Old Acquaintances (3)

Zoro's childhood dream was to become the World's Greatest Swordsman. To achieve this dream, he practiced swordsmanship diligently from a young age, braving all kinds of weather, until he set sail at the age of eighteen. After setting sail, he continued to challenge others, and due to his madness and bravery, he became somewhat famous in the East Blue.

When people mention Three-Sword Style swordsmen, they naturally think of Zoro.

However, Zoro was not satisfied with these things, because he always wanted to defeat one person: Hawk-Eye, who was recognized as the greatest swordsman in the world.

To become the greatest swordsman, he had to challenge him. However, that person's whereabouts were unpredictable, so he had to search for him everywhere. Wherever there was news of him, he would rush there immediately. No matter how far, he would not give up.

Now, hearing from Johnny that Hawk-Eye had been spotted in Baratie's area, he was naturally excited. If he went there, he might finally meet the man he had always wanted to challenge.

"Brother Zoro, how could I lie to you? Ever since you told us about your dream last time, we've been gathering information for you. This is what we've found out recently," Johnny said confidently.

"That's good, that's good." Zoro was overjoyed upon hearing this. Then, he looked at Straw Hat Luffy and said, "Captain, could you speed things up a bit? I need to go to Baratie; there's someone I need to see there."

"Who is he?!" Straw Hat Luffy asked curiously. He was very curious because it was the first time he had ever seen Zoro so out of control; that person must not be an ordinary person.

"Don't worry about it, you won't be interested," Zoro said with a smile. He didn't say more, because he didn't want others to know too much.

"Alright then, after we finish eating, let's go full speed ahead and head towards Baratie." Nodding, Straw Hat Luffy agreed.

"Thank you, Captain." Zoro nodded, then picked up his spoon and began to eat seriously. After finishing his meal, he immediately returned to his room to train. He was very excited and his mind was racing. He planned to immerse himself in training so that he could calm down.

After finishing their lunch, Straw Hat Luffy and his crew immediately returned to their ship. They then anchored, adjusted their course, and set sail at full speed towards the waters where Baratie was located.

Ren Fang brought the nutritious soup to Fanxin's bedroom. She was about to use her hand to feel for Fan Fanxin's mouth. Because she couldn't see Fanxin, she had to rely on her senses. She was going to feed the soup to Fanxin, but it would be difficult for her if she couldn't find Fanxin's mouth.

"No need, I can do it myself." Just as Ren Fang was about to make a move, a familiar voice entered her ears.

Upon hearing this, Ren Fang was overjoyed and exclaimed, "Fanxin, you're all better!"

Fanxin was still unconscious yesterday, and she thought Fanxin would remain unconscious for a long time. She didn't expect Fanxin to wake up so quickly.

She was very happy, because this way she wouldn't need to come and serve Fanxin every day and night. She couldn't see Fanxin's body, making it very difficult to take care of him.

"Yes, I've recovered. I've merged with the Soul Tower of my Soul Clan, which contains a large amount of Soul Power. After I absorbed it, my Soul Power slowly replenished." Fanxin nodded and said with a smile.

The Soul Tower, or the Tower of Souls, is filled with Soul Power and is the treasure of the Soul Clan. Generally, members of the Soul Clan would enshrine it in their Soul Clan hall. However, now that the Soul Clan has been destroyed, their ancestral hall has been ruined.

He no longer needed to support it, so he merged the Soul Tower with his own soul. In this way, he wouldn't miss anything. At the same time, if his Soul Power was depleted too much, he could completely absorb Soul Power from the Soul Tower to replenish himself.

"That's good. You can drink this nutritious soup yourself! It's really inconvenient for me to not be able to see you." Ren Fang nodded and placed the soup in front of Fanxin. Fanxin Xin immediately took it and drank it all.

"When are you planning to go find a physical body? It's so inconvenient that you're always in this state. We don't even know where you are. It's kind of scary!" Ren Fang said with a smile.

Fanxin's appearance is indeed somewhat frightening. If someone who doesn't know the truth saw something moving beside them, they would definitely think they had encountered a ghost.

"Let's search for it after we enter the Grand Line! I heard there's a very good body there, perfect for me." Fanxin smiled at the tree hollow.

The Giant Dragon told him the news, which puzzled him greatly. The Giant Dragon had always been inside him, so how could it know about the Grand Line? He asked several times, but the Giant Dragon refused to tell him, so he had to give up.

"Oh, okay then. You're feeling weak, so get some rest!" Ren Fang nodded, picked up her bowl and chopsticks, and left Fanxin's bedroom.

Fanxin lay in bed, but he wasn't asleep, because he had slept for a long time and was no longer sleepy.

"Hey, Giant Dragon, what preparations do I need to make before I find a physical body?" Fanxin pondered for a moment, and then the Giant Dragon living in the Soul Tower asked.

He wanted to prepare in advance so that once he found a physical body, he could directly merge with it.

"You just need to master the Blood King's abilities. That way, after you merge with that body, you'll be able to transform into a human form in the shortest amount of time," the Giant Dragon said calmly.

"Transformed into human form? Could it be the body of a wild beast? No way!" Fanxin said with a strange expression upon hearing this.

He had assumed his physical body would become human, but upon hearing this, he hesitated. If he couldn't transform into a human, wouldn't he become a beast? He was a true human being!

"So what if they're beasts? As long as their bodies are tough enough, that's fine," the Giant Dragon said. "Now that you have the Blood King's power, you can completely transform your beastly body into a human form in a short time. If you didn't have the Blood King's power, you would indeed be in some trouble. But now that you have it, you have nothing to worry about."

"Oh, that's good." Fanxin breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. He pondered for a moment, then asked with a grin, "Hey, now that we don't have anything else to do, can you tell me properly what kind of body it was?"

"Sigh, why can't you be more patient? It's all yours anyway, there's no need to ask so many questions!" the Giant Dragon said helplessly.

"Since it's mine anyway, there's no harm in telling me. If that guy is particularly powerful, I can think of a countermeasure in advance!" Fanxin said, "You saw how long I fought the Blood King. If I had known about the Blood King's abilities earlier, I wouldn't have suffered so much."

He was bullied terribly by the Blood King, mainly because he didn't know anything about the Blood King. If he had known, he wouldn't have suffered so much. That's for sure.

"Sigh, what you said makes sense." The Giant Dragon pondered for a moment and said, "Alright, I'll tell you then! So we don't end up in a mess later."

Fanxin Xin nodded and listened attentively.

"The body I'm finding for you is that of a diamond being, a Diamond King who has lived for countless years. You must know how hard diamonds are. Therefore, its body is absolutely the best choice for you," the Giant Dragon said. "When we seize its body, it will definitely not surrender easily. So, a fierce battle is inevitable."

"Don't worry, I'll block all its attacks, and you can take advantage of the opening and infiltrate its mind. Its physical body is powerful, but its soul is quite weak. And the soul is your forte. So, taking down that guy shouldn't be too difficult. However, we can't be careless. That Diamond King has lived for a long time and has many descendants. If its descendants come to help, we'll be in trouble."

"Therefore, we must act swiftly and decisively. The intelligence of diamond beings is very low; you must seize control of the Diamond King's body as soon as possible, so that its offspring will not cause trouble."

"A diamond life form? Heh, that's interesting. Hey, Giant Dragon, after I take over its body, am I covered in diamonds?" Fanxin asked curiously.

"Hehe, diamond life forms don't mean they are diamonds. In fact, they are also flesh and blood life forms. It's just that when they encounter danger, they can release diamond-like armor to protect themselves. At the same time, their entire body can turn into diamonds in an instant. I don't know the principle behind this, but in short, their bodies are very powerful, which is definitely suitable for you," the Giant Dragon said.

"I see. That makes things easier for me. If they were all diamonds, I wouldn't be able to change their shape," Fanxin nodded and said.

"Alright, I've said what I needed to say. Now stop bothering me," the Giant Dragon said. After saying that, the Giant Dragon stopped talking and ignored Fanxin's calls.

Helpless, Fanxin had no choice but to stop asking.

Fanxin pondered for a while, then lay down on the bed and began to rest.

Time flies like an arrow, and five days passed in the blink of an eye. After five days of recuperation, Fanxin's soul and body had almost fully recovered. Fanxin left his bedroom and went for a walk outside. He had been feeling a bit stifled staying in the room for so many days.

Outside, everyone was playing on the deck, chatting and laughing, having a great time.

They were playing cards at the moment, divided into several tables.

Straw Hat Luffy, Zoro, Yosaku, and Johnny were at one table, while Ren Fang, Little Black Cat, Nami, and Langyue were at another. Fanxin Xin, bored, also came over to watch them play cards.

He came up behind Yosaku, sat down next to Yosaku, and helped Yosaku look at the cards. Yosaku thought that Nami from another table had moved against him from behind, since he and Nami were back to back.

However, no matter how many times he called out, Nami denied it was her. Yosaku was puzzled. He looked behind him and realized it wasn't Nami, because Nami was some distance away from him. Yet, his body was still pressed tightly against someone else.

Yosaku froze for a moment, then screamed, "Ah, a ghost! There's a ghost!"

Yosaku was terrified. He had no idea what a soul was, and the people on the ship had never told him. So, when he encountered this phenomenon, his first thought was that it was a ghost.

He threw down the cards in his hand and hid behind Zoro opposite him.

Zoro glanced at where Yosaku was and asked, "Hey, is that Fanxin?"

He had seen Fanxin's soul state before, so he wasn't afraid of Fanxin. Moreover, even if Fanxin were a ghost, he wouldn't be afraid, because he believed in his own strength.

"Yeah, hey, didn't you tell him? He was so scared." Fanxin Xin nodded in response.

"Sigh, it's not that we didn't want to tell him, it's just that he only recently woke up. He had scurvy and it took him five days to recover. We simply didn't have time to tell him!" Zoro said, then looked at Yosaku behind him and said, "Don't be afraid, he's a human, not a ghost. He's just in a somewhat unusual state right now."

Upon hearing this, Yosaku breathed a sigh of relief. If the person sitting opposite him had really been a ghost, he would have been scared to death.

"Hehe, I'm sorry, I thought you already knew," Fanxin said apologetically.

"It's nothing, but your condition is indeed strange. If an ordinary person saw you, they would be terrified." Yosaku waved his hand and said. He returned to his seat, picked up his cards, and continued playing cards with Zoro and the others.

"That's true, but I won't scare them," Fanxin said. "Besides, I'm going to find a physical body right now. Once I find one, I'll return to normal."

"Oh, I see. Well, I wish you success then." Yosaku nodded. Fanxin responded gratefully.

"Oh, right, Fanxin, you said you were going to find a physical body, when are you going?" Straw Hat Luffy asked curiously.

"I'll be there once we enter the Grand Line. Then we'll have to part ways. You'd better find a cook in advance, otherwise, don't blame me if you go hungry!" Fanxin said.

Straw Hat Luffy smiled and said, "We're going to find a chef now, don't worry! I'll definitely find a good one."

"Then I congratulate you in advance." Fanxin Xin nodded and said, "Oh, once you reach the Grand Line, please tell me your course so I can catch up with you from behind."

The Grand Line is an extremely dangerous place; without a navigator, he would have no chance of getting to the Marine Headquarters from there.

Therefore, he plans to reunite with Straw Hat Luffy after obtaining a physical body, and then, with Nami's help, rush to Marine Headquarters.

"No problem." Straw Hat Luffy nodded.

After receiving Luffy's affirmative answer, Fanxin stopped asking questions and joined in the game, waiting for Yosaku to play his card.

Soon after, Ren Fang had to cook. So, Fanxin took over Ren Fang's place and played cards with Nami, the Little Black Cat, and Langyue.