confused by Sister Shao's final words.
"She's not talking about you!"
Luo Han chuckled and answered her, then turned to Sister Shao and said seriously, "I'll find it as soon as possible!"
"Good!"
Sister Shao nodded. "Then send us off." She turned and called out, "Cole, Ellis , Sora, and Princess Akatsuki —Aishi and I are getting off here."
"Goodbye, Sister Shao, Sister Aishi !" Cole said calmly.
"Goodbye, Sister Shao."
Ellis looked at Aishi , "Aishi , we'll be back for you soon. Wait for us!"
"Big Sis, Aishi , goodbye. I'll take good care of Lord Luo Han!" Sora said solemnly.
"Goodbye!" Akatsuki said simply.
After the farewells, Luo Han split his telekinetic shield into two smaller ones and enclosed Aishi and Sister Shao.
Whoosh! The two shot away swiftly and came ashore on Island 41 shortly after.
"Let's go up!"
With that, Luo Han directed the shield to continue ascending.
Just as they emerged from the sea, Luo Han's spiritual sense surged, and he unleashed his telekinetic force.
In an instant, the surveillance team and Den Den Mushi monitoring his ship felt a chill at their necks.
With a series of "szzz szzz szzz…" sounds, heads flew, blood splashing everywhere.
Boom! At the same moment, Luo Han and his team broke through the surface!
Thump, thump! Bang, bang…! As the five landed on the ship's deck, the heads hit the ground onshore.
"Blue Demon has appeared!"
At nearly the same moment, the black-masked elder CP0 and the white-masked young CP0 on the tree root saw Luo Han, their expressions turning cold as they said in unison, "Attack!"
Without hesitation, the elder waved his hand, and the two instantly appeared atop the massive root.
Below them, Luo Han and the others stood clearly visible on the deck.
The moment they appeared, the white-masked CP0 youth wasted no time—his body turned into a gray mist, invisible to the naked eye, and rushed at Luo Han.
He moved so fast it felt like time had stopped. His clothes, shoes, and mask remained suspended mid-air, still shaped to his body, motionless.
The instant the two CP0 agents appeared, Luo Han was too stunned to react to how they had evaded his spiritual detection and approached so closely.
He didn't even have time to shout "What the hell—"
Boom! A thunderous boom rang out in his mind as a sense of overwhelming danger struck.
He reacted instantly, covering his body in perfect Armament Haki.
Hiss! It was unclear whether he was too late or just in time!
The gray mist, detectable only through spiritual sense, was mostly blocked by his perfect Haki, but a trace still seeped into his body.
Yet even that trace caused a dramatic effect—Luo Han's face aged 15 years in an instant. His features became less soft, his skin rougher, veins protruding on his hands.
He now looked like a 35-year-old man—still young only because of his powerful constitution and vibrant life force. Otherwise, he would've appeared as a man in his 50s or 60s.
(END CHAPTER)
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