Looking at the mostly vanished island and the massive, dark vortex, Xia Luo's pupils contracted slightly. He was secretly alarmed. As expected of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, hailed as the strongest Logia—it truly possessed world-destroying power!
In terms of destructive power alone, Logias clearly surpassed Zoans and Paramecias, especially top-tier Logias like lightning, magma, and ice. They were practically walking natural disasters.
With a single move, not one pirate in the town survived. They had all been wiped out.
The only drawback was that the ultimate move Xia Luo had just unleashed required a long charge-up time to achieve such terrifying power.
If he faced powerful enemies, they would not just stand there and wait for him to unleash his ultimate move.
They would either retreat immediately or attack him madly to interrupt his charge-up. Only an idiot would stand there without moving.
"Still, this seemed like a bit of overkill. The commotion was huge..."
"What a sin, what a sin."
Xia Luo could not help but laugh wryly. Who would have thought that he had merely felt an itch to test the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's power at first?
Yet he had ended up becoming one of the culprits behind the rising sea level!
Fortunately, Jaya Island was not very large. Even if he sank the entire island, it would have an extremely limited effect on sea level.
Still, Xia Luo made up his mind not to use this move carelessly in the future, at least not to casually destroy islands.
His thoughts soon settled.
Since he had not used much stamina just now, Xia Luo transformed into lightning with a thought before the sea had even calmed. He crossed a thousand meters in an instant and vanished from sight within a few breaths.
Sea Circle Calendar 1489,
Late December.
After three months away, Xia Luo returned to the long-missed West Blue.
He flew through the sky at high speed, breathing in the air of the West Blue. He felt an indescribable joy and relaxation.
Perhaps this was the scent of home.
"First, I'll head back to Ohara."
After not seeing them for several months, Xia Luo was a little worried. He did not know how Olvia was doing or whether Oran had been properly keeping watch.
Before leaving, he had already paid Oran in advance. If Oran had failed to fulfill his duty, Xia Luo would not go easy on him!
"Oran, you'd better not screw this up!"
And so,
Xia Luo sped all the way back to Ohara, brimming with menace.
Above Ohara.
With his Observation Haki activated and the aid of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, Xia Luo quickly located Oran and Olvia.
The two were not far apart. When Xia Luo arrived, he found Oran secretly following Olvia from behind, apparently tracking and watching her.
Seeing this, Xia Luo finally relaxed. It seemed that nothing unexpected had happened during the months he had been away.
Smack!
"Fuck, wha—"
Xia Luo suddenly placed a hand on Oran's shoulder, startling him badly. Just as he was about to cry out, Xia Luo covered his mouth.
"Shh, it's me."
"Big brother, how come you make no sound when you walk? You nearly scared me to death!"
Of course flying made no sound.
Xia Luo could not be bothered to explain. He went straight to the point and asked eagerly, "So? How far have Olvia and that guy progressed?"
"It's not a big problem. So far, they've only held hands, kissed, and hugged. Nothing out of line has happened. Besides, they're not together every day, so it's not a big deal. Big sis still knows her limits."
"Besides, with me watching them, just relax!"
"I've been following them for so long, and no one has ever discovered me!"
Oran patted his chest, sounding utterly confident.
Xia Luo said in surprise, "I never thought you had the talent to be a paparazzo. Not bad. If I start a newspaper someday, come work as my paparazzo. I'll pay you well."
"Fuck off. I'm not becoming a paparazzo. I'm going to be editor-in-chief!" Oran declared ambitiously.
"That depends on your performance."
Xia Luo smiled. He had not been joking just now. He was definitely going to start a newspaper, and not only that—he would make it bigger and stronger until it spread across the entire world!
In the pirate world, newspapers were the most important and widespread source of information for the vast majority of people.
There was no need to explain how important information was. Even a three-year-old knew. Besides influencing public opinion, information affected decision-making, resource allocation, trust-building, cognitive advancement, and much more.
Having lived through the great age of the internet, Xia Luo understood this well: if you did not seize the high ground of public opinion, someone else would.
Therefore, he had to have a newspaper of his own and use it to make his voice heard. He could not let the World Government freely suppress news, distort right and wrong, and fool the people!
That night.
After briefly reuniting with his family, Xia Luo set out again the next day for the 15th Marine Branch Base in the West Blue.
This time, Xia Luo made no effort to conceal his use of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit to travel.
When he returned to the 15th Marine Branch Base in the West Blue, he instantly caused a huge sensation and an uproar.
That was because Xia Luo descended from the sky before everyone's eyes in the form of lightning.
He landed right on the training ground, where a large number of Marines were carrying out their daily training.
"Fuck, Xia Luo?!"
"It really is Xia Luo!"
"No, how did he just swoop down from the sky? Wasn't that lightning that struck down just now?"
"Lightning descending from the sky... wait!"
Lieutenant Colonel Kana jolted as realization suddenly struck him. His body trembled slightly, his breathing quickened, and a shocking possibility abruptly arose in his heart.
To confirm his guess, he rushed forward and threw a full-force punch at Xia Luo. His fist passed directly through Xia Luo's body.
"It, it really passed through?!"
He looked at his fist, then at Xia Luo's slowly reforming body.
Lieutenant Colonel Kana was dumbfounded. He swallowed hard and stammered, "Xia, Xia Luo, y-you... could you have eaten a legendary Logia Devil Fruit?!"
Logia Devil Fruits were incredibly precious and rare. Lieutenant Colonel Kana had only heard of them and had never seen one before.
But now, a living example stood right before him!
"Colonel Whiteman, something terrible has happened! Pah, no, that's not right. Colonel Whiteman, this is great... no, that doesn't sound right either..."
"Ah, forget it. Anyway, Colonel, hurry over here!"
Kana seemed possessed, the words coming out of his mouth completely disjointed.
Xia Luo: "..."
A moment later,
Colonel Whiteman hurried over upon hearing the commotion. The moment he arrived, he launched into a furious scolding. "Kana, you're a dignified field-grade officer, yet in broad daylight you're panicking, shouting, and babbling incoherently!"
"You're an experienced Marine. Is this what I taught you? I've told you before, don't panic when something happens. Stay calm. The sky isn't falling. Look at yourself now—what kind of behavior is this?!"
Then he turned to Xia Luo, instantly putting on a completely different face. He was nothing like before, truly a master of changing faces. With a beaming, kindly smile, he said:
"Oh my, Xia Luo, why didn't you notify me in advance that you were coming back? I could have sent someone to pick you up."
"Colonel, Xia Luo..."
Lieutenant Colonel Kana looked anxious.
Whiteman glared and snapped, "Shut up. Did I say you could speak? Can't you see I'm catching up with Xia Luo? Why are you interrupting?"
"No, I mean Xia Luo ate a Devil Fruit, and it's a Logia Devil Fruit! He flew back just now!"
To avoid being interrupted again, Kana blurted everything out in one breath.
After saying it, Kana finally let out a breath of relief. Thank goodness, he had finally said it. He had been worried sick!
Why had he never noticed before that the colonel loved interrupting people so much?
Before you continue