Country of Endless War

When the phrase "start a relationship and then abandon her" surfaced in Xia Luo's mind, his eyes instantly turned cold.

No matter who it was, if anyone dared hurt or tried to hurt Olvia, he would show no mercy!

After Xia Luo repeatedly pressed her, Olvia finally told him about the man. Once he had heard everything, Xia Luo said nothing. He planned to investigate personally.

If the man's character was bad or he harbored ill intentions, Xia Luo would make sure he disappeared from Olvia's life forever.

At the end, Xia Luo spoke tactfully with a smile. "By the way, Sis, before you get married, you can't stay overnight at his place or let him stay overnight here, okay? Mom and Dad used to say that."

Olvia shot him a glare. "As if you needed to tell me! Besides, why don't I remember Mom and Dad ever saying that?"

"Well, maybe you weren't listening seriously at the time. Right, Oran?"

As he spoke, Xia Luo looked at Oran, his gaze carrying a hint of killing intent and warning. Say no, and you're dead!

Oran shuddered and hurriedly nodded. "That's right. I remember it clearly. Mom and Dad definitely said that. Sis, you actually weren't paying attention."

"Really?" Olvia frowned. "Hmm, maybe I was reading at the time..."

"Just remember it. There's no mistake." After saying that, Xia Luo turned and quietly instructed Oran, "Oran, you're in charge of keeping watch. If... just wait and see how I deal with you!"

Oran swallowed hard and quickly replied, "Understood, understood. I'll keep a close eye on her."

Xia Luo beamed. "Oh, right. Didn't you say you wanted to buy something last time? How much was it again, five hundred thousand Beli? I'll give it to you later."

"Hey, thanks, Bro!"

Upon hearing that, Oran, who had been listless just moments ago, instantly sprang back to life. Overwhelmed with excitement, he immediately bowed down in gratitude.

"What are you two whispering about behind my back?" Olvia asked curiously as she watched her little brother light up with excitement.

"Secret!"

The two brothers answered in unison.

Soon, Xia Luo spent seven happy days at home.

And after several days of observation and investigation, he gained a clear understanding of his future brother-in-law.

In short, there was nothing wrong with the man. He did not seem like the sort of scum who would start a relationship, abandon his wife, and leave behind his child.

Although Xia Luo still found him unpleasant to look at, there was nothing he could do. Olvia would have to marry someday. As her younger brother, he could not exactly stop her, could he?

Meanwhile, completely unaware that he had wandered past death's door several times over the past few days, Lynn was taking a walk with Olvia. The two walked shoulder to shoulder, chatting and laughing, behaving intimately like lovers.

"Hmph!"

Xia Luo snorted and turned away. He was afraid that if he kept watching, he would not be able to stop himself from rushing over and beating up that bastard taking advantage of his sister.

That night, after dinner, Xia Luo bid farewell to Olvia and Oran.

After the three siblings reluctantly said their goodbyes, Xia Luo vanished into the vast sea beneath the cover of night, his destination unknown.

Five days later.

New World, Marik Sea.

Country of Endless War.

The sun shone brightly that day beneath a cloudless sky. As usual, the people living in this nation had split into two camps and slaughtered one another without end.

"Kill!"

The cries of battle shook the heavens.

The battlefield was like a meat grinder, madly devouring every life around it. Blood dyed the earth red, while severed limbs and corpses lay everywhere, bearing witness to war's cruelty.

The soldiers below did not understand why they fought. Day after day, they simply charged forward, then fell.

The higher-ranking officers were either scheming against one another and fighting for power, or reclining in castles surrounded by beautiful women and champagne, singing and dancing as they indulged in endless extravagance and decadence.

Years of war had left the country utterly devastated. Ruined walls and broken structures stood everywhere, making the land seem like a wasteland. The young and able-bodied were busy fighting instead of producing anything, while the elderly, children, and women with weaker labor capacity were forced to work and maintain production.

The most ridiculous thing was that, because of its poverty and fierce local customs, this island was hardly ever attacked by pirates.

Powerful pirates did not want to come because the people here were poor. There was nothing worth stealing, and the effort was not worth the reward.

Weak pirates, meanwhile, could not defeat the island's military...

Over time, the Country of Endless War had instead become a "pure land" within the New World.

Xia Luo's evaluation of this was that it was unbelievable, yet perfectly reasonable.

But none of that had anything to do with Xia Luo. He had not come to stop the war. His target was Douglas Bullet.

Douglas Bullet was born in 1477. Abandoned by his mother as a child, he stepped onto the battlefield at a young age and repeatedly earned military achievements. At fifteen, after suffering betrayal, he furiously destroyed the country. Later, he joined the Roger Pirates and fought Dark King Rayleigh to a draw.

At eighteen, he left the Roger Pirates. At twenty-two, he was defeated by Garp and Sengoku and imprisoned on the sixth floor of Impel Down...

Bullet's life experience could only be called legendary. At fifteen, his strength already rivaled that of an Emperor's commander. If not for his poor timing, he might well have had a place among the Four Emperors.

Of course, Xia Luo personally felt that Bullet's strength had been somewhat exaggerated. The so-called draw with Rayleigh was most likely because Rayleigh had deliberately held back. He might not even have used powerful techniques such as Conqueror's Infusion.

Still, that was enough to prove Bullet's potential. If he developed normally, becoming an Emperor-Admiral Level powerhouse in the future was practically guaranteed.

If he had not eaten the Fusion Fruit, but instead some powerful Logia or Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, his strength would only have been greater. At the very least, he would not have lost to the Navy's three Admirals.

Given Bullet's talent, Devil Fruits focused on physical prowess, such as Mythical Zoans or Ancient Zoans, were clearly more suitable for him and could better bring out his potential.

Xia Luo's purpose in coming here was obvious: he wanted to recruit Bullet.

Vissel Port was the Country of Endless War's only port trade city. Vast quantities of weapons and equipment entered through the port every day, eventually flowing into the hands of the two major factions.

The port was crowded with people, most of them foreign arms dealers. The shops and street stalls displayed either guns and ammunition or all kinds of contraband.

Xia Luo mingled with the crowd, draped in a black cloak and wearing a cat-faced mask.

Ignoring the malicious gazes around him, Xia Luo silently thought, At this time, Bullet probably hasn't eaten the Fusion Fruit yet, right?

Bullet joined the Roger Pirates in 1492. By then, he was already a Devil Fruit user. Xia Luo had come three years early specifically to prevent Bullet from eating the Fusion Fruit.

The Fusion Fruit could not exactly be called a trash-tier fruit, but it definitely was not a "good fruit," and it could not compare to god-tier fruits like the Azure Dragon Fruit.

Of course, Xia Luo had no way to find a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit for Bullet right now. Those were far too rare.

However, Xia Luo did have two Devil Fruits in his possession at the moment, and both were quite suitable for Bullet.