Chapter 244: The Underworld Kings Request an Audience
On the deck of the Penguin—
AEllis and Aishi were staring resentfully at Luo Han.
Pretending not to notice, Luo Han looked up toward the sky where Akatsuki and Thunder God were testing various forms and abilities.
At the moment, Thunder God had transformed into a suit of armor wrapped around Akatsuki.
BOOM! Akatsuki threw a punch at the sky, sending a lightning column streaking upward. With Thunder God amplifying her attack, the beam was wider and more concentrated than ever.
"Was that the Red Queen's power?!"
"So strong!"
"Then the clouds we saw before must have been caused by her lightning powers!"
Across Nightless City, people marveled at the thunderous boom and the brilliant pillar of light piercing the clouds above Arknight Island. Many mistakenly believed Akatsuki had caused the earlier storm.
Back on the deck, AEllis and Aishi were filled with envy. They exchanged a glance, then turned to Luo Han.
"Luo Han!"
"I want one too!"
"Me too!"
Luo Han sighed. "You two think these are candy handouts or something?"
"Akatsuki's synergy only worked because her Rumble-Rumble Fruit and the Cloud-Cloud Fruit matched so well," he explained. "For you two, Thunder God would probably shock you to death."
"Then find a pet that matches us," they said in unison, clearly unsatisfied.
"Fine," Luo Han gave in. "If I come across suitable Devil Fruits, I'll create pets for each of you."
He understood what this was really about. They didn't care about practicality—they just didn't want to be the only ones without a powerful magical pet. Sometimes, surrendering was easier than arguing.
Flash! A streak of lightning brought Akatsuki back to the deck. A moment later, Thunder God returned too, floating happily around her.
AEllis and Aishi looked on, full of longing.
"So? How's the compatibility?" Luo Han asked with a smile.
"He's perfect!" Akatsuki was thrilled. "Using the same lightning attack only takes one-third the stamina now. I can channel the rest into Armament Haki, and my total battle power's increased by about 20%!"
"Nice," Luo Han nodded in approval. "But keep in mind, the Cloud-Cloud Fruit doesn't just control thunderclouds."
"You mean…"
Akatsuki guessed, "Snow clouds? Or other weather types?"
"Exactly," Luo Han said. "Thunder God should be able to produce any weather cloud."
"Then he can basically control the entire weather system!" Akatsuki marveled.
And indeed, many weather patterns stemmed from clouds. If Thunder God could generate them, then weather manipulation wasn't far off.
Whoosh!
Sora flew over from the distance and landed on the Penguin deck. Dismissing her psychic armor, she spoke calmly.
"Luo Han, the underworld kings have arrived. They're asking to see you."
"To see me?" Luo Han raised an eyebrow. "Didn't we put Tuck in charge of all that? Why are you telling me?"
"Tuck's with them," Sora explained. "They say there's something they want your personal approval on."
"What is it?"
"They're on Island Four. Come with me, I'll explain on the way." Sora didn't answer directly—some things weren't meant to be said in front of AEllis and Aishi .
"Alright." Luo Han turned to the three women. "I'm going with Sora to see what those underworld folks want. You three have fun."
With that, he and Sora flew toward Island Four.
In the sky—
"So what's the issue?" Luo Han asked.
"They want to recommend the Queen of Pleasure Street for the position of Nightless City's administrative chief."
"Queen… who?" Luo Han frowned. "Pleasure Street… sounds vaguely familiar. Must be something from my past life's memory."
"Her name's Stussy," Sora said. "Publicly, she's one of the five underworld titans and rules over the brothels. But in secret, she's a CP0 commander directly under the Celestial Dragons."
She paused. "Her power and age are a mystery, but she's been active in the underworld for decades."
"Directly under the Celestial Dragons?" Luo Han asked. "I thought CP0 answered to the Five Elders?"
"Not all of them," Sora explained. "CP0 is split into two factions. One answers to the Five Elders, the other directly to the Celestial Dragons. Officially they're under one roof, but in practice, many CP0 agents are personally groomed by the Dragons. That's why CP0 often prioritizes the Dragons' interests."
So it's a power play. Luo Han was amused. The Five Elders really let the Dragons mess around this much?
"Stussy is one of those agents," Sora confirmed. "A while back, the Five Elders asked me to 'arrange' for her to take over Nightless City's administration."
"They want her to spy on you," Luo Han finished.
"Exactly." Sora smirked. "Probably because letting me organize the intel department went too smoothly. They're getting nervous."
"They want someone to monitor you—and quietly seize control of the city."
"Right. The endgame is to steal Nightless City. The Five Elders want me and Stussy to cooperate, oust you, and repurpose the city for the World Government."
"Well," Luo Han chuckled, "that lines up with our plan anyway."
Let them in. Let them work. Under the banner of Blue Demon, they could expand faster in the New World.
And one day—when he was old—they'd swoop in to 'reclaim' it.
The joke was, he was fully aware of the scheme. With the power of Otherworldly Godforce, even the egg and the chicken would belong to him in the end.
…
Island Four.
In the central plaza, five men and one woman stood waiting.
Tuck had just told them Luo Han had agreed to meet them.
They were all nervous. The Blue Demon was said to be a man who dared to attack Mariejois without hesitation.
Had this not involved their future fortunes, none of them would have dared request an audience.
"Captain Tuck…"
One of the six, a burly man covered in tattoos and smoking a cigar, asked cautiously, "What does Lord Blue Demon like?"
The others perked up. They were wondering the same thing.
Tuck scratched his head. "Honestly… I don't know."
Aside from spending time with AEllis and the others, his boss didn't have many hobbies.
"Probably… beautiful women?" he guessed.
"Oh…"
They all nodded knowingly. Of course, he was still a man.
"And," Tuck added, "preferably strong ones. Admiral-level would be best."
"…"
The five men fell silent.
That raised the bar.
There were countless beautiful women—but beautiful women with admiral-level power?
Very few.
Linlin was one. Akatsuki was another.
And neither was available.
"Beautiful and powerful…" Stussy narrowed her eyes. So that's how Sora rose to power so quickly?
Should she… join the Blue Demon's harem too?
She didn't like the idea—but for power, maybe it was worth considering…
(END CHAPTER)
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