One Piece: The Celestial Dragons' Self-Cultivation

Page 107

Soon, the ice armor shattered inch by inch, but the crystal itself remained as solid as ever.

Mandy shook her head and stepped back behind Blake.

The situation reached a stalemate, with Dr. Carson and the researchers behind him displaying a sense of helplessness, as if they had already tried everything.

Seeing this, Hancock slightly raised her chin:

"As expected, I am the only one who can help you. I am Lord Black Saint's most trusted assistant!"

Just as she was about to step forward, Kalifa, who was standing to the side, pushed up her glasses and poured cold water on her enthusiasm:

"Based on the available data, Hancock's chances of success are less than one percent."

"What did you say?!"

Hancock was furious and glared at the troublemaking woman.

Kalifa was not to be outdone:

"If you're so capable, then take it down."

Just as Blake was reluctantly preparing to separate them—

A burst of pink Conqueror's Haki erupted from Hancock's body.

Kalifa, who is only twelve years old this year, was the first to be hit and immediately fainted.

Dr. Carson and the researchers all succumbed to exhaustion and collapsed into bed.

Upon seeing this, Blake was speechless with astonishment.

He quickly unleashed his Conqueror's Haki, enveloping the maids behind him within its range.

He knew Hancock possessed Conqueror's Haki, but he never expected it to be activated under these circumstances.

Those who unleash Conqueror's Haki for the first time usually cannot control it perfectly and will release all of it at once.

Soon, Hancock was unable to continue, her domineering aura disappeared, and she fainted.

Well, a whole bunch of people fainted.

But these are not the point.

Black noticed that when Hancock unleashed her Conqueror's Haki, the light flowing across the crystal surface suddenly accelerated.

Those liquid fiber-like energy strands became bright and active, as if they had been injected with vitality.

"Is this... some kind of resonance?"

Seeing this, Black also wanted to try using Conqueror's Haki.

At this moment, Robin stepped forward and began to examine the crystal carefully, muttering "absorb...resonate..." repeatedly.

Seeing that Robin seemed to have an idea, Blake didn't rush to try it, but waited quietly.

After a long while, Robin turned around:

“We have been trying to apply external force.”

"Whether it's a physical impact or energy interference, it's essentially a form of 'confrontation'."

"And this crystal's 'absorption' ability is best suited to 'confrontation'."

She pointed to the edges on the crystal surface:

“These must be some kind of energy circuit, and perhaps they are the ones that absorbed the power we applied to the crystal.”

A knowing glint flashed in Blake's eyes:

"In other words, we should stop confronting it and instead try to understand it, or rather, synchronize with its frequency."

"Let it voluntarily remove the protection?"

He looked at the maids who were still conscious and gave them instructions:

"We need to change our approach now."

"It's not about taking it down, but about letting it leave the wall on its own."

"Mandy, use your coldness to calm the flowing energy within and put it into a standby, dormant state."

Mandy nodded. Although she didn't fully understand what standby and hibernation meant, she understood what Blake meant.

With a light tap of her longsword, a highly condensed chill precisely acted on the energy circuit.

Along the ridgeline, the activity of energy decreases at a visible rate until it almost stops.

Then, Blake looked at Kella:

"Now, use your light to fill that circuit and make it whole."

Everyone else was stunned by Hancock's shock, which made things easier for Kelp.

She stepped forward, raised her hand, and carefully poured the golden light into the crystal.

Click!Click!

Chapter 141 Serious nonsense

With a crisp click of a mechanism, the huge blue crystal finally separated from the wall.

Blake reached out and held the mountain-sized crystal in his hand.

Even at such close range, Blake still couldn't figure out where his initial feeling came from.

So he stopped hesitating and decided to get it on the ship first and then study it slowly.

He handed the blue crystal to Kella. Despite her young age, the little girl was quite strong.

Kera carefully held the huge blue crystal high above her head, the energy flowing inside the crystal reflecting a deep blue light onto her small face.

"Good weight……"

She muttered something under her breath, but thanks to her strong physique, her slender arms remained as steady as a rock.

Blake continued to give instructions:

"Go find Remus and have him bring his men over to deliver this to my ship."

Rami responded crisply, and his nimble figure quickly disappeared into the passage he had come from.

Watching her departing figure, Blake's thoughts about the fruits of the surgery deepened.

Although Rami seems to be completely cured now, he is actually only being treated with drugs developed by Victor and his wife, which may not be safe.

But now is not the time to think about these things. Judging from Rami's current state, there's probably no need to rush.

Soon after, heavy footsteps echoed on the metal stairs, and Vice Admiral Remus, clad in a coat of justice, arrived in haste with a team of elite naval soldiers.

The moment this resolute-faced naval admiral stepped into this core area, his gaze froze—

Not only because the crystal embedded in the metal wall had been removed, but also because Dr. Carson and his researchers had collapsed and fainted on the ground.

Remus's sharp gaze swept across the room, finally landing on Blake, and he tentatively began to speak:

"Lord Black Saint, what... has happened here?"

He felt reassured because he believed there were no outsiders on the island and no one inside the abandoned boiler.

If anything happens to Blake because of this, he will bear a heavy responsibility.

Blake didn't look at the people who had fainted; he simply waved his hand casually, his tone indifferent:

"Perhaps it's because they were too engrossed in their research and ran out of energy."

"There have been instances where scientists were so focused that they forgot to eat and ended up licking their watches."

"This is common among researchers, so there's no need to worry too much."

Blake was spouting nonsense with a straight face, while Remus gave him a "Are you kidding me?" look.

However, the person in front of him was, after all, a noble Celestial Dragon, and if the other party did not want to talk about it, he could not continue to ask.

So he nodded, indicating that he believed it, and turned to call the soldiers to take the crystal.

Subsequently, well-trained naval soldiers immediately took action, placing Crystal on a specially designed cushioned stretcher and beginning an orderly evacuation.

With everyone working together, they finally managed to safely transport this precious core component back to the Temple.

Blake's journey did not end there.

Because of the blue crystal, he became interested in this ancient island and decided to stay another day to see if there were any other surprises.

Unfortunately, there were no thrilling adventures or special items discovered on this extra day.

Blake strolled around the island with his maids, examining some unimportant outer ruins and admiring the unique, secluded seascape.

Perona was still running around energetically. Stella, Toki, Scarlett, and others prepared a sumptuous feast for everyone.

Robin used this time to search the island for things that might be related to the ancient kingdom and to record them.

The following morning, the rising sun bathed the mechanical heart in a golden light.

The Temple has been resupplyed, and the blue crystal has been placed on the deck.

At the pier, the sea breeze carries a slightly salty scent.

The Temple's massive sails, emblazoned with the World Government emblem and the Hilbert family crest, were already hoisted, and the slaves were busily making final preparations for departure.

Lieutenant General Remus stood side by side with Dr. Carson, who had regained consciousness but was still somewhat pale, to bid farewell to Blake.

"Respectfully seeing off Lord Black, may you have a safe journey."

Remus, draped in a coat of justice, spoke with a calm and steady voice.

He bowed slightly, displaying just the right amount of respect.

"I'll leave this to you."

Blake didn't stop walking; he simply replied with a curt remark and boarded the ship to leave.

The gangway was retracted, and the Temple slowly sailed away from the port.

Remus and Carson remained standing on the dock until the silhouette of the ship became a tiny dot where the sky met the sea.

His tense shoulders relaxed almost imperceptibly, and he let out a long sigh of relief.

"Phew... at least we got rid of them safely."

He said something in a low voice, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

"yes……"

Dr. Carson also breathed a sigh of relief, his face showing the first genuine relaxation in days:

"Although the process was tortuous, the result... was good in the end."

The two looked at each other in silence, yet both saw the same sense of relief in each other's eyes.

Nobody likes dealing with someone who might go crazy at any moment, especially when you can't stop them from going crazy.

Fortunately, the Saint Black who came to the Heart of the Machines this time was not that crazy.

On the departing Temple, the blue crystal stands silently on the deck, its interior glowing with a soft light, just as it always has.

Blake sat opposite it, repeatedly testing several different methods—

Test with energy, test with Conqueror's Haki, detect with Observation Haki, even touch with blood...

But the result was the same: nothing was gained.

That fleeting thrill and longing seemed like a tiny mistake in the interplay of time and space, leaving no trace to be found.

Blake closed the book in his hands, temporarily abandoning the pointless research.

Perhaps some important clue is missing, or perhaps the time is not right.

The answer to this mystery is clearly not something that can be solved immediately.

Just then, the sound of footsteps rang out behind me.

Black turned his head and saw Hancock walking towards him with her uniquely elegant steps, looking slightly hesitant.

Blake watched her with interest, rarely seeing Hancock so nervous.

"Lord Black Saint..."