One Piece: The Celestial Dragons' Self-Cultivation

Page 108

Hancock approached, a hint of barely perceptible unease in her voice:

"The matter from before...didn't it disrupt your plans?"

Her beautiful eyes, which usually looked down on everyone else, were now secretly observing Blake's expression, her fingertips unconsciously twirling a strand of hair:

“Um…Kalifa and the others…”

Blake's gaze fell on her face, without a hint of reproach, but rather a playful smile:

"Compared to this stone..."

"This is the first time I've heard that you can feel uneasy about something like this."

Blake's tone was gentle, as if it possessed a unique magnetism:

He stepped forward and tucked the strands of hair that the sea breeze had blown across Hancock's face behind her ear:

"That makes you seem... even more captivating than before."

Hancock's cheeks flushed instantly.

Chapter 142 Pretending to be a navigator

Black's years of careful nurturing have made him hold an extraordinary place in Hancock's heart.

She worried that her sudden power might cause trouble, making Blake resent her or even become cold towards her.

In Hancock's world today, other people's opinions are insignificant; only Black's reaction can make her so unsettled.

Blake naturally wouldn't blame her for this, and even made a flirtatious remark.

After their conversation that day, the shy Hancock blushed and ran away whenever she faced Black for several days in a row, even forgetting to compete with Kalifa for a spot next to Black.

Kalifa was completely baffled, but she was also quite happy about it.

However, being stunned by Hancock's Conqueror's Haki became Kalifa's greatest humiliation to date.

He has been training even harder these past few days, determined to get his revenge.

As a result, Alpha could only train alongside his sister, complaining endlessly.

In this relaxed yet tense atmosphere, the Temple continued its slow voyage.

The park's area is not very large compared to the shipbuilding and navigation technology of this world. After all, the main characters in the original work only took a few months to travel from the East China Sea to the Sabaody Archipelago.

But Blake's trips are usually not very purposeful; enjoying time at sea and exploring unknown islands is itself a form of travel.

Moreover, Blake's ship wouldn't be able to travel quickly just because it was constantly being chased.

Therefore, the Temple's sailing speed was significantly slower.

The sea breeze caressed the sails of the Temple, making the voyage smooth and successful.

Nearly half a month later, Rami, who was impersonating a navigator, came over with a nautical chart and a logbook and stopped in front of Blake.

Since her health improved, this little girl has become increasingly fond of adding burdens to herself.

It seems like she wants to make up for all the time she's wasted on her health over the years.

She reported in a clear and crisp voice:

"We are about to arrive at the port of the Kingdom of Bruchonia."

"At the current speed, we should be able to reach the shore in about an hour."

Rami handed the nautical chart marked with the words "Kingdom of Bruchonia" to Blake:

"According to the itinerary, we will take routine rest and resupply there."

"The Kingdom of Brugesio..."

Blake took the chart, his gaze lingering briefly on the name.

He felt the name sounded familiar; it must have appeared in the original work.

But it's definitely not something very important, otherwise they wouldn't be unable to recall the plot.

Soon, the outline of an island appeared in Blake's eyes, and a white kingdom built on the mountainside gradually became clear.

Its most striking feature is its pure white color, which seems to cascade down from the mountaintop.

From castles to houses, all the buildings are covered with a layer of white rock that gleams in the sunlight.

Blake couldn't help but squint.

As Black developed his Vampire Fruit powers, he discovered that although sunlight did not affect him, the glare still made him feel uncomfortable.

Forcibly suppressing these emotions, the Temple slowly sailed into the port.

The welcoming scene at the dock was extremely grand.

The king was the head of the royal family, and almost all the civil and military officials and nobles from all walks of life were present.

The honor guard stood in neat formation, the band played a welcoming tune, and colorful ribbons fluttered in the air.

Blake was already used to such displays, and even a little tired of them.

The gangway was lowered, and he sat on the slave's back, slowly making his way onto the dock.

"Lord Black Saint, your presence is a great honor to our humble abode!"

The king's voice trembled slightly with excitement, followed by a series of greetings and introductions.

Blake ignored it completely, letting it go in one ear and out the other.

In fact, if this weren't the necessary etiquette for member states when facing the world's nobility, he would have even wanted to slap him.

It seems that the Celestial Dragons generally behave irritably in various member states, which may be related to this cumbersome process.

It wasn't until a name appeared that Blake finally perked up a little.

The king turned to the side and introduced him to a young nobleman behind him who also had dazzling golden curly hair:

"This is my son, Cavendish."

"Welcome, Your Excellency St. Black."

Cavendish bowed slightly, performing an impeccable aristocratic gesture.

Seeing the handsome little boy standing behind the king, bowing gracefully, Blake finally remembered where he had heard of the kingdom of Brugesio.

So this is Rommel's Kamaitachi, the pirate prince, the captain of the handsome pirate crew, the captain of the first ship of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, White Horse Cavendish.

Fortunately, the dock area is large enough, otherwise it might not be able to accommodate so many people.

During his last trip, Blake originally planned to capture as many of the future supernovas of the Worst Generation as possible.

But plans can't keep up with changes. A series of events, coupled with the fact that most of the supernovas were too young, meant that Black was ultimately only able to collect a few of them.

Cavendish entered the New World a year earlier than the Worst Generation, so they could be considered contemporaries.

So he is not very old now, only 11 years old.

Blake thought about it and didn't rush to bring Cavendish under his wing.

After all, he has no shortage of combat power on the surface; one Wild Shepherd can basically meet all his combat needs.

Even if there are problems that Huangmu can't solve, we can always add Mandy and Kera.

What Black truly lacks is a powerful figure like Enel and Lafayette, someone who may seem unrelated to him on the surface but can play a crucial role at critical moments.

After another round of lavish banquets, the Temple needed supplies, so Blake naturally chose to stay on the island for the night.

However, unusually, he did not have any maids accompany him and entered the room alone, taking out the white Den Den Mushi.

Blub Blub... Blub Blub...

The Den Den Mushi was quickly connected, and Aramaki's voice came from the other end:

Blake responded with a calm, even voice:

“I am currently in the Kingdom of Bluejoa on the Grand Line. I need you to send someone to keep an eye on Prince Cavendish of this country.”

"He will be exiled to the Kingdom of Rommel in a few years, and then we will take him back and train him."

"Yes! Your Highness!"

This wasn't the first time Huang Mu had received a similar task, so he was naturally very familiar with the process.

But the mission wasn't over yet, Blake continued, giving further instructions:

"There's one more thing I need you to do."

"To send a message out on the black market while completely concealing one's identity—"

"Users of the Op-Op Fruit can perform the ultimate surgery that grants immortality after their ability awakens."

Chapter 143 How lonely it is to be invincible

Upon hearing Blake's words, Huang Mu, who was far away in the South China Sea, couldn't help but shrink his pupils and was unable to recover for a long time.

There are many legends about immortality in this world, but most of them are elusive and difficult to verify, or their authenticity cannot be confirmed after many years.

Hearing this news from Blake, Huang Mu was deeply shocked.

After a long silence, he finally spoke, his voice trembling slightly:

"Your Highness...is...is this true?"

It's no wonder that Huang Mu had such doubts.

Even in the future Worst Generation, many people on the high seas know that the World Government once offered a bounty of 5 billion Berries for the Ope Ope no Mi (Operation Fruit).

However, most people are unaware of why the World Government would offer such a high price; only a handful of people, such as Doflamingo, know about the immortality surgery.

Moreover, the results of the surgery have not yet appeared in the world, and not even a few rumors have emerged.

Blake chuckled softly:

Do you think it's true?

Huang Mu immediately snapped out of his daze and realized that his question had crossed a line. He immediately said in a panic:

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, I was being nosy."

Blake didn't dwell on the issue, but continued to give instructions:

"All you need to do is pass this message on to the black market, and make sure it becomes known to everyone on the high seas as quickly as possible."

"Yes, Your Highness! I understand!"

Although Aramu was puzzled by Blake's actions and thought they were somewhat inappropriate.

Having just been reprimanded for having too many questions, he dared not ask any more and decided to obediently carry out orders.

After hanging up the phone, Blake's lips curled into a cold smile.

The next morning, amidst the farewells of the Kingdom of Bruchonia, the Temple slowly sailed away from the port and continued its journey toward Upside Down Mountain.

Blake returned to his favorite recliner and leisurely basked in the sun.

In reality, his mind had already entered the system space.

Although this card system often goes unnoticed, it is always the foundation of Black's strength.

Almost a year has passed, and during that year, Blake has drawn several decent character cards—

Boa Hancock (adulthood)

Sakazuki (middle age)

Charlotte Linlin (elderly)

Kaido (old age)

Blake's expression was somewhat strange as he looked at Hancock in the storage area above.

The Hancock before us is naturally the one from the original story who ate the Love-Love Fruit, and has even reached a prime age that she hadn't yet achieved in the original story.

His strength is clearly greater than that of the kid Black keeps around who can exhaust himself just by using Conqueror's Haki.

Upon entering the card space, one is greeted by an unfamiliar environment.

Although Blake had never been to this world, he had seen him in the anime.