Chapter 78 - CHAPTER 78 - Encounter – Valentine Takes the Initiative

The treasure from Skypiea was hidden within a cubic structure, approximately nine levels deep. The deeper the levels, the smaller the area they occupied. The first level was located 50 meters below ground, with fissures along the canyon wall serving as the primary ventilation shafts. Rosen transformed the ground into sand, then flicked his hand, scattering the sand across the floor below. The first level, beneath a ceiling made of piled earth and stone, was a labyrinth of interwoven corridors. Anyone lacking strong logical and spatial reasoning skills would easily lose their way inside. "I didn't expect such an ancient structure underground. It looks like a burial tomb," Robin remarked, running her fingers along the walls. The walls of the labyrinth crisscrossed in endless patterns, creating overlapping loops with only a few scattered exits. "This is actually a common maze design used on Sky Islands. It strongly suggests that the builders of this place were indeed from Skypiea. If there's treasure here, it should be further down," Urouge said with a nod. "Let me lead the way," Urouge volunteered. "No need. Since it's made of sand and stone, we'll take the easy route. "We're not here to solve puzzles—we're here for efficiency. "Desert Sunflower," Rosen said casually, biting down on his cigar. Under different circumstances, he might have been interested in the thrill of a treasure hunt. But given that some uninvited pirates had already ventured ahead, there was no room for carelessness. Rosen pressed his hand to the ground, instantly transforming a section of it into flowing sand. A passageway leading to the second level was revealed, bypassing the entire maze. Without hesitation, Rosen jumped down, followed closely by the others. "Such a convenient ability... so this is the power of a Devil Fruit?" Urouge watched Rosen's abilities in admiration. He had heard of Devil Fruits before—there were even stories about them on Skypiea. But seeing one in action, especially wielded by a Warlord of the Sea, was truly impressive. "There's a strong smell of gunpowder and animal fat. "The walls and floor are scorched. " "There are arrows embedded in the walls. " "And there are corpses ahead—likely those pirates. " "A fire must have raged through here recently," Robin observed, glancing at the bodies strewn across the ground. "If someone followed the usual route, they would have had a much harder time getting through." "But since we're taking shortcuts, let's see how many layers this place has," Rosen said indifferently. As a Logia user—especially one with the Sand-Sand Fruit—he had an overwhelming advantage in this kind of environment. With each new passage he carved through, their descent was swift. Within moments, they reached the seventh level—where they encountered Soros and his men. Boom! Soros and his crew, seeing the collapsing ceiling, initially thought the entire structure was about to cave in. But in reality, Rosen had simply liquefied the floor once again. "Good morning, pirates. This is a robbery," Rosen said with a wicked grin. Since none of them were decent people, there was no moral dilemma in taking them out. Before killing them, he would squeeze every last bit of value from them—because life at sea required wealth to survive. "Crocodile?!" Soros and his men were stunned. What kind of nightmare was this? How had they run into one of the infamous Warlords of the Sea in this godforsaken place? Had their luck finally run out? "Desert Spada!" Rosen didn't waste time with small talk. A massive sand blade swept through the air, cutting down the pirates in the front. The narrow corridor left them with nowhere to dodge. Unless they possessed a Logia ability themselves or could phase through walls, they had no choice but to take the attack head-on. "Damn it! Open fire!" Soros roared. Gunfire erupted instantly, but the bullets passed through Rosen's sand-like body without even sparking. "What the hell?! Is this some kind of ability?" Soros and his men were terrified. They had never seen a Logia user before. They had heard stories, but nothing had prepared them for this. "Sandstorm!" With a flick of his hand, Rosen conjured a violent sandstorm. The corridor became a sealed tomb—there was no escape. "Aaaahhh!" Razor-sharp sand tore through the pirates, cutting them down in an instant. "Are they all dead?" Urouge and his men landed just in time to see the corridor littered with corpses. "No. Some of them are still alive," Rosen said flatly. As if on cue, a few heavily wounded survivors staggered out of the sandstorm. Among them was Soros, his vice-captain, and three other strong pirates—five in total. They were pale with fear. Rosen was simply too powerful. They had been utterly defenseless, as helpless as children. Even with Soros' bounty of 60 million berries, he had stood no chance. "Lord Warlord, please have mercy!" "I can help you retrieve the treasure." "I know a bit of archaeology—I can be useful to you!" The vice-captain suddenly dropped to his knees, shamelessly begging for his life. When the power gap was this vast, it was enough to shatter a man's will. "Abu!" Soros' expression darkened. The crewmate who had fought beside him through countless battles was now betraying him without hesitation. "Captain, there's no point in resisting." "It's better to serve the Warlord," Abu said, his face devoid of shame. "Where is your ship docked?" Rosen asked, though he didn't particularly care. Even if they refused to answer, he could simply search the island himself. "On the southeastern coast, inside a hidden sea cave," Abu answered immediately. Now was the time to prove his value—his only chance to survive. "Die!" But Soros had no intention of living in disgrace. He had his own principles—he would never kneel and beg for his life. Drawing a short axe, he charged at Rosen with all his might. "Desert Spear!" Rosen stomped the ground. A spear of hardened sand shot upward at an angle, impaling Soros straight through the heart. "Impossible... I... I refuse... to accept this..." Soros collapsed, his eyes full of unwillingness. Abu and the other three pirates were now even more terrified. "Do you think the people you slaughtered died willingly?" Urouge said grimly, his expression dark with anger. Hearing this, Abu understood. There was no hope for them. They had run into self-righteous busybodies. Such people weren't uncommon on the seas, but finding ones this powerful was rare. "Run!" Abu abandoned all hope of mercy and turned to flee. His remaining crewmates hesitated for a second before following his lead. "Laser Feather Arrows—go!" Before Rosen could make a move, Valentine acted first. The brutal massacre she had witnessed the night before still lingered in her mind, compelling her to take action. And this time, she surprised Rosen. With a graceful flick of her delicate hand, she unleashed a laser-like arrow. It shot forward at blinding speed, piercing through two of the fleeing pirates before exploding. "What the hell was that?!" Abu was too afraid to look back. His panic deepened. "Good boy, go!" Valentine lifted her finger slightly. The arrow adjusted mid-air, curved, and homed in on the last two targets. Boom! The remaining two pirates were struck, their bodies shredded by the explosive impact. "Controlled precision? "Is this really the Kilo-Kilo Fruit?" Rosen mused. Valentine had managed to manipulate an object's weight outside of her own body. If she hadn't reduced the weight of the arrow to zero, she wouldn't have been able to control it so precisely. It reminded Rosen of a certain blue-skinned character from Guardians of the Galaxy—one who could slay an entire army with a single whistling arrow. Could Valentine now achieve the same feat? If so, her abilities had become much more formidable. Though the explosion's force still seemed a bit weaker than what she had displayed in the city of Wine, the sheer speed and precision of her attacks had greatly improved. (End of Chapter) ========================================================= DROP THEM POWER STONES PLEASE SUPPORT ME ON P@TREON IF YOU'D LIKE ACCESS ON ADVANCED CHAPTERS PAT REON . COM / TurdTranslations (Just remove the space).