Asa had no interest in the tedious events taking place inside, so he left the auction house without looking back and walked straight toward the coast.
He was ready to use the method provided by Vegapunk to successfully forge a pure gold storage bracelet, then immediately head into the New World.
The first half of the Grand Line had become unbearably dull—so dull that it no longer stirred his fighting spirit. What he sought could only be found in the New World.
Having made up his mind, Asa strode confidently toward the port.
"Paradise" and the Sabaody Archipelago held no further appeal for him. Jessica had already left for Navy Headquarters to participate in the recruitment campaign, so there was no reason for him to remain.
The New World—the gathering place of the truly powerful—was the only destination worthy of a man of the sea.
Port.
Asa passed indifferent pedestrians and arrived at the shoreline. Under the stunned gazes of dock workers, he pushed off with force and launched himself into the ocean with a loud splash.
According to Vegapunk's information, in order to successfully transfer a Devil Fruit's ability into an object, one must apply pressure to the "devil" within the fruit.
How was that pressure created?
The ideal way was to use the essence of the sea—seastone.
However, Asa didn't have any seastone. It wasn't yet widely available—used only among the World Government and the Navy—so he resorted to another method: the boundless ocean itself.
Whether seastone or seawater, both contain a unique particulate known as PYROBROIN—the natural enemy of Devil Fruits.
The high concentration of PYROBROIN is what weakens Devil Fruit users and renders them unable to swim.
In order to ensure the Devil Fruit's power could be successfully transferred to an object, Asa had to create an environment in which the "devil" had nowhere to escape.
When a Devil Fruit user dies, their ability reincarnates randomly somewhere in the sea, unaffected by environment. But Vegapunk had managed to identify a critical vulnerability—a testament to his genius and deep research into Devil Fruits.
Asa plunged into the sea, activating his electromagnetic isolation field to create a habitable space underwater.
He dove deeper and deeper, as the light around him gradually faded. Who knew how far he'd descended—perhaps thousands of meters. The crushing pressure became evident, and his physical exertion rose sharply.
He took out the pure gold bracelet and the Fortress Fruit he'd prepared in advance and began following the process outlined in Vegapunk's data.
With his heart racing, he embedded the bracelet into the fruit. If the Devil Fruit were damaged in the process, it would be rendered useless—vanishing, only to reappear years later. A failure would be permanent.
The surrounding ocean, the gradually shrinking electromagnetic field, and the ultra-high concentration of PYROBROIN deep below all worked together.
Asa scraped away the outer mineral layer from the bracelet, revealing its radiant, dazzling core.
The bracelet slipped from his hand and began to vibrate intensely. It buzzed louder and louder as Asa stabilized himself and shrank his protective field even further.
The crushing pressure closed in on the small space around him from every direction.
Buzz!!
A brilliant golden light exploded outward, illuminating the deep sea. The glow could be seen clearly across a hundred miles of ocean.
Sensing the disturbance, sea kings in the surrounding area began to gather. Dozens of crimson eyes stared at the tiny figure of Asa like a predator observing its prey.
An intimidating aura radiated from Asa's body, frightening away a group of lesser sea kings.
But not all were cowed.
One monstrous creature approached—unbothered by Asa's overwhelming presence. It slowly advanced, undeterred.
Right in front of him, a serpent-like sea king emerged from the shadows. Gray scales with silver-white streaks shimmered along its enormous body. Its eyes glowed a blood-red hue, filled with the primal urge to devour.
Asa estimated its length—at least a thousand meters. Its fins alone were larger than ordinary ships, and its gaping maw revealed a wall of razor-sharp teeth. The serpent's body reflected the bracelet's golden light as if drawn to it.
The light had become bait.
"Another brainless beast," Asa muttered, licking the corner of his mouth, his eyes narrowing coldly.
He would not allow anything to interfere before the manufacturing of his solid gold storage bracelet was complete. But in the deep sea—home to the Neptune species—encounters like this were unavoidable.
The Neptune species, lacking higher intelligence, couldn't comprehend whether Asa was a threat or not.
Unlike the massive sea kings who guarded Noah's Ark near Fish-Man Island and possessed their own sentience, these ones acted purely on instinct.
And Asa?
He wasn't panicked. In fact, he felt a surge of excitement.
These Neptune species were kings of the ocean, apex predators with few natural enemies. Their gigantic size allowed them to consume freely and grow unchecked. Only larger sea kings could challenge them.
If all sea kings were as intelligent as those around Fish-Man Island, humanity itself would be in danger. Islands would vanish beneath the sea, and only the strongest could survive.
Princess Shirahoshi of Fish-Man Island—known as the ancient weapon Poseidon—could command these unstoppable titans, giving her power that could shake the entire world.
Asa stared at the snake-like sea king with fiery eyes—man and beast locked in a silent standoff.
While large sea kings had incredible vitality and destructive power, they lacked flexibility. Even in their home environment, they couldn't coordinate between head and tail. Meanwhile, small humans could move and strike with agility.
The crushing deep-sea pressure, the resistance of the surrounding water, and the special environment all severely restricted Asa's movement.
If he deactivated his electromagnetic isolation field and tried to move via elemental transformation, the ocean would immediately paralyze him.
So, he had to rely solely on physical strength.
That meant only one strategy remained: let the serpent strike first—then counterattack.
Ho ho!!
The enormous serpent let out a low, thunderous roar, sending giant bubbles swirling from its mouth. Its blood-red eyes burned with hunger.
Its long body arched slowly, preparing to lunge. The fins on its gills spread forward, muscles tensed.
In the blink of an eye, it straightened out and launched forward like a released arrow. Its body surged through the water, pushing massive waves aside and creating violent undercurrents.
Asa remained calm, unfazed.
In the deepest, most dangerous waters feared by all Devil Fruit users, he stood face to face with an oceanic king—unshaken and ready to fight.
(End Of Chapter)
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