Chapter Thirty-Four: The Isle of Little Devils!

Page (1/3)

Looking at the ice phoenix before him, now transformed into a small bird, Camus was momentarily stunned. The figure from earlier was so graceful—a pure white robe, silver hair cascading to her waist, a figure that could rival Robin's, and truly beautiful.

"Hey! Why did you turn into a little bird? Your human form was so good; why not use that shape?" Camus asked curiously, but the glint in his eyes made the little bird tense and pull its wings tighter around itself.

"Hmph! You humans only like beautiful women. If I stayed in my human form and you tried something, what could I do? If I killed you, I couldn't win in a fight. This form is nice enough—not taking up space and rather cute, hehe!" The ice phoenix, now in bird shape, looked at Camus with disdain, speaking sharply.

Camus didn’t object to the ice phoenix’s words. That figure was truly tempting. He hadn’t played games with Robin for months, and just thinking of her made his gaze soften, causing the ice phoenix beside him to tremble. Was he trying to win her heart with gentleness now? Hmph! He wasn’t qualified.

"Heh, you know, I already have a wife, and she's not inferior to you. She can cook, too. What else can you do? You're a bit full of yourself!" Camus said mischievously, brushing off the dirt as he stood, gazing at the ruined town not far away. Meanwhile, the ice phoenix behind him was gnashing her beak.

"Hmph! I don’t believe she’s prettier than me. I've seen plenty of beauties, and finally settled on that form. Prettier than me? I don't buy it." The ice phoenix shouted at Camus, her tiny wings fluttering furiously, making her all the more adorable.

Camus turned and glanced at her, saying softly, "Even if she’s not as beautiful as you, she’ll always be first in my heart, irreplaceable by anyone." Though his voice was quiet, his eyes were full of sincerity.

The ice phoenix was surprised. The stronger the man, the less he cares for the women at his side—it had almost become a law. But this man, more powerful than herself, cared so deeply for that woman. She shook her head. This man truly was a mystery to her.

"By the way, why are you here, staying atop the mountain for so long without leaving?" Camus asked, puzzled. This bird was so strong and could even transform; entering the human world wasn't impossible.

The ice phoenix’s eyes flashed with anger and helplessness. She glanced at Camus, her gaze distant. "It was twelve years ago. A human rescued me from a deep seal. I wanted to thank him, but my power had faded from the years of being sealed, so I came here to recover, staying atop the mountain. I know it’s been troublesome for those below. If I could go elsewhere, I would have. The mountain is high, the island sparsely populated, and for thousands of kilometers there are no other islands, so I stayed."

"Oh, then I should thank you. If you were in a populated area, the damage would be much greater. By the way, where were you sealed? Who was that person twelve years ago? Do you know? Tell me, maybe I can help." Camus understood—seemed this bird was not evil, quite kind. He grew interested in the person from twelve years ago.

If someone could break this bird’s seal, that person must have been powerful.

Page (2/3)

"Heh! Where was I sealed? I can tell you—it was at the end of the sea. As for who that person was, I don’t know. He accidentally broke the seal; my power was weak, but the seal was almost gone. That human unwittingly released me. After a few months' rest, I left. That place was terrifying." As she spoke, ice phoenix’s eyes filled with fear, clearly uneasy about that location.

"The end of the sea? Isn’t that where One Piece is? Twelve years ago, that’s when the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, found One Piece. Then that person must have been him!" Camus murmured, thoughts racing.

"Why all these questions? Do you think you can find him for me?" The ice phoenix caught on—Camus had been asking a lot, and he had been active among humans, so he might know about people from years ago.

"Yes, I know who he was, but he’s already dead." Camus turned to the ice phoenix and spoke slowly, a bittersweet tone in his voice. That man had saved him, but he could only watch as he was executed, unable to intervene. It was the path that man chose.

"What? He’s dead? He should have been strong, maybe not as strong as you, but certainly among the top in this world! Well, dead is dead, no need to thank him." The ice phoenix was first surprised, then spoke indifferently.

Camus gave her a strange look. The ice phoenix glared back. "Are you wondering why I don't care about him? I’ve lived so long, life and death mean little to me. He saved me, but he was only human. Strong, but not enough to impress me. Besides, so much time has passed, my gratitude has faded to nothing. Heh, you think I’m cold-blooded? Hmph! You’re human, I’m a celestial beast." With that, the ice phoenix fluttered away to a distant rock.

Her last words touched Camus deeply. His gaze softened—she was still lonely, and not human. It seemed she struggled with her identity as a celestial beast.

He sighed quietly. There was nothing he could do now; perhaps he could slowly change her in the future.

"Ice phoenix, I’m preparing to leave this island. Our battle has ruined it too badly." Camus dared not face Lance again. The island was almost sunk after his fight with the ice phoenix. He had scanned with his senses; Lance’s family was safe, hiding in the cellar.

"Alright, let’s leave! I want to see the human world too." The ice phoenix fluttered to settle on Camus’ shoulder, surprising him.

"What are you staring at? Only you have the qualification to carry me here. Other humans are so weak, in our world of birds and beasts, only the strong deserve respect—you know that." The ice phoenix looked at Camus disdainfully; he could only smile wryly. He gently stroked the feathers on her back, and she glared fiercely at him but said nothing. After all, he’d defeated her, and clearly knew of the existence of contracts; he hadn’t bound her with one, just treated her as an equal. A little stroking was nothing. It was the first time she’d felt this way, but it was rather pleasant...

Soon Camus left. As for the losses here, he could do nothing, but left billions of Berries and a wealth of treasures—his savings from his days as a pirate hunter. There was plenty left. The ice phoenix thought it was a bit excessive, but said nothing. It wasn’t her money, so no need to feel bad.

Page (3/3)

About half an hour after Camus and the ice phoenix left, the villagers emerged from their hiding places, as there was no more commotion outside. Lance, climbing out of the cellar, first saw the treasure and Berries piled almost to fill the yard. Lance quietly endured his own hardships. Looking at the distant mountain, once thousands of meters tall, now reduced to mere hundreds, it looked no different from an ordinary hill.

"That guy is incredible! The whole mountain is gone—how did they fight?" Lance stared in shock at the vanished peak, forgetting the destruction of the village. When he came to his senses, as the battle captain, he called for the villagers to collect the treasure. What was left was enough for a major renovation of the village, maybe even a small dock. Not too many died, just a handful; before the two godlike figures began fighting, their overwhelming aura almost suffocated ordinary people. Those few daring ones died, but there’s nothing to say about it. Now that the monstrous bird had left, the long-lost sunlight shone upon the island, heralding a new era of prosperity.

Meanwhile, guided by the ice phoenix, Camus arrived at an island teeming with pirates. During the flight, Camus had sealed away his strength. The ice phoenix gave him a strange look and said, "Are you pretending?"

At her words, Camus nearly fell from the clouds, glaring at the ice phoenix resting comfortably on his shoulder without replying. In this form, she seemed utterly harmless—just a docile little bird. But the shield she used to block the wind revealed her as a powerful being. If Camus used his full strength, the world’s space couldn’t withstand it; their previous battle had already torn great cracks in space. Of course, “pretending” was apt—who wouldn’t show off if they had the power?

Looking at the island before him, spanning dozens of square kilometers, Camus was amazed. So many pirates here; his senses revealed many with strength rivaling future Warlords of the Sea. Clearly, this was a major pirate gathering spot—the multitude of pirate ships in port proved it.

Camus teleported straight to the largest and only town on the island, which took up nearly half the land. Standing at the dock, he gazed at the enormous town. At the entrance to the largest street stood a huge stone tablet, bearing the island’s name: "Little Demon Island." While the name intrigued him, the emblem below it truly caught his interest—the flag of the Whitebeard Pirates, currently the strongest crew...

............................

Thank you for your support, please vote often...

Group number: 78796o64