https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-255-Do-You-Really-Think-We-d-Believe-Your-Nonsense-/13536631/
Chapter 256: Hot Potato
Chapter 256: Hot Potato
The brilliance was so intense that it flooded the room with light. Unlike Kuro’s ear accessory reflecting sunlight, this radiance wasn’t blinding—it was soft, like sunlight or moonlight, gentle even when stared at directly.
"This is..."
Both Lida and Klah shuddered, their eyes widening.
They felt it—the halted growth.
Lida specialized in unarmed combat techniques and wielded a Haki-type Devil Fruit, giving him exceptional bodily control. Klah, as a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user, also possessed formidable physical mastery. Thus, both could sense their natural development freezing under the light’s glow.
"P-Pure Gold?!"
Lida stammered.
"Pure Gold?!" Klah’s pupils contracted as he gasped, "The legendary treasure that grants eternal youth and immortality?!"
"That’s right."
Kuro fixed his gaze on the pebble-shaped gold in the jar, wrapped in a hooded cloak. "But it’s not truly immortality. You felt it, didn’t you? It doesn’t stop aging completely—it just slows bodily development to a crawl."
"Theoretically, it does achieve eternal youth", A Xi Ai interjected. "Halted growth means maintaining a constant physical state. Correct, Mi Si Qi Na·A Xi Ai?"
A Xi Ai sighed. "Pure Gold shouldn’t exist in this world. But I had no choice—Ao Er Jia’s illness was incurable. We could only suppress it with Pure Gold."
"Eh? Pure Gold was created?!" Lida blurted. "I thought it was a divine creation!"
Klah swallowed hard, forcing himself to look away from the mesmerizing light. "May I ask—what illness?"
"South Emperor Fever. An incurable disease." A Xi Ai’s voice dropped.
Ao Er Jia lowered her head, repeatedly touching the ring on her finger—the inner side embedded with a tiny fragment of Pure Gold, the true reason for her halted growth.
"How severe is it?" Lida tilted his head.
"Of course it’s severe! Incurable means waiting to die painfully!" Ao Er Jia snapped.
"But... I’ve never been sick. What does illness feel like?" Lida asked.
"You’ve never been ill?!" Ao Er Jia stared.
"Never. From birth to now", Lida shrugged. "Unless starvation counts? Is sickness like hunger?"
"You might lose appetite—so hungry you won’t eat", Ao Er Jia muttered.
"Oh, that does sound awful." Lida nodded sympathetically.
No one present found his lack of illness surprising.
Klah had never been sick.
Kuro’s body, too, had never faltered—illness was a distant memory from another life.
"Now isn’t the time to discuss sickness", Kuro interrupted, massaging his temples. "South Emperor Fever’s cure has existed for two centuries. There’s a hospital in Moe Island—take her there."
"To be honest... I never expected you two to become this much trouble. The implications of Pure Gold should be obvious to everyone."
Kuro’s voice carried a headache.
Klah and Lida nodded gravely.
The elixir of immortality would drive the world mad.
Who wouldn’t desire eternal youth? Yet its timing was catastrophic.
Pure Gold’s stagnation meant halted advancement—no matter how much one trained, the body remained frozen.
Kuro was still in his growth phase, far from his ultimate form.
But for someone at peak strength—Kaido, Hawk-Eye, the Admirals, even the aging Garp—Pure Gold meant eternal dominance.
Yet even peak warriors would eventually decline with time.
Kuro already faced enough scrutiny due to his reputation. Possessing Pure Gold would invite global chaos—he’d never leave the Navy alive if exposed.
But surrendering it was unthinkable.
He crushed the jar in his fist, scattering rock fragments that coalesced into a lion-headed globe encapsulating Pure Gold and the ring. With a flick, he hurled it out the window.
Above the sky, an island in the Heavenly Treasure Vault disassembled itself, its rocks reforming around the Pure Gold’s core. Layered with islands, rocks, and weapons, it became an impregnable aerial continent.
"There. Now it’s secure." Kuro lit a cigar, smoke curling. "That damned Pure Gold—hot potato. Anyone with brains knows it should stay buried."
"Hot potato? What kind of potato? Tasty?" Lida perked up.
"Pfft, don’t be annoying!"
Kuro tossed A Xi Ai a cigar. "Smoke?"
"No thanks", A Xi Ai declined, leaning forward eagerly. "You said South Emperor Fever can be cured?"
"Klah", Kuro barked. "Take them to the hospital. Handle the paperwork for the Misqina family—no accidents. Let them settle here."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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