"Is this Sleeping Ancient Town?"
The blue-winged dragon girl landed, retracting her massive Dragon Wings. Charlotte Linlin's tall figure appeared at the entrance of a desolate and dilapidated ancient town.
The wind swirled the dust on the ground, sweeping past broken walls and ruins, making a whimpering sound.
"Oka... otousan! Is my Devil Fruit really in this place?"
On Charlotte Linlin's shoulder, little Kuri, with heavy dark circles under her eyes, leaned out excitedly, her small hands tightly gripping Charlotte Linlin's long pink hair, her eyes sparkling with desire for a Devil Fruit.
Ever since she knew Charlotte Linlin was taking her to find a Devil Fruit, Kuri had been so excited that she hadn't closed her eyes for twenty-four consecutive hours.
Charlotte Linlin turned her head, casting a "kind" glance at the excited little girl on her shoulder, her tone carrying a hint of dangerous playfulness:
"Kuri, my dear daughter, you're quite practiced at calling me 'Okasan', aren't you? How many 'Mamas' have you recognized lately just for a bite of 'food'? Hmm?
Mia gives you a donut and you call her Mama, Ripley trains you and you call her Mama too... What, do you think I, your 'otousan', am not competent enough, so you want to find a few backups?"
Kuri froze, immediately putting on her most innocent smile and rubbing her little head against Charlotte Linlin's cheek:
"It's mainly because otousan is too beautiful~. And the donuts Mama Mia buys are so delicious, and although Mama Ripley's training is scary, she taught me so much... Of course! They can't compare to even one ten-thousandth of you in my heart, otousan!"
As she spoke, she secretly observed Charlotte Linlin's expression, her survival instinct pushed to the limit.
"Hmph, little brat, you certainly have a sweet tongue."
Charlotte Linlin gave a light snort, letting her off for the moment.
She turned her head, pointing at the deathly silent ancient town before her, and gave an order to a flock of seabirds driven by Homies circling behind her:
"You all, spread out and search the entire town. Pay attention to hidden spaces."
"Yes, Captain!" * N
Hundreds of seabirds scattered like arrows from a bow, flying into every corner of the ancient town.
Charlotte Linlin's gaze locked directly onto the tallest building in the center of the ancient town—a church with an ancient style and a soaring spire.
Vampires and churches—this combination, full of opposition and a sense of destiny, made her even more certain that the target was here.
The reason she still remembered Sleeping Ancient Town and the Vampire Fruit was entirely due to the impactful performance of Stussy, a future CP0 agent, during her official debut on Future Island, which had prompted her to look into Stussy's background.
As it turned out, she didn't find Stussy's Devil Fruit, but instead found a fruit from a game spin-off: the Mythical Zoan Type Vampire Fruit.
"otousan, here... it seems like something terrible happened?"
Kuri looked at the empty buildings around her and the charred and damaged marks remaining on the walls, asking in a low voice. Her excitement subsided slightly, replaced by a bit of nervousness.
Sleeping Ancient Town, as the name suggests, was once a bustling small town, evidenced by such large-scale buildings and churches, but now only a deathly silence remained.
"It's nothing more than pirate looting, or... the handiwork of the World Government."
Charlotte Linlin scanned the obvious traces of battle and artillery fire, making a judgment in a flat tone.
In this chaotic era, the demise of a town was all too common.
Creak—!
Pushing open the heavy and old doors of the church, a piercing grinding sound echoed in the empty interior.
Click, click, click... Charlotte Linlin's high heels stepped on the dusty stone floor, making a clear and rhythmic sound that broke the long-standing silence here.
Looking around, stained glass was shattered, pews were overturned, and cobwebs were everywhere. Only some rats and small creatures rustled in the shadows.
"It looks like we've come to the right place."
Charlotte Linlin's Observation Haki spread out. Although she couldn't precisely perceive the terrain, she could clearly capture the aura of life.
Her gaze finally fell upon the front of the church, beneath a huge, dusty crucifix.
"Below, there are many very weak life signatures."
Her gaze fell on Kuri's shoulder again, her lips curling into a smile that made Kuri's hair stand on end instantly.
"Kuri," Charlotte Linlin began in a tone as if telling an ancient legend,
"In my hometown, there is a story passed down. There was an ordinary man who had no divine power or Devil Fruit, yet with a mortal body and wisdom, he challenged the high and mighty gods.
"And that god was not like those swine on Mary Geoise who call themselves gods, but a truly near-omniscient and omnipotent being. Finally, in a duel on a rainy night, this ordinary man defeated that god."
"Does... does such a person really exist?" Kuri was drawn into the story, temporarily ignoring her ominous premonition, her little face full of wonder and longing.
"Perhaps it was just a legend before, but in the future..."
Charlotte Linlin trailed off meaningfully, her eyes scanning Kuri, "it might not be so."
Kuri shuddered violently, a chill shooting from her tailbone straight to the top of her head!
"O... otousan! This place is so big, how about we wait for the Homies to find the exact location before..." she tried to make a final struggle.
"No," Charlotte Linlin flatly refused, walking toward the base of the crucifix as she spoke,
"Since it's a fruit prepared for you, naturally you should be the one to retrieve it. This is called... a sense of ritual."
She took down the tachi hanging from her waist.
Bang!
A dark opening appeared in Kuri's eyes.
"Wait! otousan! I think I can still prepare a bit! Like eating a meal first to replenish my strength..."
Feeling more and more uneasy, Kuri clung tightly to Charlotte Linlin's fingers, trying to awaken whatever "maternal love" might exist in Charlotte Linlin with a pitiful gaze.
Charlotte Linlin looked down, giving the "pendant" on her finger a smile that could be called "kind":
"You know, the mortal in my story only gained the potential and mental state to surpass a god after defeating creatures similar to the ones down there!
"Good luck, my little Kuri, I believe in you! Papa will be waiting up here for your triumphant return!"
Before Kuri could protest again, Charlotte Linlin gave her wrist a gentle flick, "plucking" little Kuri from her finger, and then, like throwing a bowling ball, elegantly tossed the little girl down—
"otousan!!! You bastard father!!!"
Thud! Roll, roll, roll... With a desperate wail, Kuri turned into a little "bowling ball," rolling down the dark tunnel entrance smashed open by Charlotte Linlin's blade. Her wailing quickly faded into the distance.
Charlotte Linlin clapped her hands, still wanting more, looking at the dark opening with a hint of nostalgia in her tone:
"That felt good; I kind of want to play bowling now. A strike... well, I hope there are enough 'pins' down there."
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