The Iron Islands, a realm forged from cold seas and hard rock, centered on seven main islands: Pike Island, ruled by House Greyjoy; Great Wyk, rich in mineral deposits; ancient and sacred Old Wick Island; vast and powerful Harlaw; Saltcliff Island, lined with sheer cliffs; Blacktyde Isle, with its treacherous currents; and Oak Island, thick with trees.
This time, Yulon steered the Hao Yin like a tireless sea hawk, skimming over lands he had never set foot on. He ventured deep into the mist-shrouded mines of Great Wyk, walked the ancient reef on Old Wick Island where the Kingsmoot was held, surveyed the towering white cliffs of Saltcliff Island, explored the treacherous whirlpools of Blacktyde Isle, and roamed the gloomy forests of Oak Island. He even scoured more than twenty tiny, barren reefs scattered around the main islands, committing every corner of the Iron Islands to memory in meticulous detail.
This near-obsessive tour of the entire realm had brought him a handsome reward—exactly 1,030 points!
As the Hao Yin's bow once more cleaved the familiar waves around Pike Island, Yulon had already plunged into the depths of his consciousness to begin the mysterious draw ritual, even before the ship had fully docked. Ten brilliant flashes followed one after another, and fate's gifts appeared in turn:
[Food: Seafood Fried Rice] A steaming, generously portioned plate of fried rice, its seafood sweetness seemingly able to dispel the briny tang of the sea breeze. The first dish made by Black Leg Sanji when he appeared aboard the Straw Hat Pirates' ship. It was indeed delicious, but it was still just food.
Rice is best eaten hot. Mmm, delicious!!!
[Special Item: Lineage Factor] The blueprint of life discovered by the scientists Vegapunk and Vinsmoke Judge's team in One Piece. It was defined as the core substance determining an organism's hereditary traits, and had the dangerous potential to alter an organism's genes. In the anime, it was implanted into children while they were embryos, granting them great strength, venom abilities, and exoskeletal defenses as they grew up.
Since there was no way to return Yulon to the womb now, the world's will adjusted its effects: consuming it might activate the lineage concealed within his body.
[Talent: Archaeologist] A sudden awakening of intuition gave him extraordinary insight into ancient inscriptions and historical fragments found in shipwrecks. He also had a far greater aptitude for learning languages than ordinary people.
[Skill: Beginner Shipbuilding] A wealth of knowledge about keel materials, hull design, and storm-resistant structures flooded his mind, far surpassing the Iron Islands' current craftsmanship.
[Skill: Cooking Skills lv1] He gained exquisite control over the heat and seasoning of the ingredients in his hands, no longer limited to simply roasting them.
[Skill: Beginner Meteorology] He could read changes in clouds, wind direction, and waves to predict short-term weather patterns.
[Talent: Fishman Breathing] His lung capacity had been strangely enhanced, allowing him to hold his breath underwater for long periods, like a creature from sailors' legends.
[Skill: Six Powers—Kami-e—lv1] He had mastered a bizarre evasion technique that let him sway like paper in the wind during combat, sensing air currents and deflecting force.
[Item: Dance Powder] A small bag of peculiar powder said to strangely disrupt rainfall in a specific area. It held dangerous political potential and might prove extremely useful at the right moment.
[Item: Seastone] A dull, strange mineral about the size of a pigeon's egg. Holding it brought a faint, unpleasant sensation of energy; it might have a special effect on certain targets.
But it was as hard as diamond. Who in Westeros could use it for forging?
Of the ten draws, Yulon considered the least useful to be the [Food: Seafood Fried Rice], which he had already eaten. Next came [Skill: Cooking Skills]—not because it was bad, but because his current status as a nobleman gave him few opportunities to show off in the kitchen. [Skill: Beginner Shipbuilding] and [Skill: Beginner Meteorology] were more like long-term investments. He would store away [Item: Dance Powder] and [Item: Seastone]; they might come in handy someday. The most useful were [Skill: Six Powers—Kami-e—lv1], [Talent: Archaeologist], and [Talent: Fishman Breathing].
Several months earlier, a Water Dancer from Braavos had set foot on Pike Island's hard soil. His name was Raphael Ortega, and he carried himself with elegance, though a trace of melancholy lingered about him. He had not come seeking adventure or riches, but fleeing a passionate love that had brought disaster. He had become obsessed with a famous Braavosi courtesan and, in a duel fought for her sake, had run a fine sword through the favorite of a powerful merchant prince. His victory had won him the woman's brief favor, but also brought a vendetta that made it impossible for him to remain in Braavos. He had been forced to flee across the Narrow Sea to the Iron Islands to lie low.
After Yulon mastered [Skill: Six Powers—Kami-e], his combat ability underwent a qualitative leap.
Raphael's slender sword darted as fast as a viper's strike, but against Yulon's increasingly keen senses, it repeatedly missed its mark. Yulon moved like a fallen leaf drifting on the wind, precisely anticipating and matching the currents stirred by every attack, so the deadly sword point always passed within a hair's breadth of his clothes. The two faced off every day at a training ground by the sea, the ring of steel mingling with the roar of the waves. One taught him the flowing swordsmanship of Braavos without reservation; the other honed the art of evasion until it became instinct.
Meanwhile, [Talent: Archaeologist] had given Yulon more than insight into ancient objects; it had also granted him an extraordinary grasp of linguistic symbols. As he learned other languages from Lysa, his astonishing progress left her amazed. The obscure grammar and ancient vocabulary quickly fell into place and connected in his mind. In just a few months, he had overcome the halting speech of a beginner and could hold profound conversations with Lysa in fluent, accurate High Valyrian. Spoken from his lips, the language of ancient emperors took on a chilling authority.
[Talent: Fishman Breathing] had completely transformed Yulon's relationship with the sea. He was no longer merely a reaver who sailed ships; he had become part of the ocean. He could dive deep into the cold, dark depths like a seal, his powerful lungs allowing him to remain underwater for long periods. He darted among reefs faster than startled schools of fish, agile and free, as though gravity had no hold on him beneath the waves. The sea that had given birth to the Ironborn and swallowed countless others had become a vast garden he could explore and conquer at will.
At last, Yulon turned his gaze to the [Special Item: Lineage Factor].
Yulon stood alone atop Pike Island's highest sea stack, the ink-dark waves below crashing against black rocks with a roar. In his hand, he clutched the black jade container, the liquid within sloshing like a miniature storm-tossed sea trapped inside. Without hesitation, he tipped it back and swallowed it.
An otherworldly cold exploded through him, freezing his blood and breath as though he had swallowed the heart of the Long Night. Then scorching heat surged in its wake, burning through every vein like molten reefs! He grunted and dropped to one knee, his fingernails digging deep into the hard rock. His bones gave faint, brittle cracks under the strain, while his muscle fibers tore and frantically rebuilt themselves. His consciousness was hurled into an endless dark ocean, sinking into a vortex of pain.
Just as his consciousness began to scatter, a grand vision burst open before him: a towering throne built from giant coral, the pale bones of sea monsters, and the keels of countless shipwrecks stood at the bottom of a silent abyss. Upon it sat a vague yet impossibly majestic figure, silent beneath a crown woven of seaweed and dim jewels. In his hand rested a massive pale bone spear that seemed capable of piercing the dawn of time. A colossal sea dragon and the krakens of the North Sea bowed meekly at his feet—he was the Grey King, the forefather who ruled every ocean in Ironborn mythology!
The pain ebbed like a receding tide, and a never-before-felt force surged from deep within his bloodline, vast and ancient. He slowly rose. His body felt light as sea foam, yet held the heavy strength of a reef. The world had changed completely in his perception: he could clearly "hear" the waves stirred by a school of mackerel fleeing several miles away, "smell" the sulfur drifting from deep-sea volcano vents, and even "feel" the sleeping, sluggishly pulsing veins of the earth beneath the island. Pike Island was no longer merely cold stone; it seemed an extension of his body.
A more profound change had awakened in the depths of his soul. A fragment of an austere, imperious, inhuman will stirred within him. When he looked again at the vast ocean that had swallowed countless Ironborn ancestors, his gaze had changed utterly. He no longer looked upon it as a conqueror sizing up a beast to be tamed, but as a king returned to survey his birthright, a realm that was unquestionably his. This bloodline had not granted him the divine art of manipulating seawater. Instead, it had given him incomparable affinity for and understanding of the ocean, an aura that instinctively awed all sea creatures, and a deep-rooted sense of primal submission that made the souls of the Ironborn tremble.
His eyes were no longer windows to a mortal soul. His left eye was the black of an all-consuming abyss, purer than the deepest midnight. It seemed to crush and absorb every ray of light that entered it, leaving behind only absolute emptiness and stillness. By contrast, his right eye was the piercing azure of the sea before a storm, seemingly imprisoning the lightning and bolts that would soon tear the sky apart, alive with nearly violent energy.
Grey King bloodline: 1. Extended Ocean Perception: His consciousness could spread through the surrounding sea like a jellyfish. Without seeing, he could sense subtle changes in currents, the movements of schools of fish, and even the approach of large creatures such as seals and sharks within several miles. This ability was especially strong during storms, allowing him to "read" the fury and rhythm of the waves. 2. Large creatures in the ocean would instinctively feel awe or curiosity toward him rather than attack him, and he could even command legendary sea beasts. 3. Deep-Sea Body: His strength and endurance increased significantly underwater, and his swimming speed rivaled that of the fastest dolphins. His body could better withstand water pressure and cold, dive far deeper than ordinary people, and maintain its core temperature and ability to move in frigid seawater. 4. Bloodline Authority: Ironborn who worshipped the Drowned God would feel awe and obedience rising from deep within their blood. 5. Unknown. 6. Unknown...
These Abyssal Eye and Azure Eye were manifestations of the power deep in his bloodline.
Abyssal Eye (Left Eye · Black):
All illusions and magical disguises were laid bare before this eye of absolute truth. Falsehoods warped and vanished like gauze thrown into a fire, revealing the ugliness or ordinariness beneath. He could even regard pain and invading toxins within his body as "impurities," then draw them out with his mind, consume them, and reduce them to nothing. A mere gaze could make a burning flame dim and die as if an invisible hand had throttled it, leaving only wisps of smoke.
Azure Eye (Right Eye · Blue):
This eye commanded the wild forces of the outside world. Wherever his gaze fell, water no longer flowed freely; it obeyed his will, gathering and spiraling into a crushing fist or an almost unbreakable shield. He could sense and guide the energy surging through the atmosphere, summon storms, and make dark clouds gather at unnatural speed, commanding gales and lightning.
This power was unmatched in its strength. Even a brief attempt left him dizzy and disoriented. Clearly, it would take many long years of practice to adapt to and continually wield these eyes, which could make the sea bow before him.
Before you continue