Symbol of the Era

"Goodbye."

Three days later, Hachi and Nami boarded the ship. Ace stood by the harbor, smiling and waving, "Nami, your injuries haven't fully healed yet, so please be careful."

Nami nodded and said, "I understand."

Ace then said, "Hachi, protect Nami, and go find Jinbe first."

"I will."

Hachi said seriously.

Nami hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Should I ask Dad..."

"Need not."

Ace shook his head and then said, "I will go back in four years."

"Then let's do as you say."

Nami nodded and stopped trying to say anything.

The ship slowly started up and sailed into the distance, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

"Ace, hurry up."

Behind him stood a tall woman who said impatiently, "It's almost time to gather."

"Good."

Ace followed Cecilia into the distance, arriving at a courtyard deep within the deserted island.

By this time, the courtyard had already gathered many people, including Ace, Mr. 2 Bon Clay, Heckle, Alken, Cecilia, and Mr. Christmas.

In the Drum Kingdom, Zala is only three days away from her coronation ceremony.

Vivi remained by Lucci's side, responsible for their safety.

"What does the president want with us this time?" Mr. 2 Bon Clay asked, puzzled.

"Will the president appear before us this time?" Alken asked expectantly.

"It seems like only the two of you don't know who the president is," Mr. Christmas said with a smile.

Alken asked with some surprise, "Have you all met who the president is?"

"I'm sure it's not just us, but you guys have seen it too."

Cecilia smiled and said, "President, you've already appeared in front of us."

"Really? Of all the people I've met, who could be the president?" Mr. 2 Bon Clay was completely bewildered.

But at that moment, a loud noise came from afar, and with the sound, Xia Qiu slowly walked in front of everyone.

"Some of you know me, and some of you don't. Let me introduce myself."

Xia Qiu slowly opened his mouth and said, "I am Mr. 0, the president of Baroque Works."

"Why?"

Mr. 2 Bon Clay and Alken both exclaimed in unison, their expressions filled with disbelief.

But after a moment, Alken looked at the people around him and asked in surprise, "You don't seem very surprised. Did you already know?"

"When we found out, we were just as surprised as you were," Mr. Christmas said with a smile.

"So you're the president. I feel like I've seen you before." Mr. 2 Bon Clay looked somewhat surprised as he recalled the Giant Beast that accompanied Robin.

"Stop talking nonsense."

Xia Qiu looked around at the people around him, and then said, "I no longer need to hide my identity. I am revealing it to you today to ask if you are willing to continue to be loyal to me?"

"Certainly."

Cecilia said lazily, "Following the president will make me stronger, and I'll also have formidable opponents. I will be loyal to the president."

Heckle said respectfully, "My Devil Fruit ability was given to me by you, President, and you have also made me stronger. I will serve you loyally."

"My fruits and weapons were all given to me by you, so of course I won't leave Baroque Works," Mr. Christmas said with a smile. "Besides, I've always wanted to know just how far Baroque Works can go."

"All right."

Alken scratched his head and said, "Although it was a bit of a surprise, President, you have been kind to me, and I am willing to continue to serve you."

"And you?"

Xia Qiu looked at Mr. 2 Bon Clay, who smiled and said, "I have no objection. You are Robin's partner, so naturally you are my partner as well."

Xia Qiu nodded and said, "In that case, everything will remain the same. However, today I want to introduce a new member to everyone. He is Mr. 1 of our Baroque Works. He will be fighting alongside us for the next four years. You should all know who he is."

"Fire Fist Ace, the second division commander of Whitebeard's army, with a bounty of over 500 million."

Xia Qiu looked at Ace, who stepped forward and adjusted his hat.

"Although I knew about this a long time ago, I still can't quite believe it." He shook his head when he saw this scene on Mr. Christmas.

"Fire Fist Ace once fought Jinbe, who was also a Shichibukai, for five days and five nights to a draw, and then joined the Whitebeard Pirates." Heckle exclaimed, "I never thought we would become colleagues."

The fact that a powerful figure of the Shichibukai had joined this organization surprised everyone. But with such a strong person, Baroque Works will only become stronger.

"Alright."

Xia Qiu's voice came over, and he looked at everyone and said, "This time I have gathered everyone together. Perhaps some people do not accept me as the president of the club and do not think I have the ability to lead everyone."

Upon hearing this, everyone raised their heads slightly and looked at Xia Qiu.

Xia Qiu looked at everyone and said with a smile, "Then I'll give you a chance to challenge me. Whatever you do, I won't hold you accountable for what you did today."

"This..."

They may have such thoughts in their hearts, but they dare not put them into practice or admit them.

But at this moment, Heckle stepped forward and said, "President, I sparred with you three years ago and one year ago. Although I lost both times, I am stronger now than before. I would like to test my strength against you. Is that alright?"

"Of course," Xia Qiu nodded with a smile.

"Then please, Your subordinate, show no disrespect."

After saying this, Heckle stomped his feet on the ground and suddenly appeared twenty or thirty meters in the air. He was upside down, raised his arms, bulged them out, and leaped down.

Ten-Ton Steel Fist.

As he spoke, his body plummeted, crashing down on Xia Qiu's head, but Xia Qiu did not make a move.

boom.

Heckle's fists slammed into Xia Qiu's ramming horn with a deafening sound that sent a shiver down everyone's spine.

After a brief pause, a Shockwave spread outwards in all directions.

Click, click.

The surrounding walls shattered with a deafening roar, turning into rubble that crashed to the ground.

"What immense power."

Ace clicked his tongue slightly at the sight.

The power contained in Heckle's strike was immense, even he could not match it.

Of course, this move requires Heckle to first exert force with his arms, then his body to explode, and finally use the power of his Devil Fruit, making it a triple explosion.

In terms of pure physical attributes, Ace was a whole level above Heckle.

Moreover, this attack requires charging up, leaving too many openings, and the move is easy to predict. If you don't find the right moment to attack, this move is of little use.

Even so, such immense power is already commendable.

However, the blow landed on Xia Qiu's head but failed to achieve its intended purpose.

Xia Qiu did not retaliate, but took the blow head-on.

Bang.

Heckle was sent flying backward and landed some distance away. His arms swelled up at a visible speed, even after he had neutralized the force.

"This..."

Seeing this, everyone clicked their tongues in amazement. Xia Qiu was completely unharmed in the face of this attack.

Not only that, he didn't retaliate at all, but simply took the blow head-on.

In reality, Xia Qiu used Armament Haki, but instead of injecting it into any part of his body, he formed an invisible armor near his head.

Heckle's attack struck with Haki, unable to penetrate the defense, and was directly deflected. Even with the power mitigated, he still suffered significant damage.

"Even Heckle couldn't hurt the president," Alken said. "It seems I can't either."

He is the owner of the Bomb-Bomb Fruit, and the destructive power of his explosions is no less than that of Heckle, but his strength and the burst of power are much weaker.

"President, may I give it a try?"

Mr. Christmas asked with a grin, "Use my Door-Door Devil Fruit ability?"

"Of course." Xia Qiu nodded gently.

"Here I come."

On Mr. Christmas, she reached out and pulled, and an Air Door opened. She stepped inside and disappeared into the space.

"A very peculiar ability."

Ace was somewhat surprised to see this; such an ability was indeed perfect for assassination.

Mr. Christmas disappeared, and then suddenly a figure appeared between Xia Qiu's first and second legs on the right side, reaching out his right hand to touch Xia Qiu's side.

Mr. Christmas hoped to use Door-Door Fruit to change Xia Qiu's body, but to no avail.

The anticipated changes did not occur.

"Even my abilities were useless."

Mr. Christmas can open doors on any object, but it didn't work on the company president, which shocked her greatly.

"Is there anyone else who wants to try?"

Xia Qiu looked around.

"With our strength, we can't possibly hurt the president," Cecilia said, shaking her head. "But the president has a weakness."

"Drawbacks?" Xia Qiu looked at Cecilia curiously.

Cecilia laughed and said, "That's speed. I believe that neither I nor the president, Heckle, can match our speed."

"Speed?"

Xia Qiu nodded, then smiled and said, "Let's give it a try."

"Do you want to have a speed contest with me?" Cecilia, somewhat surprised.

Xia Qiu shifted her body slightly, turning to face them sideways, and said, "Let's have a match here."

"All right."

Cecilia walked to Xia Qiu's side, not to his head, but to stand in front of his first pair of legs, but also in front of Xia Qiu's front half.

"Here I come."

Cecilia suddenly transformed into a half-beast, her two powerful bird legs gripping the ground tightly. She confidently declared, "President, I will only use the Devil Fruit's power; I will not use Shave."

"Good."

Xia Qiu nodded, and the next moment, Cecilia had already sprinted forward, turning into a blur as she continued flying ahead.

But she had run less than twenty meters when the wind suddenly picked up.

boom.

A huge figure swept past him, stood side by side, and then crashed heavily to the ground, filling the air with smoke.

"Is this shaving?"

Cecilia looked somewhat surprised and stopped what she was doing. She was standing right where Cecilia had been.

Not only that, everyone around was also incredibly shocked by what they saw.

Throughout the Baroque Works, Cecilia represents speed, and many people believe she is the fastest.

But now it seems he's even slower than the president.

"President, you've already mastered shaving?" Heckle couldn't help but ask.

"That's right."

Xia Qiu said with a smile, "I recently mastered the art of shaving."

After Xia Qiu devoured Blackbeard and four crew members, he gained Reinforcement Energy equivalent to that of a Vice Admiral and a half, further strengthening his body. The strength of his legs now surpassed that of Vice Admiral's legs and arms.

He can now stomp ten times in an instant because he has been familiar with the shaving motion for over a month.

Therefore, once he met the requirements, he mastered shaving in just half a month.

He was even faster than Cecilia.

Cecilia's running speed in her orc form is slightly slower than Shave's, but not by much, around 25 meters per second.

The power generated by shaving in Xia Qiu, due to the length of the body, the length of the legs, and the distance between the legs, propels the body forward, allowing it to traverse the length of its own body.

In Xia Qiu, one use of Shave can advance about fifty to sixty meters, which is almost twice that of Cecilia.

In terms of linear speed, few can match him.

However, the problems are also obvious.

It has poor flexibility, travels relatively fast in a straight line, but is difficult to change direction midway.

It's difficult to dodge enemy attacks at the same time; it's easier for the enemy to attack you.

Secondly, physical exertion makes it difficult to maintain a regular fighting style.

Moreover, the ratio is not high. Its body length is close to sixty meters, and the distance it can travel is also the same, only sixty meters per second.

If the ratio could be increased to three or four times the body length, then its practicality would increase even further.

But regardless, the pace of Xia Qiu quickened considerably.

My original running speed was about 30 meters per second, but now it can double, which greatly increases my combat power.

The main focus going forward is to continue strengthening myself. After breaking through the frequency limit, the next step is to accumulate power so that I can leap further each time.

But regardless, with the shave, his battles became much easier.

"Is there anyone else who wants to have a match with me?" Xia Qiu asked, looking at the crowd.

Cecilia sighed and said, "We are not as good as you in any of the things we are good at; the gap in strength is too big."

Xia Qiu looked at Ace and asked, "And what about you?"

"I'll pass."

Ace laughed and said, "If we were to settle this with a decisive victory, it would be too much of a commotion. Besides, no matter what, I will remain loyal to the president for four years."

"That's good."

Xia Qiu glanced at everyone and said softly, "From today onwards, you must all work diligently. I will not treat you unfairly. But if anyone has any disloyal intentions..."

As Xia Qiu finished speaking, they suddenly felt a powerful aura rushing towards them.

boom.

Everyone shuddered, feeling as if their breath had stopped, the air had frozen, and a giant hand was reaching for their hearts.

On Mr. Christmas, when his physical condition was at its worst, he swayed and collapsed to the ground.

"This is?"

Ace showed no sign of surprise as he looked at Xia Qiu.

How is that possible!

"Cecilia is going back to the casino. Alken and Mr. Christmas are heading to the Drum Kingdom. Bon Clay has a mission for you. Ace and Heckle, you two are coming with me."

Xia Qiu issued a series of orders, and in the afternoon, Xia Qiu and Ais Heckler returned to Island Number Two, the island where Lucci was imprisoned.

"So, President, you captured CP9 and obtained the Six Powers from them?" Ace asked Roach, somewhat surprised.

Xia Qiu nodded and said, "That's right."

"Rob Lucci, the strongest member of CP9 in eight hundred years."

Looking at the person in the cage, Ace couldn't help but say, "You haven't appeared in front of everyone for a long time, but I never expected to become a prisoner."

Lucci said coldly, "I never expected that Ace, the second division commander of Whitebeard, would become a subordinate of a Giant Beast."

Ace smiled and said, "He saved my life and my companions' lives, so of course I have to repay him."

"Yeah?"

Lucci narrowed his eyes, not expecting this to be the case. However, with Ace joining Baroque Works had already surpassed some of the Shichibukai' forces.

Lucci said coldly, "But you're stronger than him, aren't you? Are you willing to be just a subordinate?"

"I don't mind serving my benefactor."

Ace laughed and said, "As for strength? I can't defeat him. His home turf is the sea, and he also knows Armament Haki. Even if I could beat him, he could easily enter the sea."

Although Xia Qiu possesses Shave and Armament Haki, he lacks agility, and secondly, his Haki has limitations.

As long as they can wear each other down over a long distance, it's not impossible to defeat Xia Qiu.

Ace and Jinbe fought for five days and five nights. Although Jinbe was at a disadvantage on land, Ace's ability could neutralize Jinbe's Armament Haki.

Therefore, in terms of overall strength, Xia Qiu is somewhat behind Ace.

However, Xia Qiu's home turf is in the sea, where Ace is no match. Even if they fought on land, Xia Qiu could defend himself with Armament Haki and use Shave to escape into the sea.

Xia Qiu is currently undefeated against Ace.

Xia Qiu asked curiously, "Ace, don't you know Armament Haki?"

"Won't."

Ace shook his head and said, "For the past two years, I've been developing my Devil Fruit ability, but I'm almost there. Now I can focus on Haki."

"So that's how it is."

Xia Qiu nodded. Ace had only been at sea for three years. He obtained the fruit in the first year and fought to a draw with Jinbe at the end of the year.

The next two years will be dedicated to developing the Devil Fruit ability.

Like Lucci, he focused on physical skills, honed the Six Powers, and spent five years on missions without developing Armament Haki.

If we focus our efforts on it, we can definitely finish it within two years.

Ace asked curiously, "But I'm curious, how did you learn Haki, President? You used Armament Haki to defend against attacks, right? If there are no surprises, you used Observation Haki against Mr. Christmas. The last one to appear was undoubtedly Conqueror's Haki. It's impossible for Giant Beast to learn Haki, so how could Conqueror's Haki appear in a pure beast?"

The first two cases didn't shock Ace as much.

The most terrifying thing is Conqueror's Haki. Only those with the qualities of a king can possess Conqueror's Haki. So what kind of kingly qualities does it have?

"Observation Haki and Conqueror's Haki? Are you kidding me, Ace?" Lucci asked, his face full of surprise.

Xia Qiu said with a smile, "Although you haven't seen it, there's no evidence that only humans can do it, right?"

Observation Haki and Armament Haki are obtained by absorbing other abilities, while Conqueror's Haki something one naturally possesses, but once used, it cannot be sensed or actively controlled.

Only after eating Blackbeard did he feel the Conqueror's Haki, which gathered in every part of his body like Firefly.

When you gather Firefly, an invisible force will be released around your body.

"What the president said is not wrong."

Ace nodded, then looked at Xia Qiu and asked, "What I'm curious about is, what exactly does the president plan to do? Mastering the Three Types of Haki, learning the Six Powers, gathering subordinates, and building a massive organization—what is the president's purpose?"

"Purpose?"

Hearing this, Xia Qiu laughed heartily, then asked in return, "Ace, let me ask you something: whose era is this now?"

"Whose era?" Ace was slightly taken aback.

Xia Qiu said, "Twenty-two years ago, Roger's death ushered in the Great Age of Pirates. He obtained the One Piece and spread the news with his death, causing many heroes to rise up, turning it into a one-man show for him. So now, who can still rule an era?"

Ace thought for a moment and said, "Dad is the closest person to me."

Xia Qiu said with a smile, "Whitebeard is old, his body is decaying, he is no longer young, and he can no longer support an era."

Ace retorted, "But he has us, and we'll help him do that."

"Yeah?"

Xia Qiu shook his head and chuckled, "Your desire for him to obtain the One Piece and become the One Piece is merely manipulating his will. Moreover, with the balance between the Shichibukai, the Navy, and the Four Emperors, and with the checks and balances among the Four Emperors, he has already lost his chance to reach the top."

If it weren't for his involvement, Whitebeard would indeed have ushered in a new era. He would have continued the Great Age of Pirates with a world-shaking war, his own death, and the proclaiming of the One Piece.

The current era has been given the name of Whitebeard.

But now, Whitebeard's fame remains illustrious, though he is now just one of many legends; he is unique, yet his glory can never be surpassed.

Ace looked at Xia Qiu and asked, "So, who does the president think this era belongs to?"

"Ace, why do you think this era belongs to 'humans'?" Xia Qiu looked at Ace with a mocking smile on her face.

Ace immediately realized what was happening and looked at Xia Qiu in surprise, "You mean..."

"You..."

Lucci's expression turned serious, but there was still a hint of disbelief.

Heckle guessed what Xia Qiu meant, but his expression became somewhat fanatical.

"That's right."

Xia Qiu said loudly, "I want this era to bear my name, for history to etch my existence, and for everyone to tremble at the mere mention of my name."

Since we've come into this world, how can we die penniless and unknown?

To get involved in history, to change history, to become history.

Ultimately, it became Symbol of the Era.

This is the ultimate goal of Xia Qiu!

Ace and Lucci stared blankly at Xia Qiu, never expecting him to have such great ambitions.

They subconsciously thought it was impossible, but they discovered that possessing intelligence comparable to humans, being able to speak, knowing the Six Powers, mastering the Three Types of Haki, and creating a powerful organization were almost impossible.

He has turned too many impossibilities into possibilities.

So how could his idea have no hope of being realized?

Six thousand words, this is the only chapter for today.