Chapter 236: Lantern Fish Found, The Awakening of the Mind
Hehe! Akatsuki smiled faintly—she knew this would happen.
"Can you sense that undersea mountain down there?"
"Yeah…" Luo Han blinked. "Don't tell me that's the lantern fish?"
Akatsuki smiled. "Use your ability to pull that mountain up. Then you'll know."
Could it really be?
With a thought, Luo Han's telekinesis enveloped the underwater mountain and lifted it.
RUMBLE! A wave of resistance pushed back.
"It really is the lantern fish!"
Luo Han's face lit up. The moment the mountain moved, he could clearly perceive its true form—it matched the lantern fish exactly.
Ignoring its resistance, Luo Han held it firmly with his psychic power and hoisted it above the sea. At the same time, he formed a massive water curtain to surround the lantern fish and both of them—just in case someone happened to witness what was happening.
"Give me a moment," he told Akatsuki. "I need to subdue this thing first."
"Okay." Akatsuki nodded, curious to see how he'd do it.
Luo Han entered the lantern fish's mindscape with a wave of mental energy.
Hm? Nothing?
There were no willseeds from the mermaid princess here.
"Maybe it wasn't a Sea King back then… or maybe it just wasn't this big yet."
That could explain why it wasn't controlled.
In the mindscape, Luo Han summoned Bie Tianshen and invaded the lantern fish's spirit.
He had once intended to kill it if he found it—but now, with his lifespan no longer a concern, he changed his mind. Better to keep it intact.
The lantern fish's ability to mask its presence, even from his divine senses, was extraordinary. If it stayed motionless, no one would ever find it.
No wonder the World Government had failed to find it for centuries.
Though… how had Akatsuki found it?
Those thoughts flashed by as he acted.
Luo Han's divine power covered the creature's will. As its spirit began to evolve, he implanted loyalty into it.
Soon, the transformation was complete—and control established.
But…
He sent a mental command. The lantern fish had no reaction—just a dull, confused response.
"What the hell? Is it that dumb?" Luo Han frowned. Its mind felt like a toddler's—barely able to process basic instructions.
It couldn't really communicate—just babbled in emotional energy like a baby.
Fortunately, it could still follow simple commands.
"Akatsuki," Luo Han said, "come with me."
She nodded.
Luo Han lowered the lantern fish and had it open its mouth. He and Akatsuki entered.
The fish then closed its mouth and sank back into the sea, coating itself in mud again—hiding once more.
Splash! Once inside, Luo Han finally dropped the water curtain outside.
Inside its first stomach, the moment he stepped in, Luo Han felt something strange.
His cells—under the glow of pure gold—had stopped dividing.
Normally, human cells constantly divide and renew. Now, they seemed to work perpetually, without need for replacement.
In essence, his biological aging had stopped. If a hundred years passed, his body would remain unchanged.
Immortality.
Luo Han finally exhaled in relief. No more fear of death by age.
"Luo Han, what now?"
On the island-like terrain inside the first stomach, Akatsuki looked at him, worried.
"What now?" He blinked—then understood. She was asking how to fix his body.
He laughed. "My lifespan issue is solved!"
"Really? That's great!" Akatsuki smiled with joy—but then frowned. "But your face hasn't changed. Are you sure?"
"Actually… it's not entirely solved," Luo Han admitted. "More like it's been slowed down."
"Slowed down…?"
She was confused. "How can lifespan be slowed?"
"Do you know about Pure Gold?"
She nodded. She knew it granted near-immortality, but not how.
"It doesn't stop aging," Luo Han explained. "It slows growth."
"For example, a child wearing a ring made of pure gold might still look like a child even two hundred years later."
"Oh… that's how it works!" Akatsuki understood now.
But wait—where was the Pure Gold? She hadn't seen any.
"Where is it, Luo Han?" she asked seriously. "Don't lie to make us feel better."
Lie about something that risks his life? Luo Han would never be that stupid.
He shook his head and pointed upward. "See that glowing orb?"
Akatsuki looked up through the stomach lining and spotted a radiant golden sphere—like a tiny sun.
"That's the Pure Gold?" she asked in awe.
"Yup."
"It's huge!"
She had expected such a rare and powerful substance to be tiny—not a glowing golden ball.
Now it made sense—Luo Han's body was bathed in its light, halting his growth.
Akatsuki tried to feel its effects on herself… but didn't notice anything. Still, she didn't dwell on it.
"Should we extract it?" she asked.
There was no way Luo Han could live forever inside a lantern fish.
"No need," he replied. "There's a smaller piece of Pure Gold in its third stomach. That'll be enough."
He extended his spiritual sense, reaching the third stomach. In a lab room there, he located a bottle on a table.
Inside was a fist-sized nugget of Pure Gold, suspended in a special liquid—probably to dull its glow and avoid detection.
With a thought, Luo Han enveloped it in telekinesis and began bringing it toward himself.
Bang bang! Walls and rocks couldn't stop him.
Soon—whoosh! the bottle landed in his hand.
Crack! He shattered it, isolating the liquid and retrieving the gold.
Immediately—
Without the liquid shielding it, the Pure Gold emitted a powerful golden glow.
The fish's stomach lining began to light up—its attention caught.
Luo Han quickly sent a calming wave of mental energy. The fish settled again.
"This glow is too strong, Luo Han," Akatsuki warned. "If you wear it outside, the World Government will notice. That's not a risk we can take."
Indeed. Something that could grant near-immortality would drive the Celestial Dragons insane.
"Don't worry."
He gathered two drops of the special liquid and two tiny pieces of the Pure Gold. Then he used his powers to mold them into two light-blue rings.
The Pure Gold rested inside, visible only from the inner side—hidden when worn.
"This one's for you," he said, handing one to Akatsuki.
"For me?" she was surprised, but didn't refuse. Immortality was everyone's dream.
"Of course. Ellis has one too," he said. "I don't want to live alone for eternity."
She laughed softly and slipped it on. As before, the ring adjusted to size—but the gold remained unchanged.
Luo Han resealed the rest of the gold in liquid, then coated it in hardened sand, forming a basketball-sized ball.
"Now no one will recognize it."
He tested the gritty texture—felt like real sand.
"Luo Han," Akatsuki said darkly. "There are two people in here. We can't let this secret leak."
Her Observation Haki had detected them ever since they entered—besides her and Luo Han, two other humans were present.
Luo Han grinned, tossing the ball in his hand. "One of them made this Pure Gold. He's a materials scientist."
"A genius who created Pure Gold?" Akatsuki was stunned. No wonder it was once thought to be a legend—because it was impossible to make.
But why had Luo Han kept him alive?
"You want him to make more?"
Akatsuki frowned. "That's too risky. Better to kill him and eliminate the threat."
They had enough already—there was no need to tempt fate.
"I know."
Luo Han explained, "I want him to make other metals. Ark Island's development needs talent."
"Killing a genius like this would be a waste. Who knows what else he might invent?"
Luo Han's eyes gleamed. He remembered a Devil Fruit that would pair perfectly with this kind of mind—a Fruit that could synthesize metals: the Munch-Munch Fruit.
"Fine. Up to you." Akatsuki didn't argue further. "Let's head back. Ellis and the others are worried."
"Okay. Wait here—I'll bring them."
"Alright."
Luo Han took off and found the "dinosaur" he'd sensed earlier… fighting baby dinosaurs over meat.
A fat man wearing a dinosaur onesie.
He hadn't noticed Luo Han yet.
Luo Han didn't want to use Bie Tianshen in front of Akatsuki, so he'd come here quietly.
With a thought, he tried to control the man.
Hm… failed.
Surprising. His will was strong.
But maybe not so surprising—he had survived alone for 200 years without going insane. That takes real willpower.
Fine—let's use a little persuasion.
Luo Han revealed himself. The nearby dinosaurs fled under his pressure.
"You're… human?" the fat man blinked.
"You really are human!" he beamed.
Luo Han winced. "More than you, at least."
No more small talk.
"Your daughter's alive," he said. "Help me, and I'll take you to her."
The man froze.
"My daughter… is alive?"
Gotcha.
Luo Han saw the surge in emotion—and used it as a trigger. He implanted a vision of reuniting with his daughter.
That did it.
The man's spirit evolved. Luo Han implanted absolute loyalty—Bie Tianshen succeeded.
He repeated the process with the daughter—a 200-year-old blonde lolita—and controlled her too.
...
First Stomach
On the beach, Misuke Asie and his daughter Olga were finally reunited—tears flowing.
Luo Han, kindly, had shown her his diary in advance, avoiding any dramatic fallout.
"After all this time… I finally found it."
Luo Han exhaled.
Time to go home.
With a thought, he brought the father and daughter out.
Back at the sea's surface, he gave the lantern fish a new order—to continue hiding.
After all, he'd told the Sea Kings to kill the lantern fish on sight. It was easier to just keep it hidden now.
"I'll fix that once my mind powers awaken."
With that, the four of them flew back to Ark Island.
...
Ark Island
The Penguin still floated quietly on the lake.
On deck, Luo Han lay on the grass. He'd returned and come straight here.
Above the lake
Ellis and Akatsuki stood in the air, frowning slightly.
"He's been lying there for five days now," Ellis said. "Isn't ability awakening supposed to be safe?"
"I'm not sure." Akatsuki shook her head. "He just said not to disturb him—he was awakening. Then he lay down like this."
"But I think he's fine. He still wears the ring."
She showed Ellis the Pure Gold ring on her hand.
Seeing it, and recalling what Akatsuki had explained, Ellis felt a bit better.
"Let's check again tonight," Ellis said, flying toward the plaza.
"Okay," Akatsuki nodded, following her.
Once they left—
The lake returned to silence.
Luo Han's consciousness had entered his heart-space—the layer above the spiritual world.
Ever since solving his mortality problem with Pure Gold, his soul was undergoing a transformation.
At this point, he had everything a normal person could want.
Power? He stood at the pinnacle of the world. Few could match him.
Women? Ellis and Akatsuki—beauty beyond imagination—were his.
Wealth? Even without Pure Gold, he had enough treasure to build a golden mountain.
Immortality? Humanity's ultimate goal—achieved.
"So… what's left to pursue?" he asked himself.
Why do we chase power, wealth, fame, women, influence?
"To enjoy them." That was his answer.
Everything he had pursued… was for the sake of enjoyment.
Power brought security.
Women brought pleasure.
Wealth brought convenience.
Enjoyment—that was his true desire as an ordinary man who happened to gain everything.
"I'm not the main character. I have no grand ideals. I don't want to change the world."
"I just want to protect those around me, live in a mansion, sleep with beautiful women, and enjoy the life I've earned."
That realization was the key.
The heart doesn't awaken through suffering or transformation alone.
Its original nature matters most.
Luo Han was a man who sought comfort, desired power, and enjoyed the rewards.
And power… was how he secured that ease.
That's why he pursued strength from the very beginning.
All for this moment.
"So… let's begin the awakening."
He began constructing a mental projection of Eternal Night City in his heart-space.
Once it could be projected into reality—his mind fruit would fully awaken.
He knew it.
He focused—and began.
...
In the real world—
Five massive whirlpools opened above the sea between Ark Island and the surrounding ring current.
Water shot upward like heavenly waterfalls, carrying beasts and fish with it.
Ellis's created islands expanded from eight to eighteen.
Each was filled with buildings, people—a thriving civilization.
Floating islands dotted the sky.
Across from Island One, a 1,000-meter-high skyscraper hovered a hundred meters off the ground.
(END CHAPTER)
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