Chapter 67

East Sea waters.

After bidding farewell to Aunt Lujiu, Seven transformed into lightning from Karp’s hometown and shot across the surface of the sea at extreme speed.

Even now, he still couldn’t understand why Karp had left that book—recording a lifetime of cultivation insights—inside the wooden crate.

Entrusting a child?

Karp was only fifty-six, still at the tail end of his peak, and had a thirty-year-old son named Dragon; he wouldn’t entrust his child to Seven.

Arming the enemy?

Was he disgusted by the World Government and the Celestial Dragons’ actions, hoping to use Seven to overthrow the World Government?

In the pirate world, most Marines uphold so-called justice, yet under the World Government’s system, they’ve become the Celestial Dragons’ lackeys.

The Marines who dare defy the Celestial Dragons’ orders seem to number only a handful.

Those who dare resist the World Government are even fewer.

Suddenly, a flash of light passed before Seven’s eyes.

“Could it be… he saw in me the possibility of defeating Im? Hoping I’ll be the one to defeat Im?”

Im’s existence loomed like a mountain, preventing the six top experts who participated in the God Valley battle from fully breaking ties with the World Government.

Lox’s fall at God Valley indirectly led to the Giant King Harald leading the Giant Kingdom Elbaf to become a World Government member state.

From Harald’s perspective—

The World Government was terrifying. Even a genius like his brother Lox, leading a host of top experts to God Valley, ended up dead, his crew disbanded.

The World Government’s pressure… maxed out.

That’s why Seven believed Karp saw in him the potential to defeat Im.

But would Im think so?

Absolutely not.

Having ruled the world for eight hundred years, Im had seen countless great storms; geniuses like Lox, Im had harvested countless times over.

No one had overthrown the World Government in eight hundred years; Im’s pride was sky-high.

Even if Im noticed Seven’s existence, he’d likely treat him as just a slightly stronger insect.

In fact, the Five Elders most likely wouldn’t even report Seven’s existence to Im.

Seven never attacked Mary Geoise, never publicly executed Celestial Dragons, and is not of the D. Clan; in the eyes of the Five Elders, Seven might even be a potential ally.

But then again—

Though not of the D. Clan, Seven gained the innate ability to generate and control fire due to purchasing Lunaia bloodline.

Whether he’s truly Lunaia no longer matters; to the World Government, Seven is a criminal—Lunaia—bound to be exterminated.

But as long as the World Government doesn’t discover him, there’s no immediate danger.

Regardless, by accepting the book containing Karp’s cultivation insights—detailing Armament Haki, Fist Bone Impact, Undersea Drop, Infinite Fist Bone, and other techniques—

He had already accepted Karp’s favor.

The cultivation experience recorded in the book saved Seven tens of thousands of points.

Among Seven’s three Haki types, Conqueror’s Haki leads by far, while Observation Haki, amplified by his electric waves, achieves a radar-like sensing effect.

Designed for ultra-long-range detection.

Only Armament Haki remains severely mismatched with his combat power; previously, his body couldn’t support Armament Haki cultivation, and now his physique is monstrous—his defense remains astonishing even without Armament Haki.

Armament Haki isn’t just for defense; its external release and internal destruction, known as Flowing Cherry, also enhances attacks.

The enhancement effect, however, is inferior to Conqueror’s Haki coating.

In Seven’s original plan, he prioritized purchasing Conqueror’s Haki defense, then focused on Observation Haki, swordsmanship, and Devil Fruit ability training.

He intended to finally catch up on Armament Haki last.

The unexpected gift from Karp during his trip to Windmill Village means he must now add body technique and Armament Haki training to his plan.

To reach the pinnacle of world strength, every aspect must be perfected; severe imbalance is unacceptable.

Following the night, Seven returned to the East Sea Emperor, moored at the Frost Moon Village pier.

Instantly flashing to the captain’s cabin, Seven took out the Supreme Grade Sword Ace and listed it on the trading platform to test his luck.

【Ace: 100,000 points, one of the Twelve Supreme Grade Swords, Roger’s blade. Seller’s note: Extremely high collectible value】

Honestly, Seven didn’t believe anyone would spend 100,000 points on Ace—it wasn’t a divine artifact like Dream One.

He listed it only because he hadn’t yet decided who among his crew could wield it.

Seven wouldn’t use it—he was a one-sword style swordsman, and Dream One boosted Haki by 100%; only a fool would switch blades.

Mihawk wielded the Supreme Grade Sword Black Blade Night; Tenghu wielded the Supreme Grade Sword Gambler’s Fire Line; neither would consider switching.

Bear wasn’t a swordsman; his battles relied mostly on his Devil Fruit ability channeled through his hands.

Jin Ni wasn’t a swordsman either; before consuming the Door-Door Fruit, she fought primarily with firearms, and after consuming it, she might become the Morning Star Pirates’ sniper.

Imagine using Door-Door Fruit portals to bypass the range, visibility, and trajectory limits of sniping, while also overcoming the sniper’s weakness in close combat.

The sniper bullet, delivered via Door-Door Fruit ability, would arrive instantly and strike with perfect accuracy.

Of course, these were only hypotheticals; actual cultivation depended on Jin Ni herself; Seven merely offered suggestions.

Robin’s dream—to decipher all historical texts—wasn’t within consideration.

In short, the Supreme Grade Sword Ace was currently unusable by every member of the Morning Star Pirates, so Seven priced it at 100,000 points to test his luck.

If sold, he’d strike it rich.

If unsold, it was perfectly reasonable.

During his East Sea journey, Seven had achieved two of his three goals—retrieving the Twin Supreme Grade Sword Ace and taking Bear and Jin Ni on a tour of the East Sea.

He’d also unexpectedly received Karp’s gift.

But recruiting crew members remained completely stagnant; those born in the East Sea who later gained fame were either not yet born or only a few years old.

They couldn’t provide immediate combat power.

And he hadn’t met a single one.

Seven knew where Jesus was,

but compared to Jesus abandoning his wife and child to chase his dream… Seven actually admired Lox more—for giving up his dream for his wife and children.

In short, he and Jesus weren’t cut from the same cloth.

Originally, when he invited Mihawk to form a pirate crew, Seven sought companions who shared his ideals, sailing together to reach their destination.

For business, partners could be compromised.

But companions could not.

If it were Beckman, Seven wouldn’t hesitate—but someone like Jesus? Leave him to Shanks.

After bathing and washing up, Seven was about to rest when he sensed a figure rapidly approaching above the pier.

“That brat from Roger’s ship!”