I guarded Impel Down for a hundred years in the pirate world.

They planned to hide on a nearby island for five days before sneaking back. Against the darkness, they bickered amongst themselves, the small boat gradually moving away from Uramio Island and heading into the dark sea.

Just then, Luffy, who had been stubbornly insisting on becoming the captain, suddenly straightened up and looked out to sea with Ace.

"There's movement? Is it a sea king?"

They spoke in unison.

They quickly fell into a daze again.

"What a coincidence, you two young men. Where are you headed? Let's go back to the island. I'll treat you both to some barbecue." Figo said with a smile, dragging a giant sea monster that was several hundred meters long.

Ace swallowed hard.

Luffy also swallowed.

However, the reasons are different.

"Really? You're treating us to a meal?!" Luffy confirmed with a look of surprise and delight.

Ace helplessly covered his face.

A few minutes later, on the shore.

Luffy yelled, "Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Grandpa! Stop hitting me! You promised to treat us to barbecue!"

"This is an appetizer, stir-fried pork with shoe soles," Figo said with a smile. "Your grandfather, Garp, ordered a hundred portions in total, it'll be ready quickly."

One hundred servings?!

Luffy's eyes welled up with tears.

I can't eat anymore, I really can't eat anymore.

"Ace, can you eat some for me?"

Ace: Get lost!

Chapter 345 Wan Gang, I Have a Friend

Three days later, a sea of ​​lights.

A small fishing boat was moving slowly forward. Figo and Wang Wan Gang, the king of fishing boats, sat side by side on the eaves, casting their fishing rods into the sea.

Every now and then, a lamp wick would be hooked, and the two men would reel it in. Once the lamps were asleep, they would hand them over to Wan Gang's trusted confidant, who was responsible for collecting the lamps.

If an ordinary light fishing enthusiast saw the speed of their fishing lights, they would definitely question their existence. It was as if they were fishing. The goal of an ordinary light fishing enthusiast was not to return empty-handed, but their goal was to fill the ship's warehouse!

Casting and reeling in the rods, one lamp after another.

Half a day had passed in the blink of an eye. When the two finished fishing and went to eat, the small fishing boat's storage compartment was already half full, with more than a hundred lamp wicks installed!

Wan Gang shook his head and laughed, "As expected of the King of the Stars, I really can't beat you."

In one morning, considering the value and quantity of the wicks from the fishing lights, if Wan Gang's wicks were 1, then Figo's would be at least 5.

This is a very obvious difference.

Figo said, "You should be able to guess that my situation is special. This is not an ability I learned, but a kind of... talent?"

"That's also your ability..."

Wan Gang shook his head and waved his hand to signal his confidant to leave, leaving only the two of them in the dining room.

After taking a sip of the delicious fish soup, Wan Gang said to Figo, "These past two days, because of my affairs, I have disturbed many of your young people. Will the King of the Stars also be confused about my choice?"

Although my body is decaying, if I were to participate in the war, I could at least kill a few demon kings at the fourth level of the Light Realm, and I might even have a chance to kill a legion commander at the fifth level of the Light Realm. It's better than wasting my life on the pointless task of blocking off the starry sky.

As one of the strongest at the pinnacle of the Lantern Star, the Lantern King at his peak was also MR8. However, because he did not have dual abilities, he was not as good as the Twin Pillars, but he was not much worse. Ordinary five-lantern powerhouses would only be able to run away if they encountered him alone.

“With me here, with the Skeleton King here, we don’t need the few people you kill. But there are some things we can’t do for you,” Figo said. “I understand and admire your choice.”

“Yes, that’s exactly it.” Wan Gang smiled and said, “Thank you for your understanding, but there’s no need for admiration. I’m just doing what any old Martian would do.”

His gaze became somewhat nostalgic.

“More than three thousand years have passed in the blink of an eye, but as I approach death, those experiences become clearer and clearer.” Wan Gang said, “Before the founding of the Kingdom of Capri, in the era when the human race’s living environment was at its worst, children could only grow up to the age of 14 under the best protection of the strong.”

At 14, we will be led by the strong to experience the war against the demon race, gradually participating in battles, accelerating our growth, and even leaving offspring early... Those who can grow up in that environment are the strongest warriors!

“14 years old?” Figo asked.

“Yes, 14 years old.” Wan Gang nodded to Figo and recalled, “I have a friend. He was also 14 years old when he first experienced the cruelty of war with the strong, but for him, war seemed even more cruel.”

During his first battle, they were ambushed by an elite demon squad. Somehow, the demons had learned of his squad's existence and location beforehand, and a catastrophic massacre ensued.

When the human warriors arrived to rescue him, of the entire team of 74 young men and women, only he remained, having been pulled back from the brink of death.

"He survived and gradually grew into a powerful warrior, but the experience he had at the age of 14 always lingered in his mind."

In fact, what he encountered was very common for humans at that time, but he could not use commonality as an excuse to comfort himself.

Because some of the 73 people who died with him had parents and relatives, whenever my friend returned from a trip, there would always be someone watching him from a distance.

She simply gazed at him, without uttering a word or making any move.

Wan Gang shook his head and continued:

"He felt guilty. He felt that they were blaming him for not saving anyone back then, blaming the human warriors who led the team back then for focusing on protecting him, who had the most outstanding talent, which led to their children losing their chance to live."

Until one day, he mustered up the courage to face those people and stood in front of the woman who had spied on him the most. That woman did not blame him, nor did she show any hatred in her eyes.

She simply touched my friend's face, smiled, and said, "You've grown so much! You're a powerful human warrior now. Be careful out there, and take good care of yourself."

Figo asked with some emotion, "Is it something to rely on?"

"Hmm." Wan Gang nodded. Although he was telling a sad story, a faint smile appeared on his face for some reason.

"At that time, my friend was already a king who lit two lamps and one of the leaders of the younger generation, but he couldn't help but shed tears."

Right in front of me, he burst into tears, his sleeves soaked with sobs. He was as weak as a child, yet he still insisted on changing the human race's situation and defeating the demon race.

He cried like a child back then, which didn't seem convincing at all. I just thought it was his ramblings in sadness and grief. But I never expected that later, he would actually do it!

Wan Gang said, "Of course, he only managed the first half. Without your help in the second half, the outcome would have been uncertain. So, on behalf of my friend, I want to thank you again!"

Figo turned his head in surprise: "I thought you were talking about yourself as a friend."

"Wan Gang, everyone has moments of weakness. It's amazing that you've remembered this for so many years. Were you already planning to tell people about my embarrassing moments?" A gentle, middle-aged voice came from outside.

Then came the greetings from several of Wan Gang's confidants: "Your Majesty!"

Figo and Wan Gang went outside.

On the deck, a huge skeleton, its red and black colors intertwined, stood with its eyes flashing with ghostly fire, staring at Wan Gang with what seemed to be some dissatisfaction.

Wan Gang laughed and stepped forward, opening his arms wide. The Skeleton Emperor paused for a moment, then gently embraced him with his two skeletal arms.

“Old skeleton, I thought you wouldn’t have time to attend my funeral.”

"I must see you one last time."

"Hahaha, really? Too bad you're a skeleton now, otherwise I might have had a chance to see you wail and cry again?"

“Crying loudly is impossible,” said the Skeleton Emperor, “but shedding tears is another matter.”

Wan Gang paused, then burst into even more boisterous laughter.

"Two old men over three thousand years old, don't try that. You'll only make a fool of yourself in front of the King of the Stars."

Figo smiled and went back inside.

"I haven't eaten yet, so I won't disturb your gathering of old friends."

Chapter 346 Farce

"Meat...meat..."

Luffy lay face down, his butt sticking up high, his face resting on the pillow, muttering in his sleep.

Various kinds of sea monster meat, roasted to a golden brown and crispy, entered his dreams one after another, but suddenly, the fragrant meat turned into the black sole of a shoe.

Snapped!

"do not want!"

The bubble on his nose popped, and Luffy bounced high into the air, covering his buttocks, before landing back on the bed.

After sucking on the saliva from the corner of his mouth, Luffy gradually regained his senses and rubbed his butt in a daze.

"Phew~ It was a dream."

"Huh, it doesn't hurt anymore?"

"Haha, it doesn't hurt anymore!"

Figo's power is incredibly strange. Even though his body was engulfed in flames, Luffy's butt didn't dare touch the ground for a full five days after being hit.

It wasn't until now that I finally recovered.

This made Luffy somewhat happy.

He got out of bed and stretched, doing three circles to the left and three circles to the right, wiggling his hips, grinning, and then pushed open the bedroom door.

"Good morning, Ace, Zoro, and Chef Girl." He waved his hand in greeting.

Kuina placed her hand on the hilt of the knife, thought for a moment, sighed, and then lowered her hand.

"Finally awake? Luffy," Ace said. "I was just about to come and wake you."

Seeing the solemn expressions on Ace's, Zoro's, and Kuina's faces, Luffy paused, his smile fading as he remembered what day it was.

Where is Granny Xin?

"They've already left."

"They...they're gone?!" Luffy exclaimed in surprise.

"They've gone to Lord Lantern King's place to prepare." Ace: "To prepare for his ascension funeral."

"Oh..." Luffy felt a sense of relief, the joy of no longer having a sore butt dissipated, but then he noticed something on the table and asked in surprise, "What's that...?"

“4.2743 billion lamp coins,” Ace said. “Grandma Xin’s entire savings.”

Zoro continued, "It's the shops, lanterns, and her original savings that we helped her manage. Granny Xin originally wanted to hand them over to the Lantern King so that he could distribute this wealth to those who needed it, but she just said before she left that she could just hand them over to us."

Luffy's mouth moved slightly: "Let's... let's go see Granny Xin off."

"Of course I'll go, I've been waiting for you."