Chapter 345: The Wind That Tears Everything Apart!

A thousand li away.

A crimson figure tore through the clouds, vanishing in the blink of an eye at the sky's farthest edge.

Upon learning of the calamity in Avalon, Gao Wen sped forth without delay, rushing toward the battlefield.

"The Chosen Saint, Joan of Arc..."

"Has she seized the White Dragon's flesh?!"

Gao Wen narrowed his eyes slightly, recalling the legend he had seen before:

"Is this so-called fate?!"

"Is it the Crimson Dragon's guidance, or does some so-called destiny truly exist?!"

"In any case..."

"As long as I am strong enough, this so-called fate can be shattered with a single punch!"

"After the Britannias War concludes, a few years of settling down to harvest sufficient experience will allow my combat power to reach unprecedented heights!"

"By that time, every enemy will turn to ash!"

At this thought.

Gao Wen increased his speed once more; the air around him surged violently, erupting in successive sonic booms while white water vapor materialized.

Suddenly.

A familiar system prompt appeared before Gao Wen's eyes:

"Crew member Xiang Keluo's Devil Fruit ability has awakened; combat power soaring!"

"Potential increased!"

"Gold High-Tier → Legend Mid-Tier!"

"This old fellow Xiang Keluo has already awakened?!"

Gao Wen paused in surprise.

He felt unexpected, yet also found it only natural.

Back in Alabasta, Xiang Keluo had already touched the threshold of awakening, perceiving the hidden will within the fruit.

After Enter the New World, he successively clashed with the God Knight Corps and the高层 of the Heaven Sense Church; through these continuous battles, growth was only to be expected.

However.

Gao Wen's expression turned somewhat strange:

"This old rascal awakened a step ahead of me; I'm afraid he'll be strutting before me every other day."

Thinking of this, Gao Wen's mouth twitched; though somewhat helpless, he felt even more gratified.

"But now that he has awakened, my speed of harvesting experience will only increase."

"The opportunity for my own awakening cannot be too far off."

"Moreover, Xiang Keluo's combat power had already reached Gold High-Tier; even among the Star Generals, the Three Calamities, and the Seven Warlords of the Sea, he counts as strong—at least figures like Donquixote Doflamingo, Gecko Moria, and Jinbe the Knight of the Sea couldn't hope to match him."

"Now that his ability has awakened, and as a Mythical Zoan user at that, Xiang Keluo's combat power might have already brushed against the threshold of Legend."

"Even if it hasn't, his potential has already reached Legend Mid-Tier."

"With this, besides myself, the ship finally possesses a combat force capable of holding ground in one region, greatly expanding what we can accomplish."

"Afterward, once we establish a firm foothold in Britannias and leverage Tesoro's financial support, the Martial Arts Tournament can naturally expand into Reach the New World."

"The plan to construct Pluton can also be moved up on the agenda."

"However."

Vaguely.

Gao Wen felt an inexplicable sense of dread, his heart pounding.

He did not know whether this stemmed from sensing the White Dragon's threat or some other cause.

But he knew one thing.

Every time he felt this way, nothing good ever followed.

The last time had been in Water Seven.

"In any case..."

"End this battle as quickly as possible!"

Above Avalon.

"Although I'd like to say that my current self seems capable of anything, nevertheless..."

Xiang Keluo lowered his gaze toward Joan, flames dancing in his eyes.

That was unmistakable fighting spirit!

Awakened!

And awakened amidst a great battle; he felt different within himself, as his stamina, durability, and control over air currents had all been immensely strengthened.

More importantly.

The Kamaitachi's shrieks, which had occasionally echoed in his mind, had vanished completely; whether this was due to complete fusion or total absorption remained unclear.

But whichever it was, Xiang Keluo currently felt better than ever before, even confident enough to face any opponent!

However.

Xiang Keluo also clearly understood that this was an illusion brought about by the massive surge in power.

When he had consumed the Kamaitachi Fruit back in Alabasta, he had felt similarly, though not as intensely as now.

Hiss—!

Xiang Keluo took a deep breath and looked at his palm:

"An awakened Mythical Zoan..."

"Have I already touched the threshold of Legend?!"

"Truly..."

"An improvement that can only be described as absurd!"

"But after this battle, by further developing my own abilities, I will truly step into the realm of Legend and become Gao Wen's right-hand man!"

"Let that bastard ascend the throne!"

Whoosh—!

The wind howled, almost condensing into a tangible form, transforming into wind blades that slashed down toward Jeanne below.

Without a shred of hesitation, Xiang Keluo immediately launched his assault!

He had already awakened, his combat power approaching Legend, yet the monster below, even among Legend-class existences, was an extremely powerful presence.

A speed so fast that Zoro could not react, strength that casually tore apart the earth, and a mighty ability that instantly destroyed more than half of Avalon!

Judging purely from stats, Jeanne at this moment might already surpass Gao Wen!

Her only weakness was perhaps that she was not proficient in Haki.

This would cause her to suffer when fighting opponents of the same level, but that applied only to equals; against existences clearly weaker than herself, she needed only to crush them with absolute power.

Xiang Keluo knew where his advantages lay.

Speed!

The Kamaitachi was already renowned for its speed, and after awakening, it became unimaginably fast!

At maximum speed, tear through his defenses and force him to struggle just to cope!

Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!

The wind blades struck Jeanne's body; countless feathers snapped, and blood flowed freely.

Such injuries naturally could not affect her mobility, yet they brought pain akin to death by a thousand cuts!

"Damn reptile!"

Jeanne flew into a rage; the White Dragon's instinct once again gained the upper hand, influencing her reason, making her want nothing more than to completely tear apart the annoying reptile before her eyes!

Dragon claws swept across, pressing down on Xiang Keluo, stirring up rolling waves of air!

Before this attack even reached his body, the violent air pressure had already pressed a deep trench into the ground, only to tear it apart in the next instant!

Yet Jeanne did not perceive any sensation of striking flesh and blood; it was as if what she had touched was merely a gust of wind, a current of air!

"Logia transformation?!"

Jeanne was startled, but then quickly realized: Xiang Keluo was not a Logia user, but a Mythical Zoan.

"No, an ability similar to Logia transformation?!"

She frowned tightly, muttering internally that this was troublesome.

Barely suppressing the White Dragon's instinct, she already felt some intention to retreat.

Having seized the White Dragon's body, she had already accomplished the majority of her strategic objectives; henceforth, she only needed to develop steadily, and she would inevitably become a presence capable of commanding wind and rain across the seas!

To remain here, entangled in battle with Xiang Keluo and others due to anger, would serve no purpose other than venting her fury.

However, while Jeanne wished to retreat, Xiang Keluo had no intention of giving her that chance!

Accomplish everything in one decisive stroke.

Since he had already incurred Jeanne's enmity now, they would inevitably become enemies later; it was better to take this opportunity to leave her here forever!

After all...

Upon the lands of Britannias, no one could be Gao Wen's equal!

With this thought in mind.

Xiang Keluo's attack struck again!

He was already skilled in speed, and by combining his Shigan and the Rokushiki technique Soru, he pushed his own speed even further!

Furthermore, after awakening, his god-speed advanced yet again; upon these seas, he could almost be considered the third fastest, surpassed only by Logia users of Light and Lightning!

Even Gao Wen, in terms of speed, could not compare to Xiang Keluo at this moment!

He directly transformed into a lingering afterimage, his long tail behind him thrashing chaotically, leaving grotesque wounds across Jeanne's body!

Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!

Pure white feathers scattered, blood splashed!

Amidst the increasingly fierce offensive, Xiang Keluo intuitively felt his speed growing faster and faster; his neural reflex speed, too, had been pushed to an entirely new realm after awakening.

Even without relying on Observation Haki, he could still perceive everything around him!

More importantly, during this process, Xiang Keluo also discovered that his abilities were nearly a perfect counter to Jeanne!

"As expected!"

"You have obtained the strongest body, yet you lack a powerful mind; your Haki is mediocre—no, it is a complete mess!"

The corner of Xiang Keluo's mouth curved slightly upward.

The White Dragon possessed immense strength, far exceeding Wales; indeed, relying solely on its physique and special abilities, it was sufficient to contend with the strongest on the seas.

It was the most typical example of a powerhouse who relies on a single trump card!

Equivalent examples would be Kizaru and Mihawk.

Both had infinitely elevated their strengths in a single aspect, enough to bridge the gap between themselves and other powerhouses.

But similarly, once their strength was restricted, their combat power would be greatly diminished!

And Xiang Keluo's god-speed, along with his ability similar to Logia transformation—the former ensured he would not be injured, while the latter rendered Jeanne's mighty power utterly useless.

However.

As time passed, the wounds on Jeanne's body began to heal at a visible speed, and tougher, whiter feathers grew forth!

And growing along with the feathers was the rage in Jeanne's heart!

This time, it was not the instinct remaining within the White Dragon's body, but her own fury!

"Since you seek death, I shall grant it to you!"

The moment the voice landed.

Around Jeanne, that scorching white light ignited once more!

The breath she had been brewing overflowed from between her lips and teeth, only to be forcibly swallowed back down, then erupted explosively from every pore on her body!

A pure white sun rose from the earth, radiating terrifying high temperatures in all directions.

The ground beneath Jeanne's feet began to melt, and heatwaves churned through the air!

"It's happening again!"

"That kind of attack from just now!"

Xiang Keluo's pupils constricted; there was reluctance in his heart, but more than that, an indescribable shock.

His combat strength had already touched the threshold of Legend, yet between him and such a monster, there ultimately remained an insurmountable distance.

Holding her off for a short time was already his limit; if Jeanne was determined to fight to the death, he would absolutely be no match!

He would suffer a crushing defeat within a short time!

The only one capable of contending with this monster was another monster, only Gao Wen!

"Retreat!"

Xiang Keluo let out a startled cry; seeing that Beipo, Chopper, and others nearby were not fast enough and were about to be caught by the erupting shockwave and burned to ash, he immediately acted, taking several of them and fleeing!

In an instant, they withdrew beyond Avalon!

It was also at this moment.

In the distance, the shockwave erupted explosively; the heatwave swept through like a mad wind, collapsing the surrounding buildings and trees!

"To hold something like this off for half an hour..."

Law raised his hand to pat out the flames on his clothes, his expression gloomy:

"It is nearly an impossible task!"

"This ability to destroy everything around like a natural disaster is simply too terrifying; it is no longer something human power can contend with."

"Even if..."

He turned his head to look at Xiang Keluo, the meaning being self-evident.

The time they had just bought was already sufficient for the common people in Avalon City to evacuate; continuing this battle any further held no meaning whatsoever.

The best decision should be to retreat immediately!

Indeed.

The next instant, Xiang Keluo commanded:

"Ajin Heavy, the coming battle is no longer something you can interfere in; withdraw first."

"I will go hold that fellow off!"

"Her abilities are too dangerous; if we let her be, she will inevitably become a threat to us in the future; we must bury her completely right here!"

Ajin Heavy nodded heavily:

"Can you manage it alone?"

"Even if I can't, I must!"

Xiang Keluo removed the glasses from the bridge of his nose, which were already shattered, and casually tossed them aside:

"That fellow Gao Wen is still on his way!"

"As long as I hold out until then, everything will end; even if I can't hold out, I can withdraw from the battlefield at any time!"

Ajin Heavy looked at the flame clouds on Xiang Keluo's shoulders:

"Awakening?!"

"Probably; right now, I feel better than ever before!"

Xiang Keluo waved his hand, turned around, and once again charged toward the attacking Jeanne!

The air currents churned, pushing his speed to near its limit, leaving countless wounds on Jeanne once more!

And temporarily restraining Jeanne's movements!

"Go!"

Ajin Heavy took Sanji and the others, retreating rapidly, moving far away from the battlefield, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.

Everyone lowered their heads, with nothing but reluctance in their eyes.

The battle there had already exceeded the scope they could handle!

"We were still too negligent; not only can we not help the Captain, but now we cannot even help Mr. Xiang Keluo."

"Our cultivation must become even more diligent!"

"Ah."

"That state of Xiang Keluo's is Awakening, isn't it? I didn't expect him to step ahead of the Captain; perhaps he has already reached the Legend level where the Captain stands."

"Even though the gap between the strongest is not that large..."

"It's truly frustrating!"

"After the battle here concludes, the Second Martial Arts Tournament will also be convened; I will go there to train and leave my name in the Hall of Fame!"

"Count me in!"

……

At the center of the battlefield.

Ding!

Ding!

Ding—!

The sound of dense collisions rang out continuously.

Xiang Keluo's figure vanished amidst afterimages; with absolute speed, he temporarily suppressed Joan of Arc, yet he only felt his blade growing increasingly dull.

No!

It was not that the blade was growing duller, but that Joan of Arc's feathers were becoming harder and harder!

"Have you noticed?!"

Joan of Arc sneered:

"Every time I am destroyed, I grow even harder feathers, and my defensive capability becomes even more formidable!"

"Until, in the end, my opponent's attacks become completely ineffective!"

"This ability itself is not particularly powerful, after all, recovery also requires time."

"But combined with the immortal flesh created by the Flesh, Bone, Heart, and Soul Ritual, it can create a defensive capability that is nearly invincible!"

"You are no match for me!"

"You possess talents that even I envy; let me ask you one last time: submit or die!"

Xiang Keluo chuckled lightly:

"Heh..."

"How could a man bow down to power?!"

"I will make Gao Wen king!"

(End of Chapter)