With a crisp clicking sound, the membrane shattered, and a breathtaking black mist spewed out from the island. Almost instantly, the sky above this sea area was shrouded in darkness. The darkness was like a thick curtain, covering everything up, making people feel a deep despair and fear.
Jiang Han turned into lightning and took the lead in landing on the island. In front of him, all the black fog retreated on its own as if it had encountered a nemesis. His figure shimmered in the darkness, like a light of hope in the darkness.
At the same time, the domineering energy of the world was released to the extreme, covering the entire island. However, what surprised him was that there was a huge lake in the center of the island, and there was also a mini island in the center of the lake, which Shiwense Baqi couldn't penetrate. The water surface of the lake is as calm as a mirror, but it exudes a mysterious and dangerous atmosphere.
"Enter the island!" The indifferent syllables fell, and Im disappeared from the void. His figure was like a ghost, disappearing from everyone's sight in an instant, making it impossible to catch his trace.
Following this, everyone including the Five Old Stars, Whitebeard, Shanks, Sengoku, Long and others rushed to board this strange black island. Their footsteps were hurried and eager, and their hearts were full of curiosity and desire for the unknown.
"Welcome to Rafdru." The moment everyone stepped onto the island, a disembodied voice suddenly sounded in everyone's mind. The sound seemed to come from another world, making people feel a sense of inexplicable fear and awe.
Before everyone could react, countless light groups suddenly lit up on the originally dark island. Those light clusters were like stars in the night sky, shining with strange light.
"Oh my God, my eyes are not blurry, and I am not hallucinating!" A pirate rubbed his eyes and couldn't believe the sight in front of him.
"You read that right, it's all... all Devil Fruits!" Another pirate shouted, his voice becoming hoarse with excitement.
"Three, five, ten...oh my god, there are so many!" Someone began to count the devil fruits in the light clusters, their voices filled with wonder and greed.
...
After seeing the objects in the light group clearly, everyone's mouths were wide open, full of surprise. Their eyes were wide open, as if they were about to swallow those Devil Fruits in one gulp.
Even people like Shanks, Whitebeard, and Sengoku who have seen strong winds and waves, their hearts are in turmoil at this moment, and it is difficult to calm down. Their expressions became serious, and they were secretly thinking about what impact the appearance of these Devil Fruits would have on the world.
Looking closely, there is a rib-shaped fruit in each light group, with different colors. In addition to many fruits that have never been seen before, there are also some fruits that are already owned by others. Those fruits exude a mysterious atmosphere, which makes people want to get closer and find out.
"Could this be the treasure left by Roger?" A pirate murmured to himself, his eyes fixed on the devil fruits that shone with strange light, and his voice was filled with emotion. Doubt and wonder.
"No wonder, no wonder you will become the next Pirate King if you get his treasure!" Another pirate was so excited that his voice changed, and his body was trembling slightly with excitement.
"Such a lot of fruits, if sold, would be enough to support a huge country!" A rather shrewd-looking pirate's eyes shone as he began to calculate the value of these Devil Fruits.
"If it is used to cultivate ability users, it will be a terrifying force that will break the balance of the world!" An experienced pirate leader said with a solemn expression. He is well aware of the huge power contained in these devil fruits. .
......
The more they looked at the hundreds and thousands of Devil Fruits in front of them, the more shocked everyone became. Those fruits exuded an alluring light, as if calling them, making their heartbeats continue to accelerate and their breathing become rapid.
Whoosh!
However, just when someone was about to grab a Devil Fruit, these light groups simultaneously turned into rainbows and flew towards the mini island in the center of the lake. The speed was as fast as lightning, leaving no one with time to react.
"Do you want to live for a thousand years? Do you want to become a descendant of God? Then come over and take this step bravely." Suddenly, the previously illusory voice sounded in everyone's mind again. The voice was full of temptation, as if there was an invisible force pulling people's hearts.
Crash——
The next moment, the originally calm black lake churned violently, and a black shadow that was a hundred feet tall and holding a sickle rose from the lake. The black shadow was huge and terrifying, as if it were a demon crawling out of the depths of hell. Its body was shrouded in a layer of black mist, making it difficult to see its true appearance. Two red beams of light are projected from its eyes onto the sea, forming hundreds of black avenues tiled on the sea.
"This... this is..." Looking at the ghostly shadow that suddenly appeared across the lake, even Whitebeard, Sengoku and others felt their hearts tremble. Their expressions instantly became solemn, and their eyes were full of vigilance and uneasiness.
The other party seemed to have come from hell, and the breath he released inadvertently was heart-stopping. The breath was cold and evil, as if it could freeze a person's soul.
"Is he a human or a ghost?" A young pirate asked with a trembling voice, his legs weak from fear.
“How can there be such an existence on this ultimate island!” Another pirate exclaimed, his face as pale as paper.
Everyone looked at the ghostly figure in astonishment, with astonished expressions on their faces. Their hearts were filled with fear and doubt. They didn't know the origin of this mysterious black shadow, and they didn't know what fate its appearance would bring to them.
Above the lake, Jiang Han couldn't help but smile knowingly after sensing and sizing up the shadow. There was no fear in his eyes, but full of confidence and calmness.
Unlike the local residents here, he travels around the major planes and has never seen any monsters. Although this phantom emerging from the lake does have some tricks, if it is placed in the Dou Po plane , which is roughly equivalent to Dou Zun. It's just a monster that has been cultivated for thousands of years by absorbing the Yin Qi on the island. In his eyes, this monster is just a little ant, not worth his attention at all.
“Don’t you want to be like him and live for a thousand years?” The ghostly figure suddenly pointed at Im in the air. Its voice was low and hoarse, as if telling a seductive secret.
"What? It turns out that he really lived for 900 years, and it was thanks to this mysterious creature in front of him!" A pirate opened his mouth wide in surprise, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"Could this be our opportunity? One of the treasures on the island!" Someone began to feel excited, with a greedy light shining in their eyes. "With a life span of a thousand years, how can you miss such an opportunity!" An ambitious pirate leader said loudly, his voice full of desire.
Hearing this, the eyes of countless pirates fell on Im. After recovering from the shock, one of them took the lead and stepped onto a black road in the lake. His steps were firm and eager, as if he had already seen his future with a thousand years of life.
"Wait, don't act rashly!" Whitebeard shouted, trying to stop the pirates who were blinded by desire.
But it was too late. More and more pirates stepped onto the black road and rushed towards the mini island in the center of the lake. Their hearts are filled with the desire for a thousand years of life, and they have completely ignored the possible dangers.
"Humph, a bunch of stupid guys." Shanks looked at the pirates rushing out and snorted coldly.
"This may be a conspiracy." Sengoku said with a frown, his eyes full of worry.
But Im stood there, watching all this with an expressionless face, not knowing what he was thinking.
Jiang Han was suspended in the air quietly, observing the development of the situation. He knew that this adventure had just begun, and he didn't know what kind of dangers and challenges would await them later...
"I also want to live forever!" In the face of that huge temptation, he had the first The person took the lead, and the people behind them stopped hesitating and rushed onto the black road, for fear that they would be late and lose their place. Their eyes shone with greed and desire, as if they had seen their future of immortality and controlling the world.
On the shore, Whitebeard, Shanks, Sengoku and others frowned, not in a hurry to step onto the road, and looked at the ghostly figures with suspicious expressions. They have been on the battlefield for a long time and have seen countless conspiracies and tricks. The vigilance in their hearts allows them to remain calm in the face of this seemingly tempting opportunity.
Whitebeard's tall body stood tall, his eyes full of thinking and worry, "There must be something fishy in this, don't act rashly." His deep voice echoed in the wind, making people around him more cautious.
Shanks crossed his arms, his red hair fluttering in the wind, "Don't worry, let's check the situation first." His eyes never left the ghostly figure and the black avenue.
Sengoku had a serious look on his face. He glanced at the pirates who rushed forward eagerly, and sighed secretly in his heart, "These guys who are carried away by desire are probably going to suffer."
As more and more people set foot on the black road, the face of the ghostly figure in the middle of the lake began to show a sinister smile of successful conspiracy. His laughter echoed across the lake, making people's hair stand on end.
"Blood, enough nourishment! With so much yang energy, when the yin and yang are reconciled, I can really transform into a human body." Suddenly, the ghost's expression became ferocious, and the human voice came out of his mouth. Unintelligible words. His voice seemed to come from the depths of hell, full of evil and greed.
"There seems to be something wrong with the situation." However, just when some pirates realized that things were abnormal and were about to return to the shore, they suddenly found that their bodies could not move. There were expressions of horror and despair on their faces as they tried to struggle but to no avail.
“Ah——” followed by screams, the expressions of all pirates who stepped on the black road suddenly became distorted, and they let out a shrill scream, as if they were suffering from some kind of painful torture. Their bodies began to tremble, their skin became pale, and their blood vessels were clearly visible, as if something was devouring their lives inside the body.
Looking around, countless drops of blood emerged from the bodies of these pirates uncontrollably, and then gathered together and headed towards the ghostly shadow. The blood beads formed a red river in the air, flowing continuously into the ghost's body.
"No, don't! How could my blood fly away!" A pirate shouted in horror, his voice full of despair and fear.
"What did he do to us? What does he want to do!" Another pirate twisted his body desperately, trying to break free from the invisible restraints.
"Conspiracy, this must be a conspiracy! He will not give us a thousand years of life at all. I can feel my life passing by. He wants our lives!" The pirates shouted one after another, their eyes full of regret. and anger.
On the lake, the faces of the pirates began to turn pale due to the loss of blood. Looks of fear began to appear on everyone's faces, and panicked shouts floated on the lake. Their voices mingled together in a symphony of despair.
"Little guy, you have made me wait for nearly 900 years! But fortunately, the number of people you brought is enough, and my investment in you was not in vain." In Fresh Blood Under the injection, the ghostly shadow began to become more solid, his body gradually became clearer, and he exuded a more powerful aura. When he looked at Im in the sky, there was some relief on his face.
900 years ago, Im entered the island by mistake. He was still a young and curious boy. In order to attract more people to the island, Ghost Phantom spent a lot of energy to gain a thousand years of life for them.
His original intention was to use this temptation to attract more people as his nourishment. Hundreds of years passed, and finally a Roger pirate group was ushered in. In the end, he failed and allowed the other party to escape. This keeps the ghostly shadow waiting, eager for more prey to arrive.
"You are overthinking. I knew from the very beginning that you were not well-intentioned. When I came this time, I came to the central island!" Im glanced at the ghostly figure, and then pointed to the small island in the center of the lake. His eyes were firm and decisive, without the slightest flinch or fear.
"Do you know what's on that island? Do you know how terrifying it is? Even I can only watch it from a distance, and I don't even dare to get close to it. How come you still want to get involved with it, you will die. Ten thousand times is not enough!" The ghost phantom snorted, looking at Im with deep disdain. His voice was full of threats and warnings, trying to get Im to retreat.
"Nearly a thousand years have passed, and I am no longer the young man I was back then!" Im shouted coldly, and then quickly flew to the central island. His figure was like lightning, flashing across the lake in an instant.
Crash——
However, just when Im just appeared in the sky above the central island, a sound of swaying branches came from the island. The voice was low and mysterious, as if telling an ancient secret.
The next moment, a weird-shaped ancient tree was seen condensing and forming from the central island. The ancient tree grew bigger and bigger, until finally it enveloped the entire central island. (End of this chapter)