— — — — — — —
"Welcome aboard, Mihawk!" Koshiro smiled as he extended his hand to Hawkeye.
"Much appreciated!" Mihawk responded, shaking Koshiro's hand with a rare smile.
"Yo! Mihawk"
"Haha! Welcome to the Uchiha Pirates! Come on, let's throw you an initiation party to celebrate your joining! Haha!"
At that moment, Kaito suddenly teleported in, appearing right beside Mihawk. He patted Mihawk's shoulder with a grin, casually revealing his sword aura.
"The captain of the Uchiha Pirates?"
"You really have an incredible understanding of swordsmanship! Now I'm looking forward to the future even more!"
Mihawk felt that brief flash of sword aura and couldn't help but be shocked.
Though it was just a fleeting moment, Mihawk could tell that the quality of Kaito's sword aura was on an entirely different level—far beyond what Koshiro had displayed.
This realization made Mihawk even more eager. He couldn't wait to obtain the method to use such a formidable sword aura.
"Although you haven't met the contract conditions yet and I can't formally pass on my sword aura training technique, we can still spar and exchange insights on swordsmanship whenever we have free time!" Kaito said with a knowing smile.
"Really? That's fantastic!" Mihawk's eyes lit up. If it weren't for the current circumstances, he would have wanted to spar with Kaito right then and there.
He was eager to see just how advanced Kaito's swordsmanship was, considering he had created a method to develop sword aura.
He wanted to catch a glimpse of the path ahead.
— — —
On Drum Island, in a quiet courtyard.
"Yo, Chopper! Training hard, huh? Why didn't you go to Shimotsuki Village with everyone else?"
Kaito suddenly teleported in and saw Chopper training in the yard. He smiled and raised a hand in greeting.
"Lord Kaito?"
Hearing the voice, Chopper looked up, his face lighting up with excitement. But then he rubbed his hands together a little shyly and fidgeted. "Everyone was too enthusiastic... I felt awkward and out of place, so I came back here to train! Hehehe!"
It had been some time since he ate the Human-Human Fruit.
During this period, his intelligence had greatly increased, and he had learned a lot, growing rapidly.
Not only had he formed a contract with Kaito and received a wealth of amazing techniques, but he was also studying medicine under Kureha.
Every day was fulfilling.
"Haha! Is that so?" Kaito chuckled and stepped forward, ruffling Chopper's head. "It's just because you're too adorable, Chopper. Everyone likes you, so of course, they're excited!"
"But don't worry, after a while, the excitement will die down, and they won't be all over you anymore."
"Then, you'll be able to live a normal life."
"Keep working hard! I have high hopes for your future!"
He was eager to see Chopper surpass his original future self.
"Mm-hmm! Dr. Kureha said the same thing! I'll go train with everyone in Shimotsuki village tomorrow!" Chopper nodded, then curiously asked, "Did you come here to find Dr. Kureha for something? Do you need me to take you to her?"
"No need! I can go in myself. I do have some research-related matters to discuss with Dr. Kureha."
Kaito waved off the offer and, under Chopper's watchful gaze, entered the house.
Inside, Kureha was busy mixing medicines.
"Hmm? What brings you here today, kid? Something on your mind?" Kureha asked, barely glancing at him as she continued her work.
"Nothing major. I recently acquired pure gold and the method to manufacture it. I was wondering if you'd be interested in researching it with me."
As he spoke, Kaito flipped his hand and took out a small piece of pure gold.
"Hiss!"
The next moment, the dazzling glow of the pure gold lit up the room, making it almost blinding.
Kureha instinctively shielded her eyes with her hand and gasped, using her spiritual perception to lock onto the pure gold in Kaito's hand as she walked closer.
"So this is pure gold? I've heard about it before, and you've mentioned it in your future insights, but this is my first time seeing it in person."
"It really is an incredible material. But this glow is too intense... Is there no way to suppress it?"
"Unfortunately, no," Kaito said, shaking his head helplessly. "This is just how it is."
The pure gold had been retrieved from the belly of a massive anglerfish (Bonbori), along with the formula stored in the scientist's mind there.
Of course, Kaito had also rescued and recruited the father-daughter duo, Myskina Olga and Myskina Acier.
As a scientist, Myskina Acier had now joined Kaito's research division in the New World, continuing his work.
---
Kaito casually tossed the small piece of pure gold to Kureha.
She caught it quickly, but as soon as it was in her hand, she frowned slightly. "I can feel my cellular state being frozen... So this is the real reason pure gold extends lifespans so dramatically?"
"Exactly," Kaito confirmed with a nod. "It's a bit of a double-edged sword, but if we can refine it and remove its drawbacks, it could become an extraordinary material for immortality."
"That's true," Kureha nodded. "But something this miraculous... removing its flaws will be extremely difficult."
"Prepare for long-term research then." Kaito smiled.
"I'll join in, no problem. I'll just send a shadow clone to work on it."
Back in the day, she had searched for pure gold herself, hoping to extend her own lifespan, but had found nothing substantial.
Luckily, she had developed the Dragon Bone Extension Medicine, significantly prolonging her vitality.
Now, with all the techniques she had acquired, her lifespan was increasing every day, making pure gold unnecessary for her personally.
But that didn't mean it lacked research value.
"Thanks for your support!" Kaito nodded in satisfaction. "The pure gold research is being conducted in Research Base No. 2 within the Space-time Gate. Make sure to send a shadow clone there tomorrow to assist."
Not only Kureha, but also Vegapunk, Orochimaru, and the Second Hokage had all joined this project.
"No problem! I'll be there on time!" Kureha agreed before shooing him away. "Anything else? If not, scram! I'm busy!"
"Alright, alright," Kaito shrugged. "I'll just check on the pharmaceutical factory here on Drum Island and pick up a batch of finished medicines. Other than that, I'm done here."
Saying this, he disappeared in a flash.
"That brat..." Kureha chuckled, shaking her head as she looked at the dazzling pure gold in her hand. Storing it away, she continued working on her medicine preparations.
.
.
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