Chapter 323: Golden Spirit

Immortality?!

Even to seize that thing in Mary Geoise through it, thereby gaining the power to rival Im-sama, or even surpass him!

The moment this thought arose, Xia Xia Xia Mu Luo Ke Ke Luo's breath halted completely, and his heart began to pound wildly.

However.

In the next instant, Xia Xia Xia Mu Luo Ke Ke Luo suppressed the thoughts swirling in his mind.

No matter what, the crucial artifact for the immortality ritual was still in Britannias; the conditions for completion were not yet met.

He took a deep breath and immediately calmed down.

Looking around.

He saw only faces filled with dejection, and in everyone's eyes, an emotion that was indistinguishable as either fear or anger.

Since the Battle of God Valley over thirty years ago, the God's Knights had never suffered a defeat; even when facing the remnants of Rocks, such as the current Four Emperors Whitebeard and Kaido, they had never shown any sign of decline.

Yet in recent days, they had suffered setback after setback.

First, Garin, the Captain, suffered a major loss at the hands of Red-Haired, and then the unit led by himself, in its clash with Knight Gao Wen, was repelled by the opponent.

Although the injuries inflicted by Gao Wen were not fatal, what was truly deadly was that many members of the God's Knights no longer held their previous belief in invincibility, and some even secretly harbored fear toward Gao Wen.

A defeat in spirit would directly lead to the decline of Haki, and individual combat power would be severely affected.

Thinking of this.

Xia Xia Xia Mu Luo Ke Ke Luo's eyes became incredibly Solemn; after pondering for a moment, he made a decision in his heart:

"The Ghost Man Ah Jin was captured by that woman; it is not hard to predict that next, Knight Gao Wen will surely strike Britannias with the force of thunder."

"For us, the best opportunity is to crush Britannias directly before that happens and seize the user of the Heart and Bone abilities."

"No matter how crazy Knight Gao Wen is, he would not dare to directly act against the World Government or even Mary Geoise."

Very quickly.

The members of the God's Knights on the beach set sail once again; the airship, riding on the clouds materialized by Saint Chillingham, sped away into the distance.

Within a few breaths, the airship vanished into the cloud layer, its speed far exceeding that of ordinary pirate ships.

Saint Chillingham used his ability to control the ship's flight path, yet his gaze frequently fell upon Xia Xia Xia Mu Luo Ke Ke Luo, his expression complex as if pondering something unknown.

Thud!

A sword-wielding member of the God's Knights plopped down beside Saint Chillingham.

He was precisely the person who had previously fought Zoro.

Recalling the previous battle, and the pain brought by the wound Gao Wen's slash had left on his body, his face was filled with confusion:

"Lord Chillingham, I do not understand."

"If Lord Garin wishes to obtain immortality and break free from the limits of lifespan, he need only bow to Im-sama and seek blessing; he could even thereby gain a nearly undying body."

"Why do such a..."

He paused, then gritted his teeth and said:

"Completely meaningless thing!"

That single slash from Gao Wen had nearly shattered his confidence, and until this moment, he had not recovered his senses.

Saint Chillingham glanced at the wound on his chest emitting black smoke and said meaningfully:

"Not everyone is willing to become a slave, entrusting life and death to the hands of others; especially for those who are born kings, unless they have no choice, they will absolutely never bow to someone stronger."

The pupils of that God's Knight member contracted sharply; he whipped his head around to look at Xia Xia Xia Mu Luo Ke Ke Luo.

The moment their eyes met, he felt his breathing become slightly more rapid, simply because he had finally realized what Garin intended to do.

It was just that he had already stepped onto this ship; there was no room left for regret.

Im would not tolerate any form of betrayal, even if one had unknowingly boarded a pirate ship.

Did the people on this ship truly know nothing, or had they already guessed the truth yet knew they could not turn back?!

He was unclear on this point, but what he knew clearly was that only if Saint Garin won and seized that supreme treasure in Mary Geoise would he have a chance to survive.

On the deck.

Everyone remained silent, quietly wiping their weapons.

The wind howled all around, pure white clouds swept past, and the chill in the wind penetrated deep into their lungs.

Several days later.

Ah Jin slowly opened his eyes, feeling utterly powerless throughout his entire body.

Lowering his gaze, he saw the Seastone shackles binding him, as well as two metal nails piercing through his shoulder blades.

The wounds were already red, swollen, and inflamed, with foul-smelling bloody water flowing from them.

These were signs of infection.

However, for Ah Jin, whose physique was powerful and nearly inhuman, this was not a major problem.

What truly puzzled him was his current situation.

"What exactly happened?!"

Ah Jin's memories still lingered on the battle between Gao Wen's group and the God's Knights.

He could not help but recall the memories from just before he lost consciousness.

Scene after scene that occurred within the abandoned port replayed before his eyes, finally freezing on a figure clad in pure white.

Ah Jin only remembered that woman suddenly appearing as she pushed open a door hanging in mid-air, then pointing a finger at him; his memory ended abruptly there.

"Which woman did this? Was I knocked unconscious or something? What exactly happened?!"

"However, with the Captain's strength, even against the God's Knights, escaping should not be too difficult."

Calming down, Ah Jin began to survey his surroundings.

Borrowing the scattered light, he made out that he was in an underground cellar.

The four walls were thick and sturdy; only below the front wall was there an opening the size of a bowl, from which the light seeped in.

"Imprisoned?!"

"In any case."

"Let's figure out how to escape first."

Ah Jin barely managed to lift his hand, gripping the steel nail pinned into his shoulder; he exerted force with his fingertips, trying to pull it out raw, but felt only a heart-piercing pain.

It felt as though someone were forcibly tearing his bones out from within his body.

"Hmph—!"

Ah Jin snorted coldly, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

Yet at that moment, a laugh tinged with self-mockery reached his ears.

"It's useless."

"These Seastone bone nails, specially treated by Britannias, have completely embedded themselves into your collarbones; to remove them, you would have to be willing to break your own bones."

"Even if you did that, you still couldn't undo the shackles binding you."

"This time, I really got careless~"

Hearing this, Ah Jin turned his head to look toward a corner of the cell.

The light was blurry.

He could barely make out a tall man with a full head of golden curly hair, slumping miserably in the corner.

Had Gao Wen been here, he would have recognized him at a glance as Tesoro, the so-called Golden Emperor who controlled thirty percent of the world's currency.

"Showtime~!"

Tesoro habitually snapped his fingers, then let his arm drop powerlessly.

From Ah Jin's angle, he could barely see that Tesoro's shoulders were likewise studded with Seastone metal nails, clearly marking him as another prisoner here.

Tesoro's gaze fell upon Ah Jin, and he immediately took interest.

The figure in the distance was even more burly than himself, and his aura was terrifyingly strong; even with his abilities suppressed, he could not hide that astonishing killing intent.

Even if his combat strength did not surpass his own, it surely was not much weaker.

More importantly, vaguely, he felt as though he had seen this figure somewhere before.

Tesoro asked tentatively:

"Judging by your attire, you don't seem to be one of Britannias's people."

"A pirate?!" Ah Jin nodded, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, and gave a name:

"Ah Yin."

Is that so?!

Tesoro breathed a sigh of relief.

That makes sense.

Although the Ghost Man Ah Jin was said to be a subordinate of the Knight Gao Wen, he hailed from the East Blue after all; no matter how fast he grew, it was impossible for him to reach a level that made even Tesoro wary in such a short time.

It wasn't possible that every single person under Knight Gao Wen was an existence whose growth speed defied logic, just like Gao Wen himself, was it?!

That would no longer be extraordinary talent, but a genuine monster!

After a moment's thought.

Tesoro likewise casually offered a name:

"Zoro."

"I thought you were a subordinate of some infuriating man; if not, then that's truly excellent."

"Infuriating?!"

"Ah, a certain man from the East Blue."

Tesoro nodded, his tone carrying a hint of disdain:

"Though he made a name for himself, he forgot his original intent, forgetting the very existence he should have cherished most, and even stooped to becoming a lapdog of the World Government, living in a base and despicable manner."

"Hm?!"

Ah Jin was stunned, feeling that the man Tesoro described was strangely familiar.

He sifted through his memories but could not find any similar existence emerging in the East Blue in recent years.

Perhaps it was a pirate active in the East Blue ten years, or even over ten years ago.

Ah Jin responded with a few words:

"A pirate who abandons his beliefs and even forgets the existences he cherishes most cannot go far on this sea."

"After all, the firmer the belief and the purer the will, the stronger the Haki; conversely, the weaker they are."

"The person you speak of has already forgotten his roots; he will not go far on the path of Haki."

Tesoro was momentarily stunned, even forgetting to reply.

He had seen countless people and considered himself insightful regarding human nature; naturally, he could tell that there was not a shred of falsehood in Ah Jin's words, only genuine agreement.

"You think so too?!"

"Of course."

Ah Jin nodded, his expression open and honest:

"My captain is precisely such an extremely pure existence."

"From the very beginning, he knew what he wanted, never wavered, and possessed the confidence to conquer everything."

"If you appreciate such an existence, then you and my captain will surely have much in common to discuss."

"Your captain?!"

Tezoro slowly sat upright, his tone carrying a hint of disbelief.

"Ah, a man so upright he's unlike a pirate, yet possessing a spirit like gold!"

"Yes!"

"A spirit like gold!"

"Is that so..."

Tezoro couldn't help but swallow, yet suspicion arose once more.

Knight Gao Wen?

No, such a coincidence shouldn't exist.

Akin's strength was already extremely close to his own, and for a man like that to be won over completely, the captain he spoke of must be even stronger, perhaps even far surpassing him.

Such combat power would be enough to tear off a huge chunk of flesh even in the New World ruled by the Four Emperors; it was even possible he could become the fifth Sea Emperor.

Such an existence would be perfect as the military support for the Golden City!

For the first time, he felt he had been outmaneuvered in Britannia, losing a huge order of military supplies, offending Doflamingo who was entrenched in Dressrosa, and even the Beasts Kaido behind him, yet finding himself trapped in prison wasn't entirely a bad thing.

"If possible, I would like to meet him; perhaps there is also potential for cooperation between us."

Akin naturally had no reason to refuse.

This man named Zoro was clearly extraordinary at first glance.

Leaving aside his formidable aura, even his unintentional movements were enough to reveal an aura completely different from ordinary people.

Either extremely wealthy or extremely noble!

And Gao Wen, wanting to achieve great things in the New World, was precisely in need of talent!

With this thought.

Akin even felt a strange sense of guilt for his act of falsely reporting his identity.

But since matters had come to this, he could only let the mistake stand and explain later when there was a chance.

"We are also in need of partners at this time."

"That is wonderful."

Tezoro nodded, unable to help but blame himself in his heart.

Akin was so honest, yet I was guarded against him just now; this is an insult to this man.

Sigh~!

Since matters had come to this, he could only let the mistake stand and explain later when there was a chance.

Recalling how Bakara had previously advised him to put aside his prejudices and cooperate with that detestable man, Tezoro sneered in his heart.

See!

The world is never short of powerful existences; even if seeking partners, one does not necessarily have to be that disgusting man!

For instance, the captain Akin spoke of was an extremely excellent existence, completely different from Knight Gao Wen.

Such a man is worth pouring resources into!

The more he thought.

The more Tezoro couldn't help but praise.

They say great misfortune is always followed by good fortune; isn't what lies before him now precisely that good fortune?!

Akin looked around, recalling the information Tezoro had just revealed, and his brows furrowed slightly:

"You just said this place is Britannia?!"

"That is correct."

Tezoro nodded:

"Judging by your reaction, you were probably also ambushed by that woman."

The face of Jeanne appeared before Akin's eyes, and he couldn't help but feel wary.

He considered his own strength not weak; even on this vast sea, he could be counted as a local warlord, and ordinary Warlords of the Sea were no match for him.

Yet he lost consciousness the instant he faced that woman; this could only mean her ability was even more bizarre than imagined!

Besides Gao Wen and Xiang Keluo, others would probably fall victim too!

The intelligence must be sent back!

With this thought.

Akin's eyes couldn't help but become firm; he once again placed his hand on the Sea Prism Stone nail piercing his shoulder blade, his eyes filled with bloodshot veins.

"Wait!"

"You will die!"

Tezoro, realizing what Akin wanted to do, couldn't help but speak out to dissuade him, but the current Akin could no longer hear his words.

Sss—!

Accompanied by a muffled groan, warm blood splattered, landing on Tezoro's face, as a Sea Prism Stone nail with fragments of bone and flesh was casually thrown into the deep by Akin.

Clang—!

The crisp sound echoed through the prison cell.

Tezoro stared blankly at the scene before him and couldn't help but ask:

"Why go to such lengths?!"

Akin's face was pale, his body soaked with sweat, one arm hanging limply by his side, as he explained:

"Given the captain's personality, he will definitely come once he knows I was captured here; I must send the intelligence about that woman back before that, otherwise more companions will be ambushed by her."

Tezoro's breath halted:

"Is it necessary to go to such lengths? Are you so certain he will come to save you?!"

"Of course!"

(End of Chapter)