Aboard the World Government ship, Is had nothing much to do.
He dragged a reclining chair to the bow, lay back, enjoyed the scenery, felt the sea breeze, and casually snacked while sipping drinks.
Of course, he wasn't alone—Acnologia was doing the same. The two of them would exchange a few words from time to time.
Tatsumaki, on the other hand, was actually busy with something serious—learning cooking skills from Roz·Meini.
As for Uchiha Madara, he and Garp had hit it off after their earlier clash. The two of them were now drinking together, chatting about who-knows-what.
Time passed quickly, and before long, the ship approached its destination.
At the port, a long red carpet had already been laid out.
At the end of it, the island's king and queen stood waiting.
On both sides of the carpet, crowds had gathered—some were ordinary civilians, others were nobles of status.
But they all had the same purpose—
to catch a glimpse of the world's highest nobles, the Celestial Dragons.
After all, for many ordinary people, Celestial Dragons were figures they would never see in their entire lives—only hear about from others.
As the World Government ship drew closer, cheers erupted from the crowd.
At the bow, Is and Acnologia stood side by side, looking down toward the port.
"That… the one standing in the center—is that the legendary Celestial Dragon?" a noble in the crowd whispered.
"Isn't that obvious? Just from his presence alone, you can tell he's one of the world's top nobles," another retorted.
"So… so handsome… If I could just exchange a single sentence with him, I'd be willing to give up ten years of my life—no, even twenty!" a richly dressed noblewoman in her twenties said dreamily.
"Stop dreaming. Look at yourself—what makes you think you'd even qualify? If he married me, even if I only lived one more year, I'd be satisfied!" another noblewoman chimed in, equally lovestruck.
To be fair, Is really did have striking looks—tall, well-built, fair-skinned, with sharp brows and bright eyes.
"Hmph, you're older than me and not even as pretty—where do you get the confidence to say that?"
"Oh please, you flat-chested brat. The only thing you have is your age!" the other woman shot back, straightening her posture to emphasize her curves.
Just as their argument escalated, the crowd's cheers surged even louder.
Looking ahead, Is and the others had already stepped off the ship.
"Great Saint Aurelius D. Virel Is, welcome to our kingdom!"
The king and queen bowed deeply, kneeling on one knee in formal respect.
As the king spoke, the guards behind him all dropped to their knees—followed by the entire crowd.
"Great Saint Aurelius D. Virel Is, welcome to our kingdom!"
"If there is anything we can do for you, please do not hesitate to command us," the king continued.
"There's no need. I'm just here to take a look around," Is replied calmly.
"I understand, Saint Aurelius D. Virel Is!"
…
Is did not refuse the king's warm hospitality.
After enjoying a lavish banquet, he set off alone toward the excavation coordinates.
Madara and the others initially wanted to follow, but Is told them it wasn't necessary and let them do as they pleased.
Standing at the highest point of the palace, Is confirmed the direction.
Flames ignited behind him, forming a pair of fiery wings.
With a single flap, he rose into the air—
and sped off at high speed.
About ten minutes later, Is arrived at the target location.
But in the next instant—
he froze.
Because this time, unlike before, the ground wasn't glowing blue.
It was glowing yellow.
"…What's going on? The excavation site changed color? Could it be… this is some kind of special dig?"
He muttered to himself.
After hesitating for a few seconds, he stopped overthinking it.
He would know once he dug.
Just like before, he scanned his surroundings. After confirming no one was nearby, a shovel appeared in his hand.
Without hesitation—
he swung it down.
"Bang!"
With a crisp sound, the yellow-glowing ground dissolved instantly—like fluffy cotton candy melting in water.
At the same time, the system's voice rang out:
[Notification: Obtained Character Card ×1]
[Notification: Obtained Character Card ×1]
[Notification: Gained 30 EXP]
[Notification: Gained 30 EXP]
As the notifications ended, a virtual panel appeared before Is.
Host: Aurelius D. Virel Is
Excavation Level: 1 (130/200)
Excavation Attempts: 0 (0/7)
Physique: Advanced Body Techniques (50%) — no side effects at 100%
Characters: Uchiha Madara (35%), Tatsumaki (20%), Acnologia (20%)
Abilities: Paper-Paper Fruit (Awakened) (Burn Attribute) (199/5000), Flame-Flame Fruit (130/1000), Conqueror's Haki (701/1000), Armament Haki (860/1000), Observation Haki (796/1000)
Excavation Location: [Unavailable due to insufficient attempts]
Inventory: Character Card ×2
Is blinked in confusion—
then suddenly understood, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes.
"Damn… just as I thought. This unusual yellow excavation node really does give better rewards. Two Character Cards…"
He felt a surge of excitement.
But after thinking it through, something felt off.
"This… isn't exactly profit or loss. Before, aside from a Character Card, there would usually be an extra reward…"
Just as Is was about to use the Character Cards—
his expression changed.
He clearly sensed it.
A dangerous aura—
rapidly approaching.
"Who's there?"
Is immediately turned toward the direction of the presence and called out.
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