The ship slowly docked.
Luo An, with his small cloth bag on his back, walked down the gangplank with Roger and Rayleigh.
The pier was bustling with people, a scene of peace and harmony.
An old merchant selling herbs eagerly approached them: “Guests, would you like to see the longevity grass, a specialty of our Wanchun Island…?”
He stopped mid-sentence, his words suddenly catching in his throat.
His gaze swept past the tall Roger and Rayleigh, fixing intently on the small figure between them.
The old merchant’s eyes widened, the color quickly draining from his face, turning a ghastly pale, and the basket of herbs in his hand clattered to the ground, scattering herbs everywhere.
He tremblingly raised a finger, pointing at Luo An, and let out a scream like a nightmare, filled with extreme terror: “It… it’s him! The one from the newspaper… the Demon Child from Roger’s ship!”
In an instant, the entire noisy pier fell silent.
That terrified scream on the pier was like an invisible knife, instantly cutting off all the clamor.
The sea breeze seemed to halt as well, the salty air congealing above Wanchun Island.
Everyone’s gaze, whether local residents or foreign merchants, focused on that small figure.
The descriptions in the newspapers were cold, but the impact of the Demon Child standing alive before them was devastating.
That monster, who single-handedly turned the tide of battle in the Battle of Edd War with his eerie and ruthless methods.
“Run… run! It’s the demon from the Roger Pirates!”
Someone shouted first, and the entire pier instantly erupted into chaos.
The peaceful scene vanished, and people, as if seeing the source of a plague, screamed and scattered, their faces filled with terror.
Stalls were knocked over, goods rolled everywhere, and the entire pier plunged into a doomsday-like pandemonium.
“Hahahaha! Luo An, your reputation is even louder than mine now!”
Roger, far from being angry, instead put his hands on his hips and let out a deafening laugh.
Rayleigh helplessly rubbed his forehead; he had anticipated that Luo An’s reputation would bring some trouble, but he hadn't expected such an effect.
He glanced at Luo An, finding the instigator calmly watching the chaotic scene, his black eyes even holding a hint of… disdain.
As if saying, if you’re going to run, why do you have to scream so horribly?
On the Oro Jackson, Shanks was leaning over the ship’s railing, excitedly shouting to Buggy behind him: “Wow! Buggy, look! It’s amazing! Luo An scared everyone on the island away without saying a word! Is this the aura of a strong person?”
Buggy hid behind the mast, only his terrified eyes showing, trembling like a leaf in the autumn wind.
“What do you know?! We’re doomed now! They’ll definitely call the Marine, call the island’s guard, and surround us like monsters! It’s all this demon’s fault!”
Buggy’s voice was tearful; he felt his pirate career hadn’t even officially begun, yet it was about to end prematurely because of this guy who carried a jinx wherever he went.
Luo An paid no attention to the surrounding chaos; his focus was not on these terrified ordinary people at all.
His goal was clear: the life elixir.
This kind of chaos would only hinder his information gathering.
“Quiet.”
Luo An said softly.
His voice wasn’t loud, but it seemed to carry a peculiar magic.
A thin, almost invisible layer of Armament Haki spread out like ripples from the ground beneath Luo An’s feet.
That invisible pressure instantly enveloped the entire pier.
The frantically fleeing crowd seemed to be under a spell, freezing in place, unable to move.
They felt as if an invisible mountain was pressing down on them, making even breathing difficult.
The entire pier once again fell into an eerie silence, with only the sound of people’s heavy breathing and heartbeats remaining.
A hint of surprise flashed in Rayleigh’s eyes.
This was not Conqueror's Haki, but an incredibly subtle application of Armament Haki, extending it from mere offense and defense to the realm of control and deterrence.
This child, every day, was redefining their understanding of the word “genius.”
Just then, from the direction of the town, came the sound of neat and heavy footsteps.
A team of over a hundred samurai, dressed in unified green armor and wielding long swords, surrounded the entire pier.
Leading them was a white-haired but vigorous old man, dressed in a simple green kimono, leaning on a staff made of a strange tree branch.
The old man’s gaze swept over the messy pier, finally resting on Roger and Rayleigh, his eyes sharp as an eagle’s.
“Pirate, Gol D. Roger.”
The old man’s voice was steady and strong: “Wanchun Island does not welcome you. Please leave immediately.”
Roger grinned, showing a mouthful of white teeth: “Old sir, we mean no harm, we just came to the island to find something.”
“Every blade of grass and every tree on Wanchun Island does not belong to pirates.”
The old man’s tone was firm, leaving no room for negotiation.
The samurai behind him simultaneously drew their long swords, their blades glinting in the sunlight, forming a continuous line, radiating a chilling killing intent.
Rayleigh stepped forward, his expression calm as he said: “We have no intention of becoming enemies with Wanchun Island; we just want to inquire about the whereabouts of the life elixir. Once we succeed, we will leave immediately and will not stay any longer.”
Upon hearing the words “life elixir,” the old man’s pupils slightly contracted, then he sneered: “It’s just an absurd legend; there’s no such thing on this island. If you don’t leave within a minute, don’t blame us for being impolite!”
The atmosphere instantly became tense.
The crew members on the Oro Jackson also picked up their weapons, ready to jump off the ship and provide support at any moment.
Just as a major battle was about to erupt, Luo An suddenly took a few steps forward, standing in front of Roger and Rayleigh.
Luo An looked up, calmly gazing at the leading old man.
“Your right leg, every rainy night at midnight, starts to feel a needle-like, burning pain from the inside of your knee, correct?”
Luo An’s voice was clear, yet it exploded in the old man’s ears like a clap of thunder.
The stern expression on the old man’s face instantly cracked, replaced by unconcealed shock.
This ailment had troubled him for over thirty years; it was an old injury from his early years that no renowned doctor could cure.
Because of its peculiar onset time, no one knew such details except for himself.
“Not only that.”
Luo An ignored his shock and continued: “You thought it was a simple old injury, so you’ve been applying hot compresses with herbs that promote blood circulation and dispel stasis.”
“But you were mistaken. Your knee is infested with a type of yin bone worm that feeds on cold energy. Your hot compresses were not only useless but actually accelerated its reproduction. For the past six months, hasn’t the pain started to spread to your thigh?”
The hand with which the old man clutched his staff began to tremble slightly, and cold sweat seeped from his forehead.
What Luo An said was accurate, word for word.
“This worm will slowly gnaw away at your bone marrow. In three more years, your right leg will completely necrotize, and by then, even cutting it off will be too late, because the eggs will have already spread throughout your body via your bone marrow.”
“You won’t die immediately, but in the five to ten years after that, you will watch your body turn into decaying deadwood inch by inch, wailing in endless pain as you turn into a puddle of pus.”
Luo An’s description was too vivid; the terrifying imagery made the surrounding samurai’s scalps tingle, and they instinctively took half a step back.
The color completely drained from the old man’s face; his lips trembled, and he could no longer utter a single firm word.
“I can cure it.”
Luo An finally dropped the last, and most crucial, three words.
He held up three small fingers, calmly looking at the old man, his black eyes devoid of pity, only the indifference of an exchange of equal value.
“Thirty million Berries, plus all information about the life elixir. I’ll cure your leg, and you give us what we want. Is it a deal?”