The Haze Dissipates

"Stop joking."

Genzo looked around, feeling ashamed, and said with a bitter smile, "These are all Fish-Men. What could I possibly do? Any one of them could swat me away with a single palm."

Speaking of which.

He had been cycling along the field ridges towards this direction earlier when he saw from afar that those who had landed were Fish-Men. His heart sank halfway.

He had read reports about these guys in the newspaper.

They were pirates who had once belonged to the Sun Pirates, coming from the Grand Line to the East Blue. Their strength was far beyond anything any East Blue pirate crew could match.

Who would have expected.

In less than twenty minutes after these Fish-Men landed, they had all turned into corpses.

Even though he had witnessed how exaggerated Xianuo's physical training was, it couldn't compare to the shock of witnessing firsthand the complete annihilation of these pirates from the Grand Line.

"Xianuo." Genzo sighed emotionally, "You're truly an absolute monster. It seems our Cocoyasi Village will finally have a remarkable figure emerge in the future."

"Is that so?"

Xianuo laughed heartily, stretched, and stood up.

"But right now, I just want to go home and get some good sleep. I'll leave the cleanup of this battlefield to you, Uncle."

Genzo nodded. Before he could say anything, his eyes suddenly widened as he looked behind Xianuo.

What was going on?

Xianuo followed his gaze and saw the sea not far away churning violently.

A large sea beast, covered in green spots and looking very much like a cow, emerged, staring blankly at the corpses scattered everywhere.

"MooMoo?"

He then remembered, wasn't this the sea beast kept by the Arlong Pirates?

Was it appearing now to avenge Arlong?

Xianuo grinned and jumped to the front of the deck. He was no longer the little kid who had to compromise when facing the King of the Near Sea.

MooMoo was several times larger than the King of the Near Sea, but with his current physical strength, it probably wouldn't even last one punch.

Moo--!

Unexpectedly, the next moment, MooMoo let out a joyful cry to the sky, spat a large mouthful of saliva at the Fish-Man corpses on the ground, and then bowed on its two front limbs towards Xianuo...

"Am I seeing things, Xianuo?" Genzo on the shore exclaimed in surprise. "Is that thing bowing to you in gratitude?"

It seemed so.

Xianuo was also taken aback by it, his clenched fist unsure whether to throw the punch.

But MooMoo didn't give him much room to think. It turned around, leaped, wagged its tail, and joyfully dove into the sea, disappearing in no time.

"This scene is a bit familiar."

Xianuo pinched his chin, lost in thought.

Is it possible that Shirahoshi is an imposter, and he is the real Sea King Poseidon of this generation?

Half an hour later.

Villagers began to arrive one after another to help clean up the battlefield at the pier.

When the children had brought the news of the pirates landing earlier, the villagers were in a panic. It was only after hearing that Xianuo had rushed over that they finally calmed down.

And Xianuo did not disappoint, single-handedly annihilating the entire pirate crew.

As for the excessively bloody scene near the pier...

No one thought it was too cruel. Everyone believed these pirates deserved their fate. If not for Xianuo, they might have been the ones lying in a pool of blood today!

Especially when Genzo called the surrounding villages and towns on the island to inquire about their situation.

He was shocked to learn that the neighboring Kesha Town had been completely destroyed by the Arlong Pirates. After most of the villagers were killed or injured, everyone, filled with righteous indignation, also felt a lingering fear and a sense of relief.

Fortunately, their Cocoyasi Village had produced an extraordinary powerhouse!

This had prevented a tragic outcome.

On the field ridges shaded by coconut trees.

Xianuo walked leisurely towards home with his arms crossed behind his head. He wasn't running, nor was he using "Soru" to speed up. His pace was even slower than an old man's morning stroll.

Four years had passed since he awakened his memories. He hadn't felt this completely relaxed in a long time.

Arlong was dead.

The Arlong Pirates were annihilated.

This meant that the dark cloud hanging over Cocoyasi Village had finally dispersed, and the heavy stone that had been pressing on his heart had completely crumbled.

"What lovely weather."

Xianuo looked up at the blue sky and white clouds, feeling relaxed and at ease.

He withdrew his thoughts slightly and casually opened his system panel.

The cleanup work on the battlefield was left to the village elders, but he naturally wouldn't forget the spoils of war he was owed.

Before Genzo arrived, he had already tried almost everything he could sacrifice.

There was a large pile of Fish-Man corpses, both named and unnamed, which provided ample opportunity for trial and error, and also gave him a new understanding of the system's rules.

Aside from sacrificing beloved personal items.

Limbs like arms and legs seemed to be the system's acceptance limit; he couldn't sacrifice entire corpses directly, not even severed heads.

Smaller parts were even less feasible.

It was as if the system itself was restricted by some great river god, deeming overly dark, bloody, or cultish items unsuitable for the sacrifice list.

Xianuo could understand that.

In the end, he compiled and organized the information from the system panel.

Cadres like Salt-Baked, Little Wu, and Pizarro, who were mostly filler and had little character development, yielded very few points in the end, averaging only twenty to thirty.

Cadres with some strength, like Kuroobi and Hachi, provided points ranging from the high tens to around two hundred.

Combined, they were far from matching Arlong.

He had severed Arlong's arm with the red tattoo, and after sacrificing it, he gained a whopping eight hundred points, enough to buy a decent cultivation manual from the shop.

Good things shouldn't be wasted, naturally.

Xianuo patted his pocket, where he still had Arlong's nose and a few fangs. These were for reserves, and he planned to find a hidden spot to freeze them. He would sacrifice them once every cooldown period.

This behavior was a bit unethical, but Arlong probably wouldn't mind.

"Brother!"

A familiar voice suddenly rang out. Xianuo looked up and saw Nojiko and Nami running towards him excitedly.

"You defeated the pirates who invaded, didn't you!"

"Mhm," he said, picking them up one by one. "But you're both late. The fight ended a while ago."

"Hmph, I knew it! It was easy for you. Some of the village kids were worried you might not be able to win alone. What a bunch of clueless people! Don't they know who the East Blue's number one Great Swordsman is!"

Nami, why are you still spreading rumors!

Xianuo playfully ruffled her hair. You little brat, you're the one who's clueless. You've watched me train so many times, how can you not tell I'm completely useless with a sword!

"Are you taking us home?" Nojiko asked.

"No way!"

Nami pouted, shaking her head like a rattle drum. "We just snuck out. We still want to see what those pirates look like."

"It's too bloody and unsuitable for children. You're not allowed."

Xianuo pulled Nami back as she tried to wriggle out from under his arm. He ignored the little girl's pout, which had turned her mouth into a tiny teapot, and his gaze fell on her arm.

Then he looked at Nojiko's.

Both their small arms were fair and clean, with no trace of tattoos, and there was no need for them to prick themselves with a small knife, to stab, or to cry tears of pain...

"Hey, Brother, what are you staring at!"

Nami glared at Xianuo, displeased. "Are you trying to secretly report me to Bellemere again? I took a bath and washed my hair last night!"

"Then you're truly sensible."

Xianuo laughed heartily, lifted both his sisters high above his head, then placed them on his broad shoulders. Facing the warm afternoon sun, he strode towards home.