Chapter 28: Wu Xiang Yi Dao

Nameless Desert Island.

Gazing at the poised Saint Saint Saiwen suspended midair, Rayli felt that long-dormant passion within him, unseen since the Luo Jie Pirates disbanded, reignite once more.

Rayli also wanted to see what kind of sword technique that little brat, Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen—whom the entire Luo Jie Pirates had misjudged—would unleash.

What kind of name could possibly warrant such solemn, deliberate charging?

At this moment, Rayli regarded Saint Saint Saiwen as a true, worthy opponent—not merely a junior from the Luo Jie Pirates.

Since the battle began, Saint Saint Saiwen's Devil Fruit ability, never before used, now revealed its power.

Above the desert island, the sky blazed with violet thunderstorms, lightning crackling as if welcoming the descent of a divine being.

Saint Saint Saiwen's pupils glowed violet, his body wreathed in crackling electricity; the Dreaming Mengxiang Yixin in his grip seemed to cheer wildly.

Thump-thump~ Thump-thump~

Rayli's throat moved—he couldn't tell if the sound was his own heartbeat or Saint Saint Saiwen's.

Pushing his three colors of domineering aura to their peak, Rayli's body was wrapped in black-and-red domineering aura so dense it nearly solidified; he emptied his mind completely—

The wind at his ears, the roar of the waves—all faded; in his vision, only Saint Saint Saiwen's surging domineering aura and the blade about to cleave the heavens remained.

Finally—he moved!

Using Dreaming Mengxiang Yixin as a medium, Saint Saint Saiwen unleashed the fully accumulated sword momentum, slashing down upon the desert island with ferocity.

"Crack—!"

Not the clash of steel, but the crisp shattering of heaven's dome, of shattered glass.

The radiance of that single slash erupted instantly, transforming into a violet torrent spanning heaven and earth, so blindingly bright no one could stare directly.

Where it passed, space was torn apart.

Before it even touched the ground, the heatwave from its radiance scorched all vegetation along its path; rocks instantly melted into crimson magma.

"Brat, you're trying to kill the old man!"

Rayli stomped the ground, used the recoil to twist sideways into the air, barely evading the slash's radiance.

The instant the radiance struck the earth, the entire desert island let out a deafening cry of agony; a massive fissure, dozens of feet wide, rapidly spread deep into the island's core.

In mere seconds.

The island was split cleanly in two, a bottomless chasm stretching between them, seawater rushing in to form violent whirlpools.

Rayli sheathed his dual blades and gazed at the figure hovering midair—his eyes held confusion, relief, but mostly pride.

The kid on the ship… has grown up.

"Luo Jie, we all misjudged him."

Of the three kids on Luo Jie's ship, all crew members most favored Shanks—for his physique, mind, and talent, unmatched along the Grand Line.

As for Saint Saint Saiwen and Buggy.

Perhaps years later, Saint Saint Saiwen would become a world-renowned chef for his culinary skill, open a restaurant back home, and live out his days in peace.

Buggy? Hard to say.

Yet, only two years after Luo Jie's departure, as the Age of Great Pirates had just begun, Saint Saint Saiwen had already leapt from carp to dragon, soaring into the heavens.

Two years—only two years had passed.

Is this, then, the new era?

Before Rayli could even praise him, Saint Saint Saiwen suddenly grabbed him and shot straight upward, vanishing in a flash.

Midair, wind howled past.

Rayli's face hung slack, expressionless: "Saint Saint Saiwen, what was that technique called?"

"Wu Xiang Yi Dao."

"The charging took too long."

"Hmm. Still room for improvement."

Wu Xiang Yi Dao's fusion progress is only 26%; with more fusion, the charging time will drop drastically—even to instant release.

Saint Saint Saiwen is only seventeen—he has plenty of room to grow.

By general rationality, male human bone and muscle density peaks around age twenty-five, then gradually stabilizes.

In the pirate world, a strong fighter's peak period typically spans ages twenty-five to sixty, because before twenty-five the body is still developing, and after sixty, physical decline limits performance.

Of course, exceptions exist for special races.

Compared to humans, the Giants live for centuries—naturally outside this range.

After his battle with Rayli, Saint Saint Saiwen gained a clear sense of his own strength: at minimum, he could hold his own as a Vice-Admiral; if he fought to the death, he might even challenge an Admiral-level power.

As long as he doesn't do something stupid and provoke Im's scales in the Flower Garden, he could roam the seas freely.

…

Sabaody Archipelago, Knockoff Bar.

Rayli pushed open the bar door, sat down at the wooden counter; though it was deep night, several patrons still gathered in small groups drinking.

The best mindset for becoming a pirate is to treat every day as your last.

That way, you'll live longer than you imagine.

"Where's the kid?" Xia Qi poured a drink.

"Went to Joy Street," Rayli took the cup.

"Who won?"

What had been casual chatter turned into Rayli smiling with pride: "I lost."

"Oh?" Xia Qi frowned: "You didn't hold back?"

Rayli paused: "I didn't use my full strength, but I felt Saint Saint Saiwen held back too."

Unreasonable strength, an almost blasphemous Haki, average Armament Haki—but his physique was so formidable, it gave a fleeting impression of Charlotte Lingling.

This kid—could he be the son Charlotte Lingling accidentally left behind?

On second thought, it's quite possible.

Lingling's husband, whom she probably can't even remember clearly, having a son left behind... that makes sense!

Finishing the wine in his cup in one gulp, Lei Li sighed,

"What a freak. I dare not imagine what heights he will reach in a few more years."

"He's just like Rocks back in the day."

Rocks? Xia Qi found it hard to believe that Lei Li would give such a high evaluation.

Who is Rocks?

A fierce man who casually stabbed a Marine Admiral to death.

The legendary pirate Whitebeard, the Golden Lion, the pirate Charlotte Lingling, and Kaido were all once members of Rocks' pirate crew.

After drinking three cups of wine in succession, Lei Li finally remembered the matter at hand and hurriedly asked, "How's the business deal going?"

"We've found a buyer. The transaction is tomorrow."

Meanwhile, in the Happy Street.

Lu Bianyi's stay in Happy Street was not to visit nightclubs or seek pleasure; rather, he wanted to contact Vegapunk through Stussy, the Queen of Happy Street.

Vegapunk possessed something that interested him.

It was the artificial Devil Fruit eaten by Momonosuke in the later period—the Dragon-Dragon Fruit.

Compared to the Fish-Fish Fruit, Mythical Zoan Type, Azure Dragon Form consumed by Kaido, the Dragon-Dragon Fruit can also transform into a dragon and can also activate the Human-Beast Form.

Possessing almost identical Devil Fruit abilities, the only reason Vegapunk called it a failure was simply because the color was different.

This is absolutely ridiculous.

Truly the obsession of a scientist.

Regarding this scientist with a pointed head, Lu Bianyi was desperate for talent, wishing he could immediately capture him and imprison him on Sky Island.

Unfortunately, the numerous experiments conducted by Vegapunk consumed resources amounting to astronomical figures.

Lu Bianyi simply could not afford them.

At least not currently; perhaps he could reconsider after occupying more territories in the future.

In fact, he was not entirely sure whether Vegapunk had successfully replicated the Dragon-Dragon Fruit at this time, or if it was still in the experimental stage.

Regardless.

If he hadn't known this information, it would have been fine.

Now that he knows, there is no reason to miss such a powerful Devil Fruit.

If heaven offers it and you do not take it, you will surely suffer the consequences.

However, when Lu Bianyi checked into Happy Street and truly began to implement his plan, he suddenly awkwardly realized: he had remembered the timing wrong.

Stussy is not yet the Queen of Happy Street.

"Damn it!" Lu Bianyi flopped down and went to sleep.

With twenty years remaining until Luffy sets sail, most of the well-known figures from the future are not yet famous at this moment, and some have only just been born.

The next day at noon.

Lu Bianyi, unusually, slept until the sun was high in the sky; after a hearty meal, he strolled leisurely around the Sabaody Archipelago.

Since he couldn't find Stussy, he had no choice but to go to Ohara; if he remembered correctly, Vegapunk and Monkey D. Dragon would appear after the Buster Call on Ohara.

However, before going, he must first rendezvous with Mihawk.

And then there is the matter of the ship.

The most ideal material for building a ship is the Adam Tree—the ships of the Pirate King Luo Jie and the Straw Hat Kid were both built from the Adam Tree.

But the material is too scarce; one must rely on luck.

After wandering around all morning without encountering any foolish pirates to let Lu Bianyi play the pig to eat the tiger, pretend to be weak to slap faces, he had no choice but to return to the Rip-Off Bar.

"Xia Yi, do you have any leads on Devil Fruits?"