Night fell, and darkness shrouded the ocean.
After searching the nearby waters for half the afternoon, the group still found nothing.
"Captain, did you really make a mistake??"
"We've circled dozens of miles several times, and there's nothing. Can't even see an island."
"Is that map someone's prank??"
Jace, exhausted, complained.
"Yeah, is there really treasure here??"
Even Gloriosa, who trusted Reno implicitly, had a flash of hesitation in her beautiful eyes.
There was nothing here but the endless ocean.
"Could it be that this thing is in the sea??"
Just then, the experienced Roge voiced his guess.
Reno was so certain, yet no islands were visible. If it wasn't on the surface, it could only be underwater.
"Tch! Even if it really is in the sea, are we supposed to jump in and find it??"
Streusen retorted.
Just as everyone was at their wit's end, Reno's eyes suddenly lit up.
In front of him, a virtual map visible only to him appeared.
And right now, at the position overlapping with the pirate ship, a faint red light was flashing.
Roge's deduction was correct; it really was in the sea!!
Reno was immediately troubled. Being detected by the Treasure Radar meant it was within a thousand-meter range.
But even if it was a thousand meters deep, it wasn't something they could dive into easily.
Unfortunately, there were no Fish-Men in his crew.
Reno held his forehead, finding it tricky.
Something that could bring him 30 Fortune Value was undoubtedly a treasure.
Having spent nearly a month coming here, was he just going to watch the treasure slip away??
Just when Reno had no clue, the red dot on the radar suddenly vanished eerily.
"WTF? What's the situation??"
Refusing to believe it, Reno rubbed his eyes. After confirming again and again, the red light had indeed disappeared.
"Motherf... Hmm??"
Just as the angry Reno was about to curse, the red dot flashed again, dozens of meters away from him.
The reappearance of the red light calmed Reno down. He stared fixedly at the virtual panel.
Soon, he was surprised to find that the red light flickered in and out, sometimes bright, sometimes dim.
"This thing is not only in the sea, but it also moves?!!"
Finally, Reno came to this shocking conclusion.
"Damn it! What the hell is it?!!"
Thinking back and forth, he couldn't figure it out.
Since it could move, it was undoubtedly a living creature.
But Reno thought for a long time and couldn't recall any living creature in the One Piece world whose value was higher than the Ark Maxim and the Rumble-Rumble Fruit combined.
Even if there were more valuable creatures, they shouldn't be underwater.
"Wait... No!!!"
Just then, a thought struck Reno, blanking his mind as he stared blankly ahead.
His somewhat dry lips parted: "Could it be that thing??"
"Captain, what are you saying??"
"Are you alright, Captain??"
In the eyes of Gloriosa and the others, Reno seemed frozen, muttering to himself with changing expressions.
Coming back to his senses, Reno scanned everyone, swallowing unconsciously.
His previously dazed gaze instantly turned fervent.
"Find it! We must find that thing at all costs!!"
When saying this, Reno almost shouted.
The others looked at each other in confusion.
They didn't know why Reno suddenly became so excited, as if he already knew what the treasure was.
"Roge, steer the ship yourself! Sail in the direction I tell you, and be quick!!!"
Reno didn't have time to explain much to them.
If it really was that thing, this opportunity might only come once.
Seeing Reno's serious expression and realizing the gravity of the matter, Roge immediately took over the helm, steering according to Reno's instructions.
The ship turned east, then west, then south, then north again.
Everyone on board was getting dizzy.
However, seeing Reno's serious expression and the undisguised fervor in his eyes, although confused, no one asked a single question.
They believed Reno would give them an explanation afterwards.
"You damn fish! It's so late, why are you still running around so much!!"
Reno gritted his back teeth, staring fixedly at the virtual panel in front of him, daring not to be careless.
He constantly adjusted the ship's direction based on the flashing red dot.
That's right. The reason Reno was so excited was precisely because of the "damn fish" he mentioned.
Lord Angler (Bonbori-sama)!!!
Lord Angler, a giant anglerfish that once appeared in a One Piece movie special (Heart of Gold).
What Reno truly cared about wasn't the fish itself, but what was inside its stomach.
Hundreds of years ago, a scientist, in order to cure his daughter's terminal illness, refined a very precious metal with his wife.
Pure Gold!!
As long as the user wore Pure Gold, their growth would be delayed, their lifespan extended, and they would retain eternal youth!!
In the movie, the scientist's daughter, wearing a ring containing Pure Gold, was not only cured of her illness but lived for over 200 years, her appearance remaining unchanged from 200 years ago.
Unfortunately, good times didn't last long. The light emitted by the Pure Gold attracted a giant anglerfish that loved collecting glowing things. Eventually, this anglerfish swallowed the entire island into its stomach.
Since then, Pure Gold became only a legend, disappearing from the sea once again.
Pure Gold could be said to be the most precious treasure in the entire One Piece world, bar none!
Even the Celestial Dragons would flock to it like ducks!!
Learning that the constantly shifting red light was very likely a giant anglerfish, how could Reno not be excited?
No matter how calm his temperament was, this was something that granted eternal youth, possibly even immortality.
Moreover, for him, Pure Gold meant more than just eternal youth.
Every powerhouse has a peak period; only during this peak are they at their strongest.
But peak periods have time limits.
In the pirate world, most powerhouses peak around 40 to 50 years old.
Beyond this period, physical qualities in all aspects begin to decline more or less.
Take Gloriosa for example. Compare her at seventy to her at forty—who would win?
The answer is self-evident.
If they could wear Pure Gold while in their forties, their strength could remain at its peak forever!!