Chapter 187: Kahn, Thirty-Two This Year
The reappearance of the Golden Lion caused a sensation worldwide.
As time moved into Sea Circle Calendar 1520, marking the new decade, the era of great pirates had unknowingly been underway for twenty-two years.
How many decades does a person live through? In Kahn's previous life, two decades amounted to nearly one-fifth, one-fourth, or even one-third of an average person's life.
In this chaotic world, where many people die every day—excluding enhanced humans and other races—the average lifespan of ordinary humans is only about fifty years. Twenty years is almost half of a person's life.
Look at Rocks, for example. He has been dead for just over 30 years, and not many today remember that he was the sole ruler of the pirate world in the previous era.
As one of the key figures during the Rocks era and a main player in the post-Rocks era, veterans like the Golden Lion, Whitebeard, Patrick Redfield, and Rayleigh remain alive in this era of great pirates, ushered in by the legend of Gol D. Roger.
But with Rayleigh going into seclusion and Patrick Redfield imprisoned in Impel Down, the only living legend on the frontlines now is Whitebeard, often referred to as the uncrowned king.
So, it's no surprise that the reappearance of the Golden Lion—who was once on equal footing with Whitebeard, the Pirate King, and Patrick Redfield—would cause such global excitement.
Especially after he began destroying islands and announcing the return of the Flying Pirates, both the Marines and the World Government grew alarmed.
The Marine Admirals' vacations were cancelled, and the three Admirals had to constantly stay either at the G1 branch in the New World, the holy land of Mariejois atop the Red Line, or Marineford in the first half of the Grand Line.
Guarding these three key locations is the responsibility of the Admirals.
The Golden Lion's return also caught the attention of the five Emperors of the New World.
Looking at the familiar floating Sky Island and the Golden Lion's bounty on the front page of the newspaper, Whitebeard, Charlotte Linlin, and Kaido all felt nostalgic, recalling their time with the Rocks Pirates.
Even Shanks seemed lost in thought, remembering the desperation he faced as a child. If it hadn't been for the storm during that great battle, he and Buggy might not have survived.
Only Kahn, the youngest Emperor of the Sea, smiled with interest.
"If you hadn't made the first move, I might have forgotten about this near-invincible ability."
Wearing a white coat and looking increasingly like a scientist, Kahn lounged in a chair, glanced at today's newspaper, and mused to himself.
It had already been thirty-two years since he had unknowingly been reborn into this world.
If it weren't for pure gold, He would have been a thirty-two-year-old man by now.
However, after wearing pure gold, Kahn appeared only about twenty-five years old, a handsome man with no beard.
Robin, Hancock, Sonia, and Mary, who had matured from their teenage years to age eighteen, would be thirty-five-year-old women today if not for pure gold.
But thanks to wearing pure gold, they all remain fixed at the age of twenty-eight.
Had Robin not worn pure gold or been affected by the Ripe-Ripe Fruit, she would now be twenty-eight years old.
In this life, after meeting Kahn early on, Robin's figure, appearance, and skin were locked at the age of twenty-eight, but she looked even more beautiful than she did in the original timeline two years later.
This transformation, of course, is due to Kahn's years of generosity and the healthier lifestyle they've all lived compared to the original timeline.
Not only Robin but even Hancock's charm and maturity surpassed what was seen in the original timeline when she was 31, and her body and skin were in even better condition than two years later in the story.
Hancock, who has undergone electrotherapy, would age more slowly than Robin, even without pure gold, despite being older.
Now that Hancock has pure gold, she could potentially hold the title of the most beautiful woman in the world for hundreds of years. Even Scarlett, who could rival her in appearance, falls short when it comes to Hancock's figure.
Beyond Robin and Hancock, Mary's fate has undoubtedly changed the most.
In the original story, after being enslaved in Mariejois for years, Mary returned to Amazon. Lily was deeply traumatized. In her quest for strength, she overindulged in the island's special hot pot and transformed from a beautiful woman into a rustic, overweight, enhanced human.
In this life, Mary was rescued by Kahn, meaning she no longer had to sacrifice her body for strength. Thanks to pure gold, she has remained 28 years old and has become one of Kahn's women—now a hot, slender beauty with the grace of an older sister. She also serves as the mobile warehouse and fortress for the "Cross family."
This is how the original five members of the family have changed.
Back to the earlier topic...
Having spent thirty-two years in this world, Kahn had largely forgotten the original plot. If he hadn't anticipated, as a child, that he would eventually forget much about the storyline of One Piece, he might have lost all recollection of the plot by now. Fortunately, he made notes in advance.
Over time, Kahn became fully immersed in this world, truly becoming one of its inhabitants.
Despite keeping a diary, Kahn had forgotten almost all the minor subplots, retaining only the key events.
One of these is the Golden Lion.
When Kahn first arrived in this world, he had a strong impression of the Golden Lion. However, as his power grew and the "Cross family" became a dominant force, distancing themselves from the other rulers, Kahn became increasingly detached. He even forgot about those who had once loomed large in his memory—those who should not be provoked.
In recent years, his focus had been on Vegapunk and the World Government on Warhead Island. Apart from these, only the three sworn brothers of the protagonist from Troubled Times held his attention. Even the Revolutionary Army and the Red-Haired Pirates, once powerful forces, no longer concerned him.
If Kahn no longer feared these two major powers, the weakened Golden Lion—who had lost his Conqueror's infusion and his world-renowned swordsmanship, relying only on his Float-Float Fruit—was even less of a threat.
However, the early return of the Golden Lion piqued Kahn's interest in his Devil Fruit.
The Float-Float Fruit is one of the few Paramecia Fruits that can rival the destructive power of the Quake-Quake Fruit, widely regarded as the strongest Paramecia-type Devil Fruit.
Although the Quake-Quake Fruit excels in physical destruction by shattering the atmosphere, the Float-Float Fruit offers much more versatility.
Anything the Quake-Quake Fruit can do, the Float-Float Fruit can match. What the Quake-Quake Fruit cannot do, the Float-Float Fruit can.
For instance, while the Quake-Quake Fruit can break the earth, the Float-Float Fruit can also tear it apart and even reshape it into mountains or other forms. The Quake-Quake Fruit can summon tsunamis, but the Float-Float Fruit can not only do that but also control the weather, like creating blizzards.
However, unlike the Quake-Quake Fruit, the Float-Float Fruit allows its user to fly and even make entire islands float—an ability the Quake-Quake Fruit cannot replicate.
In terms of raw destructive power, the Float-Float Fruit is inferior to the Quake-Quake Fruit, but in terms of strategic deterrence and overall versatility, it surpasses the latter.
This is why both the Marines and the World Government were so on edge after the Golden Lion's return.
No one wants to live in a world where an island could fall from the sky at any moment. That would be a true nightmare.
For this reason, Kahn had no intention of ignoring such a powerful Paramecia Devil Fruit, especially when its current owner was a significantly weakened old legend.
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