God Valley's Grand Stage-Come If You've Got the Guts!

"Charlotte Linlin!"

Upon hearing that, Xia Luo's expression changed drastically. Although he had known she was nearby, he had not expected her to arrive so quickly!

He glanced at the treasure chests on Kuma's shoulder, hesitation flashing across his face.

Of the four treasure chests Kuma carried, he did not know what was inside the other three, but one of them contained another god-tier Devil Fruit—the Paramecia Paw-Paw Fruit!

Honestly, Xia Luo had once hesitated between the Azure Dragon Fruit and the Paw-Paw Fruit. The Paw-Paw Fruit was incredibly versatile too, but in the end, he had still chosen the Azure Dragon Fruit.

The reason was simple: Mythical Zoan Fruits were the current meta!

Besides, Zoan Fruits were a perfect match for the Six Treasury Immortal Thief!

"Forget it. There's no time. I'll give up on the Paw-Paw Fruit."

Xia Luo felt somewhat regretful. He had originally planned to snatch the Paw-Paw Fruit as well, but Charlotte Linlin was right behind him now, posing an enormous threat. Trying to seize the Paw-Paw Fruit from Kuma at this moment would undoubtedly put him in danger.

The most important Azure Dragon Fruit was already in his hands. His priority now was to leave the massive whirlpool that was God Valley as quickly as possible.

Glancing at Charlotte Linlin as she pounced toward him, Xia Luo thought:

Even with the Azure Dragon Fruit, the gap between Charlotte Linlin and me is still huge. I can't let her tie me down.

Charlotte Linlin had been capable of wiping out an entire giant village when she was only a few years old. Now thirty, she was at the peak of her strength.

Greed would only bury him!

In that split second, Xia Luo made the safest choice.

"Roar!"

A resounding dragon roar rang out as Xia Luo transformed into his Azure Dragon Form. Layer upon layer of dragon scales spread across his body, wrapping him within them.

At the same time, immense power surged wildly from within him, giving him the illusion that he could shatter a planet with a single punch.

The hundred-meter Azure Dragon hovered in midair, wreathed in flames, accompanied by lightning and howling winds, radiating an overwhelming aura.

"Heat Breath!"

The dragon raised its head high, its eyes majestic as they locked firmly onto Charlotte Linlin.

Then, a scorching, violent torrent of flame blasted toward Charlotte Linlin.

Watching the fruit she had set her sights on get eaten right before her eyes, Charlotte Linlin's rage soared. Facing Xia Luo's attack, she struck back in fury.

"Emperor Sword: Break-Break Blade!"

Napoleon transformed into the Emperor Sword in Charlotte Linlin's hand. She swung it forward furiously, sending a blazing slash flying out.

Boom!

The two violent attacks collided in an instant. The shockwave from the massive explosion swept in every direction, reducing the warehouse to ruins in moments. Flames scattered everywhere, and raging fires erupted all around.

At the same time, Ivankov and Kuma vanished without a trace. It was unclear whether they had been blown away by the shockwave or buried beneath the rubble.

Xia Luo had no interest in worrying about Ivankov and Kuma's fate now. After that strike, he did not look back. Taking advantage of the moment, he retreated rapidly and shot into the sky.

By the time Charlotte Linlin burst out of the explosion, filthy and disheveled, Xia Luo had already become a black speck in the distance, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

"Ah!"

A piercing scream stirred up a gust of wind, sending sand and stones flying. Charlotte Linlin's eyes blazed with fury as her chest heaved nonstop.

"You bastard! Don't let me run into you again! If I do, I'll slaughter you!"

"You actually dared to steal my stuff!"

Staring in the direction Xia Luo had fled, Charlotte Linlin cursed loudly.

"Huff... huff..."

"That was close. Too close!"

After leaving the battlefield, Xia Luo quickly dismissed his transformation and hurried into a dense mountain forest, entering a hideout he had prepared in advance.

The Six Treasury Immortal Thief circulated within his body, causing his presence to disappear as though he were a stubborn rock.

He had dismissed his transformation because his stamina could not support it for long. Besides, a hundred-meter dragon body was too conspicuous and likely to draw attention.

On this chaotic battlefield, the more attention one attracted, the faster one died!

Inside the cave, Xia Luo panted heavily while taking out the food he had prepared beforehand and devouring it in huge mouthfuls like a glutton.

The food was instantly broken down the moment it entered his mouth, its nutrients rapidly converted into stamina.

Before long, Xia Luo's stamina had fully recovered, but he did not stop eating.

He was about to leave the dangerous place that was God Valley. Leaving the food in the cave would be a waste, so he might as well eat it all.

With the help of the Six Treasury Immortal Thief, Xia Luo could store excess nutrients in his body. At critical moments, they could restore both his stamina and injuries, while also strengthening his body.

"Store half for emergencies. There's no need to save the other half—use it all to strengthen my body. A towering building rises from the ground; the body is the foundation!"

"Unfortunately, my Six Treasury Immortal Thief has only just begun. The strengthening speed is very slow, and as my body grows stronger, it gets slower and slower. After a year, my physical strength has only increased tenfold."

"Also, the food I usually eat isn't particularly nutritious. It's all ordinary food."

"Wait, when I ate the Devil Fruit earlier, I think I heard something breaking..."

As he spoke, Xia Luo silently summoned the system panel.

[Host: Nico Xia Luo]

[Age: 11]

[Height: 168 cm]

[Skills and Talents: Six Treasury Immortal Thief LV1 (73%), Mythical Zoan Fish-Fish Fruit: Azure Dragon Form LV1 (1%)]

[Main Quest 1: Join Mount Longhu and become a disciple of the Celestial Master. Reward: Eight Extraordinary Skills—Qi-Body Origin Stream.]

[Main Quest 2: Participate in the Luotian Grand Ceremony, defeat all contestants, and claim first place. Reward: Eight Extraordinary Skills—Heavenly Seal.]

[Main Quest 3: Become the new Celestial Master of Mount Longhu. Reward: Eight Extraordinary Skills—Both Hands.]

[Main Quest 4: Defeat the old Celestial Master and become the strongest in the world. Reward: Eight Extraordinary Skills—Da Luo Cave.]

[Side quests have not yet been triggered. Please explore on your own.]

He wanted to ignore those impossible, infuriating garbage quests on the panel, but whenever he saw them, Xia Luo could not help but complain, "What The Outcast? This is obviously One Piece!"

Then Xia Luo's gaze fell upon "Six Treasury Immortal Thief." At that moment, the words "Six Treasury Immortal Thief" had actually turned golden, with an exclamation mark behind them, continuously flashing with light.

Xia Luo tried focusing his mind on the Six Treasury Immortal Thief.

A line of text suddenly popped up.

[Unknown spiritual entity detected. Decomposing: Curse of the Sea (1%)]

"Fuck!"

Xia Luo's eyes widened in disbelief. Shocked, he said, "What's going on? Can it break down the Devil Fruit's side effects too? That's insane!"

But Xia Luo soon discovered that the Curse of the Sea decomposed very slowly. Like the Six Treasury Immortal Thief's improvement rate, it only increased by one percent every five days on average.

"Looks like the decomposition speed is related to the Six Treasury Immortal Thief's level..." Xia Luo guessed.

"Hmm, in another four or five months, the Six Treasury Immortal Thief should reach LV2. Then I'll know for sure."

Not long afterward,

Xia Luo completely wiped out the hundreds of pounds of food in the cave.

At the same time, the battle outside was raging intensely.

Moreover, with the Roger Pirates joining the fray and Garp's group arriving, the battle was gradually reaching a fever pitch.

"It's time to leave."

Xia Luo stepped out of the cave and looked toward the center of the island, where an intense battle was erupting and figures from every side were making their appearances.

Rocks, Whitebeard, Golden Lion, Charlotte Linlin, John, Ganzi, Silver Axe, Ochoku, Kaido...

Roger, Rayleigh, Gaban...

Garp, Saint Saturn of the Five Elders, Saint Garling and the other members of the Holy Knights, as well as Imu, who was about to descend...

God Valley's grand stage—come if you've got the guts.

Such a powerful lineup was utterly shocking. Even compared with the Summit War that would shake the world decades later, it was still incomparable.