r18novel Chapter 273 A Wanderer's Journey, A New Beginning Amidst a Sea of Flowers
Chapter 273 A Wanderer's Journey, A New Beginning Amidst a Sea of Flowers
Chapter 273 A Wanderer's Journey, A New Beginning Amidst a Sea of Flowers
"Something has to be done—"
He remembered the Den Den Mushi that Shanks had given him before he left at the end of the Alabasta Holy Grail War.
"Keep it, Hawkeye," the redhead said with a smile, but there was a rare hint of seriousness in his smile.
"If you ever run into trouble and no one else can help—call me. I have a really helpful guy on my side."
Mihawk clearly remembered that after saying those words, the guy patted Merlin on the shoulder.
The two, one in charge and one subordinate, drank and laughed heartily; to be honest, they were quite compatible.
Now is not the time to think about these things. Mihawk never asks for favors easily, but at this moment—
He pulled the small Den Den Mushi from his pocket.
The Den Den Mushi has a silvery-white shell with a thin red stripe on it, and it is currently fast asleep with its eyes closed.
He pressed the dial button.
"Brub ———— Brub ————"
After three rings, the call was connected.
"Feed?" The Den Den Mushi opened its eyes, its expression turning serious, and it looked somewhat tired.
It's hard to imagine that this is Shanks's mimicry.
"Mihawk? That's rare, you actually took the initiative to contact me—"
Seeing Shanks's state, Mihawk frowned, but he didn't say anything.
"Kojiro is in danger," Mihawk said succinctly. "He's on Fish-Man Island, probably being hunted by three Heroic Spirits. My mana supply can't keep up."
The sound from the Den Den Mushi paused for a second.
Then Shanks' tone changed: "Location?"
"It was said to be on Fishman Island, but the exact coordinates are unknown. It's about 12,000 meters underwater."
"Enemy strength?"
"Each of them is no less than Kojiro; they can be considered three strongmen comparable to admirals."
"—Okay. Wait ten seconds."
The Den Den Mushi closed its eyes.
Mihawk held the microphone, waiting.
Ten seconds is just a moment in normal times, but at this moment it feels like eternity.
He could feel the pain on the other end of the contract intensifying.
Fishman Island, a battlefield in the deep sea.
Kojiro's breathing began to become erratic.
It wasn't that he was physically exhausted; as a heroic spirit, his stamina far surpassed that of ordinary people.
But this is the depletion of magic, the shaking of the spirit foundation, and this is the symbol of the exhaustion of the heroic spirit's life.
Wu Ganchao once again deflected a poisoned blade from Jingmi, but this time the force of the block was noticeably weaker.
The moment the blades clashed, his entire arm went numb for a second, his hand split open, and blood seeped into the seawater.
Curse Wrist seized this opening.
"Bound".
One word: cold as iron.
The seawater around Kojiro suddenly came to life, transforming into countless transparent tentacles that wrapped around his limbs.
Waist, abdomen, and neck!
Those tentacles were covered with intricate runes, each one devouring his magic and increasing his burden!
He tried to break free, but there were too many tentacles, and they were getting tighter and tighter.
The silent third blow has arrived.
This time, she didn't use the poisoned blade, but instead raised her left hand, her five fingers loosely clenched.
Five almost invisible poisonous threads shot out from her fingertips, weaving into a net in the air and descending upon Kojiro's head!
Once this net is cast, the toxins will directly invade the spirit core, at which point it will be impossible to even maintain one's physical form, let alone fight.
Kojiro gritted his teeth and poured all his remaining magic power into the dried meat!
"So that's how it is—the final—swallow return!"
Three sword lights flashed simultaneously!
One strike severed the entangled tentacles, another cleaved the poisonous net that had enveloped them, and the last one aimed straight for the tranquil throat!
This was a desperate attack, and his last ounce of strength.
Jingmi seemed to have not expected him to be able to counterattack at this time, and hastily dodged to the side, delaying the fall of the poison net by a moment.
It's this very moment!
Kojiro broke free from the tentacles' restraints and retreated rapidly!
But he forgot about Baimian.
Bai Mao, who had been watching from the sidelines, finally made his move at this moment.
She didn't attack; she simply raised her right hand and gently shook it in Kojiro's direction.
"solid."
The entire space froze.
It's not that the seawater has frozen; it's that the concept of space itself has been fixed.
Kojiro remained in a backward position, suspended in the water, unable to move even a finger.
Kojiro was trapped inside amber by a flying insect.
The stillness and the cursed wrist approached simultaneously.
Cursed Wrist raised his right hand, fingers spread, palm facing Kojiro's heart.
A rotating mantra appeared on his palm, with a hollow center that seemed to allow one to see directly into the other side of death.
"Delusional heart sounds (Zabaniya)."
He whispered the true name of the treasure.
This is an instant death curse, a concept that directly attacks the heart.
Once activated, unless one has EX-level resistance to magic, certain death is inevitable.
Kojiro watched as the cursed seal magnified before his eyes.
Time seemed to slow down at that moment.
Many images came to mind.
It is a microcosm of a life that only the dying can see.
He saw himself practicing swordsmanship in a dojo while he was still alive.
Bamboo knives clashed, and sweat dripped onto the wooden floor.
At that time, all he saw was the sword, and all he felt was the word "strongest".
He saw himself dueling with Miyamoto Musashi.
That unrestrained woman, wielding two swords, laughed like a blooming wildflower.
Their swords clashed in the air countless times, until finally, his sword was a beat slower.
"I won, Sasaki Kojiro!" Musashi laughed, sheathed his sword, and patted him on the shoulder.
"But you're really strong! Let's compete again next time!"
That was the last sword fight he ever had.
Then, death.
It wasn't a heroic death in battle; it was just that one night after his duel with Miyamoto Musashi, he encountered bandits on his way back.
There was no particular conspiracy; he was simply besieged and died from exhaustion.
Feeling frustrated?
A little. But mostly, it was a sense of relief. For a swordsman to die by his blade was a way of dying he preferred.
Now, surrounded by three assassins once again, it seems this is his inescapable fate.
Next is the Throne of Heroes.
Endless waiting, countless summons, countless battles.
He has seen all kinds of Masters and experienced all kinds of wars, but most of the time, he is just a tool, a sharp knife.
Until this time.
Summoned by a man named Mihawk.
That was a true swordsman.
Silence, focus, and the pursuit of excellence.
They didn't say much when they first met; they simply drew their swords and fought on the cliff by the sea.
There was no clear winner, but from then on, a certain understanding developed between them.
When Mihawk practiced swordsmanship, Kojiro watched from the sidelines. Whenever Mihawk wanted to spar, Kojiro never refused.
They rarely spoke, but they both understood what the other was thinking.
This is a world of pirates, at least on the surface.
However, on a deeper level, it is not much different from their world.
Strange rules, chaotic war, but—it's interesting too.
He met the members of the Red Team, summoned the flames of the Son of the Sun, and brought the Pharaoh's princess to the nation—
He met Luffy, that rubber boy, who always charged forward with a smile, never looking back even when he was covered in wounds.
He met Zoro, the green-haired swordsman, who was still very young, but whose eyes burned with a light that even he found dazzling.
He met Jinbe, Nami, Robin—all sorts of people, fighting for all sorts of reasons.
This world is completely different from the small country he lived in.
It is broader, more chaotic, but also more vibrant.
He learned something new here, not swordsmanship, but why he wielded the sword.
Mihawk strives to be the strongest, Luffy strives for freedom, and Zoro strives for his vow.
What about him?
Why did he wield his sword?
In the past, it was to prove myself.
Later, it was to fulfill the Master's orders. And now?
Now, he wields his sword to stop a mad death god from reshaping the cycle of life and death, to protect this world, which, though unfamiliar, he has begun to like, and for the boys who consider him a comrade.
That's a valid reason.
The curse mark was already affixed to his chest.
Kojiro closed his eyes, preparing to face the end.
But in that very instant...
He heard flowers.
It wasn't that I heard it, it was that I felt it.
How could there be flowers in the deep sea?
But he did feel something warm, soft, and sweet-smelling, seeping in from the void.
Then comes the sound.
A flippant, amused voice, as if indifferent to everything.
"Oh dear, it seems I've arrived just in time!"
Time began to flow again.
No, it's time that's been rewritten.
Suddenly, flowers bloomed in the seawater within a hundred-meter radius of Kojiro.
It's not a real flower, but rather the concept of a flower manifesting in the deep sea.
Countless colorful, luminous, and translucent flowers bloomed from the void, defying water pressure, darkness, and all physical laws, blooming in the depths of the ocean.
These flowers spun and drifted, and wherever they passed, the cursed tentacles of the Cursed Arms melted like ice and snow, the space of a hundred faces shattered like glass, and the tranquil poisonous threads broke like withered grass.
The spell of the Cursed Wrist, a delusion of the mind, went out with a "poof" the moment it touched the first petal, like a flame extinguished by water.
The three Hassans stepped back simultaneously, looking warily toward the source of the sea of flowers.
There, a figure was slowly emerging from the void.
It was a man dressed in a white robe embroidered with intricate gold patterns, holding a staff with a jewel at its tip.
He had long, silver-white hair, a face so handsome it was almost otherworldly, and a cynical smile on his face, but his purple eyes shone with a profound insight that seemed to see through everything.
He stood in the deep sea, but the seawater did not wet his shoes. Instead, it parted automatically beneath his feet, forming a waterless space.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen of assassins~" The man gave an elegant bow.
"Let me introduce myself. I'm Merlin, a magician who happened to be passing by. By the way—"
He looked at Kojiro and winked.
"Lord Kojiro, I'm here to save the day."
The moment he finished speaking, Kojiro felt an incredibly powerful magical force surge into his spirit base like a flood bursting its banks!
The depleted magic pool was instantly filled, even overflowing!
The wounds on his body began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye, the toxins were purified, the curse was dispelled, and even the wavering of his spiritual foundation was stabilized!
"This is—" Kojiro stared at his hands in shock.
"Just a little bit of magic replenishment," Merlin said casually.
"Although I'm not very good at fighting, I'm quite confident in my magical power~"
He turned to the three Hassans, his smile unchanged, but his eyes turned cold.
"Then, gentlemen, may you please leave?"
"This swordsman has important information to take back. If he is killed here, it will be very troublesome for me."
Jingmi did not answer, but simply raised the poisoned blade again.
The cursed wrists were once again wrapped with cursed threads.
The clones of Bai Mao began to emerge from all directions. There were more than 30 clones left, densely packed, almost filling the entire sea area.
Merlin sighed.
"I knew it wouldn't be that simple."
He raised his staff and paused gently.
"Then, let's play a game."
The gem at the top of the staff shone with a seven-colored light.
"Garden of Avalon - Unfolds".
The world has changed.
It's not that the environment has changed, it's that our perception has changed.
The three Hassans suddenly realized that the scene before them was distorted.
The deep sea has disappeared, replaced by an endless sea of flowers, in which stands a tall tower, its top disappearing into the clouds.
They were trapped in a dream.
It is not an illusion, but a true inherent barrier that projects the inner landscape onto reality and pulls reality into the realm of the mind.
In this realm, Merlin is the absolute ruler.
"Alright," Merlin's voice came from all directions.
"In this dream, you can hunt him down to your heart's content, but you will never catch him."
"And you in reality will temporarily lose your ability to move until I remove this barrier, for about three minutes?"
He looked at Kojiro and winked.
"Three minutes should be enough time for you to run back to the Dragon Palace, right?"
Kojiro took a deep breath and nodded.
Thank you.
"You're welcome~" Merlin said with a smile.
"Go quickly, they need your intelligence for the battle over there."
Kojiro turned around and charged towards the direction of Ryugu Castle with all his might.
Behind him, the sea of flowers began to close, trapping the three Hassans within it.
They attacked the surrounding flowers frantically, but for every one they destroyed, ten new ones would bloom.
Merlin stood in the middle of the sea of flowers, watching their struggle, and the smile on his face gradually faded.
"Azrael—" he muttered to himself, "Is what you really want a new world? Or is it—"
""
He shook his head and stopped thinking about it.
The staff struck the ground again, and the sea of flowers grew even more abundantly.
three minutes.
Beneath the deep sea, the balance between life and death was temporarily stabilized thanks to the intervention of a magician.
three minutes.
In the deep sea, this is enough time for a heroic spirit to sprint at full speed to cross a distance of ten nautical miles.
Kojiro did not turn around.
He traversed the outer perimeter of the coral forest, skimmed over abandoned fishing grounds, and passed the merman guards who were patrolling cautiously because of the previous battle.
The dried food was sheathed, but the hilt was always held in the hand, ready to deal with any possible interception.
But he did not encounter any enemies.
Merlin's dreamlike cage clearly worked.
Not only were the three Hassans trapped, but their clones and traps along the way were also brought to a standstill.
The entire sea area possessed an eerie purity, as if all malice had been temporarily sealed away.
This only made Kojiro more wary.
He recalled Merlin's words when he appeared: "I'm here to save the day."
His tone was as relaxed as if he were saying, "The weather is nice today," but the light gleaming in his purple eyes revealed something deeper to Kojiro.
That wasn't the look of a typical rescuer. There was scrutiny, calculation, and even a hint of—expectation—in those eyes.
It was as if this chase and this rescue were all scenes in a larger script.
Kojiro suppressed his doubts.
Regardless, the intelligence must be sent back.
As for Merlin's true intentions, that's a question that Shanks and Hawkeye need to consider.
Ahead, the outline of the Dragon Palace is already faintly visible.