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Arthur, his disinterest palpable, turned his back on the archaeologists and walked away, heading towards the coast. He needed to find a suitable place to begin his work.
His plan—to use Vegapunk's methods to fuse the Pure Gold bracelets with the Castle-Castle Fruit—was his top priority. Then, he'd head straight for the New World.
Paradise was too tame, too boring. It didn't offer the challenges—the thrills—he craved. Only the New World could satisfy his ambition.
The "paradise" of the Grand Line's first half, even Sabaody, couldn't hold his interest. Jessica had joined the Marines. There was nothing left for him here.
The New World, teeming with powerful pirates and Marines—that was where a true man of the sea belonged.
——
At the harbor, Arthur walked past the gawking dockworkers, his gaze fixed on the sea. He reached the edge of the dock, then, with a powerful leap, plunged into the water.
According to Vegapunk's notes, imbuing an object with a Devil Fruit's power required applying "pressure" to the fruit's essence—the "demon" residing within.
And the best way to create that pressure? Seastone, the very essence of the sea.
But Arthur didn't have any Seastone.
It wasn't readily available, its use limited to the World Government and the Marines. So, he'd use the next best thing—the sea itself.
Both Seastone and seawater contained Pyrobloin, a substance that weakened Devil Fruit users, robbing them of their strength and their ability to swim.
Arthur, activating his Isolation Field, descended into the depths, creating a pocket of breathable air within the crushing pressure of the deep sea.
The light from above faded as he sank deeper and deeper, the pressure mounting, the Isolation Field draining his stamina at an alarming rate.
He retrieved a Pure Gold bracelet and the Castle-Castle Fruit, following Vegapunk's instructions precisely.
Taking a deep breath—he pressed the bracelet into the fruit. A Devil Fruit, once damaged—lost its power. If this failed, the Castle-Castle Fruit would be gone, its essence returning to the world, not to reappear for years.
The immense pressure of the deep sea, the shrinking Isolation Field, and the high concentration of Pyrobloin—they all played a role in the process.
Arthur removed the ore coating from the gold bracelet, unleashing a brilliant, golden light that illuminated the surrounding waters.
The bracelet vibrated, the intensity increasing as Arthur shrunk the Isolation Field, compressing the space around it, concentrating the pressure.
Hum!
The golden light, visible for miles in the inky blackness of the deep sea, drew unwanted attention.
——
Sea Kings, attracted by the light—their eyes glowing red in the darkness—began to circle.
Arthur released a burst of Conqueror's Haki, scattering the smaller ones.
But some—the apex predators of the deep, weren't easily intimidated.
A massive, serpentine Sea King, its scales a mottled grey and silver, its blood-red eyes fixed on the glowing bracelet—approached.
Arthur estimated its length at over 3000 feet, its massive fins larger than a ship's sails. Its jaws, filled with razor-sharp teeth, opened and closed—It had mistaken the Pure Gold for prey.
"You're going to regret that." Arthur's eyes narrowed.
He wouldn't allow anything to interrupt the process, but in the deep sea—the domain of the Sea Kings—such encounters were inevitable.
These creatures, driven by instinct, lacked the intelligence to recognize danger.
Unlike the massive Sea Kings guarding Fish-Man Island, these beasts weren't sentient. They acted purely on instinct.
But Arthur wasn't afraid. He felt a thrill—a familiar surge of excitement, even in this dangerous environment, surrounded by predators, deep within the sea—a Devil Fruit user's worst nightmare.
Sea Kings—the apex predators of the ocean, their massive size granting them near-invincibility, their only threat larger Sea Kings.
If all Sea Kings possessed the intelligence of those guarding Fish-Man Island, humanity would be doomed. They could devour islands whole, wiping out entire civilizations.
Princess Shirahoshi of Fish-Man Island—her ability to command these monstrous creatures, was the true power of Poseidon, one of the Ancient Weapons.
Arthur stared intently at the serpentine Sea King, the two locked in a silent standoff.
Its massive size, while granting it strength and resilience, made it slow, its movements cumbersome, unlike the smaller, more agile humans. Even in its own domain, it couldn't defend every part of its massive body simultaneously.
The crushing pressure, the resistance of the water—it slowed Arthur as well, restricting his speed and movements. Deactivating his Isolation Field to use his lightning form was out of the question. He'd be paralyzed instantly. He had to rely on his physical strength alone.
He would have to wait for the Sea King to attack first—then counter.
The massive serpent hissed, its blood-red eyes fixed on Arthur, its massive jaws opening and closing, releasing streams of bubbles.
It slowly coiled its massive body, its fins extending—preparing to strike.
Then, it struck—its thousand-foot frame launching forward like an arrow, displacing massive amounts of water, creating powerful underwater currents.
Arthur remained calm, poised, ready to face the ocean's apex predator in its own domain.
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