NABC Chapter 163 Zoan-type Insect Fruit
Chapter 163 Zoan-type Insect Fruit
Chapter 163: Zoan-type Insect Fruit
The old king fell deeply in love with Laura the moment he saw her and immediately decided to take her as his concubine. Unfortunately, his scoundrel son also fell in love with the sweet-looking Laura.
The old king was furious. In a fit of rage, he handed Laura over to the World Government as a bargaining chip, which led to her connection with Mu Chong and the others.
The plot is quite melodramatic, but it truly depicts Laura's ordeal after leaving Fishman Island: orphaned, enslaved, and confined to a dark ship's cabin for over half a month until she meets Mu Chong and his companions, finally seeing the light of day again.
As Laura spoke, tears welled up in her eyes, making her already delicate face even more pitiful.
As Laura's voice faded, everyone saw Mu Chong bowing his head and remaining silent for a long time. Only Aisha continued to comfort Laura.
"Fishman Island! I'm afraid the Freedom won't be going there anytime soon, so Laura! I'll give you two choices. First, leave the Freedom now, and I'll have Slade give you some directions. Or, once you're in the sea, talk to your fish friends and return on your own!"
After pondering for a moment, Mu Chong slowly raised his head, his face appearing calm and expressionless under the lamplight.
"Hero! I...I'm scared..."
Upon hearing Mu Chong's first choice, Laura's face immediately showed panic. Having never left Fishman Island before, and despite being almost unmatched in speed at sea, Laura dared not face the vast ocean.
"Hmm! That's the second option. You can stay on the ship for now and adventure with the Liberty. As for when we'll go to Fishman Island, that depends on the upcoming voyage. I can't make any promises!"
Mu Chong swirled the drink in his hand, his gaze lingering on the mermaid Laura.
In truth, Mu Chong had always wanted to invite a fish-man to board the Freedom. After all, the number of Devil Fruit users on board was increasing, and having a master of the sea as a protector was something he had always longed for.
However, while mermaids are incredibly fast in the sea, their fighting ability is still somewhat inferior to that of fish-men, especially since the one before them is a delicate female mermaid.
"Hero! I choose the second option. I want to stay on this ship, whenever we arrive at Fishman Island. After all, my parents are dead, and I have no other relatives on Fishman Island!"
Laura looked directly at Mu Chong without any hesitation, her eyes resolute, and said...
"Hahahaha! Okay! I agree! Let's stay on the ship for now!"
As soon as Mu Chong finished speaking, various cheerful sounds erupted around him.
"Hehehehehe! This is great! I actually have a mermaid friend! I'm so happy! Will you sleep with me tonight, Laura?"
Elsa grabbed Laura's finger and started gesturing wildly as she spoke.
"Mmm-hmm! Okay! Hehehehe!"
Elsa's enthusiasm completely dispelled the last vestiges of unease in Laura's heart, and her smile became radiant.
"Hey hahaha! We have a new crew member on board! Come on! Let's have a drink! Cheers to Laura the mermaid!"
Slad, perhaps due to being drunk, brazenly raised his glass and shouted...
"Cheers!"
"Meow!!!"
Looking at all this, Laura's eyes welled up with tears again. She raised her drink and shouted loudly as well.
Cheers! Thank you everyone!
But just then, Mu Chong's unrealistic voice suddenly rang out.
"However, Laura! The Liberty doesn't tolerate idlers. Since you're staying on the ship for the time being, you'll need to make contributions to the Liberty!"
Mu Chong's words immediately silenced the previously cheerful atmosphere, and everyone turned to look at Laura, their eyes revealing urgency.
"I...I can communicate with most fish in the sea, and I can also judge whether there will be danger based on the ocean currents. Can this help everyone?"
Laura was a little nervous at first, but she gradually became more confident as she spoke.
"Hahahaha! Of course! Laura! Welcome to the Freedom!"
The seriousness on Mu Chong's face vanished instantly, followed by a burst of laughter as he raised his wine glass and said...
"Hey hahaha! Cheers!"
"cheers!!!"
"Tch! Cheers!"
"Meow!!!!!"
Laura's arrival did not spoil the atmosphere of the banquet; on the contrary, everyone's interest in her made the atmosphere even more cheerful.
The deck of the Freedom was brightly lit, and laughter echoed through the surrounding starry sky. Under the night sky, the Freedom resembled an inextinguishable candle floating on the sea.
The post-battle banquet lasted until late into the night, only ending when everyone was slightly tipsy. It was then that the pile of "heavenly gold" on the deck was remembered and examined again.
"Captain! What should we do with this pile of stuff? Judging by the quantity, it's probably worth a lot of money!"
On deck, only the four men remaining on the Liberty, besides the cat.
Baku looked through the pile of treasure, unable to suppress the smile on his face. When had he ever seen so much money?
"Hahahaha! Enel! Use your Devil Fruit power to fuse all the gold inside, then I'll leave it to you to deal with! Baku, you take the remaining metal items back to the warehouse, and we'll dispose of them when we get to the next island!"
Having drunk quite a bit at the banquet, Mu Chong was now holding a cup of hangover tea prepared by Aisha, sitting on the deck and speaking casually.
"Understood, Captain!"
With the two of them working, in no time at all, the deck was cleared of everything, leaving only a few items of other materials.
A square wooden box, a white-covered book, and a piece of paper of indeterminate material, covered with a jumble of scribbles.
"Huh? Could there be some unexpected gains?"
Mu Chong's eyes lit up slightly when he saw the remaining items on the deck. At this point, he could at least imagine that something good might appear.
Mu rushed forward, bent down, and picked up the white-covered book. The moment he opened it, the expression in his eyes changed repeatedly.
"Damn! I thought it was something mysterious, but it's just a tattered Devil Fruit encyclopedia. And it's so beautifully packaged even though it's tattered! What a waste!"
Mu Chong muttered a complaint, but his hands kept flipping through the pages. He discovered that this illustrated book was more complete than the one he had obtained in the Kingdom of Alabasta.
"That's good! It's a worthwhile achievement!"
"Captain! What is this?"
Just then, Slad, who had returned with the load, saw Mu Chong intently flipping through a book and asked curiously...
"Here you go, keep it safe! Devil Fruit Encyclopedia!"
Mu Chong tossed the map to Slad, then bent down and picked up the piece of paper whose material was unidentifiable. The paper was about thirty centimeters square and contained what appeared to be a map of an island with a red cross drawn on it; that was all the information.
"Damn! I don't understand this! Slade! Take this and study it!"
Mu Chong casually tossed the blueprints to Slad again, earning the latter several eye-rolls.
Then, Mu Chong bent down again to pick up the last item on the ground, a wooden square box.
Click!
With effortless ease, Mu Chong opened the lock and lifted the wooden box.
"Wow! This is truly unexpected!"
When Mu Chong saw what was inside the box, his facial expressions became very varied.
Inside the box was a Devil Fruit, a golden, banana-shaped Devil Fruit with spiral patterns and wing-like markings covering its peel.
"Hey! Slade! Look up what kind of power this Devil Fruit has in that encyclopedia!"
Mu Chong placed the Devil Fruit in front of Slade, who was looking down at the encyclopedia. Slade looked up and his eyes lit up when he saw the Devil Fruit in Mu Chong's hand. He then quickly began searching through it.
Swish!Swish!Swish!
"Yes! Found it!!"
In just a short while, the description of the Devil Fruit in Mu Chong's hand came into view.
"Captain! This is a pretty good Devil Fruit! It's a Zoan-type Insect Fruit, Ancient Zoan, Flying Mantis Mode!"
Slad held the encyclopedia up to Mu Chong and pointed to the information on it, saying...
"Hahahaha! A flying mantis? Hmm! That's a pretty good ability. I think I know who to give this Devil Fruit to!"