366-370

Chapter 366: I'm Not Interested in Him 

"But… whatever!" 

He put away Pò Wàng. Against a Logia user like Ace, his swordsmanship wasn’t much use right now since he couldn't use Haki. The only way he could fight Ace was with his own abilities. 

"Fire Fist Ace, I’m going all out!" 

Gazing at the progress bar in his system that hadn't budged, Yoru couldn't help but feel that these 500,000 enhancement points really weren't easy to come by. 

Hearing Yoru’s words, Ace looked a bit serious. Even though Yoru's current strength didn't seem like much to him, his abilities were genuinely strange and bizarre, and Ace wouldn't underestimate them. 

"Phoenix Form!" 

Yoru took a heavy step and shot into the sky. Then, his entire body erupted in scorching flames, fire feathers fluttering everywhere, and a magnificent, vibrant fire phoenix appeared before Ace. 

"This guy... he's a Zoan-type ability user?!" 

Seeing Yoru transform into a fire phoenix, Ace was startled. "And a Mythical Zoan, a fire phoenix, at that! What kind of Devil Fruit did he eat? And how does he make that longsword extend like that?!" 

But Yoru didn't care about Fire Fist Ace's confusion. He swooped down, his sharp talons slashing forward. 

"Fire Fist!" 

Ace’s body erupted in terrifying flames once more. A gigantic, sky-obscuring fire fist swept through the air and roared towards Yoru. 

"Boom!" 

The air vibrated violently with the impact, flames danced everywhere, the surrounding trees were scorched dry, and the ground cracked. 

"Rumble, rumble, rumble!" 

The ground trembled violently from the shockwaves of their sustained clash, the sea was overflowing with waves, and the crimson flames dyed half the sky red! 

"Get back… now!!!" 

Ace bellowed, clearly struggling. After Yoru transformed into his phoenix form, his power had increased significantly. 

"Whoosh!" 

The flames on his body suddenly grew more colossal, their temperature soaring, transforming from orange-red to crimson, and their power instantly surged! 

"Boom!" 

Yoru was sent flying again, but he quickly halted his momentum in mid-air, spreading his wings like a deity. "Phoenix Fire Feathers!" 

In that instant, a shower of fire feathers, like a meteor shower of flame, rained down on Ace. It was a magnificent sight. 

"This kind of attack can’t… wait, his flames can actually hurt me?!" 

Ace had initially planned to use his elemental form to dodge, but when the fire feathers passed through his body, he actually felt intense pain! His elemental body was being scorched! This startled him, and he quickly activated his defense: "Mirror Flame!" 

"Thump, thump, thump!" 

Though they were just fire feathers, seemingly light and and airy, their destructive power was astonishingly strong, like tiny meteorites, causing Ace’s defense to tremble violently. 

The surrounding sea, moreover, was intensely boiling from the temperature of this terrifying attack, giving off a hazy mist. 

"No good, I can’t keep clashing head-on! This guy’s flames are hotter than mine; my defense will keep getting scorched!" 

Even with Mirror Flame active, Ace still felt a burning pain throughout his body. He decided he needed to go on the offensive and regain control of the fight. 

"Hmph!" 

He expanded his defense, pushing back the fire feathers. After Yoru also dodged in the air, Ace sent a fiery punch straight towards him. 

"Whoosh!" 

But in the air, Yoru, in his phoenix form, was quite nimble and managed to dodge Ace's attack. 

Just as Yoru thought he’d dodged and let out a breath, he saw Ace pressing his index fingers together, aiming at him. 

"Cross Fire!!" 

A thread-like flame shot towards Yoru in an instant, forcing him to quickly flap his wings and dodge. 

But— 

"Divine Fire: Ignorance Fire!" 

Yoru had just dodged that fiery attack when his vision suddenly flared red. Fire Fist Ace below had turned his hands into flames, then pulled out two long flame spears from within them, throwing them through the air. 

"Hiss!" 

Yoru’s pupils contracted. He felt a strange aura from those flame spears, giving him an instinctual repulsion. He didn't dare to be careless, using all his strength to dodge again, but it was still too late! 

"Thwack!" 

Yoru’s wings were pierced simultaneously, causing painful bloodshot lines to instantly appear in his eyes. 

"Fire Fist!" 

But Ace didn't let Yoru off the hook just like that. Another fiery punch came roaring, turning the sky crimson! 

"Phoenix Meteor Kill!" 

Yoru also bellowed, mobilizing all his remaining stamina. The flames on his body instantly changed from crimson to dark red, their temperature soaring several times higher. He curled his wings, diving down like a meteor to strike! 

"Boom!" 

The sky roared, the sea violently erupted, chaotic shockwaves stirred up explosive waves that crashed against the island, flames shot skyward, and the setting sun was obscured. It was a scene of apocalypse. 

"Crack!" 

Fire Fist Ace actually looked like he was struggling, and the ground beneath his feet cracked, as if it couldn't bear the force of Yoru's dive. 

"This guy…" 

Ace was very surprised. Yoru's power exceeded his imagination. The difference in strength between his transformed and untransformed states was just too great. 

"But, I won't give up!" 

"Get back… now!!!" 

Ace bellowed, "Flame Commandment: Fire Pillar!" 

"Boom!" 

Like a mighty warhorse charging forward with immense force, Yoru was blasted into the sky, his blood and qi churning violently, and he couldn't help but spew out a mouthful of blood. 

Then, he rapidly plummeted back down towards the ground. 

"Thud!" 

Yoru landed hard on the ground, creating a large crater. 

"Whoosh!" 

Before Yoru could even get up, a scorching sensation came from his neck. Ace, holding a flame gun, pressed it against the back of Yoru’s head, his voice sharp: "You lost!" 

"Tell me your answer. Are you going to go after Straw Hat Luffy?" 

Yoru coughed twice. "Who’d be interested in him? He’s too weak; not worth my effort!" 

Hearing Yoru’s reply, Ace’s eyebrow twitched. "You think I’ll believe you?" 

"If you had no intentions toward Straw Hat Luffy, then why would you go after ‘Golden Pirate’ and ‘Bloody Blade’?" 

"One had an 87 million Beli bounty, the other 95 million Beli. The pirates you've been killing have been steadily increasing in bounty. And you’re telling me your next target isn't Straw Hat Luffy?!" 

Hearing this, Yoru chuckled. "So what if there’s a progression? Does that mean I’m definitely going to go after Straw Hat Luffy?" 

"‘Golden Pirate’ and ‘Bloody Blade’ ended up dead by my hand simply because they tried to kill me. I just had to take them out!" 

"As for Straw Hat Luffy…" 

Yoru turned his head to look at Ace. "I’ve never even heard that name before, so how could I go and take him out?!" 

Yoru lied through his teeth, not even blushing. Of course, strictly speaking, it wasn’t really a lie. 

Chapter 367: Searching for the Poneglyph 

After all, even though he knew Straw Hat Luffy, he genuinely hadn't ever considered taking him out! 

If you're asking why, well, it's the same old reason: he's just too weak. 

"Are you sure that's the truth?" 

"Of course!" 

"Are you sure you haven't heard of the Straw Hat kid?" 

"Definitely!" 

Seeing Yoru's determined expression and calm eyes, which didn't look like he was lying at all, Ace lowered his pistol. 

He looked at Yoru. "So, if you don't know the Straw Hat kid, why did you lead me to this island for a fight? Aren't you afraid I'll take you out?" 

Ace just found Yoru a little baffling! 

Since he hadn't met him and wasn't planning on making a move on the Straw Hat kid anyway, he should have just said so earlier. 

Why provoke him and even bring him here just to fight? 

Is he really some kind of masochist or something? 

"Cough, cough, isn't duking it out with a strong guy like you a pretty interesting experience?!" Yoru coughed out, covering his chest. "That attack just now that pierced the wings of my Phoenix form... you added Haki to it, right?" 

Even though Yoru couldn't use Haki himself, he was seventy percent sure that the strange aura he felt earlier was, in fact, Haki. 

"You actually know about Haki!" 

Ace was a bit surprised to hear Yoru's question. 

It's pretty rare for someone to know about this in the first half of the Grand Line! Strange! 

"I've heard a bit about it!" 

"But, it'd be even better if I could actually master it!" Yoru said with a grin. 

"I can't really teach you this stuff, but you should figure it out pretty soon..." 

"Okay, I've gotta take off. I still have someone important I need to find!" 

Ace boarded Yoru's ship, signaling him to sail back towards Water Seven! 

Yoru shook his head, heading back to his own ship as well, and steered it back towards Water Seven. 

... 

"Even though I took a pretty nasty hit, scoring 500,000 Reinforcement Points in one go? Totally worth it!" 

"Time to boost my Devil Fruit ability!" Yoru muttered to himself. 

After reinforcing his Devil Fruit ability, he was going to head to Alabasta to search for the Poneglyph. 

Just getting to Laugh Tale isn't enough; he still needs to unlock the secrets hidden within the Poneglyphs. That's the only way he'll be able to leave Laugh Tale's permanent node and get back to the Ninja World. 

"Ding! This reinforcement will cost 500,000 Reinforcement Points. Begin?" 

"Begin!" 

That familiar heat, that familiar surge of power! 

Every single cell felt full and practically cheering, giving Yoru an urge he almost couldn't suppress. 

... 

This upgrade lasted for about ten minutes. 

When it was over, Yoru wasn't sure if he was imagining it, but he felt like he'd grown taller and his appearance had changed slightly. 

[Stats Panel] Host: Yoru Age: 19 (This body's age, not soul age) Tori Tori no Mi, Phoenix Form: Beginner (75/100) Swordsmanship: Lv3 (Flash) Weapon: Powang Reinforcement Points: 93k Plane: One Piece Body Stats: Strength: 80 (Normal person 5) Speed: 45 (Normal person 5) Agility: 50 (Normal person 5) Stamina: 85 (Normal person 5) Defense: 90 (Normal person 5) Power Level: 45 (Marine Admiral 95) 

"Seems like the further I go, the tougher it gets to boost my power!" 

Seeing that it took a whole five hundred thousand Reinforcement Points just to bump up his power level by 5, a chill couldn't help but run down Yoru's spine. 

Guess getting stronger isn't as simple as he thought. 

"But hey, that's fine! Isn't it more of a challenge like this?!" 

"Alabasta, here I come!" 

Setting sail on his big ship, Yoru made his way towards the faraway Alabasta. 

But Yoru clearly underestimated just how wild this sea could be! 

Barely five hours out from Water Seven, and Yoru ran right into a massive, unprecedented storm out on the vast ocean, followed by a torrential downpour! 

"Bang!" "Boom!" "Roar!" 

The wind howled in fury, thunder and rain crashed down, the sky was ink-black, utterly devoid of light around him. Terrifying waves slammed against the ship's hull, making it groan and sway precariously, feeling like it might just fall apart. 

His ship, which he'd considered pretty big, now looked like a tiny speck of dust in the churning ocean. 

Getting tossed about by the waves, completely out of control. 

"Looks like I really need to find a Navigator first!" 

With a Navigator, he could predict the weather ahead of time, steer clear of storms like this, and wouldn't have to be completely at the mercy of the sea. 

"Finding a Navigator doesn't seem like it'll be that easy though!" Yoru clung to the mast, trying to keep himself from being tossed overboard by the violently pitching ship, thinking to himself. 

Three minutes later! 

The storm finally died down, the sun broke through and shone on the ocean again. The salty sea breeze was so soothing it almost made him drowsy, with no trace of the crazy violence from moments before. 

"Well, this ship did cost nearly 100 million Berries. A bit pricey, yeah, but the quality is seriously good. It really held up against the storm!" 

Checking the hull and finding no damage, Yoru let out a sigh of relief. 

... 

Breaking News! Fire Fist Ace, Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division, reportedly clashed fiercely with 'Lightning Killer' Yoru! 

Just a couple of hours after Fire Fist Ace and Yoru's showdown, photos and news of their battle were sent out across the entire sea by a magazine called 'New Economy Press'. 

Right away, it grabbed massive attention! 

... 

Alabasta! 

After three days of getting tossed around, Yoru, looking completely worn out, finally managed to arrive here. 

"A Navigator... I seriously NEED a Navigator!" 

Yoru had never wanted to find a Navigator more strongly in his life. 

In those three days! 

He ran into a total of three storms, two heavy downpours, and even a hailstorm. 

He didn't take any serious damage, thankfully, but it left him looking pretty rough, and his overall condition wasn't great. 

Of course, his arrival in this desert kingdom didn't attract any attention whatsoever. 

... 

Marine Headquarters, Marineford! 

"Lightning Killer... Yoru. He's quite the talent. I'm thinking of inviting him to become one of the new Shichibukai. What do you think, Aokiji?" Sengoku asked. 

Sengoku put down the files in his hand and looked over at the typically laid-back Admiral Aokiji. 

"If the Fleet Admiral thinks it's okay, then it's okay. I don't have any issues with it," Aokiji replied without even looking up. 

"In that case, would you mind taking a trip and inviting him yourself?" 

Sengoku looked at Aokiji, secretly hoping he wasn't busy. 

"Well, I'd really rather not, but since the Fleet Admiral himself asked, I guess I can reluctantly take a little trip," Aokiji grumbled. 

Aokiji pulled off his eye mask, scratched his head with a look of genuine annoyance, stood up, picked up the Shichibukai appointment letter signed by Sengoku, and headed out. 

"Ye... Liangnai. His background is pretty mysterious, isn't it? Wonder what kind of guy he is..." 

... 

"Who are you, and what do you want here!" 

Yoru walked across the scorching Alabasta desert and finally arrived in front of the Royal Palace, immediately putting the guards on high alert. 

Chapter 368: Running into Aokiji 

"Don't worry, I don't mean any harm. Could you please inform your King Cobra? I'd like to discuss something with him!" 

Yoru held his hands up to show he had no ill will. 

"What business do you have with His Majesty the King? Are you trying to plot against our Alabasta, just like that Crocodile guy?" 

But the guards completely ignored Yoru, pointing their weapons at him instead. If he took another step forward, they wouldn't go easy on him. 

"What if I insist on seeing him?" 

Yoru's eyes narrowed, and he took a step forward. 

"Then don't blame us for being rough!" 

"Take him down!" 

The two guards shouted sternly, then called for the surrounding soldiers to surround Yoru. 

"We advise you to surrender and stop resisting stubbornly, unless you want to get hurt!" a group of guards said with unfriendly expressions. 

"Looks like I'll have to use force after all!" 

Seeing this, Yoru sighed, "My apologies, everyone!" 

Whoosh! 

All the guards just saw a cold flash of light, felt a powerful force hit them, and they were all sent flying. 

"Ah!" "Ah!" 

Immediately, there were screams and sounds of bodies hitting the ground all around. Only Yoru was left standing, with all the guards lying on the ground. 

"What happened?" 

A man like a hawk, wearing the distinctive wide robes of the desert, walked out. 

"Who are you!" 

When he saw Yoru, he immediately frowned, his face full of vigilance. 

"State your purpose, otherwise, don't blame me for treating you as an enemy!" 

The hawk-like man looked at Yoru, his tone quite hostile. 

"I'd like to request an audience with King Cobra. Please inform him, I have something I need to ask him." 

Yoru replied again, "Don't worry, I have no ill intentions. Otherwise, these people wouldn't be completely unharmed right now!" 

Hearing this, the hawk-like man's brow furrowed, "What business do you have seeing the King!" 

Yoru: "That's none of your concern!" 

"Pell, who is it?" 

Just then, a gentle voice came from behind the hawk-like man. 

A majestic-looking middle-aged man walked out, exuding the graceful magnanimity of a person in a high position. It was none other than Yoru's target this time – the King of Alabasta, Cobra! 

"Your Majesty, this person says he wants to see you, but his attitude... he really doesn't seem friendly. I suspect he has ulterior motives!" 

The hawk-like man, named Pell, said this vigilantly in front of Cobra. 

"King Cobra, pleasure to meet you for the first time. My name is Yoru!" 

Seeing Cobra, Yoru greeted him very politely. 

"Yoru... You're 'Lightning Killer'!!!" 

Hearing Yoru introduce himself, Pell was greatly startled. He immediately protected Cobra behind him, looking warily at Yoru. 

"Pell, step back. I think he doesn't mean any harm." 

Cobra spoke at this point, surprising Pell. "Your Majesty, you..." 

"Don't worry, Pell. If he had ill intentions, you and I probably wouldn't be standing right now!" 

Cobra motioned for Pell not to be so nervous, then looked at Yoru. "Alright, tell me, what business does a strong person like you have suddenly visiting my country!" 

"I'd like to take a look at your country's Poneglyph stone tablet!" 

Yoru stated his purpose. Hearing this, Cobra's brow couldn't help but twitch. "Another one looking for the Poneglyph stone tablet, huh?" 

He said, "Are you sure you're just here to look for the Poneglyph stone tablet?" 

"Of course. Besides that, there's nothing in Alabasta that could interest me!" 

"You'll leave immediately after looking at the Poneglyph stone tablet?" 

"Of course!" 

Yoru had no excessive interest in Alabasta, except for the Poneglyph. 

"Alright, come with me!" 

Seeing that Yoru didn't seem to be lying, Cobra motioned for Pell to strengthen the guard, then personally led Yoru towards the location where the Poneglyph stone tablet was kept. 

... 

Underneath the Alabasta Royal Palace. 

"This is the Poneglyph stone tablet, what you wanted. However, because a war just happened not long ago, the environment is a bit simple!" 

Cobra pointed to a black Poneglyph in front of them. 

Newest Novel first published on six9shu!! 

"Thank you!" 

Yoru thanked him, then took out the rubbing paper he had prepared beforehand and placed it over it. 

The first Poneglyph! Successfully acquired! 

"King Cobra, I'll be taking my leave!" 

After getting the Poneglyph, Yoru didn't want to stay for a moment longer. He thanked Cobra politely again and then left. 

... 

"This guy, he really was just here to find the Poneglyph?" 

Watching Yoru leave immediately after making a rubbing of the troublesome Poneglyph, Pell was a bit dumbfounded. He had a feeling of unreality! According to the usual storyline, shouldn't dangerous people like Yoru have some kind of scheme when they come to Alabasta? 

But, it turned out he was overthinking things. Yoru was just here to get the Poneglyph! He didn't have any other intentions! 

... 

"So, next is the second Poneglyph stone tablet..." 

"The second one is up in the sky, that's not going to be easy. Before that, I should probably find a navigator first!" Yoru thought to himself. 

Having sailed the seas for so long, he felt it would be better to find a navigator first. 

"Where should I look? Put out a recruitment notice? But I don't have much fame right now, so I probably won't be able to recruit anyone!" 

This made Yoru a bit troubled. 

"It seems, before I can recruit a suitable navigator, I need to make a name for myself!" 

"Alright, it's decided! Gecko Moria, you're the one! I'll defeat you to make my name known!" 

How to quickly make a name for yourself on the high seas? Of course, by defeating a Shichibukai! This is the simplest, fastest, and easiest thing to do. 

"Alright, let's do it that way!" 

Having made up his mind, Yoru began heading towards the nearest bounty station. He didn't know the exact location of Moria's Thriller Bark, so he needed to find the specific location from a bounty station. 

But... 

Sometimes unexpected surprises arrive so suddenly! 

"Ara ara, I finally found you, young man!" 

On this day, as Yoru was still sailing across the vast sea, he suddenly noticed the ocean ahead was frozen. A man riding a bicycle lazily appeared before him. 

Seeing this man, Yoru's pupils shrank. 

"Admiral Aokiji!!!" 

His whole body's muscles tensed up violently! This man was someone Yoru might not even be able to defeat at his peak, let alone in his current weak state. This was a very dangerous enemy! 

"Oh, you know me? Interesting!" 

The man on the bicycle was naturally Aokiji. He looked at Yoru, "I have something I'd like to discuss with you. Let's see if you'll agree!" 

Chapter 369: Becoming a Shichibukai 

Yoru put his hand on his sword. "What do you want to discuss with me?" 

Seeing how cautious Yoru was, Aokiji waved a hand. "Well, you don't need to be so tense!" He pulled a document from his coat and tossed it to Yoru. "This is a Shichibukai invitation. We'd like to invite you to become one of the new Shichibukai. What do you say?" 

Taking the document, Yoru scanned the words in black and white, then saw Fleet Admiral Sengoku's signature at the bottom. His wary stance eased just a little. 

"Invite me to become a Shichibukai?" 

For a moment, Yoru felt like he was dreaming. Then, a smile couldn't help but spread across his face. How's that for timing?! He was just racking his brain trying to figure out how to make a name for himself, and this chance just landed in his lap! Honestly, between taking down a Shichibukai and becoming one himself, there wasn't really much practical difference in terms of getting noticed. 

"Becoming a Shichibukai, huh?" Yoru tucked the document away, looking at Aokiji. His eyes started to glow. "Alright, I can do that. But, I have one condition!" 

Aokiji's eyebrow twitched slightly when he heard that. "A condition?" 

"I need the training method for Haki!" 

"And of course, if you could spar with me for a bit, that would be even better!" Yoru glanced at the Reinforcement Points displayed on the screen in front of him for fighting Aokiji... he nearly started drooling. 

Fighting Fire Fist Ace for a round: 500,000 Reinforcement Points! Fighting Aokiji for a round: 700,000 Reinforcement Points! 

"Oh, fight me for a round? And you want the training method for Haki?" Aokiji looked at Yoru with a bit of surprise too. This guy's requests were pretty weird! 

"Sorry, I can't give you the Haki training method. But sparring with you for a bit... yeah, I think I can do that. Actually, I'm a little curious about you myself, and the Fleet Admiral told me to test your abilities anyway." 

"So, how do you want to fight?" Aokiji asked, looking completely relaxed and composed. 

"Why, a direct fight, of course!" The moment the words left his mouth, Yoru stomped hard and surged towards Aokiji, drawing his sword and unleashing a chilling slash of sword energy. 

"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" 

Aokiji didn't dodge or move, letting himself be cut into several pieces. 

But Yoru didn't feel any joy whatsoever. Watching the pieces of Aokiji turn into ice and then continue to freeze the sea, he shook his head helplessly. "Without Haki, dealing with you Logia types is seriously a pain in the neck! Alright, guess I'll just use my ability to fight you then!" With a look of resignation, Yoru put away his long sword. Flames erupted from his body, feathers began to float around, and his form slowly started to shift. 

"Screeeech!" 

Finally, with a sharp shriek, Yoru transformed into a gigantic fire phoenix. He spread his wings and dove straight towards Aokiji, who was reforming. 

"Phoenix Fire Feather!" Yoru flapped his wings, and fiery feathers burning with intense heat shot out towards Aokiji like cannonballs. 

"A Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit user, huh? Interesting ability!" A hint of interest appeared in Aokiji's eyes as he looked at Yoru, now transformed into a fire phoenix. 

"Blast of Cold Air!" Facing the incoming scorching fire feathers, a terrifyingly cold aura erupted around Aokiji. The feathers were instantly frozen solid and fell to the sea. The chilling power didn't fade; it continued to spread out, engulfing Yoru. Yoru felt the flames on his body instantly dim considerably. A terrifying suppressive force bore down on him, making him feel like his muscles were seizing up on his own. 

"Just as expected of an Admiral! His control over his ability is seriously beyond anything normal!" Thinking about how easily Aokiji controlled his power, Yoru gained a new appreciation for the Admiral's strength. No wonder in the original story, he could instantly freeze even terrifying stuff like magma, which is over a thousand degrees! His phoenix flames were already over four hundred degrees Celsius, a seriously powerful temperature, but in front of Aokiji, they were completely powerless, totally suppressed. 

He immediately shot upwards into the sky to dodge the cold, but when he glanced back at Aokiji, his pupils shrank. Aokiji was already gone. 

"I'm right here!" Aokiji's voice came from directly above Yoru. Looking up, he saw Aokiji floating there, looking as lazy as ever, reaching out a palm crackling with freezing energy. 

Yoru flinched back instinctively, unfolding his fiery wings to shield himself. 

"Snap!" 

Yoru's wings were instantly frozen solid, and a terrifyingly cold shudder ran through him. 

"Looks like this is as far as you go, kid!" Aokiji pressed his hand against Yoru's body, and the ice continued to spread. 

"This is as far as I go? Not a chance!" 

"Phoenix Flames, BLAZE UP!" Yoru roared, and the temperature of the flames covering his body shot up dramatically. The ice coating him instantly let out loud cracking sounds before shattering. Even more powerful flames lashed out towards Aokiji. 

Aokiji's eyebrow twitched in slight surprise, and with a flicker, he vanished from the air. 

"Looks like the Fleet Admiral had a reason for picking you to be a Shichibukai. You definitely have some real power!" Aokiji reappeared on the ground, looking at Yoru still diving towards him, and said knowingly. 

"Phoenix Meteor Kill!" Facing Yoru, who was descending like a meteor, Aokiji waved his hand and sent out a massive ice bird. Fire and ice collided head-on. 

"Boom!" 

The air exploded violently, releasing powerful shockwaves. Scorching heat spread outwards, shattering large sections of the thick ice covering the sea surface. 

"Screeeech!" 

But Aokiji's ice bird easily tore through Yoru's defense and slammed directly into him. 

"Thud!" 

If getting hit by Fire Fist Ace back then felt like being smacked by a galloping horse, getting hit just now felt like being struck by a meteor. The terrifying force hit him so hard, he could hear his bones cracking. He coughed up a mouthful of blood with a pained cry, and a layer of frost instantly froze on his chest. Any big movement would just make the injury worse. 

"Cough cough!" Yoru made a rough landing on the icy surface, coughing a couple of times and clutching his chest as he looked at Aokiji. "Just as expected of a Marine Admiral! My current level... it's still way too far below yours!" 

"You held your own!" Aokiji lazily scratched his head when he heard that. "Alright then, guess that's it! The Shichibukai position is yours, kid. Do a good job out there. I hope the day I have to personally come and arrest you never comes!" 

Yoru grinned when he heard that. "I'm pretty sure that day won't come. But hey, if it does, I guess that'd be interesting too!" 

At that moment, the system's voice echoed in his mind: "Ding! You engaged in an incomplete battle with Marine Admiral Aokiji. The reward has been discounted. Final Reinforcement Points gained: 250,000!" 

He felt a little bummed about the discount, but hey, something is better than nothing! 

Chapter 370: Besieged 

"Interesting. See you around then. I'm sure it won't be long before you get an invitation for the Shichibukai gathering!" 

Aokiji stepped onto his bicycle and headed back the way he came. Maybe only he, with a Devil Fruit user's body, would dare to travel so casually across the open sea. That ability to freeze anything is truly terrifying! 

"Though, having the Shichibukai title will make it easier to recruit a navigator!" 

"Alright, in that case, I'll post a recruitment notice right away!" 

One of the benefits of being a Zoan user is incredibly fast recovery. Yoru felt like the injuries he'd just sustained were already mostly healed! 

... 

"New Shichibukai, 'Lightning Killer' Yoru officially becomes one of the World's Three Great Powers!" 

The next day, the news of Yoru becoming a Shichibukai spread across the world through the newspapers. 

"He's just a young punk! This kid can actually become a Shichibukai? The Marines must really be scraping the bottom of the barrel!" 

"Pfft, this kind of kid becoming a Shichibukai? What kind of deterrent could he possibly have?" 

"Hahaha, everyone, let's go meet this new Shichibukai and see what he's made of!" 

Other Shichibukai were somewhat acknowledged and their strength feared by pirates in the first half of the Grand Line. But this unknown kid, Yoru, becoming a Shichibukai? What a joke! 

Well, since that's the case, they might as well go and 'meet' Yoru properly. If Yoru wasn't up to par, then they'd just take the position for themselves! After all, there were plenty of pirates coveting the Shichibukai position in the first half of the Grand Line. 

And so, a group of pirates suddenly appeared in the first half of the Grand Line, holding newspapers with Yoru's face on them, searching the vast sea for him! They wanted to see if Yoru had the qualifications. 

Even more coincidentally, at this time, the news of Yoru recruiting a navigator also spread. 

"Hahaha, excellent!" 

"Now I don't have to go through the trouble of looking for you. Foolious Island, huh? Hehe, just wait, Yoru, your grandpa is coming to take your dog life!" 

"Foolious Island, setting sail!" 

"Hehehe, welcome your doomsday, Yoru. If your strength is enough, fine, but if it's not, then I'll just have to take your place!" 

A group of pirates all changed course and headed towards Foolious Island, an island located about a hundred nautical miles from the Alabasta Kingdom. 

And the reason Yoru chose this island as a recruitment point was simple. Because this island had plenty of food and water. 

A certain sea area in the first half of the Grand Line! 

"Yoru, huh? Hehehe, interesting. Maybe we should go watch the show!" 

On a certain crimson pirate ship, a man with blood-red spiky hair, wearing a coat, baggy pants, goggles on his head, a punk metal style, and an arrogant look on his face, grinned. 

Bounty of 315,000,000 Berries, known as 'Captain' Eustass Kid! And his pirate crew, the Kid Pirates! 

... 

Two hundred nautical miles off the coast of Foolious Island. 

"A battle between 'Lightning Killer' and various powerhouses, huh? Perhaps it's worth seeing!" 

On a pirate ship with a strange design, a gloomy young man wearing a spotted circular hat, carrying a long sword, a glint flashed in his eyes as he said to the person behind him, "Bepo, let's go take a look!" 

Bounty of 200,000,000 Berries, known as the 'Surgeon of Death' Trafalgar Law! And his Heart Pirates! 

... 

At this moment, even more pirates were heading towards Foolious Island on the high seas. Some were there to apply to be a navigator, some were there to watch the excitement, but even more were there to challenge Yoru! A grand feast was about to slowly begin! 

And at this moment, in the first half of the Grand Line, on Banaro Island. 

"Oh dear, Teach, someone took your Shichibukai position, huh?" 

A sickly-looking old man wearing a hat, riding an equally sickly-looking skinny horse, said with a voice full of戏谑 (xì xuè - mockery/playfulness). 

And in front of him sat a man as fat as a barrel, dressed in black, with missing teeth, looking like a formidable figure, with several pistols tucked into his waist. 

"Zehahaha, Doc Q, it's too early to say that!" 

Hearing this, the barrel-like man burst into laughter, his face showing no fear. "We're comrades, isn't it a bit much to mock me like that!" 

The sickly old man didn't answer. 

The man with a waist as thick as a barrel said again, "Something I, Blackbeard, set my sights on never goes wrong. The Shichibukai position will definitely be mine. 'Lightning Killer' can't take it away!" 

"Don't worry, this position will be mine soon!" 

So, this barrel-thick man was Blackbeard, the future Yonko, a formidable figure who would rule the New World. The identity of the sickly old man was also very clear! One of the future Blackbeard Pirates, serving as the doctor, Doc Q! 

"Wehahaha, so, that means there's a fight to be had, right!" 

Next to Blackbeard, a man with a huge, strong upper body, wearing a hood, and a champion's belt around his waist, raised his arms and shouted excitedly. 'Champion' Jesus Burgess! 

Newest Novel first published on six9shu!! 

"Zehahaha, that will definitely be a very interesting fight!" 

Blackbeard raised his hands and laughed excitedly. 

Here with Yoru. 

"Enhancement complete. Congratulations to the host for successfully enhancing the Devil Fruit to Intermediate level. You have gained the ability to switch between Phoenix Form and Human Form, and gained the skill: Phoenix Feather Slash!" 

"Congratulations to the host for having physical attributes increased again. Phoenix Flame temperature has increased by 200 degrees!" 

After the enhancement finished, Yoru felt an unprecedented improvement and power. 

[Attribute Panel] Host: Yoru Age: 19 (Body age, not soul age) Tori Tori no Mi, Phoenix Form: Intermediate (5/100) Swordsmanship: Lv3 (Flash) Skills: Phoenix Fire Feathers, Phoenix Meteor Kill, Phoenix Feather Slash, Human Form Weapon: Powang () Enhancement Points: 0.9w Dimension: One Piece Body Attributes: Strength: 105 (Normal person 5) Speed: 60 (Normal person 5) Agility: 55 (Normal person 5) Stamina: 105 (Normal person 5) Defense: 100 (Normal person 5) Strength Level: 52 (Marine Admiral 95) 

... 

"Finally, I'm close to having a 'passing grade' level of strength!" 

In the world of One Piece, a 'passing grade' of strength is considered Giant Vice Admiral level. Converted into Strength Level value, that's 55! Yoru's current strength is probably equivalent to Straw Hat Luffy's strength after fighting Rob Lucci. Around a 300 million Berry bounty level! 

... 

"So, now I just wait for a navigator to show up!" Yoru thought to himself happily. 

However, unfortunately! 

He waited and waited, but what finally arrived wasn't a navigator! 

It was...