Chapter 218: A New Companion – Grand Name: Penguin, Nickname: Penguin
"You two!!!" Rear Admiral Victor exploded in rage.
Did they take him for a fool?
That chubby merchant had been standing around this whole time, and now suddenly claimed he ordered the ship? Who were they trying to kid?
"Men!" Victor laughed coldly. "Arrest those two!"
"Yes, sir!" His soldiers stepped forward—only to freeze mid-step.
BOOM. A heavy landing behind Victor sent a tremor through the dock.
In that instant, Victor's entire body tensed. He didn't look back—he didn't have to.
His instincts screamed danger. Cold sweat drenched him.
This is… a monster who could take my life at any second.
"It's… Blue… Demon…"
"IT'S BLUE DEMON!!!"
BOOM!
A terrified Marine's scream caused chaos. All around them—Navy and merchants alike—people collapsed or fled. The area instantly cleared in a circle around Luo Han.
In their rush, some even tripped over themselves. All stared at Luo Han in terror, mouths agape, only managing to gulp down saliva—no one dared speak a word.
The merchants were the most horrified.
They had heard the rumor: in Sabaody, a Celestial Dragon was beheaded for calling someone a "commoner."
It wasn't a myth. They knew it had happened.
THUD! Luo Han looked down to see Victor already unconscious on the ground, his eyes rolled back.
"Fainted already? That's your tolerance level as a rear admiral?" Luo Han muttered in disappointment.
Shaking his head, he ignored the fainted trash and walked toward his ship.
The crowd instinctively parted. No one dared sneak away.
"Not bad…" Luo Han admired the vessel. "Looks kind of like Luffy's Thousand Sunny. Well… more like Sunny looks like this."
But he couldn't come up with a name. Nothing sounded right.
Then his eyes fell on the massive emperor Penguin figurehead.
"All right then. I'll call it 'Penguin'."
BOOM! Luo Han leapt onto the figurehead and stood atop the Penguin's head.
He pointed to the fat merchant below and said, "Hey, fatty! This ship belongs to me now—Blue Demon! You got a problem with that?"
"I…"
The merchant hesitated, but before he could speak, Luo Han shot him a look.
The merchant's eyes rolled back. He fainted.
Whew. Luo Han had forgotten he'd implanted a subconscious belief in the merchant that the ship was his. The fact that he'd dared to argue—against Blue Demon—was a testament to how powerful that implanted suggestion was.
At least now he was unconscious.
Luo Han turned to the crowd, raised his hands helplessly, and said, "See? The fat guy agrees. So I'm taking the ship."
"Agrees? You knocked him out!"
"That's just straight-up robbery!"
"He's shameless!"
The merchants were stunned. They had never seen anyone so openly and confidently shameless.
But even if they were furious, none dared say a word.
"What's that? You have something to say?" Luo Han asked, seemingly able to hear their inner thoughts.
No, no, no! Everyone shook their heads vigorously.
Now was not the time to grow a backbone.
Looking at the unconscious merchant, many secretly thought—If he'd stayed awake, he probably would've objected and died. In a way, Blue Demon saved him.
Luo Han had no idea what they were thinking.
Seeing that no one dared speak, he figured the show was over.
"Since no one's objecting, I'll take my ship now!"
He turned to Tom. "Thanks, Tom. I love the ship. I'll treat you to a drink next time."
He whispered the last part into Tom's ear using Kyoka suigetsu .
Then Luo Han lifted into the air. The massive 500-meter-long Penguin—no, adventure ship, not pirate ship—rose behind him.
It soared high into the sky.
…
Only long after Luo Han had vanished did a merchant dare peek around.
He shouted, "Blue Demon is gone!"
BOOM!
The crowd erupted. Everyone scrambled to flee Water 7 in a panic.
That day, Blue Demon's open appearance in Water 7 sent shockwaves through the world.
For a long time afterward, Marines, pirates, and merchants alike avoided the city.
It was proof of how deeply the name Blue Demon had affected people—and how successful the World Government's fear propaganda had been.
…
Luo Han piloted the Penguin into the sky.
Ellis , Akatsuki , and Sora were already waiting.
"This ship's not bad at all. And the Penguin figurehead—it's so cute!" Ellis said cheerfully.
She walked to the bow and admired it.
"Haha!" Luo Han laughed. "I thought so too. That's why I named it Penguin."
He paused, deep in thought.
Even Luffy's Sunny had a nickname. This ship needed one too.
He snapped his fingers. "Its nickname will be Penguin."
"Penguin ?" Ellis tilted her head. "What a weird name. What does that have to do with Penguins?"
"This kind of Penguin ," Luo Han said, forming a double 'Q' in the air with his fingers.
"Ohhh!" Ellis exclaimed, mimicking his hand signs. "Come to think of it… upside down, double Qs kind of do look like a Penguin! Who knew you were so clever!"
Luo Han stared blankly.
Is that really why Penguin = Penguin?
He'd used Penguin for over 20 years and never noticed. But he kept a straight face and smiled.
"Ellis !"
Sora opened a nearby door and called out. "Come try the sofa! It's super comfy!"
"Coming!" Ellis said, then quickly flew over and disappeared inside. SLAM! The door shut behind her.
"Was that necessary?" Luo Han shook his head and resumed steering.
He set the Penguin to cruise at a steady 100 km/h toward the New World.
Time to go find the Lantern Fish.
Sigh… Just thinking about it made his head ache.
He had hoped to use Akatsuki 's ability to shorten the search time.
But it hadn't worked out.
Guess I'll have to find it manually in the New World.
"With my speed and spiritual sensing, there's no way I won't find it eventually."
"Still… I should prepare a more reliable method."
He decided—since Akatsuki couldn't accurately relay his requests to sea creatures, it was time to perfect the real Kotoamatsukami.
Once complete, he could command Sea Kings across every sea to keep watch.
There's no way the Lantern Fish can hide forever… unless…
Wait a minute!
Luo Han froze.
The Lantern Fish… it moves!
Tengetsu only said it would appear in the New World in the future. Not that it lived there full-time.
What if it's off touring the Four Seas?! What am I even searching for?!
"Damn it!" Luo Han slumped over the helm.
Am I destined to be one of those mythical figures—only remembered, never fulfilled?
No!
He had come all this way—who knew if there'd be another chance like this?
He had to make the most of it.
To find the Lantern Fish… I must complete the full version of Kotoamatsukami!
His eyes blazed with determination.
If he could command the Sea Kings of all Four Seas and both halves of the Grand Line, he could find it.
They were ancient, wise, and intelligent. Surely one of them had seen the Lantern Fish.
So—he just needed to finish Kotoamatsukami.
He made his decision:
In the New World, he would continue searching for the Lantern Fish while dedicating everything to perfecting his mind-control technique.
…
At the same time – Holy Land Mary Geoise
Five Elders' Office
Unless personally required elsewhere, the Five Elders met daily in the room that represented the highest authority in the world.
Today was no exception, though all five looked irritated.
"What is that Blue Demon thinking?" the sword-wielding elder grumbled, holding Luo Han's wanted poster.
"With his strength, only Whitebeard, Golden Lion, and that newly rising Red Count can truly match him."
"His 10-billion bounty has been issued. The stage is set."
"And now? He disappears for a month. No one knows where he went!"
"Should we contact Viper?" another asked. "Not knowing where Blue Demon is… it makes me uneasy. What if he attacks Mary Geoise again?"
The sword-bearer turned to the curved-blade elder.
But the old man shook his head. "No. Last time he attacked, Viper didn't report it."
"If we reach out now, we risk ruining everything."
"It's not worth it."
"Besides…" he glanced at the others. "You're too focused on Blue Demon."
"A few days ago, intel came in—Roger's pirates are in the East Blue, searching for some kind of special stone."
"Doesn't that seem strange?"
"After the God Valley incident, Roger left the New World in a hurry and headed straight to the East Blue—like he had a specific goal."
The curved-blade elder's voice dropped.
"This isn't good news at all."
(END CHAPTER)
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