Face-Changing Master [Please Follow!]

Looking at the mostly vanished island and the massive, bottomless whirlpool, 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 force 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 had survived.

The only drawback was that the ultimate move Xia Luo had just unleashed required a long charge-up time to achieve such astonishing power.

If he faced powerful enemies, they would not stand there and wait for him to unleash his ultimate move.

They would either retreat immediately or attack wildly to interrupt his charge-up. Only an idiot would stand there without moving.

"But this time, it seems a bit like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. The commotion is far too big..."

"What a sin, what a sin."

Xia Luo could not help but laugh wryly. Who could have guessed that he had merely been feeling the itch to fight and wanted to test the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's power?

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, its impact on sea level would be extremely limited.

Still, Xia Luo resolved that he could not use this move recklessly in the future—at the very least, he could not casually destroy islands.

Before long, he gathered his thoughts.

Since he had not expended much stamina just now, Xia Luo did not wait for the sea to settle. With a thought, his body turned into lightning. He covered a thousand meters in an instant, and several breaths later, he had vanished from sight.

Sea Circle Calendar 1489,

Late December.

After three months away, Xia Luo returned to the long-missed West Blue.

He flew at high speed through the sky, breathing in the air of the West Blue, overwhelmed by an indescribable sense of joy and relaxation.

Perhaps this was the scent of home.

"I'll head back to Ohara first."

After not seeing her for several months, Xia Luo felt a little worried. He did not know how Olvia was doing or whether Oran had been keeping a proper watch over her.

Before leaving, he had already paid Oran in advance. If Oran had failed to fulfill his duty, Xia Luo would not be merciful!

"Oran, you'd better be reliable this time!"

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's power, Xia Luo quickly locked onto Oran and Olvia's locations.

The two were not far apart. When Xia Luo arrived, he found Oran sneakily following behind Olvia, seemingly tracking and monitoring her.

Seeing this, Xia Luo finally put his worries to rest. It seemed that nothing unexpected had happened during the months he had been gone.

Smack!

"Fuck, y—"

Xia Luo suddenly placed a hand on Oran's shoulder. Oran jumped in fright and was just about to cry out when Xia Luo covered his mouth.

"Shh. It's me."

"Bro, how come you don't make any 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?"

"Nothing serious. So far, they've only held hands, kissed, and hugged. Nothing out of line has happened. Besides, they aren't glued to each other every day, so it's not a problem. Sis still knows her limits."

"Besides, with me watching them, you can rest easy!"

"I've been tailing them for so long, and I've never been discovered!"

Oran patted his chest, utterly confident.

Xia Luo said in surprise, "I never expected you to have talent as a paparazzo. Not bad. If I open a newspaper in the future, come work for me as a paparazzo. I'll pay you well."

"Get lost! I'm not becoming a paparazzo. I'm going to be editor-in-chief!" Oran declared ambitiously.

"We'll see how you perform."

Xia Luo smiled. He had not been joking just now. He would definitely open a newspaper—not only would he open one, he would make it bigger and stronger until it spread across the entire world!

In the world of pirates, newspapers were arguably 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. Aside from influencing public opinion, it also concerned decision-making, resource allocation, building trust, and expanding awareness.

Having lived through the great age of the internet, Xia Luo knew all too well that 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 allow the World Government to casually suppress information, distort right and wrong, and fool the people!

That night.

After a brief reunion with his family, Xia Luo set off again the next day for the 15th Marine Branch Base in the West Blue.

This time, Xia Luo made no effort to hide his use of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's power to travel.

When he returned to the 15th Marine Branch Base in the West Blue, he instantly caused a huge commotion.

That was because Xia Luo descended from the sky before everyone's eyes in the form of lightning.

He landed directly on the training grounds, where a large number of Marines were conducting their daily drills.

"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 a minute!"

Lieutenant Colonel Kana suddenly shuddered and realized something. His body trembled slightly, his breathing quickened, and an astonishing possibility suddenly arose in his mind.

To confirm his suspicion, he rushed forward and threw all his strength into a punch at Xia Luo. His fist passed straight through Xia Luo's body.

"It... it really went through?!"

Kana looked at his own fist, then at Xia Luo's slowly reforming body.

Lieutenant Colonel Kana was dumbfounded. He swallowed with difficulty and stammered, "X-Xia Luo, y-you... could you be a l-legendary Logia Devil Fruit user?!"

Logia Devil Fruits were incredibly precious and rare. Lieutenant Colonel Kana had only heard of them; he had never seen one.

But now, a living example stood right before him!

"Colonel Whiteman, something terrible has happened! Pfft, no, that's not right. Colonel Whiteman, this is wonderful... No, that doesn't sound right either..."

"Ah, forget it! Anyway, Colonel, hurry over here!"

Kana seemed possessed. Nothing coming out of his mouth made any sense.

Xia Luo: "..."

A short while later,

Colonel Whiteman arrived after hearing the commotion. The moment he came over, he launched into a furious tirade at Kana. "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 how I've taught you to behave? I've told you before, don't panic when something happens. Stay calm. The sky isn't falling. Look at yourself right now—what kind of disgrace is this!"

Then he turned to Xia Luo, instantly changing his expression. He was like a completely different person from moments ago, truly a master of changing faces. With a beaming, amiable smile, he said:

"Ah, Xia Luo, why didn't you let me know in advance that you were coming back? I could have sent someone to pick you up."

"Colonel, Xia Luo, he..."

Lieutenant Colonel Kana looked anxious.

Whiteman's eyes widened as he barked, "Shut up! Did I tell you to 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 it all out in one breath.

After saying that, Kana immediately let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, he had finally said it. He had been worried sick!

Why had he never noticed before that the colonel liked interrupting people so much?