Chapter 186: Unexpected Encounter with a Celestial Dragon
Morning sunlight bathed Island 13. Inside the house Luo Han had built the day before, both he and Cole were still sleeping soundly on their mats, a short distance apart.
At that moment, a slim figure tiptoed to Luo Han's side and leaned close to his ear.
"Time to wake up!!!"
"…!"
"Are you trying to kill me?! Why so loud?!"
"Come on, come on! Let's go buy some furniture!"
"I told you—keep your voice down! And stop shaking my arm, Aishi !"
"I wasn't loud. Look, Cole's still asleep!"
"…!"
…
Hearing the commotion from inside, Ellis blinked in surprise. Tilting her head, she asked Sister Spoon, "Are they always like this?"
Heh. Sister Spoon chuckled, giving the room a fond glance. "No, it's a recent thing."
She tilted her head thoughtfully. "Seems to have started after the two of them went for that walk on the beach alone."
Maybe I should try walking alone with Luo Han too… Ellis rested her chin in her hand, eyes narrowing at the thought.
Sister Spoon smiled mysteriously at Ellis, thinking to herself: Ah, to be young and carefree…
Clang! Luo Han slid the door open, stepping out with Aishi trailing behind.
"Sister Spoon, you're all up already? So early!"
Luo Han joined Ellis, while Sister Spoon and Sora sat on the patio steps. In front of them sat a small spread of breakfast.
He grabbed a big steamed bun and a cup of warm milk, downing both rapidly.
"Slow down! No one's going to steal it," Aishi said, settling beside him.
"…!"
Luo Han felt like he'd eaten not one bun, but a few hundred.
"Still asleep, huh?" Sister Spoon laughed. "Cole's quite the heavy sleeper."
"Yeah, he doesn't wake up easily."
Luo Han patted his stomach. Not full yet, but a nice morning bite.
"So we're going to buy furniture without Cole?" Ellis asked.
"We'll bring back food for him. No need to wake him."
Luo Han clapped his hands and looked at the four women.
"Ready for today's shopping trip?"
"Let's go," they agreed. They cleaned up the trash and packed it away for disposal later.
The group of five then headed toward Island 50, which had not only construction materials but also wood for furniture.
Luo Han planned to buy extra boards for custom modifications.
"Hm? Why is it so empty today?" Luo Han wondered aloud.
On a narrow street in Island 1's town, the group walked along. "Narrow" just meant it wasn't the main road—but it was still four meters wide.
Shops of all kinds lined the street, but many that had been open yesterday were now closed and empty.
"Are you serious?"
"It's true! Just up ahead!"
Two young servers rushed out of a nearby restaurant mid-conversation and ran off, leaving the door swinging open.
The five stared in disbelief. Business hours? Not anymore, apparently.
No wonder Sister Spoon didn't want waitstaff—Luo Han mentally grumbled.
"Heh. Looks like something's happening up ahead," Sister Spoon smiled.
They continued toward Island 50, needing to cross the town's 25-meter-wide main road.
Luo Han didn't activate his spiritual sense. There was something thrilling about walking into the unknown.
As they neared the main road, he saw people gathering at the intersection. Figures lined both sides of the wide avenue.
"Is it the Celestial Dragons?" Luo Han guessed, then scoffed. "Those trash. Civilians would be hiding if it were them."
Soon, the five reached the junction—and the surrounding chatter reached their ears.
"Hey! Is it true?"
"The mermaid princess is being delivered to the Celestial Dragons as a slave!!!"
"Yeah! They're setting up the square right now for the handover ceremony!"
"She's royalty, right? A princess!"
"Fish-Man Island is a World Government member, isn't it?!"
"Who cares? Rumor has it the mermaid princesses from Fish-Man Island are absolute stunners. I just wanna sneak a look."
"Yeah, same here!"
…
As they listened and pieced things together, the five quickly understood why the island seemed empty—everyone was here.
Clearly, the beauty of the mermaid princess had drawn a crowd. Even species differences couldn't curb people's enthusiasm.
"Hey, Luo Han, is the mermaid princess really that beautiful? So many people came just to see her!" Aishi asked, sounding a little jealous.
"…!"
Luo Han shrugged. Just typical female competitiveness—he didn't even bother answering.
He glanced at Ellis and nodded inwardly. She was calm and composed as always.
Of course, that was because she could afford to be. If Luo Han hadn't used Kyoka Suigetsu to dull her presence, Ellis's elf-like beauty would've already caused a riot.
"You…"
Aishi jabbed her finger at Luo Han. He hadn't even answered—he was just staring at Ellis!
"…So… Luo Han, should we leave? If it really is the Celestial Dragons…" Sister Spoon asked, frowning slightly.
She knew what Luo Han thought of the Celestial Dragons—he'd never kneel. If something happened, a riot was inevitable.
"No need, Sister Spoon. Let's stay. I want to see just how beautiful this legendary mermaid is," Luo Han replied.
Sister Spoon's expression stiffened. She looked at him seriously, just about to speak when—
"I KNEW it! You want to see her too! So even you're just another shallow guy, huh?!" Aishi huffed.
"…!"
Luo Han and Sister Spoon stared at her silently.
This woman—give her an inch, and she clings to you like glue. Luo Han was already getting a headache.
"I-I was just joking…" Aishi muttered, awkwardly waving her hands.
"Hahaha!" Ellis and Sora burst into laughter.
Heh. This time Aishi didn't fight back—just smiled quietly.
Luo Han and Sister Spoon exchanged glances and smiled.
"You're planning to…?" Sister Spoon asked, glancing toward the square but keeping her voice low.
"Haha, don't worry. None of them can hear us," Luo Han smiled, gesturing to the crowd.
"You're planning to save the mermaid princess, aren't you…?" she asked more openly.
Aishi and the others turned to him—this was no small matter. Rescuing the mermaid princess meant clashing with a Celestial Dragon—and that meant a Navy Admiral might appear.
Heh. Luo Han chuckled but didn't answer. Instead, he used Kyoka Suigetsu to transmit his thoughts to Sister Spoon.
"I was already planning to visit Fish-Man Island to find a fish-man or mermaid. I heard they can communicate with sea creatures—which could help us find the lantern fish."
"And now, we've stumbled upon a royal mermaid princess. She can probably speak to even more species. Why not ask her directly?"
Sister Spoon rolled her eyes—so it was all for pure gold, not beauty. She had thought otherwise for a moment.
"What are you two whispering about, Sister Spoon?" Aishi asked, annoyed.
Thwack! Sister Spoon flicked Aishi 's forehead.
"You're going too far lately, Aishi . You're not even married to Luo Han yet, and you're already trying to control him. Keep it up, and he might dump you."
Aishi blushed bright red. "S-Sister Spoon! Don't say stuff like that! I—"
But before she could finish, the crowd suddenly fell silent. Everyone knelt, heads lowered.
Luo Han's group stood out at once—but they were in the back, so no one noticed yet.
"Why's everyone kneeling?" Ellis asked.
"Do we need to kneel too?" Aishi added.
"Nope. Just watch. Things might get chaotic—don't worry about it," Luo Han said with a grin.
Step. Step. Step…
A group approached from the square. At the front were two four-meter-tall men kneeling, pulling a giant bubble cart.
Inside were two water tanks—one large, one small. Within them were Princess Akatsuki and the little blonde mermaid Shouji, both wearing slave collars.
They were awake. Akatsuki remained expressionless, even as a grotesquely obese, three-meter-tall Celestial Dragon ogled her greedily.
Shouji trembled in fear. Her Observation Haki told her just how evil this man truly was—but she was powerless.
Surrounding the cart were black-clad guards—and several masked CP0 agents.
As they neared, the CP0 agents were the first to spot Luo Han's group. Among a sea of kneeling civilians, five standing figures were impossible to miss.
"This is bad… It's really the Blue Demon!"
The CP0 agents turned grim. One hurried to the Celestial Dragon.
"Lord Roschel, we've spotted the Blue Demon ahead. Please move to safety—it may be dangerous."
The Celestial Dragon hadn't even responded yet—
Shouji's eyes widened in shock. Even Princess Akatsuki's deadpan face twitched—clearly surprised.
Someone who could make a Celestial Dragon retreat? Could that be real?
Everyone who heard CP0's warning was stunned by the implication.
The Celestial Dragon, however, burned with rage. Not because of CP0's words—but because he saw the five people standing.
"You filthy peasants, how dare you—!"
Before he could finish, a flash of red streaked through the air.
CP0 didn't even have time to react.
The Celestial Dragon's head flew off his shoulders in an arc of blood. It sprayed across the tanks—splattering red across Akatsuki and Shouji.
They stared blankly, speechless.
The entire crowd froze. CP0 and every witness stood in stunned silence.
Thud. Thud. Thud-thud-thud.
The head landed on the grass, rolling gently in the quiet square.
"…Was that…?"
A bald middle-aged man whispered, staring at the head—still floating inside its bubble—with frozen horror on his face.
(END CHAPTER)
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