Marineford War: I Will Stand in the Sky

“Sabo, I’ll go with you. Those white ices look quite extraordinary, and you might not be able to withstand the temperatures.”

Sabo hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement. He then reminded Sora and Luminous to stay there before heading towards the next stomach with Ace.

……

Meanwhile, outside the Pure Gold Lanternfish, just as Arn was about to forcibly break the frozen esophagus of the Pure Gold Lanternfish and then go to bring Sora and Hikari out.

The base of the large golden lantern that was originally hanging above the head of the pure gold lanternfish suddenly broke, and the entire large golden lantern fell from mid-air.

"Snapped!"

Like a watermelon bursting open, the giant golden lantern, larger than a giant stadium, suddenly exploded in Yann, and countless golden unidentified liquids splashed in all directions like waves.

[Chapter 676. Immortality?]

The giant golden lantern, comparable in size to a large football stadium, suddenly burst open, and the strange golden liquid rushed out in all directions like a flood.

"Um?!"

Arn was somewhat surprised by this sudden turn of events, completely unprepared for the golden lanternfish to become so fragile after its death.

However, for Aon, who was currently in a fully liberated state, Daiguren Hyōrinmaru...

"freeze!"

An astonishing chill, like a raging torrent, swept towards the unidentified golden liquid that was about to engulf Arn.

however……

invalid!!

Arn's eyes widened slightly as he stared in astonishment at the unidentified golden liquid that seemed to completely ignore the terrifying chill.

how come?

No, I was just slow to react!

'The reason why the large lantern on the head of the pure gold lanternfish wasn't completely frozen in mid-air, but instead broke off from the fish's body, is because it simply cannot be frozen...'

As this guess arose in Arn's mind before he could dodge, the unidentified golden liquid completely engulfed him and continued to spread in all directions, until it reached the feet of Whitebeard in the distance.

The white-bearded man looked down at the unidentified golden liquid that had soaked his ankles, his brow furrowing slightly. "What is this?"

"Dad, be careful, it might be something bad."

Marco, who was flying in mid-air, lowered his altitude and shouted a warning to Whitebeard.

Whitebeard glanced disdainfully at Marco, then looked at the awe-inspiring pure gold lanternfish frozen in mid-air like a floating island in the distance, and said.

"What's there to be afraid of? That brat has already taken care of that gigantic creature, why should I cower and worry about something like this?"

Immediately, ignoring Marco's warning, Whitebeard strode towards the direction of the pure gold lanternfish, his resentment almost palpable.

'I was actually underestimated by a mere brat…'

Whitebeard's eyes were filled with annoyance. The pure gold lanternfish that he had been unable to deal with for so long had been taken care of by that brat in one go.

"laugh……"

Dissatisfied with his own decaying body, Whitebeard looked to the other side, where he saw Yann, covered in an unknown golden liquid, slowly getting up from the ground and seemingly studying the liquid.

"This... doesn't seem to be a liquid..."

Looking at the unidentified golden liquid in his hand, Yann realized that it was fundamentally different from normal liquids, and instead resembled some kind of special liquid metal.

"Wait, this can't be... pure gold, can it?!"

The idea popped into Arn's mind, but he wasn't sure.

During this period of time, Arn has naturally collected a considerable amount of information about pure gold.

Besides the effects of pure gold, pure gold should also look similar to normal gold, but it will always radiate a dazzling light, giving the body that is exposed to it an almost instantaneous state of being frozen in time.

Before Yaen could even try to verify his guess, the unidentified golden liquid that covered the ice surface beneath the pure gold lanternfish began to vaporize rapidly, turning into dazzling golden light that began to dissipate at a visible speed.

Among them, Arn and Whitebeard, who were standing in these liquid-like metals, seemed to be enveloped by a large amount of golden light, and the dissipating liquid-like metals seemed to instinctively merge into Arn and Whitebeard's bodies.

In just a few breaths, the liquid-like metal that appeared after the lanterns on the heads of the pure gold lanternfish exploded was quickly corroded by the air and disappeared completely in the blink of an eye, as if it had never existed.

However, both Yann and Whitebeard remained motionless.

As a naval expert in "Life Return," Yann can almost perfectly control the changes at the cellular level within his body...

At that moment, Yann suddenly felt that the cells in his body had stopped decaying and dying normally!

What this meant was all too clear to Arn…

eternal life?!

Cells stop decaying and dying, but maintain continuous vitality and function, which is tantamount to physical immortality!

Immediately, Yann looked up sharply in the direction of Whitebeard and found that Whitebeard's eyes also revealed unparalleled shock, and he had also noticed the changes in his body.

"Gurgling!! My body... has stopped decaying!!"

Suddenly, Whitebeard burst into laughter, a white halo surrounding his fist, and then he swung it behind him.

"Click, click, click..."

"boom!!!"

Large cracks appeared in the spiderweb pattern, followed by an extremely terrifying shockwave that instantly shattered the ice surface within Whitebeard's line of sight.

Whitebeard tilted his head slightly, glancing disdainfully behind him, his tone tinged with joy as he spoke, "The accumulated hidden injuries from the past have also been suppressed; even using my abilities didn't trigger them..."

For a moment, Yann felt that his expression beneath the mask was extremely complex.

After the liquid metal that resembled pure gold evaporated, his and Whitebeard's bodies were severely affected, thus gaining... physical immortality?

Unlike Whitebeard's joy, Yann's brows furrowed deeply as he pondered how to remove the power of immortality from his body.

It wasn't that Yan didn't want to live longer, nor was it that he feared the pain and loneliness of the rumored immortality.

Just as humans will never know the joy of fish or the freedom of birds, immortal beings... will probably only be happier?

To live forever and be happy forever, to enjoy the beauty of different eras and witness the changes of the world.

Otherwise, those immortal old fogies in the World Government wouldn't go to such lengths to maintain their immortality by constantly changing bodies.

However, what troubles Arn is that his immortality is obtained by stopping his cells from aging and dying, which means that Arn's physical age will be permanently stopped.

If Aon's age has been permanently frozen, does that mean he will never awaken the next Zanpakuto?

This... is what Yann was subconsciously worried about.

If the revolutionary army ultimately achieves its great cause, bringing true change to this sea and leading it into the era it has longed for, Yann wouldn't mind experiencing so-called immortality and finding more enjoyment in his long life.

But now that I am so weak, what is the point of living forever?

Living in an era that you dislike and despise is nothing but torture!

[Chapter 677. Whitebeard's Invitation]

'This is troublesome. If that's really the case, I wonder if Luo can deal with this ability of immortality...'

Yaen sighed inwardly, thinking silently, his expression beneath the mask filled with helplessness.

Besides that, Yann's gaze fell on Whitebeard at this moment, and he could clearly feel that Whitebeard was in a completely different state than before.

The immortal body's functions completely resolved the numerous hidden injuries that Whitebeard's previously weakened body could not suppress.

In other words, Whitebeard is now almost at his peak. Apart from being slightly weaker than in his prime, his combat experience and skills are enough to allow him to unleash incredible power.

Having experienced the changes in his body, Whitebeard turned to Arn and asked, "Hey, kid Hyōrinmaru, what's going on?"

"You've probably heard the rumors about pure gold, as a legendary pirate, right?" Yann said.

"Is this pure gold?" the white-bearded man asked.

At this moment, combining the changes in his body with the information he had accumulated about pure gold in the past, Yann had a rough guess and answered.

"More or less, but I think a more accurate description would be that after being digested by the pure gold lanternfish, it is stored in that 'big lantern' as a special substance that can be absorbed by the body."

"That's why the pure gold lanternfish has such an incredibly long lifespan, almost like immortality, and has lived in the ocean for over eight hundred years. However, it seems that the substance derived from pure gold quickly evaporates and disappears upon contact with air..."

After a pause, Yann stared at Whitebeard, observing the changes in his expression, and then continued.

"So, in a sense, you and I, who absorbed that part of the substance, have already achieved immortality in our bodies."

Whitebeard's expression didn't change much upon hearing this. Instead, he subconsciously clenched his fist, as if feeling the power in his body, and said.

"Immortality? I see. No wonder my body doesn't feel like it's continuing to deteriorate."

Then, Whitebeard looked at Yann and extended his palm towards him, as if inviting him to something.

Upon seeing this, Yaen was taken aback, then his eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a hint of danger.

If Whitebeard was inviting him to be his son, then it would be nothing short of an insult...

If the victor extends such an invitation to the loser, it might be considered a form of recognition; but Yann never believed that he needed to be subordinate to a mere pirate, not even Whitebeard.

The next moment, the white-bearded man spoke boldly, "Hyōrinmaru, would you like to join my banquet?"

"A banquet?" Yaen asked, somewhat surprised.

Whitebeard slammed his Murakumogiri sword heavily against the ice and spoke.

"Gurrah, after a thrilling battle, it's the perfect time to hold a banquet. Besides, my hidden injuries have been suppressed, which is also something to celebrate."

"I acknowledge you, Hyōrinmaru. Your power is comparable to mine, and you are qualified to participate in my banquet as an opponent."

Yaen pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "In that case, I'll take my leave."

Upon seeing this, Whitebeard's crescent-shaped mustache twitched slightly, and he loudly announced to the members of the "Whitebeard Pirates" in the distance.

"Men, prepare the feast!"

The pirates were taken aback at first, and then, due to the distance, they didn't know exactly what Whitebeard and Yann had said, but they all cheered in unison.

"Oh!!!"

For pirates, "treasure, crew, and feasts" are almost indispensable in their voyage.

As Yann accepted Whitebeard's invitation to the banquet, the atmosphere between Whitebeard and Yann eased considerably.

Then, Yann looked at the pure gold lanternfish that was still frozen in mid-air and said, "Whitebeard, wait a moment, I need to go into the pure gold lanternfish's belly to pick up a few people."

Whitebeard, who hadn't forgotten Ace's existence, said, "Hmm? I was just thinking the same thing."