Chapter 234: The Trigger

Fast?

How fast?!

Ah Jin took a deep breath, fully activating Observation Haki, his attention completely fixed on Xiang Keluo in the distance.

Since entering Fire from the East Sea, Ah Jin had clashed with Xiang Keluo countless times, yet had never won a single match.

The final result of the Martial Arts Tournament was technically a draw by the rules, but Ah Jin knew that in a real fight to the death, the moment Xiang Keluo stood up first, he would already be dead.

But this was the closest Ah Jin had ever come to defeating the man before him.

Except for Gao Wen, no one knew better than him just how powerful Xiang Keluo truly was, and no one knew what insane killing desire lay hidden beneath that man's seemingly gloomy, gentlemanly face.

The scene in Crow's Port, where Xiang Keluo, covered in blood, laughed wildly amidst the ruins, was something Ah Jin could not forget even now.

He could never forget it.

Before Xiang Keluo obtained the Devil Fruit, he had once thought he had gotten close to Xiang Keluo, perhaps even surpassed him.

But now, the surging air currents around him and the stinging sensations periodically striking his skin made cold sweat break out on Ah Jin's back.

Yet how could he possibly be willing to accept this?

"Then—"!

Shhh!

Before Ah Jin's words had even hit the ground, Xiang Keluo in the distance had already moved.

The Observation Haki that had previously been able to keep up with Xiang Keluo's speed, or at the very least convey a sense of danger, this time felt absolutely nothing.

But Ah Jin knew he had been struck.

In the corner of his vision, he saw the bone cannon on his shoulder, woven from layers of white bone as hard as steel and coated with Armament Haki, slowly sliding off his shoulder; the cut was impossibly smooth, even reflecting the sunlight.

Boom!

Only when the bone cannon barrel hit the ground and shattered into pieces did everyone look at Ah Jin with bewildered expressions.

"What happened!"

"In that instant, the bone cannon on Captain Ah Jin's shoulder was, was, was severed?!"

"How is that possible!"

Roubo Luqi suddenly stood up.

Except for him, no one present knew just how hard the white bone coated with Armament Haki on Ah Jin truly was.

It possessed exaggerated defensive power sufficient to withstand the gunfire of several warships, or even the slashes of sword masters.

He had once attacked with full force to test it, yet failed to leave even the slightest trace on Ah Jin's bone armor; it was hard to an infuriating degree.

But now, in just a single exchange, no, in an instant where Ah Jin couldn't even react, it was severed by Xiang Keluo!

"This kind of attack power... are Mythical Zoan types really this strong?!"

"No!"

Zoro's gaze was sharp as a blade:

"What is truly strong is not the attack power, but that speed!"

He couldn't help but turn his head to look at Sanji beside him, who wore a similarly horrified expression, his tone carrying a note of Solemnity:

"I believe what you said just now."

"The ability of the Kamaitachi indeed fits Xiang Keluo perfectly, not only granting him the power to instantly break through Captain Ah Jin's defense, but pushing his already exaggerated speed to another dimension."

"And what I am very concerned about is that Xiang Keluo seems able to manipulate air currents, and even use them to fly."

The three silently looked at Xiang Keluo in the distance, seeing him with both feet off the ground, hovering in mid-air, looking at Ah Jin in the distance with a calm expression.

Acceleration, flight, and such exaggerated combat abilities?

Roubo Luqi compared it to his Cat Cat Fruit Leopard Form, and for a moment didn't know what to say.

Both are Zoan types, look at him...

I was impulsive!

I was impulsive when I ate it back then; otherwise, waiting until now, I would have at least gotten a Mythical Zoan, or failing that, an Ancient Zoan with even stronger physical combat abilities.

Thinking of this,

Roubo Luqi helplessly shook his head, then looked at the two beside him:

"I have no chance left, but you two, who haven't obtained your abilities yet, should you consider finding a suitable fruit?!"

"On this Great Sea, there are not a few swordsmen who have eaten Devil Fruits."

Zoro did not hesitate for a moment, shaking his head firmly; with one hand resting on the three famous blades at his waist, his gaze was arrogant:

"Even without such a thing, I can become the world's strongest!"

"Moreover, a swordsman who relies on external forces to improve himself is betraying both the sword and his own will."

Roubo Luqi glanced at Zoro, his expression strange:

"Are you poking the Captain in the spine?"

"I am not! I didn't! Don't talk nonsense!"

Zoro's old face turned red, and he hurriedly spoke up to argue:

"What the Captain bears is not just the sword path; to accomplish what he wants to do, relying solely on the sword path is far from enough."

"That sounds quite beautiful~"

Sanji smiled faintly, reached out to extinguish the cigarette butt at his lips, and murmured:

"I already have a Devil Fruit in mind; only by using that fruit can I achieve certain things in my dreams."

"It is the Transparent Fruit."

The two were stunned for a moment, looked at each other, and both saw the understanding in the other's eyes, speaking in unison:

"You're probably planning to use it to do something strange, right?!"

"For example..."

In speech.

Zoro's eyes lit up:

"Enter the nuzaotang—!"

Sanji hastily raised his hand to cover Zoro's mouth, while his other hand reached for Roubo Luqi—but the latter dodged nimbly.

Roubo Luqi chuckled:

"With your personality, you'd definitely be scheming to enter the nuzaotang!"

"Absolutely!"

"Shut up!"

Sanji roared, his face flushing red, especially upon seeing the two beside him whispering and Zoro wearing a mischievous grin.

After a brief tussle, the three turned their gazes to the distant battlefield.

To everyone's surprise, since Xiang Keluo's earth-shattering slash moments ago, the battlefield had fallen utterly silent.

Xiang Keluo floated quietly in midair, his gaze calm.

Akin's shattered white bone cannon regrew, only to shatter again in the next instant, revealing a face full of resentment yet helplessness.

The blades on the镰鼬's arms could easily sever his bone armor; naturally, they could also slice through his trachea with ease.

In that instant, if Xiang Keluo had been his enemy, he would already be dead.

Even his Observation Haki, once considered his only hope of keeping up with Xiang Keluo's speed, was now powerless.

Akin felt as if he had been thrown back to that battle at Crow Harbor.

His eyes could no longer track his opponent's movements—except this time, he faced a Xiang Keluo who had perfectly mastered Shao Si.

This could no longer be called a battle.

It was one-sided slaughter.

"The gap is too wide."

"I yield."

Akin sighed and said:

"Your current strength should already be approaching the Captain's, right?!"

"If you mean Gao Wen from the East Blue era, then I'm confident I wouldn't lose to him."

"What about the Captain now?!"

Xiang Keluo extended one finger:

"One slash!"

"One slash to cut me and the Whisky Mountain behind me in two!"

Akin stared at Xiang Keluo's extended finger, his pupils contracting violently, muttering:

"That's not even a funny joke."

"I'm not joking. Gao Wen's power should already be among the strongest in this world."

"Hah."

Akin let out a dry laugh, momentarily speechless.

Around them, the others fell silent at once—then erupted into cheers moments later.

"Both the Captain and the Vice-Captain are such monstrous powerhouses—we can't fall behind!"

"Exactly! At least we shouldn't hold them back. I'm adding an extra hour of training tonight!"

"An hour? You're being too gentle—start with an all-nighter, everyone, one all-nighter each!"

"Wooohooooo—!"

Instantly, a chorus of wails and howls filled the scene.

Though aware of Gao Wen and Xiang Keluo's overwhelming strength, the crew felt no discouragement—instead, they grew increasingly excited, eager to return to the ship and train two more rounds right now.

Even Chopper, after tending to the wounded and joining Nami and Miss Kalifa, couldn't help but grow feverish—he rapidly swelled into a humanoid form nearly three meters tall.

"Oraaaaaa~~~~~!"

"Get stronger!"

"Get stronger to become... Hahahahaha~"

Miss Kalifa smiled faintly, pinching Chopper's armpit—immediately, he lost all fight, shrinking back into his tiny original form, adorably helpless.

"Eeyaa~~"

Ignoring Chopper's squirming, Miss Kalifa scooped him up and ruffled his head fiercely before turning to Nami:

"Nami, by the way, you still don't have a Devil Fruit ability—anything you want?"

"Me?"

Nami blinked, a hint of melancholy in her eyes.

Her talent had long since reached its limit; her current strength might be slightly better than the crew's average, but still extremely limited.

Even defending herself against the monsters of the Grand Line was already an immense struggle.

Though she knew her duty was as navigator—to guide the crew's course—seeing her companions grow stronger inevitably stirred a sense of urgency within her.

And if she wanted to rapidly increase her strength, nothing was more efficient than consuming a Devil Fruit.

Having witnessed Xiang Keluo's power, the urge to find a suitable fruit grew stronger—even if it meant being cursed by the sea and losing the ability to swim forever.

But compared to fighting alongside her companions, that was a small price.

"But what kind of fruit could enhance my abilities as a navigator—and also give me decent self-defense power?"

Miss Kalifa analyzed:

"There are many purely powerful abilities, but if they must match your duties, the range of choices is extremely limited."

"There is also a Devil Fruit encyclopedia on the ship; you might as well take a look."

"Mm."

Nami responded.

She raised her head, letting the sea breeze blow against her face.

At this moment.

The sky was clear and azure, without a single cloud for ten thousand li; only a few seagulls soared above.

With the battle between Xiang Keluo and Akin concluded, the main course of this ranking battle had also ended; the subsequent fights were basically just sparring between ordinary members on the ship.

Zoro faced the injured Sanji; although his words were sharp, he did not take advantage of the situation to challenge Sanji.

Instead, he said things like, "I have no interest in a disabled green-haired algae head," "Anyway, not being in the top three makes no difference to me," or "Next time I will definitely defeat Roubo Luqi"—nonsense of that sort.

Whether anyone believed him was uncertain, but Zoro's corner of the mouth was impossible to suppress.

Thus.

the second ranking battle within Gao Wen's pirate crew was also declared over.

Xiang Keluo and Akin remained at numbers one and two, unchanged; Roubo Luqi squeezed out Zoro to secure the number three coin. These three were now the three strongest combatants in Gao Wen's pirate crew, excluding Gao Wen himself.

Zoro and Sanji followed as numbers four and five; there was a gap between them and Roubo Luqi, but it was not large.

Next came the sudden rise of Van Augur, who directly squeezed into the sixth position, while Chopper and Miss Kalifa took the seventh and eighth positions respectively.

The Cat Brothers and others who remained in the East Blue were pushed further back.

They stayed in the East Blue and did not undergo the high-intensity battles of the Grand Line, so their combat power gradually fell behind the main fleet.

Instead, they thrived at the Martial Arts Tournament, leveraging the cute appearance of the Mink-Mink Fruit to win a large number of fans, becoming two money trees in Jasha's hands.

Their popularity was only slightly inferior to that of the current star of the Martial Arts Tournament, Feng Kelei.

Regarding the news of new members joining, Gao Wen had previously informed everyone in the East Blue; naturally, they felt honored by the growth of Gao Wen's group.

Only Jasha, upon hearing that two more competitors had arrived, kept saying she would abandon Port Raven and return to Gao Wen's ship to protect her food.

However, she was just saying it; when it came to actually doing it, she could still distinguish which matter was more important.

Everyone held a banquet on the spot; many drank until they were completely drunk, even forgetting the words they had just spoken about cultivating all night.

After waking up at midnight, the person in question slapped themselves twice, dragged their groggy body onto the deck, and only then saw that large group of workaholics starting up again.

"Sorry, you are late."

"I have already led you by two hours tonight; this will become an insurmountable gap between us."

"Damn it, you did this on purpose!"

"Hahahaha~"

Inside the cabin.

Roubo Luqi, who had just returned to his room, heard the noisy sounds of the crowd and could not help but curl a smile at the corner of his mouth.

He reached into his chest, took out that number three coin, then grabbed a handkerchief from the desk; using the lamp in the cabin, he wiped the dirt off the coin bit by bit.

"Hoo!"

Roubo Luqi blew the dust off the coin in one breath.

He looked down at the brand-new coin on the table, carefully placed it back into his chest, at the position closest to his heart.

Now he had grown accustomed to life on the ship.

There were no mandatory missions, no friends he had to kill even if his heart resisted, and no superiors who treated him as a tool to be discarded after use.

There were only comrades he could entrust his back to; this period since officially boarding was the most relaxed time in his twenty-plus years of life.

Every day he could sleep well, and consequently his spirit was far more sunny than before.

This made him increasingly convinced that he had begun a brand-new life.

Until...

"Brrr-brrr—!"

"Brrr-brrr—!"

"Brrr-brrr—!"

A sudden Den Den Mushi ringtone broke the quiet atmosphere in the room.

After rummaging around on the desk for a while, Roubo Luqi finally found a strangely shaped Den Den Mushi in the corner.

"This is... Spandam?!"

Roubo Luqi frowned tightly, momentarily at a loss.

Judging from the fact that CP0 had previously sent someone specifically to handle him, he should have already been abandoned by the CP organization, or even faced elimination for knowing too much.

Spandam had never appeared during this process; did he not know, or did he have other purposes? What was their attitude now?!

Roubo Luqi did not mind deducing the situation to its worst possible extent.

That would be the exposure of the incident where Gao Wen killed Jigsmunda at Shanfeng back then; at that time, Gao Wen would inevitably be removed from the Seven Warlords of the Sea by the World Government, and the entire pirate crew would face annihilation by the World Government and the Marines.

Is Xiang Keluo strong?

Strong!

Is Gao Wen strong?

Very strong, very strong!

But what Roubo Luqi understood even better was just how powerful the World Government truly was; even with the strength of those two, facing the fully activated World Government, they had not the slightest chance of victory.

If it were merely Roubo Luqi facing the pursuit, that would be one thing; what he truly worried about was that this would drag the entire pirate crew into the World Government's pursuit.

But now it was clearly not yet that far; this could only mean that Gao Wen's earlier act of destroying the body and covering up the tracks had indeed been effective.

Even with the World Government's capabilities, tracking down the exact cause of Gismond's death under these circumstances would be a tall tale.

After a brief hesitation, Roubo Luqi decided to stabilize Spandam first, raised his hand to connect the Den Den Mushi, and immediately a slightly excited voice came through his ear:

"Roubo Luqi? Are you still alive? That's good."

"I'll be brief."

"The former CP9 Chief has defected and has now escaped the CP organization's headquarters; CP0 is dispatching personnel to pursue him, and there is no news for the time being."

(End of this chapter)