Cinder Embers

Countless pitch-black fire snakes surged into Luo Ya's body. The essence of these black flames was the soul energy that had composed the Stickman's body.

For a moment, Luo Ya felt as stuffed as if he had overeaten, drifting into a drowsy state. Though he felt lightheaded, his soul had been so abruptly strengthened that he remained unusually clear-headed.

The integration of the Stickman had significantly bolstered Luo Ya's soul, and in accordance with the customs of entering the Scorched Earth Space, it brought with it a new technique: Scorching Hell.

According to the memories of his past life, this was the final technique of Ryujin Jakka's Shikai. It summoned dozens of pillars of fire that reached the heavens, which could then be gathered together to detonate instantly, a power capable of turning the earth within a radius of over a hundred kilometers into scorched land.

Of course, Luo Ya's execution was certainly not as powerful as that of old man Yamamoto.

After all, in the original work, the temperature of Ryujin Jakka itself was roughly equivalent to the surface of the sun, about 5,700°C, while its Bankai, "Zanka no Tachi," reached the 20 million°C of the sun's core.

Being able to reach 1,500°C now was the result of Luo Ya's diligent cultivation. Still, it was understandable; after all, it wouldn't be reasonable to travel across worlds without losing anything at all.

It is said that a Zanpakuto is the manifestation of the user's inner desires, and Luo Ya's Ryujin Jakka had developed a brand-new ability.

Cinder Embers!

The souls of enemies who died under the black flames would turn into cinders, and the embers of those burning cinders would cause the black flames to grow stronger. Since the black flames were the essence of Luo Ya's power, the more intense the flames became, the stronger Luo Ya grew.

"Looking at it this way, surpassing old man Yamamoto is just a matter of time, hahaha."

Luoyang laughed heartily.

Although he didn't know why Ryujin Jakka was becoming increasingly unscientific, Luo Ya had one great advantage: if he couldn't figure something out, he simply stopped thinking about it.

After all, Luo Ya himself was already unscientific enough, and no matter how one looked at it, these changes were to his benefit.

After all, this trope of becoming stronger just by killing was clearly the treatment reserved for a protagonist.

Immediately afterward, within the soul space filled with black scorched earth, he familiarized himself with the surging power and the newly acquired technique.

A burst of noisy clamor caused Luo Ya to open his eyes.

"Ugh, what happened here? Are there any survivors on the island? Hey!" A group of people were shouting loudly.

Luo Ya rubbed his eyes and walked slowly out of the room.

"Don't be nervous. See that Treasure Tree Adam? Help me transport it away, no problem, right?"

Luo Ya gestured with his chin, completely forgetting how terrifying he looked with his dried bloodstains, paired with the corpses littering the ground.

"N-no problem, My Lord."

Watching the middle-aged man who appeared to be the captain of the merchant fleet, he hurriedly directed his flustered crew to move the Treasure Tree Adam from the pile of corpses.

Luo Ya paused at their reaction, only then realizing he was covered in dried blood.

"I was just too tired yesterday and didn't have time to bathe. While you're at it, prepare some hot water for me, along with some clothes and something to eat."

Luo Ya scratched his head as he spoke, handing a stack of Beli to the boss. The middle-aged man waved his hands repeatedly, not daring to take Luo Ya's money, and led him onto the ship.

After a comfortable hot bath and changing into clean clothes, Luo Ya finally felt like he had truly come back to life.

Arriving at the ship's dining hall, a large spread of delicious food had already been prepared. The middle-aged man stood to the side, smiling obsequiously.

"My Lord Luo Ya, to which island shall we transport the Treasure Tree Adam? We can set sail right now; we mustn't delay your affairs."

Snap. Luoyang lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and said slowly, "You're the captain of this ship? Just take it to Fish School Island; it should take about three days. How much for this trip? Whatever the cost is, I'll pay."

"I am Leisel, the captain of this ship. How could I possibly take your money? It is my honor to serve you."

Leisel hurriedly wiped the sweat from his forehead. Luo Ya smiled and asked, "Do you have today's newspaper?"

"Yes, yes, you're even on the front page." Saying this, he handed the newspaper to Luo Ya.

Luo Ya took the paper. On the largest spread was a brand-new wanted poster. It showed Luo Ya engulfed in black flames, leaning on Scorching Cloud while sitting atop a mountain of corpses.

His eyes emitted a scarlet glow, and his left hand held a half-burned cigarette.

In bold, enlarged font at the top of the paper were the words: "Black Flame Swordsman Luo Ya, bounty 210 million Beli."

It was no wonder Leisel was afraid; the photo the reporters had taken of Luo Ya this time was enough to stop a child from crying at night.

The mountain of corpses and sea of blood beneath him, mixed with the black flames and dried blood on his body—he looked for all the world like a demon from hell.

The reporters of the One Piece World had always been the most mysterious group. No matter how dangerous the battle, they always managed to get first-hand photos, and they were always in exceptionally high definition.

"I'm quite satisfied with this title. 210 million, is it? Slaughtering an entire island? Heh."

Luo Ya nodded in satisfaction and tossed the newspaper onto the table, beginning to attack the food in front of him.

Seeing that Luo Ya had eaten his fill, Leisel, who was standing nearby, asked cautiously, "My Lord Luo Ya, besides the Treasure Tree Adam, is there anything else you need us to help transport?"

Only then did it occur to Luo Ya that all the treasure on the island was ownerless; it would be a terrible waste to just leave it behind.

"Do you have a Den Den Mushi?"

"Yes, yes," Leisel hurriedly brought over a yellow Den Den Mushi.

Luo Ya picked up the Den Den Mushi and dialed.

"Dezi, come out and clean up the mess. Find some men, come to Bress Island, and transport my treasure back."

"You brat, I already contacted people to head to the island the moment I saw the news. You've made quite a scene this time. The Black Gold Chamber of Commerce people will arrive later. Just wait on the island."

The Black Gold Chamber of Commerce was one of the top merchant guilds in the One Piece World, with the World Government suspected to be its backer.

"But you brat, I told you to take care of Principle, not slaughter everyone on the entire island."

"Haha, it wasn't entirely my doing, you know." Luoyang scratched his head.

"Do you think I'm praising you?"

The Den Den Mushi contorted into the shape of Maynard's shark-like teeth.

"In a while, the people from the Black Gold Chamber of Commerce will arrive. Just handle the handover with them, and we'll discuss the rest when you get back."

With that, Maynard hung up the phone. Before long, the representatives from the Black Gold Chamber of Commerce arrived. They were dressed in uniform black suits, each marked with a circular gold coin emblem on the back.

As expected of a major merchant guild, they were incredibly professional. Once they finished coordinating with Luo Ya, a large group of men immediately boarded the island. Judging by how thorough they were, they probably even dug out the Beli hidden inside people's insoles.

After a while, the person in charge approached Luo Ya and said, "Mr. Luo Ya, converted into Beli, the estimated value is around one billion Beli."

Luo Ya nodded. "OK. Maynard will be in contact with you regarding the follow-up."

"This is a Den Den Mushi reserved for our chamber's distinguished guests. Mr. Luo Ya, if you have any other business, you can use it to contact the nearest person in charge at any time."

As he spoke, he handed over a communication-specific Den Den Mushi. Luo Ya nodded, took the device, and turned to wave at Leisel, signaling that he could set sail.

Afterward, he yawned and ducked into his room. He hadn't really rested at all the previous night, and now that the matter was settled and he had eaten, a wave of exhaustion surged over him.

As for the treasure on the island, Luo Ya trusted the people Maynard had chosen. Furthermore, he secretly hoped the other party would be blind enough to try and skim off his share.

After all, the restoration of Ryujin Jakka required far too many souls.