Lucian opened his eyes to a world of white. pure, endless white.
Clouds stretched in every direction, fluffy and shimmering under the blazing sun. The atmosphere felt thin but felt amazing. Divine even just looking at it. The air itself seemed to hum with freshness, completely unlike the stale, artificial gloom of the Underworld.
Sunlight, unfiltered and brilliant, bathed everything in a vibrant glow, a stark contrast to the dim, perpetual twilight he was accustomed to. He could feel the soft, buoyant quality of the cloud beneath his feet, a sensation utterly foreign yet exhilarating, like stepping onto a solid dream. The very scent of the sky was clean, tinged with faint, sweet ozone and the freshness of pure, untainted air.
He smiled.
Skypiea.
This was the timeline he had chosen with careful deliberation. He'd meticulously thought through the other One Piece eras, Post-War, Dressrosa, Egghead, but none of them had what he needed right now, nor did they offer the low-risk, high-reward opportunities he craved.
Post-War was too volatile, filled with island-shattering conflicts and characters far beyond his current capabilities, attempting anything there would be akin to throwing himself into a maelstrom of gods and monsters.
Dressrosa offered powerful Devil Fruit and vast treasures, but they were in the hands of a formidable warlord, high-risk scenarios, requiring direct confrontations he wasn't yet prepared for.
Egghead, well let's not even think about attempting that suicidal zone. But here? Here, in Skypiea, he already knew exactly what he could get out of it, and all he needed was for—
BOOM!
An explosion shook the air, followed by the unmistakable clash of battle. He heard shouting, distant and echoing across the sky-sea. The sheer force of the impact vibrated through the sky-clouds, a clear indicator of the scale of the ongoing conflict.
Lucian sighed a faint wisp of annoyance, yet also anticipation, crossing his features. He spread his black bat wings, catching the buoyant air, and effortlessly took off toward the commotion, the island in the distance.
He didn't need to fly for long as he found it, the Straw Hats, their distinctive silhouettes clear even from a distance, it looked like a few of them were locked in a brutal fight with Enel's priests.
Hmmmm, So that's precisely where he ended up. Good.
He immediately turned back and flew off, deeper into the massive cloud island, consciously leaving the struggle behind him, the sounds of battle quickly fading into the background.
What? Were you expecting him to be like all those other fanfic MCs that would jump in just because he used to watch One Piece and liked the Straw Hats? Well, guess again. Lucian snorted internally.
They would all survive, as they always did, propelled by plot armor and their own stubborn wills. Their narrative arc was already set, and he had no desire to derail it. He didn't have to hold their hands or anything when they didn't even need it.
Even considering his currently limited arsenal, his Ea could rupture the sky, and Enkidu was potent, but both demanded more raw mana and skilled control than he currently possessed to wield effectively without risking self-exhaustion or collateral damage, most of the Straw Hats were already significantly stronger than him in a direct brawl. He would lose to Sanji, Zoro and Luffy that was for sure
His interference now would be pointless at best, a disastrous miscalculation at worst, risking his own safty for nothing and creating unforeseen deviations in a narrative he deeply cherished from his past life. He was here to collect, not to play hero.
There was a crucial reason he chose this timeline to begin with. As someone who carried the Essence of the Merchant power itself, he knew that value was everything. His power needed a lot of money or things of equal value.
And right now, what was more valuable than a sprawling city of gold, left practically unguarded after centuries, ripe for the taking?
Yeah, that was his primary objective right now. Skypea represented not just immediate wealth, but a massive influx of pure, quantifiable value that could be converted into anything else he desired through the Meta Essence.
He pushed himself faster as he flew, his powerful, leathery wings beating steadily, carving a dark line through the bright cloudline like a black arrow until he finally saw it, the legendary city, stretching out before him like a mythical vision.
A place that glittered like a dream, golden structures half-buried in soft, shifting clouds, towering pillars of ancient wealth, and intricate temples shimmering with forgotten grandeur, all just waiting to be claimed.
He dropped down, landing softly on the gleaming golden pavement, retracting his wings behind him as he stared at the immense quantity of gold all around him.
"Wow, it's amazing," he murmured, the words barely escaping his lips, a genuine awe in his voice. As he gazed, his Meta Essence activated, calculating on instinct. His vision blurred for a moment with intricate strings of glowing numbers, values of infinite length scrolling past his inner eye.
The sheer monetary worth of what lay before him was astronomical, a treasury beyond any terrestrial king's wildest dreams, Well maybe not any king, his mind flashed to the king of Uruk, Gilgamesh. Damn, that diamond spooned bastard.
Placing a hand on a massive gold pillar, its surface cool and smooth beneath his touch, he admired its craftsmanship before a golden ripple portal opened up directly on its surface and swallowed it whole, absorbing the enormous structure into the boundless expanse of his personal treasury.
He immediately called forth his Gate of Babylon, and multiple golden ripple portals shimmered into existence all around him, like countless hungry eyes opening in the bright air.
He began dragging in whatever gold was in his line of sight, ornate statues, individual bricks of pure gold, piles of ancient coins, sections of ornamental walls, even the gleaming golden pavement beneath his feet. Anything and everything made of gold disappeared into his treasury, piece by meticulous piece, the rhythmic vwoop-vwoop of the portals a strangely satisfying sound.
It took a while, a few arduous hours of relentless acquisition and admiration. By the time he was done, the once-golden city was a skeletal ruin of empty spaces, its shimmering glory almost entirely subsumed into his personal vault.
He was slumped in a corner, panting, drenched in sweat. His mana reserves, though greatly expanded by Marcus's essence, felt severely depleted, a deep ache thrumming behind his eyes. It seemed the Gate of Babylon (GoB) used a lot more mana when storing items inside than when simply releasing what was already within, he had to stop several times to rest and recharge when he was at it.
The process felt like a continuous, forceful push against an invisible barrier, a constant drain on his energy, far more strenuous than merely manifesting a weapon. He made a mental note to figure out why.
Still… it was undeniably worth it. He now owned more gold than his past self could have imagined in ten lifetimes, a foundation of wealth that would provide unparalleled leverage in future deals. But this wasn't just about riches, it was about the tangible power that currency represented, a power he had so desperately lacked for so long. It was the ultimate resource, convertible into almost anything.
He closed his eyes, basking in the silence that had replaced the metallic gleam, until a tingle ran down his spine, sharper and more insistent than before.
He wasn't done here yet. His second objective, equally crucial, hadn't been fulfilled.
The sounds of battle had long since stopped, signaling that the initial skirmishes were over, but he knew it was not a victory yet. Enel's defeat hadn't happened, the true climax was still ahead. And what he wanted, the prize he sought, was only revealed at the very end of this chaotic saga. So for now, with his primary objective complete, he decided to see if he could acquire anything else roaming Skypiea that might prove useful before moving to his final target.
He flew quietly towards a small village nestled in the sky clouds, the home of the Shandia warriors. He made sure to suppress his presence, weaving through the clouds and avoiding all patrols with a practiced ease born from years of stealth and survival in the Underworld's treacherous alleys.
He already knew their top warriors weren't there, having gone to fight Enel, and that made it significantly easier to get toward his true prize: Aisa.
He didn't even need to fully reach her before she suddenly turned towards him, her small face contorted in sheer terror. Her unique Mantra as it was called in skypea, an early, unrefined form of Observation Haki, had picked up his presence, even his carefully suppressed one. She gasped, a nascent scream forming in her throat, but he rushed forward with blinding speed, a devilish blur, clamping a hand gently over her mouth.
Aisa trembled violently beneath his hand, her small body shaking uncontrollably, staring up at him with wide, terrified eyes, brimming with a mixture of fear, confusion. He slowly removed his hand, giving her space, keeping his distance, ensuring she felt less threatened.
"I'm not here to hurt you. I promise," he said gently, his voice soft, attempting to soothe her fear, his mismatched eyes conveying a strange, unsettling sincerity.
She didn't relax, her posture still tensed in anticipation of flight or try an attack to fight back and flee. But she didn't run either, paralyzed by a mixture of shock and the sheer unusualness of his unexpected, silent appearance.
He gave an exaggerated bow, tipping an invisible hat with a theatrical flourish, a touch of his showman side emerging. "Lucian Lux Raum. Merchant, and humble traveler, I'm here… to help you." He paused, allowing his words to sink in, watching her reaction carefully.
Still nothing but wary silence. Her fear was palpable, a constant thrumming against his own senses.
Then he continued, his voice quieter, more direct, tapping into the core of her suffering, the unspoken burden she carried.
"I know about your Mantra and how it hurts, how you can't shut it out. How it's made your life a nightmare, constantly bombarded by the emotions and intentions of everyone around you, seeing and feeling their true thoughts without respite."
She flinched violently, her eyes widening further, a spark of shocked recognition replacing some of the terror.
Bingo. He had her attention now.
"I can take it. Set you free, give me your mantra" he offered, his voice low and compelling. "In return, I'll even give you something else as a price for it. Anything you want. Anything at all."
A long silence followed, for a child, she didn't immediately jump into the fray, her young mind surprisingly calm despite her fear. He saw her thinking, her brow furrowed in deep consideration, weighing his impossible words against her undeniable suffering. Finally, she spoke, her voice soft but firm, surprising him with its directness and unexpected demand.
"Get rid of Enel."
Lucian froze in his tracks, his initial shock quickly giving way to a seething internal rage, a storm of curses brewing in his mind. On the outside, he managed to maintain a controlled smile, a thin, almost predatory curve of his lips.
On the inside, however, his mind was a whirlwind of fury. This little brat was basically asking him to die against lightning itself! As weak as he was at the moment, that was not possible.
Enel was too fast, his Logia body untouchable, and he possessed devastating firepower. While his Chains of Heaven (Enkidu) could restrain even divine beings and Ea could rupture the very fabric of space and he didnt doubt these two could harm him even as a logia user, Lucian knew, with a chilling certainty, that wielding either against a force of nature like Enel would drain him completely, leaving him utterly vulnerable and at the mercy of the 'god' if anything went wrong even if he was able to keep up in the first place which he doubted.
And he certainly didn't want to inadvertently rupture the sky-sea just yet, drawing unwanted attention from other powerful people when he was barely even peak mid tier..
But… hmmm… maybe…
He thought for a while, his sharp mind racing through possibilities. His gaze lingered on Aisa, then drifted towards the faint sound of distant thunder, a sound that now seemed to carry a hidden opportunity rather than a threat.
She hadn't said he should defeat Enel, just that Enel should be gone. The Meta Essence dealt in outcomes, not methods, its contracts were immutable once sealed, but the path to fulfillment was Lucian's to navigate. He extended his hand again, his smile now genuinely amused, a spark of cunning entering his mismatched eyes as he saw the loophole.
"In exchange for the defeat of Enel, before the end of three days, I get to take your so-called Mantra. Is that agreeable?" he reiterated, ensuring the terms were precise and open to his interpretation.
She quickly accepted, her small hand reaching out and grasping his without hesitation, the promise of relief from her endless torment outweighing any suspicion. A soft golden pulse, visible only to Lucian, confirmed the contract, its ethereal glow binding them in an unbreakable pact, watched over by the unseen Meta Essence.
"And with that, I bit you a farewell." He reached up and grabbed his nonexistent hat, bowing exaggeratedly with a flourish, and summoned his wings before shooting off into the sky and away from there, his laughter echoing across the clouds, a sound of pure, unadulterated triumph.
"Defeat Enel," she had said.
Sure.
But he never said he would be the one to do it.
All he had to do was wait. Let Luffy do what he did best, punch arrogant bastards into the dirt, fulfilling the terms of the deal without Lucian lifting a single finger. The very notion sent another wave of delighted laughter bubbling up within him.
Lucian grinned as he soared high above the clouds.
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