Yamata no Orochi!

"Damn, the battle was intense. It got my blood pumping—I almost wanted to jump in and fight myself."

"No wonder Kaido had dared to swing that huge club at Imu the moment he got the Azure Dragon Fruit in the original story. Besides being hardheaded, he must have gotten carried away."

"Holy shit, wait a second—why did Kaido suddenly transform? What was that, Yamata no Orochi?!"

The sight before him left Xia Luo utterly dumbfounded.

"Mythical Zoan-type Snake-Snake Fruit: Yamata no Orochi Form!"

"Good lord, was Kaido's luck really that good? I'd just snatched the Azure Dragon Fruit, and he managed to get the Yamata no Orochi Fruit instead. That was seriously something."

As a legendary creature, Yamata no Orochi was born with eight heads and eight tails. Each head possessed an independent consciousness and wielded a different ability.

Most importantly, each head represented a life. Its sheer power needed no explanation.

Of course, no matter how powerful an ability was, it still depended on who wielded it. The same fruit would unleash vastly different power in Kaido's hands than in Kurozumi Orochi's.

Watching Yamata no Orochi rampage in the distance, Xia Luo smiled faintly.

"It looks a little ugly. Nowhere near as impressive as my Azure Dragon."

Which was stronger, the Azure Dragon Fruit or the Yamata no Orochi Fruit? No one dared make a rash judgment. But when it came to looking cool, the Azure Dragon left Yamata no Orochi eight streets behind!

As the saying went, strength was temporary, but being handsome lasted a lifetime!

Therefore, even if the Yamata no Orochi Fruit were placed right before him, Xia Luo would still choose the Azure Dragon Fruit without hesitation.

Then Xia Luo turned and prepared to leave, swift and decisive.

This battle was still far too high-level for him. Before obtaining the Azure Dragon Fruit, he had been an ant. After obtaining it, he was at most a slightly stronger ant. He was still an ant, with no real difference.

Besides, the outcome of this battle had already been decided. It was not something he could change. Rather than risk wading into muddy waters, he might as well leave early and make other plans.

A short while later,

Xia Luo arrived at a secluded cliff. It was steep and dozens of meters high, with churning waves below.

The seawater was deep blue, crashing wildly against the rock walls and spraying countless droplets into the air.

In the distance, Marine warships still blockaded God Valley, forbidding anyone from entering or leaving.

However, from Xia Luo's observations, the blockade was far weaker than it had been at the beginning.

After being repeatedly "ravaged" by the Rocks Pirates and Roger Pirates, only a scattered dozen or so Marine warships remained on the sea. Compared to when the Marines had first appeared, their number had been nearly halved.

Of the remaining dozen or so warships, several were positioned around the area, barely maintaining the blockade. They were mainly responsible for monitoring the surrounding waters and preventing other ships from approaching.

The rest were doing everything they could to attack the ships and remaining crew of the Rocks Pirates and Roger Pirates. Cannon fire filled the sky.

Xia Luo remained unmoved as he watched the Marine surveillance ships in the distance. He followed the rope he had left behind earlier and descended to the bottom of the cliff.

He then untied another rope looped around a reef and pulled hard. A small submarine slowly surfaced.

This submarine was one of the escape routes Xia Luo had prepared for himself.

Opening the hatch, Xia Luo entered, then skillfully started the vessel. The submarine slowly descended.

After diving roughly thirty meters and avoiding both the Marine surveillance ships and the battlefield, the submarine sped toward the open sea, away from God Valley.

Several days later.

Ohara.

A blue-painted submarine gradually surfaced and docked at the pier behind the Tree of Knowledge.

"Arrived safely!"

Xia Luo set foot on this familiar land again and took a deep breath of fresh air.

"Phew, I should head home first. There's no rush to return the submarine. I've been gone for over a month—Sis must be worried."

More than a month earlier, Xia Luo had left behind a note and departed without saying goodbye, nearly worrying sixteen-year-old Olvia to death.

After their parents died, Olvia had depended on each other with her two younger brothers. She had acted as both father and mother, and her brothers were the apples of her eye. If anything had happened to Xia Luo, what would she and Oran have done?

On his way home, Xia Luo ran into several acquaintances. Upon seeing him, they all greeted him at once, chattering away.

"Yo, little Xia Luo is back! You've got some guts, kid. You dared sail out alone to adventure at such a young age!"

"Xia Luo, you're done for. Hurry home! If you don't go back soon, your sister is really going to beat you to death!"

"Poor Oran. He took quite a beating these past few days just for covering for his brother."

"Ho ho ho, 'The world is so big, I want to go see it.' That was well written. I'm so jealous—it makes me want to go out and see the world too," a middle-aged man said wistfully.

His words earned him a furious scolding from his wife. "You dare?! I'll break your legs!"

The middle-aged man smiled sheepishly and hurriedly waved his hands. "Honey, I was just joking. Don't take it seriously."

Xia Luo: "..."

Wait, Olvia told everyone what I wrote?

Xia Luo shook his head. "Forget it. I should think about how to placate Olvia first. She won't beat me, but she'll definitely cry her eyes out."

As for his younger brother Oran, that brat was tough. A few beatings would not hurt him. Getting beaten was good for his health. If he was not disciplined when he was young, he would dare bully his future niece when he grew up!

Xia Luo's home was in town, not far from the Tree of Knowledge. His parents had been merchants and left behind a considerable fortune. On top of that, they had treated others kindly and built many good relationships, allowing Xia Luo and his siblings to grow up safely and focus on their studies.

The closer he got to home, the heavier Xia Luo's footsteps became. His heart grew more and more anxious.

Suddenly, Xia Luo stopped. He stared blankly at the slender figure ahead and spoke softly.

"Sis, you've gotten thinner."

The moment the words left his mouth, someone hugged Xia Luo tightly. Olvia trembled all over, tears filling her eyes as she choked out,

"Wuwuwu... Thank goodness. You finally came back."

"You little brat, how could you bear to leave Oran and me behind and sail out alone? Do you know how worried we were about you?"

"What if... what if something happened to you? How were Oran and I supposed to live?"

"Yeah, Big Brother. If you hadn't come back, Big Sis would've beaten me to death!" Nico Oran walked out of the house after hearing the commotion, and the resentful look in his eyes made Xia Luo's scalp tingle.

"Get lost. If you got beaten, it was definitely because you upset Big Sis. What the hell does that have to do with me?" Xia Luo glared at Oran, his tone full of warning.

Oran shrank his neck in fright and did not dare say another word.

Over the past year, Xia Luo had always found all sorts of excuses to beat Oran whenever he had nothing to do. He truly ate, slept, and beat his little brother, treating it as venting anger on behalf of his future niece.

Then Xia Luo gently patted Olvia's back and comforted her.

"Alright, Sis, stop crying. I know I was wrong. I'm sorry."

"You won't be pretty if you keep crying. Be careful, or no one will marry you in the future."

"Ah, if that doesn't work, just beat me up and let out your anger."

Xia Luo was getting anxious. No matter what he said, Olvia remained silent and only kept crying.

Left with no choice, Xia Luo gave Oran a look, asking him to help persuade Olvia. Oran merely shrugged and spread his hands, indicating that he could do nothing.

"You caused this trouble yourself. Solve it yourself," Oran muttered, then walked away without looking back.