The Heaven-Favored and the Heaven-Punished

(P.S. Sorry, there's only one chapter. I'm exhausted. I really couldn't update yesterday. I got to the hotel earlier today and finally managed to write a chapter, but by the time I finished revising it, it was already this late. I'll try to update again tomorrow. I should reach my destination around the 12th, and things will get better after that.)

In his dazed state, Wu Pifu endured another bolt of lightning. His existence as "Wu Pifu" immediately shattered into pieces, yet every fragment of "him" remained faintly connected. Gradually, they fused together again, becoming even more condensed than before.

At the source of the lightning, very little of the purple and cyan thunderbolts remained. They had condensed into a small sphere that seemed to be hesitating, confused about something. But Wu Pifu, still muddled and unaware, paid it no heed. He crashed into the ball of lightning once more, provoking another bolt that blasted him to pieces again.

Estano Town, first half of the Grand Line.

Located in the first half of the Grand Line, and near its entrance besides, Estano Town was not far from the port. The small town possessed a false sort of prosperity. It would not be ruined by rampant pirates and monsters, while its favorable location allowed it to profit from adventurers newly entering the Grand Line, merchants, and any seafolk who made their living off the Grand Line.

Today, another adventuring party arrived in Estano Town. There were six of them, all dressed in black robes that covered them from head to toe. Judging by their builds, four were ordinary humans, while two were either sub-giants or mixed-blood humans of large-bodied races. The locals seemed utterly unsurprised. They did not even spare these six outsiders an extra glance, and the group appeared accustomed