One Piece: From Picking Up Red Hair's Broken Arm

Chapter 169 Blackbeard's Heart Fluttered [Second Update]

at the same time.

Inside a tavern with a distinctly marine theme in its decor.

On stage, there was a beautiful and graceful mermaid girl performing a passionate dance.

Xia Nuo, on the other hand, sat leisurely in an inconspicuous corner, savoring the shop's signature cocktail while casually flipping through a newspaper in his hand.

The tavern was doing brisk business, but a large number of seats around it were empty.

The pirates who came here to drink preferred to sit on one bench with several men on either side, rather than approach this side or even turn their heads to look in this direction.

Some timid people paid their bills early and ran away.

"Is it almost two billion?"

Xia Nuo put down the newspaper and took a sip of wine.

No wonder these guys were so scared. A bounty of this caliber is probably no different in terms of intimidation from the Four Emperors for ordinary pirates.

The title of "World's Greatest Swordsman" is far more intimidating than "Katana Swordsman".

The Navy's calculations are all too obvious.

Could this really attract Hawkeye's attention...?

Besides, everyone else has also increased their bounties quite a bit, even Nami. I suppose they shouldn't have any objections to the bounty anymore.

He looked up and glanced at the hospital across the street.

The reason he was sitting here waiting was because that powerful aura, which could not be ignored, had entered the hospital, seemingly to seek medical treatment.

This makes it difficult to go in and meet.

Why not just stay here and wait for the freebies to come to you, have a few drinks to relax, and take stock of your points earned recently?

His gaze fell on the glowing, dark blue panel in front of him.

[You sacrificed Rayleigh's severed arm, gaining 5500 points]

[You sacrificed Chaton Kake's cowboy hat and gained 2200 points.]

[You sacrificed the mermaid Camie's hair clip and gained 100 points.]

The right hand of the Pirate King is indeed quite valuable.

The extra charges are acceptable.

As for Kemi... I just happened to run into her on the street.

This poor little boy, who was captured and enslaved in Sabaody Archipelago in the original timeline and then caught the eye of the Celestial Dragons, is only twelve years old now. His family seems to be very poor, and at such a young age, he is already selling ice cream on the street to make money.

These kinds of small favors are things that Xia Nuo wouldn't normally even consider worth a second glance.

Unfortunately, it really is muscle memory. In just a fleeting moment, before I could even react, I already had the other person's hair clip in my hand, and then casually sacrificed it.

Xia Nuo almost slapped himself at that moment.

Damn it!
As compensation, he immediately took out his money to buy all the remaining ice cream. After Kemi happily pushed the cart away, he distributed the ice cream to the mermaid children around him who were staring at him expectantly.

In short.

My guilt subsided a little, and my points, which were originally 41200, rose again to 49000.

As for when it will break the 50,000 mark...

"The time is now."

Xia Nuo closed the system panel and leisurely turned around.

As expected, several figures appeared in front of them.

The guy in the lead wore glasses and actually had a rather refined and gentle air about him, if you ignored his strange pineapple-like hairstyle...

"Hey, hey, hey, it really is you, Xia Nuo!"

Marco's eyes lit up with surprise, he laughed heartily, and pulled out a chair in front of him to sit down:

"I was wondering why I felt such a strong and frightening aura as soon as I stepped out of the hospital. If it weren't so unfamiliar, I would have thought that Brother Jinbe had returned as well..."

"I saw your ship a long time ago, so I couldn't resist my curiosity and decided to come and take a look."

Xia Nuo answered frankly, then smiled and snapped his fingers, signaling the bartender to bring a few more drinks:

"I just didn't expect it would be you leading the way, Marco, the renowned veteran of the Whitebeard Pirates, the first division commander... But isn't your attitude a bit too enthusiastic?"

"Ah, sorry, it seems I did overreact."

Marco then snapped out of his daze and scratched his head:

"Because I've been seeing your news in the newspaper a lot lately, and Dad always praises you. After a few times, we've almost come to regard you as our little brother. We feel really close to you whenever we meet, haha, that's why..."

"That white-bearded guy is actually paying so much attention to me?"

Xia Nuo was genuinely surprised. He chuckled and picked up his wine glass. "You even complimented me a few times. Really? What did you compliment me on?"

"really!"

Marco laughed heartily:
"He praised you a lot! He said you're very much to his liking, just like Oden back in the day!"

puff!
Xia Nuo spat out the entire mouthful of wine.

Marco was caught off guard by the spray, his glasses covered in alcohol. He reluctantly took off his glasses, wiped his face with his sleeve, and said with a wry smile:
"Hey buddy, is that a big reaction?"

"Sorry sorry."

Xia Nuo quickly handed over a tissue, but couldn't help twitching her lips. "But who do you think I resemble? Oden? That Kozuki Oden?"

"correct."

Marco put his glasses back on, blinked, and said, "Dad said you two are practically cut from the same cloth—both are incredibly strong at a young age, always ready to help those in need, and both scornfully ignore the olive branch offered by the World Government..."

"..." Xia Nuo hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping herself.

No, isn't the tolerance of your mold a bit too large?

Forget it.

Among Whitebeard's captains, putting aside other factors, his impression of Marco was quite positive.

In addition, given the sincerity shown by the other party, I gave them some face and didn't belittle the oden to their face.

At that moment, the bartender brought over a full plate of cocktails. Shano gestured for the bartender to distribute them, while his gaze shifted to the other members of the Whitebeard Pirates.

If you remove Marco, there are only three people.

One of them was someone I had no recollection of, probably just an ordinary crew member, who remained silent and unsmiling. The two exchanged a glance and nodded as a greeting.

The other one was a tall shark-man who looked familiar, with a pale and weak complexion;

As for the last one...

"Hahahaha!!!"

A burly man missing a few teeth raised his glass and grinned broadly.
"Thank you for the treat, Brother Shano... No, for someone as important as you, whom Father admires, it's better to address you as Your Excellency, Your Excellency Shano! I am the old crew member under Captain Oden I just mentioned, Marshall Teach, you can just call me Teach!"

"Nice to meet you, Teach."

Xia Nuo grinned along with him, her smile bright and genuine.

Then he looked at the shark-fish man.

“I am Namur, Lord Shano.”

The shark-fish man gave a weak smile and introduced himself:
"Captain of the Eighth Division, I'll have to decline this drink since I haven't fully recovered yet. I'm really sorry. The reason Marco and Teach accompanied me to Fishman Island was actually to help me get treatment."

"You can see it."

Xia Nuo nodded and glanced at the pile of medicine the other person was carrying.

“Namur suffers from a very rare blood disease, which seems to be only affected by fish-men and mermaids. I have tried many methods to cure him but to no avail.”

Marco added, "Fortunately, Teach is quick-witted and suggested that Fishman Island, where fishmen live, might already have more professional treatment methods for this."

He patted Teach on the shoulder with a smile, "Look, we found the right medicine as soon as we got to the hospital. The doctor said that after finishing this course of treatment and taking a little rest, we'll be fully recovered."

"Yes."

Namuel also exclaimed, "It's all thanks to Teach, otherwise I would have been suffering from this illness for a long time! I don't know how to thank you and Brother Marco enough..."

"Thief hahahaha!"

Teach blushed slightly at the compliment and scratched his head shyly.
"Between partners, this is only natural, no need to take it to heart! Captain Marco has been running around for you for so long, you really should thank him properly. As for me? At most, when we get back, I'll treat him to a drink like Lord Shano did!"

Her face can turn red so easily!

The so-called best actor born with talent must be someone like Blackbeard, who, as he acts, eventually becomes convinced of his own performance.

Xia Nuo was completely awestruck. He smiled and downed his drink in one gulp. Just as he was about to say something, a commotion suddenly arose outside:

"Hey! Really? I'm not seeing things, am I?!"

"A whale wearing a crown, that vehicle is... there's no mistake!"

"How fortunate we are! His Majesty the Sea God has actually left the Dragon Palace and descended here in person!"

Shano, Marco, and the others looked out the window and saw that the fish-people on the street had already made way for them and bowed their heads respectfully.

A colossal figure, over ten meters tall, swam over; it was none other than Neptune, the current king of Fishman Island.

He wore a crown, held a trident, and had a solemn expression. His every move truly possessed the air of a legendary sea god, until he slightly bowed, intending to enter the tavern—

Boom!
Neptune's head slammed against the door, leaving a large bump on his head, and his crown flew off.

"I'm telling you, with your height of over ten meters, you can forget about getting in, Your Majesty."

Marco sighed and facepalmed. While the crowd was still bent over, he helped pick up the crown and handed it to Neptune.

Neptune touched the red and swollen area and shook his head:

"With Whitebeard's men coming to visit, and Marco leading the team himself, how could I possibly stay outside and let you come out to greet them? That would be far too impolite, Neptune!"

This is truly unique—making one's own name a verbal tic.

Just as Shano was about to complain, Neptune looked over. He was taken aback at first, then showed surprise, placing his right hand on his chest in a slight bow.
"So you're also on Fishman Island? It's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Shano."

Take a look.

This honest man's acting skills are nowhere near as good as Blackbeard's. Clearly, back at the entrance valve, Shano saw the guards recognize him, look terrified, and frantically call their superiors to report it…

"Nice to meet you."

Xia Nuo smiled and nodded in return. The other party's attitude was very respectful, clearly not wanting to offend him, a passing scourge. There was no need to expose him.

really!

I had no idea who this recently infamous pirate was!
It seems my skills in dealing with people have indeed improved, just as little Bai Xing praised… Neptune felt a surge of satisfaction, cleared his throat, and immediately resumed his solemn demeanor:
"Lord Marco, I heard that you have graced Fishman Island with your presence. It would be inappropriate not to extend some hospitality, so I have come here to invite you to a banquet at the Dragon Palace."

He then looked at Xia Nuo and said, neither humble nor arrogant:

"It is an extraordinary coincidence to meet Lord Shano here. It seems that you and Captain Marco are having a very pleasant conversation. Would you do me the honor of visiting my palace for a chat?"

The fishmen and mermaids on the street outside were immediately thrown into an uproar.

"Dragon Palace Castle?!"

"That's a place that many wealthy people on the island try their best to visit, but they still can't get to set foot there!"

"As expected of a member of the Whitebeard Pirates and the 'World's Greatest Swordsman,' even His Majesty the Sea God personally came to extend an invitation..."

……

Marco and Namur exchanged a glance, then nodded with wry smiles:

"Then it's better to be respectful than to obey."

Although he originally came in a low-key manner, intending to leave once he recovered, King Neptune was someone who had helped his father in the past. Not only did he personally come to welcome the younger generation, but he also gave him so much face, so it was really hard to refuse.

Xia Nuo smiled and said, "Since it is His Majesty the King who has extended such a kind invitation, then I will take my leave."

Who would complain about getting too much freebies?

Neptune smiled with satisfaction and stepped aside to make way for him: "Please follow me."

As the group left the tavern, the fish-men and mermaids on the street bowed and watched them leave with envious eyes.

……

Not long after.

The group of people entered the Dragon Palace under Neptune's personal guidance.

The majestic and ancient palace exudes a sense of historical vicissitudes, complemented by schools of colorful fish swimming by and a lifelike oriental dragon statue on the roof.

This familiar feeling of déjà vu...

Xia Nuo couldn't help but look up at the sky.

Hmm, we haven't found any trace of the "Sea-Stabilizing Needle".

But then I inadvertently saw something rushing towards me in the distance.

It started as a tiny black dot, but it moved incredibly fast, becoming crystal clear in the blink of an eye.

call out!
It was a huge axe, blade facing forward, which instantly pierced through the bubble protective membrane and then plummeted down, winding its way through the palace corridors before shooting straight towards a side hall at the back.

That direction is...

Xia Nuo frowned slightly, his figure flashed, and he instantly appeared in mid-air. He moved his right leg slightly and kicked out.

Click!

The giant axe, which was flying at high speed, suddenly stopped moving and then shattered into countless fragments, which fell to the ground.

“…” Neptune turned around in astonishment. After seeing the traces of the giant axe fragments on the ground, he immediately realized something and his face turned extremely ugly.

"What's going on, Your Majesty?" Marco asked.

“…” Neptune was silent for a few seconds before forcing a smile: “I’m sorry, everyone, it’s just a little trouble in the palace, don’t worry about it.”

He bowed again to Xia Nuo, "Thank you for your help, sir. I wonder which soldier made a mistake during training and caused this trouble..."

"I accept your thanks, but please refrain from such a lame lie, Your Majesty Neptune?"

Shano patted the crumbs off his hands and chuckled, "If you don't tell the truth honestly, it doesn't matter to me since I have no connection with your Fishman Island, but these guys won't be able to leave in peace, right, Marco?"

“That’s right!” Marco immediately agreed.

"Exactly, just say what's wrong. What's with all this beating around the bush!"

"Given your relationship with Dad, do you still expect us to be treated like outsiders?"

The others also started shouting in dissatisfaction, showing no sign of wanting to give up until they knew the truth.

"This……"

After much deliberation, Neptune finally sighed.

"That's a long story. Please come this way with me for the banquet. We can eat while I tell you the tale."

……

In the main hall.

The banquet table was piled high with all kinds of delicacies, but Marco and the others had no appetite. After hearing Neptune's words, they couldn't suppress their anger and became agitated.

"That Vanderdeken, ever since Princess Shirahoshi was six, has been using the power of the Target-Target Fruit to harass her with love letters. When she didn't respond, he got furious and escalated to throwing weapons at her?"

"Forced the poor little princess to hide in a tower for years, is there really such a pervert?"

"Your Majesty Neptune, why didn't you tell us sooner? We would have dealt with that guy for you much earlier!"

"How could I possibly accept that?"

Neptune rubbed his temples, his smile bitter. "The Whitebeard Pirates have shown the Ryugu Kingdom immense kindness, yet I have nothing to repay them with. If I were to trouble you with something like this again, then..."

He shook his head. "And that guy is really not so easy to deal with. He hides in the deep sea at a depth of 10,000 meters and never shows himself easily. Jinbe also took the initiative to help and searched the area for a whole half month, but he still couldn't catch him."

"What a despicable person!"

"However, even Jinbe..."

Marco and the others exchanged unpleasant glances; this trouble was indeed difficult to resolve.

Xia Nuo popped a grape into his mouth and thought about it carefully.

He remembered that in the original timeline, Van Da Deken was eliminated because his ambition had grown too big, and he had taken the initiative to come to Fishman Island to cooperate with Hody Jones.

If it just keeps hiding in the vast deep sea and doesn't show itself, then it's truly invincible, there's really nothing we can do about it.

He does know how to breathe deep into the sea, but can his ability to move around in the sea compare to Doraemon's?

They also had a better understanding of the waters surrounding Fishman Island, yet they spent over ten days searching but still couldn't find it.

Xia Nuo didn't think she had the luck to catch the other person as soon as she stepped outside...

He glanced at Namur, the fishman captain. He guessed that Namur had originally wanted to stay a few more days to help, but after hearing about Jinbe's situation, he scratched his head in distress, not knowing what to do.

"Actually, there are other ways."

Xia Nuo suddenly spoke.

"Ok?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone at the banquet turned their gazes toward him.

"If that's too difficult to solve, we can start from the other end."

Xia Nuo said leisurely, "Why not just give Shirahoshi a Devil Fruit? I mean a Logia type one. That way, she'll be naturally immune to this level of attack, and we won't have to worry about it at all."

It seems so!

Neptune's eyes lit up. How come he never thought of this!

Does that Van Dadeken know Haki? Probably not. But even if he did learn Haki, it would be impossible for him to throw a weapon that far and still have Haki attached to it!

If Shirahoshi can automatically transform into an element to dodge, what is there for her to fear!
Even so, this would cause Shirahoshi to lose the swimming ability that the mermaid race is so proud of.

But what is this price compared to being confined in a high tower like a prisoner for years, unable to even contact the outside world?

"Thank you for reminding me!!"

Neptune first thanked Shano, then immediately looked at Marco and said sincerely, "Captain Marco, I may need to ask you for help with this matter again. If you find any trace of Logia-type Devil Fruits, please contact me immediately. No matter the cost, I am willing to buy them!"

“Don’t worry, we’ll keep an eye on it.” Marco nodded. “However, Logia-type Devil Fruits are indeed rare, so it might take a while…”

"No need to bother."

Xia Nuo's voice came, drawing everyone's attention once again.

“I have some natural fruits right here.”

He smiled and casually pulled out a bag, then shook it.

Three Devil Fruits fell and rolled onto the table. The Sand-Sand Fruit stopped first, followed by...

Yes……

yes?!

Teach's expression, which had been showing a hint of curiosity, instantly froze on his face.

thump.

His lips trembled slightly as he stared blankly at the Devil Fruit, motionless. In this desolate and lifeless landscape, everything had lost its color, except for the spiraling purple fruit, which grew ever more vibrant in his vision, magnifying and magnifying again and again…

Boom, boom.

Is that it?
It seems so, it must be right, there can't be any mistake, right?

It's exactly the same as the photo I remember seeing, except for a tiny, inconspicuous difference in the texture. But what does that tiny difference mean?
What does that prove?!
After all, there aren't any other fruits similar to the Dark-Dark Fruit in the encyclopedia, are there? And that's a memory from a very, very long time ago, so there will always be some blurry or incorrect parts, right?
That's it!

It can only be this!

It has to be this one!!!

Boom, boom, boom...

All the noise of the surrounding world seemed to fade away at this moment. All he could hear was his own heartbeat, which was getting faster and faster, more and more intense, like the frantic beating of a war drum!
Thump, thump! Thump thump thump! Thump thump thump thump! Thump thump thump thump thump thump thump thump! ! ! !

　Because I was late, I managed to write a little more. It was originally supposed to be 3,000 words, but I increased it to almost 6,000, for a total of about 9,000 words. That's barely enough to make up for the word count I missed during my break. If there are any typos, please let me correct them during the day. Going to sleep now, goodnight everyone.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)