Chapter 278: Pure Gold
A blur shot through the air toward Olga.
Instantly, all of her previous anger vanished— only panic remained.
Even the giant lizard beneath her trembled in terror.
Charlotte, gripping Asche with one hand, swiftly closed the distance, his other hand reaching for Olga.
Then, glancing at the terrified lizard—
He lifted his leg and gave it a light kick.
The lizard squeezed its eyes shut, expecting a devastating impact—
But instead, it only felt a gentle push, sending it soaring into the air.
Charlotte kicked off from the ground, launching straight upward.
---
Outside
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The ship's electromagnetic cannons fired relentlessly.
Bolts of energy streaked through the air, striking the oncoming Sea Kings.
Any creatures under 100 meters were obliterated with just two shots.
Those over 100 meters required at least ten direct hits to pierce through their massive bodies.
So far—
No 1,000-meter-class Sea Kings had shown up yet.
However, even the smaller ones kept the crew on high alert.
As more Sea Kings fell, their blood spilled into the sea, attracting even more predators.
It was an endless cycle.
Unless they killed every last one, the onslaught would never stop.
"Why isn't Dad back yet?! If this keeps up, we're going to be completely surrounded!"
Ace, perched atop the ship's highest lookout point, surveyed the chaos.
Through his telescope, he could see another wave of Sea Kings approaching.
This couldn't go on.
"Relax. Trust Dad. He's probably dealing with something important."
Caesar stood beside Ace, his face tense despite his reassuring words.
Deep down—
Even he was getting worried.
If this continued—
They were going to die here.
---
Meanwhile, Charlotte soared upward, exiting the Lantern Fish's corpse.
With a graceful flip, he landed atop the carcass—
Still firmly holding Asche, Olga, and the lizard.
At that moment—
He took in the sight of cannons firing and Sea Kings swarming.
His brows furrowed.
"We need to leave. NOW."
Charlotte could already sense even more massive creatures rising from the ocean depths.
He wasn't worried for himself—
But his crew was another story.
The sheer size and force of the approaching Sea Kings could shatter the ship if they engaged in direct combat.
No more delays.
Charlotte sprinted toward the ship, moving like a bullet.
Landing smoothly on the deck, he barely paused before shouting—
"We're leaving. NOW."
Barrett, relieved to see Charlotte return, wasted no time.
"Full speed ahead!"
The ship lurched forward, engines roaring as they broke free from the forming blockade.
Some of the Sea Kings attempted to chase—
But the blood-filled water was more enticing.
Instead of pursuing the ship, they dove toward the floating corpses, feasting on the fallen.
Charlotte, standing on the highest point of the deck, let out a relieved sigh.
Then—
Without another word, he jumped down, ignoring the crowd gathering around him.
His focus was elsewhere.
He walked straight to the Lantern Fish's lure—
Where the real prize awaited.
---
With one powerful slash, Charlotte cut open the lure.
The moment the outer layer split apart—
A dazzling golden light flooded the area.
Brighter than the sun itself.
Charlotte's breath hitched as he saw it.
A massive chunk of metal—
Glowing with impossibly pure radiance.
Charlotte's hands trembled as he carefully lifted the enormous basketball-sized Pure Gold.
For a moment—
Everything else faded away.
The crew gathered around, staring at the gleaming treasure in stunned silence.
"What... is that?"
Many had never heard of Pure Gold before.
Aside from a select few historians, government officials, and archaeologists—
Most had no clue what it was.
Charlotte didn't bother to explain.
Without a word, he walked away, still clutching the precious metal.
Before disappearing into the ship's inner chambers, he called out—
"Don't disturb me unless it's important."
He added, almost as an afterthought—
"Take care of those two and the lizard. They're part of the crew now."
Then, he shut himself inside.
---
Alone in his private quarters, Charlotte examined the Pure Gold.
The entire room was bathed in its radiant glow.
As he held it, he could feel it working.
His body's metabolism slowed—
As if time itself had stopped.
"So this is the secret to longevity."
He whispered, gazing at the golden sphere.
It was true—
Pure Gold halted the body's aging process.
But—
It also meant his physical growth would stop.
His strength was already approaching its peak, but if he completely stopped developing, he'd hit a permanent plateau.
He sighed.
"No point in using it now."
He was still young—just twenty-eight.
His body and power still had room to grow.
Maybe—
Once he reached forty, at the absolute peak of his strength, he could start wearing it.
For now—
He needed to experiment.
Carefully, he chipped off a tiny fragment of Pure Gold.
Then, he conducted a test.
For an entire day, Charlotte remained inside, running experiments on himself.
---
His findings:
1 gram of Pure Gold slowed metabolism by 2x.
10 grams slowed it by 10x.
The effect scaled proportionally.
And he—
Had over 150,000 grams.
Charlotte grinned.
He had enough Pure Gold to extend the lives of a thousand people for millennia.
His entire bloodline—
Would never have to fear aging.
This—
Was true power.
Charlotte exhaled slowly, a satisfied smirk forming.
"With this… I can protect my family for generations."
Even if it was just a few thousand years—
It was more than enough.
---
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