One piece: Establishing a Pirate Family

Chapter 156: Searching for the Vampire Fruit

Another day passed.

"Captain, we're almost there!"

A young woman dressed as a maid approached and spoke respectfully.

This maid was the navigator Charlotte had trained for over five years. Many of the girls rescued by Charlotte had been placed in specialized training programs. Navigators were crucial for any pirate crew, and Charlotte knew their importance well.

After all, the Golden Lion Shiki had not only lost the Flying Pirates he painstakingly built due to a freak storm but also ended up with a ship's rudder stuck in his head—a ridiculous turn of events.

Later, he even kidnapped Nami, only to be beaten by Luffy.

Charlotte wasn't about to let something similar happen to him, so he placed great importance on having skilled navigators.

"Understood."

Charlotte nodded as he caught sight of the ancient town of Shuigu floating in the distance. Stacks of countless boxes were scattered across the island.

"Prepare to dock!" Charlotte ordered.

"Yes, Captain!"

The maid relayed the instructions, and under her command, all the ships approached the shore.

Charlotte led his crew ashore, surveying the area.

"Boss, what are we doing here?" Paul was the first to approach, looking around at the dilapidated island.

The island was small and barren, with almost no signs of life—a deserted island.

"I've heard there's a Devil Fruit here. We're here to find it. Whether we can or not depends on our luck. Think of it as a treasure hunt," Charlotte said with a smile.

"A Devil Fruit? A treasure hunt?"

His words left everyone puzzled. What kind of Devil Fruit was worth Charlotte's personal attention?

While the crew was confused, some were thrilled—especially Charlotte's two children.

"Treasure hunt! Treasure hunt!" Caesar exclaimed, jumping up and running around in excitement.

"You idiot! Get back here!" Esdeath scolded, immediately chasing after him. At five years old, she was already taking responsibility for her younger brother.

Charlotte smiled at the sight, pleased to see Esdeath showing maturity.

"All right, everyone, scatter and search! We must find that Devil Fruit today, even if we have to overturn the entire island!" Charlotte commanded.

His words lit a fire under his crew. Leaving behind a few dozen members to guard the ship, the rest of the 500-strong crew spread out across the island to search.

The process of aimlessly searching without any clear leads was slow, and Charlotte felt the same frustration.

He vaguely recalled a ruin and a legend associated with the island but couldn't remember the details. Left with no choice, he decided to venture deeper into the island.

The group followed Charlotte as they marched into the dense forest. The noise of their passage startled a large number of bats, which took flight in a chaotic flurry.

Eventually, they came upon a ruined castle. The cold, eerie structure was overgrown with vines, exuding an ominous atmosphere.

"Let's go inside and take a look!"

Charlotte led the way, followed by Barrett, several officers, and a dozen men.

As they opened the castle doors, a cloud of dust billowed out.

Elena quickly used her Bubble-Bubble Fruit ability to create a massive bubble that blocked the dust.

Charlotte grinned, impressed by her quick thinking.

Inside the castle, they found a sarcophagus lying quietly in the center of the main hall.

Charlotte approached it and, with a flick of his Seven Star Sword, opened the sarcophagus.

He leaned in to inspect its contents, only to find a dried corpse lying inside.

There was no sign of the Vampire Fruit.

"Not here?" Charlotte muttered, his expression darkening.

He tried to recall the original story. Patrick Redfield had obtained a historical stele that required Robin, a historian, to translate. Without someone to decipher the writing, he wouldn't be able to locate the fruit.

This realization frustrated him immensely.

"Captain?" Paul called hesitantly, noticing Charlotte standing frozen.

"Look around! See if there's a stone slab with any writing on it!" Charlotte ordered, his voice sharp.

Startled by his tone, the crew quickly scattered to search the castle for any stone slabs with inscriptions.

Suddenly, Carter's voice rang out.

"Captain! There's a stone slab here!"

Charlotte turned toward the source of the voice and hurried to the top of a staircase where Carter stood by a throne.

Sure enough, a stone slab was embedded in the throne, covered in unfamiliar writing.

"Hurry up! Does anyone recognize this language?" Charlotte asked, carrying the slab down to the main hall.

The crew gathered around, examining the inscriptions, but no one could identify the language.

Disappointed, Charlotte considered the possibility of traveling to O'Hara for a historian.

As he looked around in frustration, his eyes landed on Barrett, sparking an idea.

The Vampire Fruit had to be hidden within a mechanism—likely somewhere inside the castle.

"Barrett, can you merge this castle together?" Charlotte asked.

Barrett looked around and replied, "I can try!"

Charlotte immediately ordered everyone to evacuate the castle and wait outside.

Once the area was cleared, Charlotte gave Barrett the signal to begin.

Barrett placed his gloved hands on the castle walls, activating his ability. Purple liquid crystals spread rapidly as Barrett growled, "Merge!"

The walls began to disassemble, and the castle started disappearing piece by piece as Barrett absorbed its structure. His size grew exponentially, and the crew stood back to give him room.

Charlotte watched intently, knowing any hidden chamber would soon be revealed.

Barrett groaned as his body strained under the effort. Half the castle had already disintegrated, but no secret chamber had been found.

Charlotte's anxiety grew. Had he been wrong about the fruit's location?

Just as Barrett's abilities began to falter, his purple crystals reached the castle's clock tower.

The massive ancient bronze bell merged with Barrett, revealing a hidden stone chamber on the back of the bell tower.

Charlotte's eyes lit up.

He had a feeling the Vampire Fruit would be inside.

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